Hey everyone, I am new to the forums and I am finding myself in a bit of a dilemma, I have a chance to pick up an R3 for a great deal new, it will actually be cheaper than a used one at some other dealerships, the sale is almost over and I am about to jump in an buy it. However my problem is that I have yet to take the CMSP (CA new MSF) and have only ridden a mini bike years ago. If I pick the bike up I'll have to ride it about 60 plus miles home, from downtown LA to Antelope Valley. My wife will be with me behind me in the car the whole way, but I am still a little intimidated about the ride, mostly about dropping a brand new bike before I can put some sliders on it. I am planning on taking the safety course but by the time there's an opening an it works with my schedule sale will be over. My friend told me I can ride his 636 to practice but I don't feel like being responsible if I drop his bike lol. So what should I do? There is no delivery options, I may ask my friend to ride it but we both have opposite work schedules, and I am also thinking of renting a trailer, tho the trailer is my last option. There is a nice lot near the dealer usually empty maybe I can practice for a while before making the trip? Thanks all I'm looking forward to the good advice.
About to buy R3, should I ride it home? First time on motorcycle.
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Edit: You should not be riding from Del Amo Motorsports to AV on your first ride. Too treacherous a route. Get help GET IT DELIVERED
You have no time rush of any kind, I dont care what they say about their sale date, there are more than enough R3's in inventory. Here in SoCal there is virtually a permanent stream of them.
If you called Simi Valley Cycles tomorrow they would match the deal to the dollar. Pasadena , Simi, or Chatsworth will all deal for the bike and deliver it. If you called the sales guys at Simi they would give you the same price and trailer it to your front door. They delivered mine to Newhall, they wont have a problem going to Palmdale/Lancaster.
Wheels in Motion covers the SCV all the way to Palmdale for break down service they would certainly deliver a new sale that far.
I suggest you get off the freeway early and use the old road and sierra highway so you get a good break in ride without too much same speed RPM riding.
Just have your friend ride it home at low /varying RPMs. Use foothill, San Fernando Rd, The Old Rd, Rinaldi, Sierra Hwy, etc
You hold all the cards here, 2016 models are about to hit the showroom.
You have no time rush of any kind, I dont care what they say about their sale date, there are more than enough R3's in inventory. Here in SoCal there is virtually a permanent stream of them.
If you called Simi Valley Cycles tomorrow they would match the deal to the dollar. Pasadena , Simi, or Chatsworth will all deal for the bike and deliver it. If you called the sales guys at Simi they would give you the same price and trailer it to your front door. They delivered mine to Newhall, they wont have a problem going to Palmdale/Lancaster.
Wheels in Motion covers the SCV all the way to Palmdale for break down service they would certainly deliver a new sale that far.
I suggest you get off the freeway early and use the old road and sierra highway so you get a good break in ride without too much same speed RPM riding.
Just have your friend ride it home at low /varying RPMs. Use foothill, San Fernando Rd, The Old Rd, Rinaldi, Sierra Hwy, etc
You hold all the cards here, 2016 models are about to hit the showroom.
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Welcome from England.I rode my first bike home from the dealer when i was just turned 16,no lessons no helmet no proper bike gear,mind you it was 1964 LoL.Seriously if you don't feel comfortable riding it home trailer it or get your mate to ride it.Good luck.
Thabks guys, good to have some reassurance! I'm probably going to ride it on routes you suggested, it will be on a weekend so traffic shouldn't be horrible going that way. And thanks I have only really shopped at del amo motorsports and Next Motorcycle, now I'm definitely going to check out these other dealers, can't be much harder getting a good deal on a bike vs me fighting with my car salesman right? And I may just wait for the 2016 versions, they start orders on the 20th correct? , I haven't looked much into the 16s yet has much changed? I've been too busy trying to get a focus RS lol but I don't want to pay 40 grand for a focus haha, I think the bike will be a much better way to have fun even if it requires a few months of learning. Even if it is only YouTube training and manuals until I take the course.
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You can get a 16 for the same price, hold out and get a 16 for sure. Why buy last years so late, get the fresh release.
The bikes flow through here, we have no supply constraints and they don't have to truck them far to the dealers.
Any discounts they claim to place on the 15' could simply be negotiated into a sale on a 16.
If you wanted the black Raven version from 2015 that would be one reason to buy a 15. The red for 16 has a white tank and front fairing instead of red.
