Kawasaki Protection Plan worth it?

[lizardywizard]

So I know there are a couple of older threads about the Good Times Protection Plan, but I'm not sure if anything has changed on this one.

Anyway, got a letter from Kawasaki asking if I wanted to purchase the plan for my 2015 300. It's $583 for four years... which seems pretty cheap at around $145 a year, considering what it would cost if the engine went boom.

But I thought I'd ask the experts, so... in your opinion, is it worth it? (Also, because I'm a noob, does it cover routine services, or just parts failures?)

[RacinNinja]

What do the terms and conditions say in regards to parts replaced and what's covered, etc? Read carefully!

[MrAtom]

Depends on the type of person you are. I've never thought "Gee. I should have bought better warranty." I always just think "**** now I gotta fix it." Or I think "huh. Should have taken better care of it." Sometimes I think "well. That's what I get for buying junk."

I personally wouldn't bother. But maybe its a good investment for you. I googled it and it looks like all the things that are covered are parts that REALLY shouldn't fail in 4 years time.

[Ralgha]

Kawasakis are pretty stupid reliable. Nothing has gone wrong with my 2012 250. I wouldn't get any kind of extra warranty, you're just not at all likely to use it. The only exception might be if they threw in enough scheduled maintenance to make it worthwhile.

[VaFish]

I have 4 Ninjettes, All well over 4 years old, the newest is 9 years old.

I bought them all used, but I know of nothing that an extended warranty would have fixed on them.

Personally I never buy an extended warranty, if your product isn't going to last 4 years I don't want to buy it. If you do your normal maintenance the bike should last well beyond 4 years.

The only way I would buy one is if it was a 4 year, unlimited mileage, and I rode like @NevadaWolf

[jkv45]

No - not for you.

It's a good deal for them though. Chances are good you will sell the bike before the warranty expires or you'll never use anything close to the value of the plan.

Do regular maintenance and you will be fine. Most of the time a problem will show-up rather quickly (during the regular warranty period) on a new vehicle. After that, with proper maintenance, you should be free of manufacturer defects or other major issues unless the vehicle has a history of known problems. For the most part the Ninjas are problem-free.

[NevadaWolf]

Originally Posted by VaFish

The only way I would buy one is if it was a 4 year, unlimited mileage, and I rode like @NevadaWolf

And mine is over 4 years old and the only major issue was my own silliness of not installing a part correctly, causing another part to wear out prematurely.

Other than that, regular oil changes and frequent trips to the shop for routine maintenance that I'm not confident doing myself has kept my Ninja trouble free.

[kdah101]

Originally Posted by jkv45

No - not for you.

It's a good deal for them though. Chances are good you will sell the bike before the warranty expires or you'll never use anything close to the value of the plan.

Do regular maintenance and you will be fine. Most of the time a problem will show-up rather quickly (during the regular warranty period) on a new vehicle. After that, with proper maintenance, you should be free of manufacturer defects or other major issues unless the vehicle has a history of known problems. For the most part the Ninjas are problem-free.

If you plan on selling the bike it could allow you to sell it for more because you have the warranty. Prospective Buyers like seeing that there’s a safety net for when things go wrong and in my opinion would pay more for that peace of mind.

Something to think.

[InvisiBill]

Generally speaking, extended warranties are rarely used. This is assuming a standard warranty is included to cover manufacturing defects, and the extended warranty is just a longer version of that. For the most part, you don't have something work fine for several years, then suddenly blow up due to a defect. Usually a defect will cause a problem right away, or you'll have years and years of trouble-free usage. Warranties don't cover normal wear & tear or maintenance items, which should be what most of your work on a new bike involves.

According to https://kpp.kawasaki.com/Benefits, KPP offers "almost all the coverage offered by the original warranty." https://kpp.kawasaki.com/Whats-Covered shows the specifics. It is nice in that it's unlimited mileage, transferrable, and they cover all the costs directly.

If you don't think your bike will suddenly develop a major problem due to a defect after working perfectly for over a year, then the KPP is a bad deal. If you plan to sell the bike within that timeframe, it could help the resale value. Once again, the buyer shouldn't be expecting it to suddenly have a defect after years of working fine, but it's a bit of a safety net to help them feel better.

Is there a deadline to purchase the KPP? Stuff like that is often available through the original warranty period. You might wait a while and see how things go. If after 11 months, it feels funny or you're thinking about selling, you might consider buying it then. But especially with the 300 having been out for a few years already, and being based on the long-running 250, I wouldn't expect issues to suddenly pop up years down the road.

[Hero Danny]

I would pass on the warranty.

[jkv45]

Originally Posted by kdah101

If you plan on selling the bike it could allow you to sell it for more because you have the warranty. Prospective Buyers like seeing that there’s a safety net for when things go wrong and in my opinion would pay more for that peace of mind.

Something to think.

I don't think so.

You can always tell by the selling price if someone purchased the Extended Warranty because they usually try to sell it for more than the original List Price - because they paid more than the original List Price.

Buyers aren't going to give you back your $500 if you purchased the warranty. It's gone. The cost for "peace of mind". Whatever that is.

[RacinNinja]

Originally Posted by jkv45

I don't think so.

You can always tell by the selling price if someone purchased the Extended Warranty because they usually try to sell it for more than the original List Price - because they paid more than the original List Price.

Buyers aren't going to give you back your $500 if you purchased the warranty. It's gone. The cost for "peace of mind". Whatever that is.

To add to this, the Warranty must also be transferable. Some aren't and stay with the original owner.

[SLOWn60]

Many warranties are pro-rated too. Not saying the Kawi warranty is but it's worth making sure it's not!