Trans America Trail 2018 Bike Shipping

[Sgt Bilco]

OK fellas, I've been asked a number of times to put a container on for shipping bikes for the TAT so I've done a bit of work on this and I'm going to do is supply a container for the shipping, do all your paperwork and load and unload it both ends. At the moment, I won't be doing a guided trip on the TAT so this is just for shipping your bikes. All you have to worry about is planning your trip which will be fantastic and I'll do the rest. In a nutshell, leave your bike and all your gear with me and I do teh rest. You fly in with hand luggage and your bike will be sitting there waiting for you all ready to go. Here are the shipping dates

Unload the container Thursday 28th June 2018 in Townsend Tennessee
Reload the container on Tuesday 14th August 2018 in Santa Rosa California.

The container will be delivered into Townsend Tennessee and I will unload it. We use a great little outfit there called GSM Motorrent www.gsmmotorent.com where we unload bikes. When you get there, your bike and all your kit will be unloaded and ready for you. Dan there has a big workshop so can sort any issues that you may have before you embark on the TAT which is only a few hours ride away. You would need to fly into Knoxville TN and then pick up a taxi. There is a motel and restaurant alongside and more importantly one of teh best ice cream parlours a 2 minute walk up the road. There is some great dirt riding in the area to test the bike before you go and the famous Tail of the Dragon is an hour away so you can do the 318 curves in 11 miles to wear your new knobblies in

I will reload the container in Santa Rosa Caifornia which is a days ride south from the end of the TAT. You simply ride up to the dealer I use there, leave your bike and kit and get yourself off home. I will do the rest. There are direct bus links to San Francisco airport and it couldn't be easier. Santa Rosa is a nice little town for a couple of days rest when you finish amd the motel we use is spot on.

This gives just over 6 weeks for anyone who wants to do the whole TAT which is very do-able in this time frame and it will be the ride of your life.

As part of the service, I will advise on all your mapping, prepping of the bike, insurance, EPA requirements, what to expect etc and walk you through the process. Basically, I'll do all the hard work for you so you turn up and ride. People who have been on my trips know it works well.

I have budgeted on taking 12 bikes with all the kit and I have 6 bikes already booked for this container. Let me know if you want to send your bike a.s.a.p and a deposit will secure your place.

Even if you don't want to do the TAT and just want your bike shipped over to the US, this could be ideal as the area is a fantastic place to ride. I can help you with a plan and route if you need one.

We'll have a meeting at Adventure Bike Warehouse in Manchester on Saturday 26th August www.adventurebikewarehouse.co.uk to talk about the trip and go through some details. I'll talk about shipping requirements, mapping, weather you can expect, road and trail conditions and all other aspects of this fantastic ride. I've ridden it 3 times and there will be people there who have ridden it so all your questions should be able to be answered.

The presentation kicks off at around 13.00 hrs and should last a couple of hours. Skygod will be cooking up some hot dogs and there will be tea, coffee and biscuits on tap.

If you want to to it or are thinking about it and not sure what to expect, come along and have a listen. We should have some good bikes on show and lots of farkles and clothing in the shop to drool over or spend your hard earned on.

Let me know if you are coming along and of course if you are interested in the shipping. Be aware that I have already got 5 or 6 places filled so space is limited.

[smudger272]

hi what's the cost to ship over bike

[palmanova]

great idea to ship all together and would be interesting to know the price please, I am flying my bike (crf 250l) into Washington dc in 3 weeks to do an east to west crossing in 5 weeks following my own route and criss crossing the TAT. shipping back from LA. This container shipping would interest me for the future that's for sure. Cheers

[Sgt Bilco]

hi what's the cost to ship over bike

The price per bike will be £2250 maximum so you need to budget that. It just depends on the dollar rate at the time and obviously shipping costs. I've done 10 containers since 2010 and the price has barely changed so confident this will be the price next year.

This price includes everything so there is nothing extra to pay. Everything is done for you so you can just concentrate on your trip.

[Peirre]

Chris I'd be interested in shipping my triumph (or possibly something newer) and doing my own thing, vaguely following the route of this years coast to coast and using the additional time for some side trips.
I've pencilled in attending the meeting at ABW

[Standonit]

great idea to ship all together and would be interesting to know the price please, I am flying my bike (crf 250l) into Washington dc in 3 weeks to do an east to west crossing in 5 weeks following my own route and criss crossing the TAT. shipping back from LA. This container shipping would interest me for the future that's for sure. Cheers

Do you mind me asking what it costs to have your bike flown into DC?? Will it be Dulles or Baltimore?

