Extended Warranties

[darrell]

Spent part of yesterday at my usual dealer. Looking, shopping, drinking their coffee and hanging out. The 6 year extended warranty I paid $945 for on my 2016 R1200RS now with 140,000 miles is running out in a couple of weeks so decided to check what an extension would cost.

Current company AfterCare would not do an extension nor would BMW with their new policy. My dealer sells those two and a 3rd company called National Auto Care Powersports. They would do an extension on my bike knowing the 140,000 miles and using an estimated value of $8000 and covering up to that total amount for all warranty incidents. Zero deductible, 100% parts and labor, pickup and delivery in an event breakdown and substitute transportation while bike is down.

2 years - $1999, 4 years - $2799, 5 years - $2999.

At those prices decided to pass on an extension. If I was going to continue riding the current RS 20,000 to 25,000 miles per year maybe would consider.

In our discussion I asked the dealer which policies they are writing the most now. The finance manager said they wrote maybe one BMW policy since it was available and are moving away from AfterCare to National as their coverage is very good and easy to work with.

I asked him what a National policy costs if purchased when the bike is new. He said if you use a top of line GSA, RT, GT, etc and assume a value of $30,000 you can get a 7 year policy, unlimited miles for $1757. The 7 years overlaps the BMW 36,000 mile warranty. My thought is if someone is averaging 9000 miles a year I'd question spending $1757 for those last 4 years. Someone riding 20,000 miles plus per year it might make sense to be covered knowing they are putting 150,000 miles on the bike.

I was very happy I had the extended warranty on my RS with all the replacement parts when the drive shaft failed at 93,000 miles plus it covered a front tire sensor, clutch microswitch and headlight wiring kit.

Will I buy an extended warranty when the next new bike arrives. Yes.

[Grumpy Goat]

Great feedback on extended warranty Darrell - thanks. Very useful information to those of us who do consider extended warranties, which may not work for all but do for some depending on many factors. That said, this sort of real-world information is typically not readily available.

[MrVvrroomm]

What is this next new bike you speak of?

[darrell]

What is this next new bike you speak of?

A generic statement as hopefully everyone has in mind their next scooter or motorcycle.

[Duccrazydave]

What is this next new bike you speak of?

A generic statement as hopefully everyone has in mind their next scooter or motorcycle.

...but, inquiring minds want to know, lol.

[MrVvrroomm]

I'm going with RT. I'm making the call right here. Darrell's next bike will be RT

[Ray]

I'm going with RT. I'm making the call right here. Darrell's next bike will be RT

Sounds like a potential subject for a new thread with lots of pages....

Given Darrell's past stable, and his history of training, your prediction seems a bit of an insult, but you can hope he finds the humor in it.

Not sure where we are all heading physically. One of our fastest local riders is in his 80s, and will only be found on sport and track bikes. I met him on the track in Vegas a couple years ago, and once at the Bixby Store on his RR. Although I had to once help him into his one-piece leathers due to recent shoulder surgery, he effortlessly made sure that on the track, I only saw him from behind. We can all hope we have that kind of longevity on the bikes.

[mspratz]

I'm going with RT. I'm making the call right here. Darrell's next bike will be RT

Maybe Darrell is holding out for the 2023 R1300RS, as am I. I'm expecting it will be quite a bit lighter than the R1250RS. I'm hoping the resurgence of the sport-tourer worldwide will convince BMW to not drop the RS, as someone suggested in another thread.

[Grumpy Goat]

I'm expecting it will be quite a bit lighter than the R1250RS. I'm hoping the resurgence of the sport-tourer worldwide will convince BMW to not drop the RS, as someone suggested in another thread.

You and me both. Curious to know why you think that the redesigned RS would be quite a bit lighter ...? Not like it has a lot of stuff that can be deleted so it would be up to lightening components and that only happens if there is a big demand on the model. That fat exhaust is not that heavy.

[Lee]

I'm going with RT. I'm making the call right here. Darrell's next bike will be RT

Maybe Darrell is holding out for the 2023 R1300RS, as am I. I'm expecting it will be quite a bit lighter than the R1250RS. I'm hoping the resurgence of the sport-tourer worldwide will convince BMW to not drop the RS, as someone suggested in another thread.

My guess is a 2022 R1250RS that will arrive in a week or two.

[Lee]

Curious to know why you think that the redesigned RS would be quite a bit lighter ...? Not like it has a lot of stuff that can be deleted so it would be up to lightening components and that only happens if there is a big demand on the model. That fat exhaust is not that heavy.

