I want to take my bike to Europe this year. Does anyone have any experience shipping with Motorcycle Express from Canada to Germany?
I can't imagine this would be cheaper than renting or selling/buying/selling unless you're moving a $20,000 new motorcycle.
I'm staying 4-5weeks in fall 2013 and than in spring 2014. I considered renting (i know some dealers), but it will be very expensive too. Because of the long time over there,2 mounth, that's why i'm thinking of having my own bike over there.
They make it pretty easy and part of that convenience comes at a cost. That said - you can ship out of Toronto, and be on the same flight as your bike for less than $3k (one way).
Buying and selling and insurance is easier said than done. It is something to think about, but i do like my bike to come with me. Nice RR on scotland. Last time i was there was 1992.
I haven´t sent across the Atlantic. But usually, when the distance is long enough, LCL (less than container load) seafreight is the cheapest way to send one single bike. There are a few things to remember, though: it is more laborous than letting some company, who offer this service do it for you, you may need to use a crate to pack the bike, and some points of entry to EU these days seem to demand a rather large bond, that is to be returned, when the bike leaves. I´d avoid sending to those places. Costs at the receiving end are also something to be wary of, always, but especially when you freight by sea. For reference, I payed almost exactly 700 euros total to send my DL650 by sea from Sydney to Helsinki (but it was 5 years ago). This even included the services of a freight agent in Oz. Distance must be longer than US West Coast to Europe. Costs at the receiving end were almost 200 euros of that 700, but it was still cheap. By air would´ve definitely cost me double or triple. I bet there´s a LOT of sea freight going back and forth across the Atlantic all the time, so you should have plenty of options to choose from. (But I´m not saying this is the easiest option, definitely not).
I did the buy and sell thing for 2 months for a New Zealand trip. Cheapest way to go for sure, but it takes time out of your trip. Took me 2-3 days to buy and another 2-3 days to sell it. You need to make sure you have a good market for selling it or else you'll be hooped. If you can buy ahead of your trip this will help. Perhaps also try to sell it ahead too. But its just more logistics to deal with. Best thing is to steal a bike when you get there, then just dump it when you are done.
Best thing is to steal a bike when you get there, then just dump it when you are done.[/QUOTE] I'm looking over my shoulder a lot already, now i woudn't be looking ahead at all.
I don't want to be without the bike for long time here or there, and as you said there are problems with sea freight too.
Yes, there are possible pitfalls. But airfreight isn´t completely free of those, either. When someone (like Motorcycle Express) offers this kind of service, they handle the paperwork, but always do it for a fee, naturally. If you do it yourself, you might save a bit, no matter if you send by air or by sea. But then you have to do your homework really well (and for air, you´ll need a Dangerous Goods-document from somebody, who´s certified to issue it, so that one you can´t DIY). I think, however, that US <-> Europe is not the most complicated region in the world to send something.
I'm shipping my bike through Stefan Knopf at Knopf tours here in March. I believe quite a few other people have shipped through him before. He has been more than helpful over the phone and by email already. I am paying 1300 to go from Florida to Germany and that price includes all the custom fees and insurance. So I should just be able to show up and ride off which will be nice. The container is shipping over in March if you want to see if theres room, just gotta get the bike to florida first. http://www.knopftours.com/Web-Site/Welcome.html
The container is shipping over in March if you want to see if theres room, just gotta get the bike to florida first. http://www.knopftours.com/Web-Site/Welcome.html[/QUOTE] Thanks for all the replies. I talked to Stefan(nice guy on the phone) and he gave me a good price, but from vancouver to frankfurt with air. I'm in MB and want to go to Munich, so i have to calculate the cost to and from the airport or seaport too. I have family in Munich, so if something would happen timewise, or taking the bike back to the airport 5 days before departure, i don't need a hotel or rental car.
I do agree with you and that is why i posted this question here to get as much info before i make my decision.
I just finished the paperwork for transport Germany-Halifax and back again. Living in the northern part of the netherland this was the cheapest way. Got all my info from the horizon unlimited site http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tripplan/transport/shippingQueryResults.php I used a german shipper, and they arranged everything for me. For 6,5 weeks travelling it's cheaper to transport your own bike albert
I did look at horizon and they also do work with motorcycle express. It looks like it will be with them to and then 8 mounth later back from germany.
I struggled with the same ideas, costs, problems. I didn't want to be without my bike for long periods of ocean transport. I wanted to ride Europe for 5-8weeks or more and do it again the following year or more often. That left renting out of the picture as too expensive. From the US, it has to go on a ship. From Canada, it can go on a plane. The airfreight and the cost of riding to Vancouver began to look pretty expensive, too. And a friend who shipped his bike from Germany to Vancouver arrived 6 days before his bike, costing him a lot of grief, lost riding time and hotel bills. His camping gear was with the bike. Next option? I considered buying a bike in Europe. I had been told that this was nearly impossible, but I met Wheatwhacker on ADVRider. He steered me to an online site to look for bikes to buy in Ireland. He's in Kinsale, near Cork, so that's where I began to look for a bike. He was more than helpful. He and his bike mechanic buddy checked out the bike I liked, gave me honest info on it, and after I paid for it, they picked it up from the seller for me. They stored it for me and I had them install new tires, rear brake pads and engine crash bars. And they delivered the bike to the B&B near Kinsale where my wife and I would stay for a week in SE Ireland. We got a very nice Honda Varadero with Hepco & Becker side cases and top case. We rode it over 3,000 miles on that trip and will return this summer for more. Our 1150GS stayed home safe and ready for our travels on this continent and the Vara is ready over there. Registration and insurance? Wheatwhacker helped with that, too. And we loved Ireland! Now I have a nice bike to ride for close to the cost of shipping. In fact, I figure it's paid for itself already. And it's there for me whenever I get there. Look for Wheatwhacker on the EMEA section of Trip Planning. I don't work for him or get anything more than his usual smiles and cheerful help. In fact, I do owe him a beer (or more than a few).
