Brilliant Idea.

[captinktm]

How would this pressed-for-time, fake Adventure rider get his precious bike back to The UK?
Would you ride it back?
I can just imagine the shit State his bike would be in as you throw your leg over it to ride up to 2000 miles, after all he's too tight to use Bulgaria Bike shipping, so I can't see his routine maintenance and trip preparation being top notch.
Most folk who give a shit about their bike wouldn't want it ridden to Bulgaria and back miles by a stranger.
Plus, can you imagine if you had to ride something like a CRF250L or a Serrow from Newcastle to Bulgaria?
You'd have chucked it into a bush by the time you'd got to York and hitched back home.

Oh and how much will one bike cost shipping it?

Oh yes and of course I would ride it back.

[daveuprite]

That's a great idea. Also I'm quite jealous. They do that in America with cars I think.

Back in 1991 I did something called a 'driveaway' in Canada. Basically a family was moving house from Toronto to Calgary. Their stuff went in a big lorry and they flew. I found an agency in Toronto when I arrived there to go hitch-hiking which offered me the family's car to deliver across the country to their new home in Calgary. They gave me a realistic number of days to do the drive and took a photocopy of my driving licence and passport. They said that if I didn't turn up at the other end within 24 hours of the target time I would be reported as a car thief, put on the wanted list and banned from leaving Canada!

Anyway it all went really well. I drove along the top of the Great Lakes on beautiful empty roads, then across the giant Canadian prairies, camping each night in cheap camp sites, enjoying a fat canadian breakfast each morning and driving for a leisurely 7 hours each day taking in the scenery. Took about 6 days I think to get to Calgary where the family checked their car was all OK, phoned the agency in Toronto to confirm safe delivery and all was good. I paid for the fuel (nice economical Honda Civic - wouldn't have wanted a dirty great Chevy!) and I had use of the car for nothing. The family paid some kind of arrangement fee to the driveaway agency.

[SteveW]

Haha, but Capt. the question is.......How does the bike get back?
Surely you don't want to ride his Royal Enfield bullet both ways?
How very dare you! I've only vaned my bike out to BG once!
I can tell the snow must be deep out in Bulgaria, you're getting cabin fever and coming up with these daft ideas

[captinktm]

Haha, but Capt. the question is.......How does the bike get back?
Surely you don't want to ride his Royal Enfield bullet both ways?
How very dare you! I've only vaned my bike out to BG once!
I can tell the snow must be deep out in Bulgaria, you're getting cabin fever and coming up with these daft ideas

Daft idea's? How rude! Yes of course I would ride the bike back, I bet your one of these remain er's, why else would you say it going to be an Enfield , it could be a nice BMW GS dripping with extra's and a heated seat!
Once is more than enough

[SteveW]

I'm a 100% get-outer.
What about saving yourself that ride back?
You can pick some fantastic routes between your place and The UK.
Just ride the bike from The UK to yours and let the Dude pick a nice, non-motorway route back.
Through The Balkans, The Alps, Southern Germany, Up through rural France and The Ardennes.
Or.....The Balkans ferry to Italy over the Alps etc...
Or....Up Through Romania, Poland Germany
Loads to see on any route.

[minkyhead]

not sure about the maths

its about 150 quid in petrol plus ferry at 30 plus accomadation ?? 2 nights and most of arear tyre at 60 quid for a small bike and double for a big one ..if your happy to pay your own digs and subsistance it around 250 quid to get it there ..and it has to come back too e and thats presuming the owner has to ride it back ... which is around 300 quid without any peige charges included ..all this presuming you pay your own way and make zero profit

it looks like it will be around 550 to get it there and back ..plus the cost of one service at least ..and presuming you can fly for 50 quid so how far off are we talking about 700 quid ??
im shipping out again ... 5th time in june ... this time cocentrating in and albania and monernegro all off road ..i expect to do around 12/1400. miles in two weeks on me 300 or 450 ...