$100 surcharge for matte grey, another fee that you could work them over on. I wouldn't pay a premium for just another color.
The bikes flow through here, we have no supply constraints and they don't have to truck them far to the dealers.
Any discounts they claim to place on the 15' could simply be negotiated into a sale on a 16.
If you wanted the black Raven version from 2015 that would be one reason to buy a 15. The red for 16 has a white tank and front fairing instead of red.
$100 surcharge for matte grey, another fee that you could work them over on. I wouldn't pay a premium for just another color.
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I was so nervous riding my very first bike home (the r3) and I had done the Canadian version of the msf a year a go from the purchase date and then a weekend refresher a couple week before the purchase date. This was when the 2015s had just hit dealership floors in april I had a choice of which dealership to ride it home from and I chose the closest one to my home (approx. 10 miles all city). Man was I nervous riding it home the first time, stalled it right out of the dealers driveway! smh. my mouth was really dry after that short ride haha but I'll always remember it.
My 2 cents if your not confident or feeling uneasy you should consider a craigslist delivery option, have your friend ride it or rent the trailer. 60 miles is a long trek for your first ride ona proper sized bike IMO. I was really nervous the whole 10 miles during mine. After I had it home I rode it around the neighborhood/ empty parking lots where I felt very comfortable and got more accustom/ built confidence etc. Weigh the risk/benefits, will saving a couple bucks be worth running the risk of having an incident? New riders make a lot of mistakes, I'm a new rider, I know!
My 2 cents if your not confident or feeling uneasy you should consider a craigslist delivery option, have your friend ride it or rent the trailer. 60 miles is a long trek for your first ride ona proper sized bike IMO. I was really nervous the whole 10 miles during mine. After I had it home I rode it around the neighborhood/ empty parking lots where I felt very comfortable and got more accustom/ built confidence etc. Weigh the risk/benefits, will saving a couple bucks be worth running the risk of having an incident? New riders make a lot of mistakes, I'm a new rider, I know!
Sorry my bad I mean i had only looked at del amo and Next Motorcycle in Inglewood off of S la cinega blvd right off the 5 freeway, I was going to go there because they had the deal and guranteed me the lowest OTD, that's still quite a journey though, and now I'm looking at wheels in motion and the other dealers you listed, my friend just told me he could help me bring it up to Sylmar since he lives there and that's basically right there I can take the old road / Sierra highway much easier from there, Lol if anything I'll leave it at the school I work at and practice every day after work in the large lot XD
Lol stalled it right out the lot? Well at least you did not drop it lol, agh that has to suck, especially dropping it at a light in front of everyone lol, luckily I'll have my wife following behind me in the car but still, it's the unknown of what that ride will bring that unsettles me, n really 18 dollars for a trailer I'm about to look up some qoutes right now, for trailers can you drop them at any uhaul or just one you picked it up at? I've only rented one pick up and had to take it all the way back to original rental location an haven't rented since.
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Agreed with all of the above. Don't worry so much about dropping your bike before getting sliders when dropping your bike on a public road with traffic is the real issue. Your well being is worth more than the bike. If you are confident in taking it home, do it, but it doesn't seem that way. A trailer is probably the best way to go. Another option is to ask a rider friend. Another is to ask the seller to drop it off and you drive them back home
Thanks for all the advice everyone, I was looking at trailers and I guess my car isn't qualified to tow a uhaul trailer so to rent trailer n truck is 220 ugh that's the course price lol, and at the moment it's just the unknown that frightens me, I am a bit of a risk taker though so I'm hoping when I hop on I'll catch on quick n have no problem riding it back home, I remember being nervous before driving too but I passed my dmv test with one day of practice, I know they are different beasts but here's to hope lol, but yes dropping in traffic is definitely frightning, I'm glad I do have the option to have my friend take bike through the city for me and I can take it the rest of the way which is almost all country and pretty straight, I'm not worried about that part in the slightest it's just navigating LA traffic those people are just full of road rage lol. But I'm optimistic it should be an experience!
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If you buy at Wheels in Motion you can just go mission down to Balboa and the Old Road and cut up past the cemetery and you are on your way.
I dont suggest it, people drive like pure fecal material around here. Right at the land fill the road surface is ultra jacked, you likely already know this from all the trucks driving on it.
