Bought my 2006 Fatboy in April and declined at the time to buy the extended warranty. Figured if anything should go wrong it would in the first 2 years of the factory warranty. My question does Harley allow you to go ahead and buy it if you do so before the 2 years expire. Also do you think it is worth the extra money to do so if it is allowed. Do you have the extended warranty?

 

You can buy the extended anytime within your two year standard warranty time, if my dealer was telling the truth. As for whether it's worth it, that's hard to say. I bought the five year extended warranty, but I won't know if it's going to pay for itself for a while yet.

 

I think within the first two years you can determine whether or not your bike has any "manufacturing defects". If you've had no problems, obviously you don't. My thinking is that if you are hard on your equipment and ride it like you stole it, get the extra protection of the extended warranty. If you don't ride it hard, don't get it. I have never purchased one on a bike or car yet (I'm 72) and have never regreted it.

 

The Harley extended service agreement (ESA) can be purchased when you buy your bike new or at any time before the factory warranty expires. It can also be purchased on used bikes purchased from an HD dealer. I bought a three year ESA when I purchased a one year old Electra Glide in 2005 and I am glad I did.

You can cancel the ESA at any time for a pro rata refund. So if you buy a five year ESA and decide you don't want it after one year, 80% is refundable.

The ESA is transferable to the next owner of your bike. A possibly significant feature if you decide to sell your bike after the factory warranty expires or has little time left. And if it not a significant feature, you can cancel at that time and get a refund for the unused portion of the ESA coverage.

The ESA includes towing and accommodations; the factory warranty provides neither. So if you have a break down, towing can be expensive, and you may be out of town and have the expense of a motel, etc.

Those first three features are what I was thinking about when I bought the ESA. A fourth emerged after I bought the bike and learned (since I hadn't had a motorcycle in 40 years) that I enjoy this hobby. Since buying the bike, I have ridden nearly 37, 500 miles. Iwas recentlytold by the service department at the Harley store that sold me the bike that the cam chain tensioners will fail between 40K and 50K miles. The repair of the motor in such a failure will exceed the cost of the ESA I purchased. So as a high mileage rider, the ESA made sense since some components like the cam chain tensioners will fail during the ESA coverage and be repaired under it.

Something else I learned after buying the ESA is that it is like anything else on a Harley; I should have shopped/negotiated the price. A friend recently purchased an '06 Road Glide and was quoted $2,000 for the ESA at one dealership and $1,400 at another store. So shop the ESA for the best price since the HD ESA is the same regardless of dealership. Also, use the ESA purchase or possible purchase when negotiating the purchase of the bike since it is a profit opportunity for the selling dealership. I paid $1,400 for my ESA and later learned I probably could have bought it for $1, 100--so I probably overpaid. On the other hand, the cost of the bike was negotiated down $1, 250 from the floor price that was typical of one year old EGs.

If you (I don't) plan to do major engine work on the bike, like pistons, cams, big bore, stroker, etc., the ESA makes less sense since the stuff you put in the bike will not be covered for long (HD stuff ususally only comes with a 90 day warranty and aftermarket stuff will get no coverage under the ESA).If it fails causing a motor failure you likely will not have ESA coverage on the repair.

The ESA is like any other insurance coverage. If you are healthy and don't get sick, why buy health insurance? If you can afford the medical bills out of your own pocket if you do get sick, why buy health insurance? If you are going to be a relatively low mileage rider, can afford to pay for a major repair out of your own pocket in the relatively unlikely event of a major component failure, and keep your bike for a several years, then the ESA makes less sense to purchase since the Twin Cam 88 and 5-speed transmission are pretty bulletproof.

I had a starter motor failure about six months after I bought my bike and I paid a $50 deductible under the ESA. The starter motor alone was a $300+ part. A few monthslater, the replacement starter motor failed and was again replaced. Both starter motors were covered under the ESA. The second failure, without the ESA coverage, could have been an issue with the HD dealership and they might have replaced it free of charge or not dep

 

The extended warranty is a money maker for them.
Regardless of what they will or will not cover, check this out:
You buy a new bike and it comes with a 2 year warranty standard. You spend your 1200 bucks and get a 5 year extended warranty. You are then required by your dealer to drop 300 bucks every 5000 miles or your warranty is no good. That's at least 900 bucks a year the way I ride and I don't want them touching my bike any more than they have to.
Let's say it's been a year and a half since you bought your bike and you decide you don't want your warranty anymore. They still pro-rate the price of the extended warranty even though you have not entered the time period the warranty covers. They actually charge you for letting them hold your cash for a while. [:@]
Just say no to the extended warranty at the dealer.
Don't take my word for it,do your own search on the net and see how other coverage plans compare.
http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcyc...nded-warranty/
http://www.mbadirect.com/
These are just a couple I found. Good Luck...Dave

 

It's still initially out of pocket.

Just curious, did they charge you another 50 bucks when the starter failed again?

 

If your bike is trouble free for the first two years, odds are that buying the extended warranty is just throwing money away. A better plan is to invest the money in an interest bearing account or mutual fund and only pull it out if you need it for some expensive repair.

If your bike gives you much trouble in the first couple of years, I still wouldn't buy the extended warranty. You're better off to sell it or trade it and buy a new one. Why worry yourself on a road trip with a bike that's let you down. Even with the warranty, a break down on a trip is gonna be a bummer.

 

Probably no good if you have any mods. A few years back during Daytona bike week my bike was at the HD dealer and while waiting I heard a rep from the extended warranty company turn down a bunch of claims for people having modifications. I walked over to him and said that sealed it for me I would never buy one of their plans. It may also not cover items that should be inspected and changed during maitenance. Last time I checked the plan was not from HD but some insurance company.

 

My opinon? waste of money unless you have no mods. and had it serviced reg. at the dealer and have everything documented. Like I say,just my opinon.

 

In general, whether you're talking about electronics or motorcycles, extended warrantys do more to enrichen the seller of the warranty than benefit the holder of the warranty. The ESAs offered by Harley seem overly expensive and limited in their application when compared to coverage offered by independant, non-Harley affiiated, companies.

If you feel that you simply must have an extended warranty, take the time to investigate other providers. You might save a lot of $$$.