Two Lane is right on about the huge margins the dealers have on the extended warranty. Basically they're insurance policies against major failures. My experience is that on the newer, more sophisticated models they're worth it if around $1300 in the long run. You're protected against the high ticket items cost once past the initial warranty as long as you keep accurate maintenance records. Save my gear on a trip many times, just paid the $50 and went on my way. If you don't have the service manual, buy one and you can get by on a surprising number of repairs and services yourself. Also the parts manual is really great to show how to disassemble and reassemble the subassemblies. Well worth the investment. Enjoy the ride !