Buying that first bike -- and getting it home

[voxclone]

When you get your first bike, how do you get it home?

I'm about 85% decided that I'm getting a bike, and I'm pretty well decided on a GZ250 to start out (I like the styling and feel better than the other 250s out there these days).

The main problem I'm seeing is how to get it home from the dealer. I have my M1, but I took the MSF class about 18 months ago, so I don't know how comfortable I feel hitting the streets right away. I imagine I would either want to re-take the MSF class or get the bike back to my apartment and ride it in the parking lot for a while first.

What would you all recommend?

[Water Warrior 2]

Welcome Voxclone. Nice to have you join us in our madness. Hmm, getting the bike home. Do you have a licensed trustworthy friend who can ride it for you. Or can you beg, borrow or steal a pick up to transport the bike home securely. Maybe some one with a trailer to load it on. How far is home from the bike ? Delivery if possible ????

Do we have any members close by willing to help out ???
Is the bike new, used, private sale or dealer ?

[voxclone]

The one I'm looking at is at a dealer that's about 4-5 miles away. It's a straight shot up a standard 35mph road... but I'd still rather play in the parking lot first!

Haven't pulled the trigger on it quite yet, but I'm going to the dealer tomorrow. It'll be worth asking if they deliver. Seems like a lot of people at work ride, so I might just have to tap into that network to get it back the first time.

[cayuse]

I was in the same situation earlier this year, Voxclone. Luckily I have a good friend at work who is a long-time rider. He helped me inspect the bike I bought (used) and rode it home for me.

Good luck with yours; you've picked a good one!

[mole2]

First, welcome aboard!!!! Maybe the dealer will deliver it for you if you make it part of the deal. If not, for that short of a distance maybe you can get a friend to take it home for you. That distance shouldn't be a problem. If you were near me I'd take it home for you.


:)

[blaine]

Welcome aboard.Good luck with your new ride. :cool: :)

[alanmcorcoran]

I had mine delivered from a dealer that was 35 miles away. For that short of a distance, if they can't/won't deliver it, if you've taken the and passed the MSF course, you'll probably be okay going 5 miles - you can practice a bit in the dealer lot to refresh your memory. I'd be surprised if they won't trailer it for you.

[Easy Rider]

It'll be worth asking if they deliver. Seems like a lot of people at work ride, so I might just have to tap into that network to get it back the first time.

I'll bet that the dealer would deliver it as part of the sale (no extra charge) since it's relatively close. Having a "friend" ride it home might be even better......as they could give it a quick inspection and test ride before signing the papers.

Have YOU done a test ride yet ??

P.S. If it will be ridden home, be sure you have insurance in force before it hits the streets.

[Viirin]

My friend drove mine home for me but most dealers around here have a van for transporting stock and will probably deliver it if you ask them to - best of luck with it

Vii

[Water Warrior 2]

I can definitely relate to the anxiety of getting the bike home. In 2005 I found my bike but it was a long long way from home. Not having ridden in a few years and riding through the Greater Vancouver Region of 4 million people was not a welcome thought. Went in search of a smaller dealer North of Squamish rather than South into the well populated area. Found a smaller dealer with no Vstroms but he could get me one quickly. So for a hundred bucks more I felt this was a safer bet and I could probably ride home with no mishap. Got my bike and it was the one I first looked at so far from home. I encountered little highway traffic riding home and survived my first ride in years.

[alanmcorcoran]

It's almost worth having a forum for "The First Ride Home." I had my GZ delivered in a pickup and the guy almost lost it when he tried to roll it down the ramp unassisted. I was riding it around the neighborhood a short while later after I got it insured. All I can remember about the second one was a near-permanent shit-eating grin that lasted about six months. Still get that grin, but now it's only when I'm actually riding it. The third one was "It was a Dark and Stormy night..." ...and Alan is inadvertently riding a dual sport at 70 mph in a rainstorm -with 5 psi in the front tire. I've read a number of stories on-line about guys who just sucked it up, and rode their first bike home without ANY prior experience (I ain't recommending it, but it does make for some interesting stories!)

