The only rules my dealer has on test rides are that you have to be equipped to ride (helmet/boots), have a license and insurance, and it can't be raining. Other than that, just point at the one you want to ride.

UK
 

Here's a uk perspective:
I had a week off week and thought I'd fill the time tyre kicking. My local HD dealer let me take out anything I wanted, for as long as I wanted. Because I had time to kill I rode a few models that I did not think I would be interested in, one of those being the Heritage. I ended up buying it.
There's no doubt that if I hadn't been given a test ride I would not have bought this bike.
One thing that is creeping in is charging a fee to insure you when you test ride. My local Triumph dealet was so expensive that I didn't ride. HD charged me nothing.

So.. I'm curious now - how to they handle someone who comes in a car, looking to buy a bike? No "general use" helmets or jackets?

It's pretty common knowledge you need a helmet to test ride. If you don't have one and you're serious about buying a bike, you'll drop ~$40 or so for a helmet.

I would have been out the door and anybody within close proximity would have suffered flash burns. And the "wait, wait, wait" would have fallen on deaf years.

This incident reminded me of an incident several years ago with a local Acura dealer. It was the first year the MDX was introduced. My wife was interested in the vehicle. The vehicles were in short supply to the dealerships. We asked for a test drive and were told, get this, buy the car and when it arrives "you can then test drive it". Of course we asked, "what if we don't like it". The salesman shrugged. I'm pretty sure "go f*ck yourself" escaped my mouth before I was able to decide what to do next. We went to another dealer, got a test drive and bought the MDX. From this same 2nd dealer, years later, we bought another MDX and 2 RDX's. Never set foot back in dealer #1.

Yeah, that's true... but it does make you wonder how a person new to bikes can buy a bike if they don't have the gear yet. LOL!

This sums up my strategy when dealing with retail. I don't do second chances. What constitutes a blown first chance depends heavily on the cost of the item, my mood on the day in question, and whether or not alcohol is involved. Full disclosure: Alcohol can sway the deal in either direction depending on the first two criteria.

It's WAY past the time this 'credit score' scam needs to be done away with. It was started with good intentions I guess, and now it's got to the point you can't do anything in life without someone checking your credit score. Can't buy auto, home, etc... insurance without them running your score. A few years ago I was looking around for car insurance and the agent said he would have to check my score, what does that have to do with my driving record, answer nothing and I walked. Even if I had paid cash for an annual policy up front, my rate would still have been based on my credit score. Just another excuse to ding you for more money. IF I had a low credit score does that make my house more susceptible to fire, hail damage, water damage, etc...? Same answer no.

I have a buddy who had ZERO debt, had paid off several vehicles on time and he still had a hell of a time getting a mortgage because he wasn't carrying any debt, and never owned a credit card.

My wife worked for a real estate firm here in Indy, saw several times a buyer had no problem getting a mortgage but had to back out of the deal because they couldn't get homeowners insurance because of their credit score. It's nothing but a racket to rob people of more of their money, and shame on all of us for tolerating it.

Apparently people with lower credit scores are higher risk drivers, statistically speaking.

I guess that's what happens when insurance companies are no longer insurance companies but are actually investment firms...

Makes you wonder, how the hell did they manage to stay in business and turn a profit BEFORE this credit score scam?