Roadside Assistance?

[mick Hoff]

My BMW Cross Country roadside Assistance Plan is up for renewal-
that said, I've never had to use them. Does anybody have experience
dealing with Cross Country?
On the ADv Rider forum - it looks like the KOA Roadside gets some
pretty High marks.
Any other suggestions or thoughts?
thanks

[ProductUser]

I bought the KOA Roadside based on a lot of positive responses. I haven't used it though.

ProductUser

[sjbmw]

I just renewed mine after my orig 3 years expired 3 weeks ago.
(3 years on my R!)

I like how they are plugged into my dealer. No middleman tower. They use motorcycle towers. Sometimes you can get a bike towing rookie with other services.

I had my bike towed to the police after my accident, and my dealer picked it up on CC.

Last April, my battery went kaput, would not hold a charge. I was unsure what the problem was (maybe I cooked my charger somehow) so I called CC and my dealer picked up my bike the next day from my back patio. I went to work and ordered a new battery and a 12k service.

Naturally these 2 items were part of my 3 year roadside assistance at sale time. But the convenience of having my dealer's towing services covered is good.

But for $35 a year, one tow in 3 years would be be break even.

I would call your dealer, and see if they have a working relationship with CC. If they do, it may be worth it.

[Paul Mihalka]

I had BMW Roadside while my bike was new. At one time they did what they were supposed to do, sending truck and taking to dealer. At two other times it was more convenient to to contract my own transport and they sent me the $100 refund when I presented the bill.
Then I had AMA Roadside and they were worse than useless. Bike failed in Eastern Arkansas, 30 miles south of Jonesboro (a decent size town) and 60 miles West of Memphis TN. They could not find anybody, not even out of Memphis. I was willing to pay any difference just to get me to Memphis. I got a UHaul in Jonesboro and drove myself home. $900 UHaul, $400 gas. Worse, I sent them a email with the details hoping for some refund, and they did not answer.
Now I have KOA, the most recommended, but did not need, and hope never will, to use them.

[darcym]

I have AAA for my car and they've always been great. They have an add-on for motorcycle service (don't know how much) and I'm considering getting it. AAA is about $40 a year.

[dsimon9]

I ended up using CC literally less than a week before my 3 year warranty expired. The fuel lines started to leak. Imagine the odds.

In any case, I called CC and I was very pleasantly surprised as to how well it all went. The operator told me there would be somebody there in 45 minutes. Almost to the minute on time. Operator also gave me the choice of which dealership to have the bike delivered. The driver also owned a motorcycle (a Buell, the irony of it all ). In a bit of an aside, I will quote the driver: "I love my bike, when it is running".

I also kept getting phone calls from CC, mostly recorded with messages like:

"the tow truck will be arriving soon"
"has the tow truck arrived? 1 for yes. 2 for no"
"has the tow truck departed your location? 1 for yes. 2 for no"
"the bike has reached its destination"

Don't know if they would of been as efficient if the breakdown had taken place in the middle of Nevada (where I was heading in a few days).

Dex

[ProductUser]

The difference, for most riders, is the service received when you're out in the middle of no where and the nearest dealer is 150 miles away. That's where KOA seems to really shine.

ProductUser

[rock712]

CC roadside, just towed me from Stamford CT to Metuchen, NJ 109 miles

i'm going to renew.....

[dsimon9]

Prior to the beginning of this thread, I had not heard of KOA roadside assistance. I decided to visit their web site. Nice features. Spousal units are included in the plan, and basically all wheeled vehicles are covered with unlimited mileage to the closest shop.

At the moment they are asking around $70 for the first year and $99.95 for subsequent years. Will have to give it some very serious consideration when my AAA expires in November.

BTW, I have no association with KOA.

Dex

[MattPie]

I used CC once. Flat tire, 10 miles from home, 10 miles to the nearest shop (Mainline BMW in Devon, PA). Talked to the operator for a few minutes. She asked if I wanted someone to come out and put the spare on. I reminder her that motorcycles don't have spares. After apologizing, she found a tow place that would do motorcycles, and it was towed to the shop. I had to pay the mileage 7*.30/per = $21.

[mick Hoff]

Hey thanks for everyone's input,
I also checked across several other sites and results seem to be-if you
are in or near a large metro area it's O.K.
If you are out in the boonies or deep boonies - look to use KOA
Right now most of my riding is commuting in a large metro area of Florida.
That said, I'll keep 'em for that and When my AAA comes up I'll renew the cars & bike at KOA.

There is a very interesting discussion of CC on another website
that you might want to review - from home. their forum is not suitable for work & the link was removed