[mrlmd1]

AC - Slime has a real nice compact 12V air pump (Walmart $9.99) you should get to reinflate your tires for the street ride home. Not a good idea to be riding along at highway speeds with 5 psi in the tires - besides extra wear and heat buildup in the tire, I would be afraid it would come off the rim at 70mph with pressure that low.

[alanmcorcoran]

I didn't realize they were flat until I got home. Bought the bike from a dealer who has a very nice fancy air compressor - they just never bothered to put any air in. In California all stations are required to offer air. I think.

[dhgeyer]

I've read a number of stories on-line about guys who just sucked it up, and rode their first bike home without ANY prior experience (I ain't recommending it, but it does make for some interesting stories!)

That would be me. 1963, 16, and stupid. First bike was a 1954 Harley Davidson Hummer 165cc two stroke thumper. No such thing as MSF, or any source of formal training. No requirement for a special license, either. What's a motorcycle helmet? Never heard of those. About 10 minutes in the Harley parking lot in Buffalo, NY, with the salesman showing me where the clutch, shifter, throttle and brakes were, and offering such pearls of wisdom as "Don't ever use the front brake - you'll go right over the handlebars.". Thank God I'd learned to drive on a standard transmission at least. Another 5 minutes of practice, and I figured I had it down, and launched myself into rush hour traffic in Buffalo.

I really don't remember the 20 odd mile ride home to East Aurora, but since still I'm here I must have made it.

[ND_Exclaim]

I was in the same spot you are just a few weeks ago. Fortunately the dealership where i purchased my bike had a quiet neighborhood behind it. I rode the bike around there for about an hour before taking it out on city streets. I'm sure some of the people in that neighborhood must have gotten tired of seeing me ride back and forth. If you passed the MSF course you'll do fine. Just take it easy and remember to breath. :tup:

[megocode3]

Since I just got my first bike today, I'll share my adventure of getting it home. I bought the bike from a guy about 20 miles away. After buying it I rode it around the neighborhood for maybe half an hour or so. The only previous riding experience I had was during the MSF class. My wife finally got tired of following me around the neighborhood and said it's time to go home.

I was a bit nervous taking it out on the real streets. Once I made it on to the city streets the cars seemed bigger and 35 mph might as well have been 200 mph. But the fun was just beginning! My wife some how talked me into taking the freeway home instead of the back roads since it was faster (or maybe she just wanted my life insurance money!).

The freeway was terrifying, especially since it's LA and they can be quite crowded. Driving it was easy, it's just flat straight road. It was the 30+ mph winds blowing me around, the giant semi's next to me and the feeling that I would fly off the bike if I loosened my grip that scared the you-know-what outa me.

Anyway, I made it home safe and spent the rest of the day riding around in empty parking lots. What a day though! I wish I would have just paid someone to tow it home for me.

[mrlmd1]

You could always ask the dealer to have someone who works there ride it to your house and you can drive them back in your car. I'm sure they must have someone who works there who knows how to ride a motorcycle (sic).

[alanmcorcoran]

I think he said he bought it "from a guy", although I supposed "the guy" could have rode it to his house for him.

I think the reality is - most of us have to go through the highway/scared shitless rite of passage at some point, whether it's sooner or later, where you get on the freeway and Darwin takes over. Even if you practice a lot before you go on the highway, at some point, you have to take the plunge and no amount of parking lot/MSF really gets you prepared/relaxed for that first freeway trip. As I recall, it wasn't until I was forced one day to do about 40 miles on US15 that I finally got over my freeway anxiety - and that was about six months in.

Glad you survived mego. She may seem cold, but I think your wife's attitude is gonna be a lot better for you over the long haul. I think a lot of guys on here would be happier if their wives didn't worry so much.

