No more Kawasaki Demo Days...who now?

[Yougoteck]

No SF Bay Area stop on this year's Kawasaki tour :thumbdown . Any other makers you know scheduled a similar demo day? Yamaha is doing something at Laguna but it looks to be display only.



youtu.be/W2vS0EMgTGA

 

[ex911]

yeah, we should have a sticky with all the demo days. I've enjoyed all of the ones I've attended: Duc, BMW, Triumph.

 

[kevin 714]

How many bikes have you bought from those demo days?

 

[V4]

How many bikes have you bought from those demo days?

funny story: guy wants to demo ride a klr...dealer lets him ride a brand new klr...he wanna buy the same color and everything...but not that klr cuz it now has miles....

dealer refuses anymore demo rides...

another story: guy walks in with famous local racer...acts like the shit and wanna ride a cbr600rr....since local racer guy is good friend with dealer, let the buddy go for a ride but have a sales woman follow....guy couldn't keep up with her even around town...bitches and complain the 07 cbr 600 is unstable, too slow, dangerously peaky, blahblahblahblah...plus he barely can reach the ground at a stop..nearly drops it cuz he only uses the rear brakes cuz that's how the pros ride, as he states..she was on a ninja 250..he thought she was on a zx10..:wtf

no more demo rides...

 

[xgambit]

my GF's bought 2 bikes from demo rides. and she's probably going to do it again.

 

[yodaisgod]

Demo ride from nearly 3 years ago led me to a Triumph.

 

[theAmazingKickstand]

I learned how awful the the Buell XB12 and 9 are from demo rides.

 

[rsrider]

Hardley demos, BMW demos, Triumph demos, can am demos, and I think Victory does.... but they aren't stupid about it. You have to be at least 25 yrs old, have your endosement, and insurance, etc. etc. and usually you have to come in on your bike. I mean if someone walks in with no bike and no gear, I wouldn't give him the keys to anything except maybe the restroom.

 

[Clem Kevin]

Everytime the Kaw demo ride is around, I try to get on the Versys, because I'd love to try one for knowledge of a future purchase. I get swooped every time!

 

[OaklandF4i]

Demo ride from nearly 3 years ago led me to a Triumph.

Me too :thumbup

 

[hayabusafiend]

How many bikes have you bought from those demo days?

Buell (1996 Honda Hoot) demo rides on M2 and S3. Bought the S3T three years later.
BMW (calmoto.com) demo rides on R1200R and F800ST. Bought the R1200R same day.

 

[ScottRNelson]

I bought my KTM specifically because I had taken it for a demo ride earlier. I'm sure that I wouldn't have bought it if I had not been able to take it for a ride.

But I've taken a lot of other bikes for demo rides that I didn't buy. However, I'm able to encourage others to look at bikes that I liked when I rode them. I'm more likely to buy from a dealer where I've taken a demo ride.

 

[kevin 714]

my point was, that if people actually BOUGHT Bikes from demo rides, they would do them. but overall, they dont, which is why theyre gone

 

[Kornholio]

Could you buy motorcycles at demo days when they aren't held at a dealer? :dunno

 

[clutchslip]

No SF Bay Area stop on this year's Kawasaki tour :thumbdown . Any other makers you know scheduled a similar demo day? Yamaha is doing something at Laguna but it looks to be display only.

Are you like a wedding crasher? Go and tool around on other people's gas, than leave with the drunk kid barfing in the bathroom?

my point was, that if people actually BOUGHT Bikes from demo rides, they would do them. but overall, they dont, which is why theyre gone

No doubt. You have to believe that you will get quite a few bikes sales, to justify these things. I did them for Suzuki on a large scale, back when 50 hp made your bottom smell like roses.

 

[bunnygoat]

Kawasaki will be doing the yearly big show in San Mateo with test rides, no?

 

[motobecane10]

my point was, that if people actually BOUGHT Bikes from demo rides, they would do them. but overall, they dont, which is why theyre gone

regardless it exposes their products and in a good way so bad idea to discontinue. Even if a person doesn't buy perhaps they will spread the word to a friend and said friend may do the demo thing and buy...........so the word of mouth is lethal in many ways.

 

[clutchslip]

regardless it exposes their products and in a good way so bad idea to discontinue. Even if a person doesn't buy perhaps they will spread the word to a friend and said friend may do the demo thing and buy...........so the word of mouth is lethal in many ways.

:facepalm
So, you don't think that the manufacturers know about your revelation of "word of mouth". It costs thousands of dollars to do these things, just like sponsoring racing. You need to demonstrate that your promotion efforts yield profits, otherwise you go broke letting everyone ride your stuff and never buying it. Can you PROVE that their sales are hurt by stopping these demos? I didn't think so.

 

[ex911]

How many bikes have you bought from those demo days?

I bought my Duc ($25.5K) after a demo day. I bought my Harley ($23K) after a demo day.

So 2 bikes out of 4 demo days, or 50%.

 

[Cire 5th]

No SF Bay Area stop on this year's Kawasaki tour :thumbdown . Any other makers you know scheduled a similar demo day? Yamaha is doing something at Laguna but it looks to be display only.



youtu.be/W2vS0EMgTGA

after looking at this post I would like to definetely demo something out.