Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[geijuutsuka]

About to purchase a demo 2019 SR (charge tank) with 146miles.  Been reading a lot of posts and haven't found a whole lot about demo bikes other than discussing warrantee issues.  Can anyone clue me in on what I should be looking/asking for beyond drop damage...etc? 

I'm thinking about having them replace the belt before I pick it up regardless of how good it looks to them.  Knowing how people can treat the demo bikes pretty harsh just to test the limits of the tech.  I'm guessing there's a pretty high chance a few people hit bumps and had power to the rear, cranking the belt.  Basically, my wife and I want to put some miles on our demos, and we want to be prepared for any weak points before we get started.  I don't want to negate the savings of buying a demo bike, but I don't love the idea of the belt breaking in the first few months because someone had to "see what it could do".  Is there even a way to inspect the belt to see if it was abused, ie, spot weak teeth? 

Also, because of covid,  I have them sending me purchase orders through e-mail.  I don't love the idea of buying it sight unseen, should I go in there and take a look at it before returning to the bank (I'm financing it myself through my bank) after everything checks out and we make our final deal?  (My wife bought a similar demo bike during covid that ended up having drop damage the dealer didn't mention over the phone,  but we were already there with the check.  They ended up extending the warantee because of this.

[NEW2elec]

As for the belt I'd ask to have a spare thrown in with the purchase rather than a replacement at 146 miles.
You can look at the teeth but the biggest issues are belt tension and alignment.  You can roll the bike and watch the rear sprocket.  The belt should have a 1mm gap from the left sprocket lip.  It may move slightly as a perfectly round sprocket isn't likely.
There is a gates belt tension tool you can get but basically there shouldn't be any sloppy play but it shouldn't be piano string tight either.

My 13 DS is coming up in 36k miles on it's first belt but I'm an easy rider.

[siai47]

I wouldn't be too concerned about buying a demo Zero.  However, there are a few things to consider.  You are buying a "used" item, not factory new.  In return you are receiving a substantial discount off the new price.  There might be some cosmetic flaws, a bit of tire (and belt) wear but other than that, there aren't the break in problems from someone tearing the crap out of a new demo Zero that would be found on a new ICE motorcycle.  Many of those require specific break in procedures that would never be followed on a demo.  I have bought demo bikes before and smile all the way to the bank.  That being said, there are differences in the Zero warranty that are spelled out in the paperwork (and can be found in the owners manual) related to demo bikes.  Basically, they relate to the time period of the warranty which basically states that the warranty starts when the bike was placed in demo service, not when you bought it.  Read the fine print carefully before you buy.

In addition, Covid or not, I would never buy anything as expensive as a motorcycle or a car sight unseen.  You have already been disappointed once with this before in an over the phone deal.  The bike might be perfect but might not be.  It is a used product and sold as such.  You need to physically look at it and note anything that concerns you.  The dealer may or may not repair anything you found and at that point you can walk away if you are not satisfied.  Buying used "as is" after something is delivered to you never works in your favor if there is a problem.

[NEW2elec]

Well a demo is the grey area between new and fully used.

On Zero's webpage they do state clearly that the two year warranty starts when the bike is shipped to the dealer NOT when it's sold.
So that 2019 may be about out of full coverage so plan (and pay) accordingly.
You have to order a bike to get the full two years but you'll pay full price.  I'd take the sure saving of the demo over possible repair costs.
 
A demo "should" be able to get the tax credit but I'd get it in writing that the dealer didn't register the bike and take the tax credit for themselves.

[Fran K]

Since it is a demo bike why not demo it?  Should be able to arrange for that long distance meet in the parking lot with a mask on and a pen to sign stuff generally used in a demo situation.  I read on here when the srf came out they gave the bikes out for a few days to potential customers.

You asked for advice in the title here.  It is likely some of the new features of the srf will be showing up in other models, traction control and different belt changing procedure.  It is up to you to decide the value of the existing platform in this environment.