[mrlmd1]

I was answering the original post from voxclone who said "The main problem I'm seeing is how to get it home from the dealer." Either way, the dealer or the seller could ride it over to their house if it's not too far away if the buyer doesn't think he is ready for that yet.

[dentheman]

I talked to a couple dealers in my town, they will deliver at no charge. One of them said he enjoys delivering motorcycles, I suspect that means he will ride it not trailer it.

[Johfar]

Hello, new to the forum. Just bought a 2001 GZ250! My very first bike!! I have to go and pick it up, about 60ish miles away. Going to haul it in the back of my truck. Any tips for putting one in the bed of a truck?

[alanmcorcoran]

The longer and wider the ramp the better. Be real careful. The bike is relatively light but if you've never ridden one DON'T ride it into the back of the pickup. Get a buddy to help load and unload. Try to do it from the ground if you can but it's very tricky. You'll probably have to hop down from the bumper. I really think you should consider having someone else ride it

[Johfar]

Im taking a buddy that can help me load it. I have a good 3foot wide ramp i use for lawn mowers. Is there any places i should put straps?

[Water Warrior 2]

Put the bike in the middle of the truck. Straps ideally will go around the top of the forks or on the bars. Stand the bike upright and synch down the straps to compress the forks a couple inches. Leave the side stand up. Synch down the rear to keep it in place. Test for a secure fit. Test again a few miles down the road. Make sure the front wheel is blocked in a manner so it can't turn left or right. Take your baby home.

[40MILERUN]

My wife and I just faced this little delema. She bought a GZ from a dealer about 45 miles from our home plus the temperature has been about 25 degrees at the peak of the day.

We rented a U-haul motorcycle trailer for $15.00. Your distance is much shorter, but the ease of just loading the bike on and strapping it down makes it a solution you might consider... way easier than loading it on and off a pickup.

The dealer attached the tie-down straps to the front corners of the trailer (so they couldn't slide lose) and then over the handlebars near to the triple-tree. He tightened the starps down so the forks were compressed about a inch or so. The front wheel was trapped in the trailer wheel chock designed for that purpose. Hauling was a piece-o-cake... no worries.

40MR

[Water Warrior 2]

There you go. A $15 solution. The best yet with trailers being a lot lower and safer.

[Shammua]

I second 40milerun's solution. I have seen to many bikes dumped because they were either being loaded or unloaded into the back of a truck. If you don't have a trailer that you can safely secure the bike into then go rent one. It can be cheaper and a LOT easier.

Hope it helps,
Matt Holland

[dvsDave]

I'm new here and am in the same boat, bike is about 2 hours away. I went on U-Haul's website and rented a pickup truck and motorcycle trailer for $52.90 (including insurance), plus $0.70 cents a mile.

Just got a 2000 GZ-250 with about 13k miles on it. Guy says it's rideable, but I want to bring it home first and check it out front to back and make sure it's up to my standards first.

[blaine]

Welcome to the forum.Good luck with your new ride.Any questions,just ask.
:) :cool:

[Water Warrior 2]

Sounds like a very sensible plan Dave. Strap down the bike with a couple straps in the front and at least one on the rear to keep the rear end from bouncing and moving. Bike should be upright and have the side stand up. This system always worked for me without mishap. After you have been on the road for a few minutes pull over and recheck the straps and bike for safety. Happy motoring.

[dvsDave]

Thanks for the tips, Water Warrior!

I picked it up today, 140 miles, round trip. Two 6' 1000 pound straps in front, one 14' 1000 pound strap in the back, held it on the trailer as if it was welded in place. I'm kicking myself for not getting a picture of it on the trailer.

[Water Warrior 2]

Thanks for the tips, Water Warrior!

I picked it up today, 140 miles, round trip. Two 6' 1000 pound straps in front, one 14' 1000 pound strap in the back, held it on the trailer as if it was welded in place. I'm kicking myself for not getting a picture of it on the trailer.
Kinky, a bike in bondage. :lol: Glad you had a safe trip back and forth.