[palmanova]

The price for my honda crf250l to be picked up from my house in lincolnshire, then crated and flown to washington dulles airport ready for me to custom clear, with return via ship container from los angeles to felixstowe, custom cleared there and couriered back to lincolnshire with all transit insurances included is £2240. I chose dulles airport as it is out of the city and only 50 miles to the shenendoah skyway and blue ridge parkway roads that follow the ridge of the blue ridge mountains for 530 miles down into tennessee. Then a route of backroads of my choosing at a leisurely pace. I am using motofreight to transit the bike, they have been very helpful and informative to a newbie like me, I am travelling alone as my mate has withdrawn due to illness, if you need any more info dont hesitate to ask, cheers, regards Terry..

[Peirre]

I've been doing some research into costings etc to find out if heading to the US is a realistic possibility, flights into Knoxville appear to be quite expensive, with prices ranging between £800 - £1000+ one way!!! Depending on where in the UK you travel from, in my case travelling to/from Manchester would mean
Outbound: Manchester > Dublin > Chicago O'Hare > Knoxville @£860!!!!
Flights out of London airports are showing as £1k+
Return: San Francisco > Manchester (Direct flight) £380

Edit: I've spoken to a local travel agent regarding flight prices, and they found if I look for an "open jaw" return flight ie: fly into Knoxville & return from SF the price comes in at a more reasonable £500 - £700

I've also had a few quotes for airfreighting my bike to either Toronto or the east coast USA with prices ranging from £1700 £2000 one way Manchester > Toronto

[palmanova]

I have monitored the flight prices on klm.com for several months, and managed to find a flight from humberside to amsterdam then on to washington dc dulles airport, returning 31 days later from Los angeles to amsterdam then back to humberside for £499. All with KLM. It takes constant monitoring and waiting for that window to appear. The prices do fluctuate a lot. Give motofreight a call and ask the for a shipping quote tailored to your own needs. The KLM price includes all your luggage aswell..I am flying my bike into dulles as it works for me personally and you are 50 miles from the appalachian mountains with a 530 mile run down the blue ridge parkway to pick up the TAT . It doesnt get much better .....

[Peirre]

Give motofreight a call and ask the for a shipping quote tailored to your own needs.

Funnily you should mention motofreight as I received an email from them this morning

Thank you very much for getting in touch for a motorcycle transportation quote.

For shipping out to the start of a trip we would usually recommend airfreight. This is because delays are relatively common with seafreight, and when they occur they tend to be for a week at a time. The last thing you want is to be stuck in the USA waiting for your motorcycle to arrive! Also, once you take in to account clearance and handling fees for seafreight and airfreight there is really not that much different between the two when shipping to the USA.

On this basis I am pleased to quote you the following (based on current rates):

Collection: Can be arranged if required. Alternatively you are welcome to deliver the bike in to our warehouse, we are based near London Heathrow.

Airfreight to Washington (DC): GB £1,140. This includes crating, customs formalities in the UK and airfreight to arrival in the USA. Once the bike arrives in to Washington (DC) it will need to be cleared through customs. This is easy for you to do yourself (we can give advice on this), in which case you will pay approximately US $60 in handling fees. If you would like to use an agent instead we can recommend one to you, and their services will cost approximately US $600.

If you are thinking of returning to the UK from the USA the main shipping points for seafreight back the UK are Los Angeles (GB £875) and New York (GB £825). The return prices are based on you delivering the bike in to our agent’s depot and includes customs formalities in the USA, secure lashing in to a seafreight container, seafreight to arrival at UK port (usually Tilbury or Felixstowe) and customs formalities in the UK. You would then be able to collect your uncrated bike from the port, or we can arrange onward delivery to an address of your choice if you prefer.

As you are travelling to the USA you will need to organise EPA exemption for your motorcycle before you travel. You should do this approximately 1 month before your trip to make sure that it is processed in time, but it is easy to do (it is all done on-line) and there is no cost. We can help you do this if you would like.

Storage or examination fees are not included and would be payable directly if applicable. The price above does not include transit insurance, and we can organise this for you at a cost of 2.6% of (the value of the bike + the cost of the freight) for the return freight.

I hope this helps with your planning, if you do have any questions please let me know and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Looking at the numbers and factoring misc costs there isn't much difference in prices, albeit the hassle of sorting customs, EPA etc. But flying into Washington would put me in a better location closer to the east coast at the start

As for flights I'll take a look at KLM
Edit: looking at current KLM prices Manchester or Humberside to Dulles and returning from San Francisco or LAX is coming in at around £500. So it's giving me a lot to think about