Extended Warranty on a Ducati; Ageis vs Ever-Red?

[PrincessFalafal]

I'm looking at a lightly used Ducati at a motorcycle dealer in the east bay. They've offered me two options for an extended warranty:

• Ageis - 3 year, $1500
• Ever-Red - 4 year, $1800

The salesman (who I've been conversing with now for a couple of weeks, he's been very reasonable and helpful and not even the slightest bit pushy) recommended the Ageis, and said he has the Ageis coverage on his personal motorcycle. He said that they do sell RPM-1, but that he couldn't in good consciousness recommend it to anyone.

Does anyone have direct experience with either of these warranties? What are some of the gotchas or surprising things they didn't cover?

 

[mrzuzzo]

Ever Red is the one offered by Ducati themselves I believe, so get that.

I'm surprised it's so cheap for 4 years, seems like a good deal especially since you'll probably need to use it quite a bit.

 

[PrincessFalafal]

Ever Red is the one offered by Ducati themselves I believe, so get that.

I'm surprised it's so cheap for 4 years, seems like a good deal especially since you'll probably need to use it quite a bit.

I think with a used bike (as this is) they don't cover quite as much as if it's new. I'm slowly digging through the contracts and trying to parse the legalese of it all and there's some notable things that seem to be excluded: The Ageis doesn't cover the "fuel system" and the Ever-Red doesn't cover brake rotors, and neither cover "gaskets and seals". Warranty not covering fork seals is a common complaint, but I'm more leery of things like a counter-shaft seal leaking or even worse if a head gasket goes.

But yeah, Ducati does have their reputation and I use the bike for daily commuting. I did 12,000 miles last year and expect to do similar for the foreseeable future, so over 4 years I sure will be putting that "Unlimited Mileage" to the test.

I'm thinking I should start a video blawg ala Doug Demuro's infamous Range Rover about what it's like to own an 8 year old Italian motorcycle with 60,000 miles and a warranty.

 

[Holeshot]

Check is the warranty is inclusive (meaning it has to list what's included) or exclusive (meaning they have to list what's excluded). Check those items on those lists.

$1800 seems exorbitant for a moto, but what do I know...I've never used one.

 

[redbikes]

I had purchased one on a new Panigale R a handful of years ago and I think at the time I bought the bike it was $1,000 bucks to increase it 3 extra years from factory to a total of 5. Then I bought a Panigale S Anniversario that was used (still with 1 mile and not ridden). I didn’t buy the warranty at the time but they said (California Speed Sports) I could purchase it up until the factory warranty expired and the price was right around $1,000 again for 3 years I believe. I sold it right before the factory warranty expiring so I never extended it. I can’t remember which company they were through.

 

[bikeama]

I purchased Ageis +3 years for $800 for my 2016 Multistrada. Purchased in Apr or 2018 with 9,100 miles on the bike. This from the dealer I purchased the bike new from. If you are buying the bike from the dealer selling you the policy have them sharpen their pencil.

 

[Blankpage]

I'd probably just buy a cheaper bike.

 

[moto-rama]

Ever Red is the one offered by Ducati themselves I believe, so get that.

I'm surprised it's so cheap for 4 years, seems like a good deal especially since you'll probably need to use it quite a bit.

I second that endorsement of the Factory warranty. There is always some wiggle room on prices, hint, hint.

 

[slydrite]

:cool

 

[PrincessFalafal]

Check is the warranty is inclusive (meaning it has to list what's included) or exclusive (meaning they have to list what's excluded). Check those items on those lists.

$1800 seems exorbitant for a moto, but what do I know...I've never used one.

Thank you for the advice! I don't have any frame of reference for costs, so I appreciate the input.

I purchased Ageis +3 years for $800 for my 2016 Multistrada. Purchased in Apr or 2018 with 9,100 miles on the bike. This from the dealer I purchased the bike new from. If you are buying the bike from the dealer selling you the policy have them sharpen their pencil.

Sharpen their pencil = see if I can get them to drop the price?

I second that endorsement of the Factory warranty. There is always some wiggle room on prices, hint, hint.

Consensus seems to be that both of these options are very over-priced.

For reference they're asking $15k for the bike, which I'll need to have dropped down by quite a large amount for me to sign on the dotted line.

 

[PrincessFalafal]

I'd probably just buy a cheaper bike.

I've been riding "cheap" Japanese bikes for my entire decade-long riding career, and I think I'm over it. The bike is cheaper, but then you have to spend thousands of dollars to make the brakes and suspension not suck. By the time you do all that, you're very near the cost of the premium machines anyway and your bike is still heavier with less power.

I made that decision a while ago when I was considering a KLR 650. Ended up just getting the KTM 690 Enduro and it was brilliant.

 

[UDRider]

Well it's no guarantee Ducati would be better in that regard. I have Hyper SP. Supposedly with better suspension. Front still sucks. Super soft. Clutch is finicky AF. Apparently I can get a clut6 from next year that fixes it. Fuelling or maybe throttle response suck. Going from above 4k to below just slams you forward.

