At work the other day a customer asked if he could test-ride a bike before purchasing it. (I get asked that same question about 10 times a week.) "Unfortunately, we cannot allow test-rides." I said, politely. The customer asked "why not"? And I said, "because our Insurance Company would not cover if anything happens." This customer was an experienced rider but had not owned a bike in a few years. I wish it were as easy as test-riding an automobile. I mean, how is one supposed to know if they really like a bike without at least trying it out first? I would not purchase a car without trying it our first; yet, we are expected to just spend thousands of dollars on a motorcycle without making sure it is the one we want.

In this day of Corporate America where an individual can sue a restaurant for serving them a hot cup of coffee, motorcycle dealers are up-in-arms with the possibility of being sued by a "test-rider" who has an accident on a motorcycle they haven't purchased yet and gets injured. Sound crazy? I think not. Sure, a customer comes in thinking he/she is an experienced rider (many not). What would happen if a test-rider DID have an accident and sued the dealership who let him/her test-ride the bike for allowing him/her to ride it without purchasing it first? With a hotshot attorney the customer could likely win the case, if the customer wanted to badly enough (and had enough money).

Yes, I'm sure it is a far-fetched notion. However, when lawsuits pop up these days for seemingly no good reason, or even because of an individual's own negligence against someone else, motorcycle dealers have to be on their toes to protect themselves. For goodness sakes, whatever happened to the famed ATC (3-wheeler)??? It's the few "bad apple" customers who ruin a good thing for everyone else. ATC's were abolished several years ago because riders blamed THE MANUFACTURER for the customer's own negligence. Today, we dealers have read safety guidelines and recommendations TO the customer as they purchase a bike. There are warning decals plastered all over each motorcycle, dirtbike or ATV on the showroom. The customer has to actually SIGN a form that states they have been informed of the safety guidelines on ATV's. Unbelievable, you say? The next time you go into your local dealer, just browse over one motorcycle, dirtbike or ATV. JUST ONE. There will probably be between five and ten warning stickers plastered all over it's shiny finish telling you how to operate the machine or recommending a minimum age or telling you to wear a helmet. Yes, all of those recommendations are valid, but, who am I to tell YOU what you should and should not do with the recreational vehicle you are about to purchase? If you want to ride your Suzuki Hayabusa (one of the fastest production bikes) at 190mph on an open straight road with no helmet on, by all means GO FOR IT. As long as it doesn't hurt anyone else, YOU GO! However, the all-powerful U.S. Government (who can't even elect a President) tell us what we can and cannot do, who we can do it with, and when we can do it. Free country? Think again. You can't even go get a cold beer from the store on Sunday but you sure as heck can get schnookered at Applebee's if you want to any day of the week--after 12:00pm! (that's a whole other story)

The bottom line is this, it's not the dealership's fault that we do not allow test-rides to anyone who asks for them. It is the spill-hot-coffee-on-yourself-and-sue kind of customer that prevents us from doing it. It's the I-smoke-cigarettes-and-sue-the-manufacturer-for-getting-me-addicted person who does it. And we never know when that person will show their dishonest little face.

I'm done rambling now. As far as the Presidential Election, tell the State of Florida to have a run-off and be done with it. They've had run-off's for much lessor offices with much broader vote count differences. If the American people really knew how corrupt the "vote counting" system is, we would have abolished the Electoral College and gone to an electronic or online voting system years ago. Enough Said!

See you at the next Roswell Dirt Riders meeting or Group Ride. Please visit RoswellDirtRiders.com to check out Atlanta's coolest offroad/motocross club.