The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted riding season around the world, with many motorcyclists told to stay home, except for non-essential travel. For that reason, many manufacturers are offering warranty extensions to make up for the lost riding time. However, there hasn’t been much talk about it in the U.S. market—at least, not yet.
Royal Enfield was one of the first manufacturers whose distributors announced the warranty extension. Its U.K. distributor’s website says “we are extending the warranty period by three months on any motorcycle whose period expires between March and May 2020. This measure has been taken to ensure that customer support and experiences are not negatively impacted by the current lockdown.” In other words, if you need warranty work, Royal Enfield wants to make sure you’re not screwed over by the COVID-19 shutdown.
Royal Enfield announced a similar warranty extension in India, its biggest market. So far, there appears to be no mention of a warranty extension in North America, at least not on the U.S. website.
Yamaha Motor Europe announced a similar warranty extension. It’s adding three months to any warranty that expires between March 1-May 31, 2020. Like Royal Enfield, Yamaha’s Indian customers also get a warranty extension because of COVID-19. At this point, the Yamaha website has no mention of a similar deal for North American customers.
There’s also no word of warranty extensions for any other Japanese, Asian, or American motorcycle manufacturer in North America, with one exception. A press release from MV Agusta seems to say all its machines are going to be given the bonus coverage. According to the release, MV Agusta is giving another three months’ warranty on all bikes presently covered by warranty, using language that implies the deal is valid for customers worldwide. If so, good on MV Agusta, as their counterparts aren’t rushing to do the same.
It’s possible that we’ll still see motorcycle warranty extensions in North America, if we’re patient. Corporate communications are a bit clunky these days, with managers and PR flacks all working remotely. The news about motorcycle home delivery programs took a while to filter through to press releases, and perhaps it’s the same with warranties. If you want to know what your motorcycle’s manufacturer is up to, you can start by contacting your local dealership for information. Don’t get your hopes up, though; some other countries banned non-essential moto travel, but most regions didn’t do much to shut two-wheeled fun down through the pandemic. For that reason, manufacturers likely won’t rush to tack extra time on your warranty—after all, you could have been riding, if you wanted to.
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Royal Enfield was one of the first manufacturers whose distributors announced the warranty extension. Its U.K. distributor’s website says “we are extending the warranty period by three months on any motorcycle whose period expires between March and May 2020. This measure has been taken to ensure that customer support and experiences are not negatively impacted by the current lockdown.” In other words, if you need warranty work, Royal Enfield wants to make sure you’re not screwed over by the COVID-19 shutdown.
Royal Enfield announced a similar warranty extension in India, its biggest market. So far, there appears to be no mention of a warranty extension in North America, at least not on the U.S. website.
Yamaha Motor Europe announced a similar warranty extension. It’s adding three months to any warranty that expires between March 1-May 31, 2020. Like Royal Enfield, Yamaha’s Indian customers also get a warranty extension because of COVID-19. At this point, the Yamaha website has no mention of a similar deal for North American customers.
There’s also no word of warranty extensions for any other Japanese, Asian, or American motorcycle manufacturer in North America, with one exception. A press release from MV Agusta seems to say all its machines are going to be given the bonus coverage. According to the release, MV Agusta is giving another three months’ warranty on all bikes presently covered by warranty, using language that implies the deal is valid for customers worldwide. If so, good on MV Agusta, as their counterparts aren’t rushing to do the same.
It’s possible that we’ll still see motorcycle warranty extensions in North America, if we’re patient. Corporate communications are a bit clunky these days, with managers and PR flacks all working remotely. The news about motorcycle home delivery programs took a while to filter through to press releases, and perhaps it’s the same with warranties. If you want to know what your motorcycle’s manufacturer is up to, you can start by contacting your local dealership for information. Don’t get your hopes up, though; some other countries banned non-essential moto travel, but most regions didn’t do much to shut two-wheeled fun down through the pandemic. For that reason, manufacturers likely won’t rush to tack extra time on your warranty—after all, you could have been riding, if you wanted to.
