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We used to have a sign at the front counter of the service department:
"our best customers are the people you let ride your bike"
I've made the mistake of allowing other folk to ride a few of my bikes when there wasn't a sale in the works for the machine. Like others have said, it's a formula for having your bike dropped or damaged when they don't have their own money on the line.
I've let several of my friends ride my bikes over the years. They either had bikes of their own and we were trading for a bit, or I knew they could easily afford to fix any damages they may cause. I've never had any of them wreck or damage a bike, the worst thing that happened was one of my friends had on a belt with a metal belt buckle, and when he was leaning over the tank while riding he scraped the paint on the gas tank with it. He offered to pay to have the tank painted (it was a brand new bike) but it wasn't bad enough to warrant anything like that so I just got a tank pad and covered it.
I suppose if I knew it was someone who couldn't just afford to buy it outright, I wouldn't let them ride.
I'll let most people ride the Ninja 250. I've had one person drop it when they didn't get the kickstand all the way out. Another scrape, big deal. CBR I'm more selective about. Basically family and a handful of friends who (A) know how to ride and (B) don't ride like idiots. Smaller group than you'd think. A lot of people who know how to ride and want to ride an old sportbike ride like idiots.
I gave my last bike to my wife after I bought my current one.
She dropped it at a country intersection in the woods at very low speed, she would not have dropped it if she used the throttle. I only needed to change the base for the left mirror. She put a small dent on the tank under the emblem.
I might let her ride mine if she gets much more miles between her legs.
My bike? No one else. Likely she will never ride it. Much too heavy for her.
My wife had a nice 500 vulcan that we bought used but she didn't ride it much because she always insisted on getting all her gear on for the shortest rides.
I used to go riding with a buddy from work and there was another guy who had a bike for a few months before selling it to a friend.
One day I went for a lunch time ride with my regular riding buddy and let the other guy take my wife's bike so he could come along.
We went into the mountains for our normal ride but I noticed the other guy crossing the yellow on curves and had a bad feeling but before we could get to a place to stop the dude ended up low siding my wife's bike into a rock that then pitched him up and over. He could have died that day because I overestimated his ability due to his posturing about riding. I didn't know he'd never ridden curvy roads.
In the end he eventually healed and I got more money than I paid for my wife's Vulcan but it would have been nice if none of that ever happened.
and by the way...... your insurance probably does not cover them!
Actually, if they had a valid mc license and your consent, they typically do cover them during "borrowed" ride.
If they have been borrowing it for more than once or twice, then not likely.
Actually, if they had a valid mc license and your consent, they typically do cover them during "borrowed" ride.
If they have been borrowing it for more than once or twice, then not likely.
How would the know if it wasn't the "first time" someone borrowed it?
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