My guess is a small increase in weight like the we got with the 1250.
The 1300 will probably have another shift-cam and that would add a little.
Maybe if they go with a aluminum frame there would be a weight reduction.

[darrell]

I’m not sure how extended warranties drifted in to new bikes but it has. Just looked back at my conversation this week with my bike advisor. First the Honda Navi - Bruce said not a good choice Darrell with the drum brakes and carburetors, 2nd was a high end electric assist pedal power - Bruce said they are hard to secure as can be easily stolen. 3rd option was his suggestion of the PCX150 - having my dealer chasing down a green 2022 model so I can look at. Then a few hours later Bruce sends a note if I had a few extra dollars to spare maybe a Vespa which he found locally at a dealer. So off this morning look at that Vespa.

I’m guessing the 1300 fully water cooled RS will be a sweet machine and should make all of our 1250 RS models out there pretty cheap when they show up on Cycle Trader and in dealers used bike area.

So getting the thread back to extended warranties. Yes I’ll buy one with the next 2 wheeled vehicle.

[Grumpy Goat]

I once had an Audi A4 I bought pre-owned and added an extended warranty at the time, being that the car was German and had lots of electronics and such. It was a very reliable car and the longest second-hand car we had - heck at 6 years the longest we ever had a car in our possession. Anyway, 2 trips to the dealer and the extended warranty was more than paid for and the rest of the visits were "gravy". All the while having Audi loaner cars to drive while my older Audi was in the shop even for a day. Too sweet. That was largely the reason I switched to VWs ... that Germanic quality ... and then the BMW bikes were not to be ignored.

Point is, in a bike / vehicle where the cost per hour is high and there are lots of electronics (which car isn't like that these days) an extended warranty makes a heck of a lot of sense, especially when included in the already exorbitant up-front cost of the vehicle. To not do it makes almost zero sense to me, but it all depends ...

In my case back in late 2015 when I got my 2016 RS, I did not get the extended warranty (IIRC, $1500/2 years after factory warranty, I think) as I was probably chicken after shelling out all that money for the RS with panniers. Also I was buying the bike on the rebound from a failed love affair with the XR. I guess at that time, coming from a $6000 (all in) 2014 Honda CBR500R and moving up to a $20k BMW all in one shot, I was a bit worried about how much more I would lose in the divorce and if I'd be able to afford food. After all, SWMBO was opposed to me having a motorcycle for over 30 years, and had only a year an a half before grudgingly agreed to a "small bike" when I immediately pounced and got the Honda! Now I wanted a bike that cost more than a car!

Luckily for me, the RS has been (knock on wood) very reliable so far and I would have "lost money" getting the extended warranty on this bike, since I never had any warranty work done. Come to think of it, I never had any repairs done to the bike either (aside from the accident that resulted in $7500 worth of repairs) ... it has all been maintenance. I also started the website and forum in an effort to try and learn to work on this bike to offset high dealership costs by working on the bike myself, and so far that has paid off as well.

Sorry for the bit of a long-winded post, but the point is, there is no correct answer when it comes to extended warranties. In some cases it works out in your favour and you save money and in other cases all you get is peace of mind until the value runs out. Sort of like insurance.

Now I will go and kiss my RS for being a good boy.

[TriangleRider]

The time to extend the factory warranty is on the dealer floor when you are buying the bike. No extended warranty is worth the original asking price, but there is plenty of room for negotiation when a dealer is looking to move a vehicle.

[Motorhead1977]

GG, thanks for your reference to SWMBO. It seems you're likely a fan of "Rumpole of the Bailey" then? That's how he refers to his wife throughout the many years of the series.

[Grumpy Goat]

GG, thanks for your reference to SWMBO. It seems you're likely a fan of "Rumpole of the Bailey" then? That's how he refers to his wife throughout the many years of the series.

I am a big fan of Rumpole and British comedies, in general. Favourite is probably "One Foot In The Grave" and "Yes, Minister" / "Yes, Prime Minister".

[mspratz]

Curious to know why you think that the redesigned RS would be quite a bit lighter ...? Not like it has a lot of stuff that can be deleted so it would be up to lightening components and that only happens if there is a big demand on the model. That fat exhaust is not that heavy.

I saw an article on some spyshots taken of the 2023 R1300GS. The article said the bike appeared to be significantly smaller than the 1250GS, and so it appeared in the spy photos. Secondly, advanced composite materials are becoming much cheaper to use in manufacturing processes, so it wouldn't surprise me to see an increasing use of them in motorcycles. Eventually we could see reasonably priced frames, wheels, engine components, and who knows what else, made from lightweight super-strong composites.