Do you really want to play into the demo warranty differences the way Zero does.  I mean like encouraging it?

[Richard230]

Or perhaps you could ask the dealer to bring the bike to your home so that you can inspect its condition and if it is as good as they say, you can sign the sales contract at your home.  That is what car dealerships are advertising that they will do around here.

(I might add that I tried that with my latest motorcycle purchase and they wouldn't go along with my idea. Apparently, motorcycle and car dealerships operate have different levels of customer sales service standards. )

[TheRan]

My bike was ex-demo, had just over 100 miles on it. As it was coming from a registered Zero dealer and not just some regular used bike dealer I wasn't worried about it at all, they checked it over just as they would a new one. They even gave it a clean, if it wasn't for the numbers on the dash and some slight wear on the tyres (and a scuffed left mirror they took off a demo SR because it only came with one, although they offered to order in a brand new one instead) you would have thought it was brand new. They're not going to risk the bad publicity of someone paying quite a bit of money and getting a bad bike.

As for the warranty, as Zero writes it a demonstrator bike is one that has "been driven by or used by Zero’s or an authorized dealership’s customers or prospective customers, staff, managers or executives, or members of the press, but have never been registered within a European member state or country." Now, I don't know how it works in other countries but here in the UK even a demo bike, like mine, has to be registered to be ridden out on the road and I imagine quite a few other countries are the same. So, unless the bike was only intended to be demoed on private land, ridden around the parking lot for example, it's not technically a demonstrator bike. Thus, while my bike arrived at the dealer some time around August or September (judging by the date on the earliest log) the warranty didn't start until it was registered in October.

Also, for bikes actually classed as demonstrators the warranty is 2 year and 90 days from the shipment (5 years and 90 days for the battery and power tank), so they give you an extra 90 days or about 3 months compared to a non-demo bike. I bought mine at the end of November so I may have actually ended up having a slightly longer warranty if mine was a demo bike.

[NEW2elec]

I know the UK has laws for how a warranty is done that supersedes the company.

I'm speaking about the US warranty policy.

Here's the link.

https://www.zeromotorcycles.com/warranty/

[TheRan]

It's not about the law, it's about how Zero words things. It looks to be worded the same in the American warranty. If the bike is registered then it's not classed as a demonstrator, so now the question is whether it would need to be registered to be ridden on the road in whatever state the OP is in.

[Auriga]

You'd think so, but this stuff doesn't matter. To Zero, if the dealer purchased it as a demo, it has a demo warranty. Registration refers to registering it to an owner, and at least in CA, driving it on the road does not require registering it to an owner. Dealers have special paperwork to allow that kind of thing, just like car dealerships.

I'd go look at the bike, find out exactly how much warranty remains(when did the dealer order it), and then go from there. Zero usually doesn't cover broken belts, so if you don't get the dealer to replace it, keep that in mind.

All in all, there's probably not much wrong with the bike

[geijuutsuka]

All great advice, thanks everyone.  I contacted my dealer and will be taking a closer look at it when it arrives.  I should be counted fortunate since I'm only 30 miles from my dealer, AND they've been nothing but helpful so far.  Cheers!

[Crissa]

Oh!  And if you hadn't perused the forum or the unofficial manual much, they're great resources.

And Zero's support of 13+ models has been solid, too.  My '14 is out of warranty, but it still received firmware updates, I've been able to get parts for when my spouse dropped it, and when my dealer bricked it last September, Zero replaced the MBB at no cost to me (just three weeks without my bike, tho!)

So Zeros are well-supported even if an uncommon bike

-Crissa

[ecavoli]

Regarding the tax credit for new vehicles, I was concerned that my demo might not qualify as it's not technically "new." However, going over my paperwork, the dealer had written "new" on all purchase documents so I should be all set.
I'm not sure if noting it as "new" is standard procedure for demos or not, but might be something to look out for.