If you have a secure place like a garage where my R3 can stay I will ride your bike all the way to your door with you right behind me via Sierra Highway. I can come from Santa Clarita any time. Ill just ride my own bike home. Sent you a PM with my number if you get in a pinch. I would hate to hear this end poorly. Touring San Fernando to Antelope Valley is a nice cruise for me.
I dont suggest it, people drive like pure fecal material around here. Right at the land fill the road surface is ultra jacked, you likely already know this from all the trucks driving on it.
If you have a secure place like a garage where my R3 can stay I will ride your bike all the way to your door with you right behind me via Sierra Highway. I can come from Santa Clarita any time. Ill just ride my own bike home. Sent you a PM with my number if you get in a pinch. I would hate to hear this end poorly. Touring San Fernando to Antelope Valley is a nice cruise for me.
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Don't take this the wrong way, but it sounds like you already made up your mind on what you want to do, you are just here for reassurance. It's a bad idea, you are nervous and unsure of your skill. You compared it to a car which is a mistake. You stop your car on the road nothing will probably happen. You also get a metal cage and airbags/seat belt in case something does happen. You stop on a bike, nothing may happen as well, but if something does happen, it's not the same as the car scenario.
If you had confidence at all in riding the bike I would be saying something else.
My bad I see how you got that from what I wrote and I see what you mean but by no means am I sure of what I am going to do, I was trying to say that idk how confident I will be as I've never really been riding, I didn't mean to compare to a car just the situation I was in when I started driving, I understand that they are 2 different beasts, I doubt when I get on I'll have the confidence to ride, I may but I doubt it, I was talking to my friend at work and he let me know he'll help me bring it back as long as our schedules are ok, he also said he'll let me practice on his kawasaki zx6r but that thing is a monster lol I think I'll just but mine and practice in the neighborhood unless I'm able to take course before I get bike.
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Well bird offered to help and it's a great way to meet a new rider and forum member. I've met a few of the forum members here, went on rides to Palomar, the 94 and even Chuckwalla race track with them.
I just don't want to see anyone get hurt that's all. I had already taken the course when I bought my first bike in 2013. I wasn't too sure of myself since it was a few months between getting my MSF BRC and actually getting a bike (MSF December 2012, bike early 2013). The seller was kind enough to drop it off, and even practicing a few times in the neighborhood to get my confidence up, I still managed to stall when I actually got on the road (down town San Diego, lots of traffic by the airport).
If you have any doubts on if you could do it or not, just don't. Have some one help. Also, if you had your wife help, think of how nervous she would be for you. If you go down In front of her, or worse, get hit by her you probably won't ever convince her again. I don't want to sound like a Dad or anything, but you are asking my opinion on a not so good idea. I think my answer is pretty reasonable, for another (future) riders safety.
I just don't want to see anyone get hurt that's all. I had already taken the course when I bought my first bike in 2013. I wasn't too sure of myself since it was a few months between getting my MSF BRC and actually getting a bike (MSF December 2012, bike early 2013). The seller was kind enough to drop it off, and even practicing a few times in the neighborhood to get my confidence up, I still managed to stall when I actually got on the road (down town San Diego, lots of traffic by the airport).
If you have any doubts on if you could do it or not, just don't. Have some one help. Also, if you had your wife help, think of how nervous she would be for you. If you go down In front of her, or worse, get hit by her you probably won't ever convince her again. I don't want to sound like a Dad or anything, but you are asking my opinion on a not so good idea. I think my answer is pretty reasonable, for another (future) riders safety.
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Brand new bikes attract damage nearly as well as brand new tires. I've seen more than one bike turf within 100 yds of a dealership. Like said, city traffic is unforgiving and not a great place to learn a new bike - but also said: it's been done, so ultimately it's your call on what to do. Take it easy, take back roads with low traffic, take Bird up on his offer or just talk a buddy into loaning you a trailer. Good luck.
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Thanks Kojiiro I am definelty taking you up on your advice, I am not going to risk riding around the city. No reason to put myself in harms way if I have valid options to get motorcycle safely home. And thanks bird if my friend can't help I'll defiantly take you up on your offer. Also since your from close by I'll assume your fanilar with angeles crest and angeles forest highway? I normally take the forest highway home in the car which is of course easy but how is it riding up there as a newbie, not immediately of course but after say a month is it a fairly easy beginners route? I know the crest going towards san bernadino is I'll advised but the forest highway is some what wife and straight compared to that one, what's your opinion on it? Once again thanks everyone for the advice!
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