Motorcycle dealer's mindset! (kinda long)

I believe learning the ropes off-road is pretty decent way to get started, I started on an XR75 and that poor thing didn't have a chance,LOL! After that lot and lots of 2 strokes, riding 2 strokes helps with the smoothness and maintaining speed thing immensely. With the abrupt nature of early 2 strokes you had to learn to be smooth.......

 

Damn straight, NorcalBoy.. My RD400 was very sensitive to throttle. The brakes and forks sucked though...lol.

The FZR400 was an awesome bike! Sooooooooo damn flickable!

 

Learning on two stroke dirt bikes is the ideal way to learn to be smooth, to be sure.

 

If you think the FZR400 was flickable, you should try an '07 CBR600RR. Just as flickable, but more stable at the same time, thanks to HESD.

 

Just as flickable? Well, Yamaha's FZR400 was 1987 technology, so, it took Honda 20 years to match it? Hmmmm... I'll say this though. Honda has more of the CBR's on the road than the Yamaha FZR. Yamaha has a tendency to kill a good model off too soon.

 

Well i finally have a counter point to this.
While 99% of the salesman at a bike show where happy to simply describe the bikes we where looking at, on said, hey...you know she should look at the ninja 250 not that 500 or 600.

My buddies GF is just about to take lessons(something he needs to do, even if he does have his licence) and was bike shopping. Really glad that guy pointed out the bike, she loved it and it fit her perfectly...a much better first bike.

 

I tried working at a large multi bike dealership last year but only lasted two days. I just could not stand the way they did business. They did not sell motorcycles, they sold “EXCITEMENT”. The only thing they cared about the customer was “do they have good credit” . I tried to ask potential customers questions about their experience and how they were going to use the bike so that I could recommend the best bike for their needs. The sales manager told me to stop doing that and to start using their sales formula that got customer excited about how cool their friends and girls would think they would be on the latest street legal race bike or cruiser. The sad thing was I watched other salespeople using the “formula” and it worked; They sold a lot of “Excitement”.

 

I think it's cool that you didn't just cave and go for the commissions and forget your convictions. I hate sales people that push things on me. Unfortunately, there are millions of people who give in to the hype and buy stuff they don't need even if it could be harmful to them.

 

it's also dangerous and is probally responsable for some of the bad rap sport bikes get.
inexperianced riders riding above there limits on bikes way above ther elimits ebcause they have been sold on excitment.