[trublupsu94]

Quick question. I pick up my new 2014 N1K tomorrow. I am torn on the warranty. I can get the warranty for $699 for 4 years. I can add the tire and wheel protection for $499 for 5 years. My question is, are these worth it? I do all my own maintenance but am wondering if this is a good buy or should I put that in the bank and earn some interest?


Thanks

 

[ZEUS]

I bough my bike about 1 month a go also. I got the 4 years warranty for mine for same price. Now i droped the offer for the tire protection. A nice tire Michellin Pilot will cost about $200. I think wont worthed.

 

[East Bay Ninja]

I never have on any bike. Having owned a dozen or so bikes I've never had a problem with any of them. Ever. I think its money better spent on an exhaust system or some other aftermarket goodies.

 

[rcannon409]

Its very cheap, really, but it means you pay the first 500 for repairs. Right now, before they happen. Even if not needed.

Honest, I've not heard of a ninja 1000 go in for warranty work, of any kind. You ge tone year, the first year, at no extra charge.

So, the only question to ask is if it will buy you peace of mind. If it will, 500 is pretty cheap for that.

Its always said it will help for resale value, but with kawasaki discounting our bikes so low, brand new, and 0 % financing, you dont really have resale to worry about.

 

[trublupsu94]

I think I may just pay for the road hazard side. The bike itself I can fix. I like the idea of help if I get a flat or need a tow. What you do you think? Is $500 worth it for 5 yrs? Seems like cheap insurance for $100/yr.

 

[rcannon409]

If you do, make them give you something back....do the..."I'll take it, but the first service is on you...." I THINK there is some profit in that price to work with.

If they go for it, you'll know you could have fought harder on the price. If thye dont, congrats...you bought the bike as cheap as you could have.

 

[maximus96792]

Well Worth it............ Covers Everything. I did it for peace of mind.

 

[rcannon409]

Well, it covers everything, sort of. Brakes, clutch, chains and sprockets are pretty much exempt as wear items.

They will give you a hassle about bringing the bike back for oil changes and such...yea, Magnuson Moss act...... your lawyer will explain that to you when you hand him a check for a grand.

It may be worth it on a bike like the concours 14 where you might pile miles on.

 

[trublupsu94]

I passed on the warranties. I am not hard on my bikes and take care of my vehicles religiously. So I think I will save the money for tires when I need some. Thanks for all the great advise.

 

[rcannon409]

I THINK you can buy it later, before your year is up. I remember getting an e mail.

So, if you happened to get a troublesome bike that went trough a gearbox, crank, and valves, you could buy it before the year is up.

When you pick it up, please do one dumb thing, for me. Check your chain. Mine was a tight as a banjo string.

I started yelling and they gave me money back for the poor set up. Not that they had a thing to do with the chain, but set-up should have caught it.

 

[trublupsu94]

Just checked it. Has some movement so appears to be correct. Not overly tight. Great point. Thanks.

 

[Norskie]

If Audi made your bike, buy the warranty twice. Otherwise I wouldn't bother with it, especially if you do your own work.

Kawasaki makes money on the extended warranties. They've priced it based on their experience with that model and what they think it will cost to repair (parts and labor) during the warranty period. Some buyers will pay more for the warranty than the repairs, and some buyers will use the warranty and come out ahead. On average, Kawasaki comes out ahead.

There are some things which tips the decision whether to buy the warranty. Consider these factors:

1. Do you wrench on your own? $700 buys a lot of parts. If you go to the dealer for everything, $700 doesn't go far @$90/hr for service.

2. Is there a mileage cap? How much do you ride? On my FJR I got the 4-year extended warranty, unlimited miles, for $400. 5 years and 75k miles later I never had to invoke it.

3. Is the warranty expensive? If it is, then you're looking at a vehicle that the manufacturer thinks will cost a lot to maintain, or the dealer is marking it up a lot. You might be able to negotiate a lower price for the extended warranty, or even purchase it on the open market.

4. Look at the small print! Consider whether you'll get reimbursed for work done at other shops (non-Kawasaki) and what the deductible is. Also, sometimes emissions equipment isn't covered (catalysts, o2 sensors, etc).

Personally, I think $700 is too much but maybe the electronic doodads changes that. The tire warranty thing is ridiculous.

P.S. I bash Audi because we have spent far too much money on them. The saving grace is that the $20000 Audi's $1500 extended warranty saved us $4000 over three years. The $10000 Audi's $3000 extended warranty saved us $6000 in repairs over two years. But when the warranties expired and they got over 100k miles on them and started falling apart they got way way more expensive.

 

[mrsand]

Extended Warranty

My Mcycle was purchased april 2014...KAWASAKI has sent me 2 information letters explaining the cost of the offered warranties

Coverage

1 year--$484
2 year--539
3 year--671
4 year--781

all figures don't include TAX

Don't think I'll bite

 

[Mikey1000]

Extended warranties are a large profit center for the salesmen & dealerships also. I rarely keep bikes long enough to use them so I put those $ in mods.

 

[Warprints]

In the US you can add the warranty within one year of purchase.
I have never purchased an extended warranty on a bike, and I have never had a major repair on a bike. I usually keep bikes a while (My vfr was 13 years old when I sold it last year, my Wing is ten years old, my V-strom is 8 years old), and no issues other than routine maintenance and tires.

 

[sdkoskey]

In the US you can add the warranty within one year of purchase.
I have never purchased an extended warranty on a bike, and I have never had a major repair on a bike. I usually keep bikes a while (My vfr was 13 years old when I sold it last year, my Wing is ten years old, my V-strom is 8 years old), and no issues other than routine maintenance and tires.

Yep... this....

Vehicles nowadays (cars, trucks, motorcycles, etc) are all pretty bulletproof.

Insurance is always a gamble. Of course, it always favors the dealers too (insurance providers) but I haven't been bitten yet (cross fingers and toes) by not buying extended warranties.

 

[maniak]

When I picked up my 2012 n1k last fall I got my 3 year extended warranty for $200...

Basically, I was waffling(sp?) about buying the bike and when he asked why, I said I just can't bring myself to make payments on something that isn't under warranty...

Soo, $200 later he added a 3 year Kawasaki extended warranty... and he got the sale.. and I'll have the bike paid off in 2 years, if not sooner..

I still got out the door for a 5k mile, 2012 n1k with top case for "around" $9k AFTER tax/title/license (That was about a grand)..

For $200, it was a no brainer.. Now, when we are talking cars, well, that's a harder decision.. We don't have the best luck with transmissions and that's a $2k repair and since we do > 30k miles/year on the the cars/trucks a 100k warranty for $1200 wasn't "too bad".. especially since they did change the transmission at about 70k miles...

~Mark

 

[rcannon409]

For 200, on a used bike, I'd be all in. Thats not much and you never know if the previous owner trade din to avoid a costly repair.