Also. You have to take it to dealer for anything besides oil change and regular maintenance. Not necessary because they are better, but because they are only ones that have fancy computer that can read codes properly. Every time it ended up in a shop it was at least two-three weeks. Usually more. Last time it was two weeks, but had to make appointment three months in advance.

Don't get me wrong, every time I ride the damn thing it puts a giant smile on my face, but hassle factor is there.

 

[Blankpage]

I've been riding "cheap" Japanese bikes for my entire decade-long riding career, and I think I'm over it. The bike is cheaper, but then you have to spend thousands of dollars to make the brakes and suspension not suck. By the time you do all that, you're very near the cost of the premium machines anyway and your bike is still heavier with less power.

I made that decision a while ago when I was considering a KLR 650. Ended up just getting the KTM 690 Enduro and it was brilliant.

Curious to know what Ducati you have that you can't find a Japanese bike just as light and with equal power.
Thats not a Ducati I'd want to commute on.

 

[banshee01]

What ducati is It?

 

[PrincessFalafal]

Well it's no guarantee Ducati would be better in that regard.

Curious to know what Ducati you have that you can't find a Japanese bike just as light and with equal power.
Thats not a Ducati I'd want to commute on.

What ducati is It?

I'm looking at a Multistrada Pikes Peak, which ditches the electronic Skyhook setup for manually adjustable Ohlins stuff front and rear. I took it on quite an extended test ride and was impressed with the setup, the brakes were only a couple notches below superbike power and the suspension was extremely communicative. Ducati claims 160hp and 509lbs wet, which I completely believe. I was shocked at how comparatively light it was to move around the parking lot, especially compared to my V-Strom.

I'll still probably need some of Dave Moss's time to really get it dialed in, it felt like there was a bit too much spring in the back and the rear had a tendency to slide more than I expected over less-than-perfect pavement. There was also a minor tendency to headshake when I did dumb shit like closing the throttle too quickly at triple-digit speeds. But it felt well within the realm of acceptable adjustment and I'm confident that given a few weeks to learn the bike I'll really get it dialed in.

Most importantly, the bike has the two major quality-of-life features that I want for a commuter; Keyless ignition and cruise control. The seating position was extremely reasonable as well, although I'll probably get a tall seat for it to give a little bit more room.

 

[Lucytriple]

I have no experience with those two warranty choices, but I do have a lot of experience with https://www.westernservicecontract.com/service-contracts/motorcycle/ warranties, specifically on Ducatis. They are motorcycle centric and worked with us at Desmoto on several big and small warranty claims and were always reasonable and professional. I haven’t looked at prices for quite some time, but they were always thought of as the best choice.

 

[PrincessFalafal]

I have no experience with those two warranty choices, but I do have a lot of experience with https://www.westernservicecontract.com/service-contracts/motorcycle/ warranties, specifically on Ducatis. They are motorcycle centric and worked with us at Desmoto on several big and small warranty claims and were always reasonable and professional. I haven’t looked at prices for quite some time, but they were always thought of as the best choice.

Thanks for the input! Sadly I don't think this dealer offers that, just Ageis & Ever-red. At least those were the only two options they presented to me.

 

[fubar929]

Most importantly, the bike has the two major quality-of-life features that I want for a commuter; Keyless ignition and cruise control.

:laughing The keyless ignition was one of the things I was happy to get rid of when I sold my Multi! I didn't have nearly as many problems as some, but did have multiple occasions where I had to waddle the bike away from gas stations or hold the key close to the pick-up antenna before the bike would start. Super happy that my current rides have keys! Starting is reliable and I no longer have to fumble in my pockets for the key when I want to fill-up.

To get back to your original question... I bought a 3-year extended warranty from Aegis when I purchased my Multi. Like bikeama, I think I paid around $750 for the coverage. I believe that was down from their initial $1500 ask. I purchased Aegis because it was the preferred choice of my local dealership (The Motor Cafe). Since they'd be the ones most likely to end up servicing the bike I thought going with their choice might make things easier. Aegis is based in the Bay Area (Sunnyvale) so if you need someone to yell at, they're local

Another factor to consider is whether the warranty is transferrable. The Aegis warranty is, though there's a $50 fee for the transfer. When I sold my Multi, having the transferrable extended warranty was one of the big factors that lead the buyer to purchase my bike versus others that were available.

 

[NoobCorpse]

I believe most extended warranties are transferrable with the moto - I know for sure Western Service ones are.

I have heard/read that there's a lot of margin on extended warranties for dealerships, but I can't confirm with hard numbers - but they are negotiable. Not sure about the Ever-Red though, since that's Ducati's own extended warranty (and I think roadside assistance) program.

 

[PrincessFalafal]

:laughing The keyless ignition was one of the things I was happy to get rid of when I sold my Multi!

Arg, don't tell me that! I want keyless ignition so freaking much, it's the biggest reason I'm even considering a silly machine like the Ducati instead of something sensible like a lightly used Tiger 800. I'm planning on getting the electronically unlocking gas cap as well, so the only time I'd ever need to dig out the physical key would be to pop off the seat.

I've lost count of how many times I've gotten fully geared up, (especially in the rain) only to remember that my keys are in my pants pocket under four layers of gear.