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"The ESP is a big money maker for the dealer and the MOCO. They are betting that you will never use it. You are buying it because you might need it. Just like the casinos, the odds are stacked in favor of the house... You might win occasionally, but over the long run, you lose".

Sbergerson hit the nail on the head.

 

Like others have posted, it really depends on a) how you use your bike or b) if it makes you feel better do it.

I always purchase a ESP for my cars / motorcycles. The first time I had to cash one it was on my Acura NSX, it blew a motor and the ESP company had to pay out $32,000 (yes thirty two thousand dollars), the policy cost me $800.

It's great piece of mind and DOES help your resale if you sell your bike with it.

 

I have never pruchased an ESP but if I was going to put on a ton of miles every year I think it would be a good idea.

 

i've bought several harleys new, and never had anything other than what's offered in the regular warranty. i've been lucky and made sure to get anything like a potential problem taken care of before the warranty runs out. there are a lot of guys who'd be in a jam without the extended warranty. i guess it's whether you feel confident in the bike itself and if you feel that any potential problems might become warranty related. like i said, i've been lucky so far, knock on fiberglass.

 

They wouldn't sell it if they didn't make money on it. I say buy it, it's good for the economy.

 

I bought my first HD used. It was an 02 road king with 10k on it and it had an extended warranty. Not long after I had the bike, I noticed oil leaking all over my chrome forks. Seals redone under warranty. Next Cruise control went. Once again fixed under warranty.

So when I bought my 10 SG, I added three years to the warranty. I likely will keep the bike 4 years at most and it cost around $1100. What I am thinking is if I use it once it is well worth it. Plus when I sell it, I think it will be worth $500 more than an identical bike without. If you were going to buy a used bike wouldn't it be worth it spending a bit more knowing that you will have at least one year warranty? So at the end, some of the cost of the warranty will be offset even if you don't use it.
Remember too that the dealer has some room to negotiate the cost here so don't be afraid to bargain...

 

I would base your decision on how good your mechanical abilities are. The two year warranty from the MOCO is long enough to see if you got a lemon or not. If not and you are reasonably good with wrenches, most bikes will take you out to 100K with just regular maintenance. A lot depends on leaving the bike for the most part stock (motor). A stock bike (just stg 1) will tend to have less problems usually over the long haul than one that has been modded. JMO based on 47 years of riding these bikes.

 

If you decide you want an ESP, shoot me a PM, I will hook you up.

 

Like others have stated, it comes down to a few items:

1) How you bike currently runs and how many miles you plan on riding
2) Your mechanical abilities
3) Number of mods you plan on making (even if you make mods, the mods would have to cause the issue for the item not to be covered)
4) Peace of mind

I have two bikes an 08 Rocker C that does not have an ESP and an 09 Ultra that I just purchased the ESP and Tire & Wheel package. I am not a wrench, but I can read instructions. the Rocker has not given me the first bit of a problem and gets relatively low miles. The Ultra runs hot, has had a couple of leaks (clutch cable & stator repaired under warranty) and gets more miles and longer trips. I am not normally an extended warranty type of person, and I was really on the fence about getting the ESP, but now that I made the leap I already have some peace of mind - my hopes is to never use it, but I know it is there if I need.

If you decide to get an ESP I would suggest you contact Jim Palmer at Kutter Harley 608-314-1722, he will hook you up.

 

The ESP is a service plan; not a warranty. The ESP contains exclusions for covered repairs that can be pretty stiff, especially if you do engine modifications (e.g. cams, Big Bore kit changing from 96" to 103", etc.) after delivery of the bike. Unlike a warrranty where the dealer/MOCO must show the mod you made caused the problem in order to deny warranty coverage, simply making the cam change allows denial of an engine-related claim. Ask the dealer for a copy of the ESP and read it to familiarize yourself with the exclusions of coverage.

As for dealers and the underwriters making money on the ESP, that's a given just like auto insurers, health insurers, and life insurers make money selling those policies. Whether an ESP is right for you is a personal decision and should be based on the factors mentioned by others above.

I bought the 3 year ESP when I purchased my one year old used EG and it paid for itself. However, I haven't read the ESP since that one expired in '08, so the contract terms in the current ESP may be different. Before buying, read the ESP and see if it throws up any red flags for you.

Carl