Buying a new BMW just got a whole lot more attractive

New extended warranty could force other manufacturers to follow suit

BMW have extended the warranties on their new bikes from two to three years with immediate effect, joining Suzuki as offering the longest standard warranties of any major manufacturer. The German brand now provide threeyear cover on every bike (except the race-spec HP4 Race) as long as you stick to the maintenance schedule. The offer is boosted further by breakdown cover that allows the bike to be recovered and fixed anywhere in Europe in the first three years after purchase. In short, you could buy a new R1200GS and after two-and-a-half years ride it to Nordkapp and if it throws the gearbox output bearing, you’re covered.

“The change matches perfectly the needs of our customers,” Nick Reece, national aftersales manager for BMW Motorrad UK, told MCN. “With worldwide cover for warranty, including unlimited mileage, and Roadside Assistance wherever you are in Europe, those riders who choose to use their bikes for holiday and adventure travel, as many do, can now travel with added reassurance.”

If BMW’s move proves successful there will undoubtedly be pressure on other manufacturers to follow suit. Honda previously offered a three-year warranty on the VFR1200F and most manufacturers offer extended warranties at extra cost (adding one year to the warranty of a Ducati Panigale V4 costs £449, for example) and with some you have to pay an excess as well. However, none have the combined level of cover that the BMW package does.

Suzuki have already taken the plunge and extended to three years though. They were the first to offer this in 2016.

“It was to highlight the confidence in the product and its reliability,” said a Suzuki spokesman. “When a typical finance deal lasts three years, customers know they’re covered by warranty for the term of the agreement.”

‘Riders on holiday can now travel with extra reassurance’