past expieriance tells me i can fly out at 630 am pick up a freash serviced bike with brand new tyres ect around 1pm and be over the albanian or greek border by 5pm ,,,,day 1 for pretty much the same costs

there is nowt wrong with using it as a starating point and riding home from bulgaria some great options to route back from there

personally i wouldnt want anyone riding me bike for 1800 miles just for a delivery ...and if i was tempted i would want to see proper fully comp theft insurance in place before i did anything ...

at least with professional shippers there are no milage issues ..proper full insurance in transit ..all your lugage and riding gear also insured and the same crate ...delivered to a secure and fully insured warhouse ..

simple idea ..but not too practical

[hornet]

Looked at shipping costs but it would be for two bikes return from Bulgaria, it did represent a good time saving value as the 250s are dead slow.

But if we put that cost into a van then it gives us way more options. Weekends away in Wales, lakes Devon etc .

I drive 60,000 miles a year so used to big mileage and sharing the wheel with her ladyship is cool with me.

Shipping bikes or vaning them to get to the places you want to get to is fair play.

Mike

[captinktm]

not sure about the maths

its about 150 quid in petrol plus ferry at 30 plus accomadation ?? 2 nights and most of arear tyre at 60 quid for a small bike and double for a big one ..if your happy to pay your own digs and subsistance it around 250 quid to get it there ..and it has to come back too e and thats presuming the owner has to ride it back ... which is around 300 quid without any peige charges included ..all this presuming you pay your own way and make zero profit

it looks like it will be around 550 to get it there and back ..plus the cost of one service at least ..and presuming you can fly for 50 quid so how far off are we talking about 700 quid ??
im shipping out again ... 5th time in june ... this time cocentrating in and albania and monernegro all off road ..i expect to do around 12/1400. miles in two weeks on me 300 or 450 ...

past expieriance tells me i can fly out at 630 am pick up a freash serviced bike with brand new tyres ect around 1pm and be over the albanian or greek border by 5pm ,,,,day 1 for pretty much the same costs

there is nowt wrong with using it as a starating point and riding home from bulgaria some great options to route back from there

personally i wouldnt want anyone riding me bike for 1800 miles just for a delivery ...and if i was tempted i would want to see proper fully comp theft insurance in place before i did anything ...

at least with professional shippers there are no milage issues ..proper full insurance in transit ..all your lugage and riding gear also insured and the same crate ...delivered to a secure and fully insured warhouse ..

simple idea ..but not too practical

Thanks for the input boss. But I am not sure what math you are talking about. Firstly we need to know what it cost for my guy to ship his bike to ............say Dalaman in Turkey, even if it is possible. Next my guy is not sure when he can go. Now if he does this trip him self (if he had the time off work) then he as to ride the same journey as I would. Really his only extra cost is my flights. They can be as little as ten pounds to max three hundred. Plus I don't think this is going suit guys with enduro bikes they will always be thinking of a van or shipping which is great for four plus guys sharing the cost but for a single guy it's expensive. As for the insurance I could and would be included as a named driver. The risk to the bike is no different than if the guy rides him self. Luggage, I guess the bike would be loaded so that's taken care of.
Tyres wise it also would be no different than doing the journey him self would it.

[captinktm]

Looked at shipping costs but it would be for two bikes return from Bulgaria, it did represent a good time saving value as the 250s are dead slow.

But if we put that cost into a van then it gives us way more options. Weekends away in Wales, lakes Devon etc .

I drive 60,000 miles a year so used to big mileage and sharing the wheel with her ladyship is cool with me.

Shipping bikes or vaning them to get to the places you want to get to is fair play.

Mike

I am not sure what your point is Mike, I am talking about a single guy, so van or bike he still as to travel 6 to 8 days either way. I would never consider riding a 250 enduro from the uk to here, not even a 500 as some one did last year. The van or shipping is the answer. No this is the guy that has a adv bike and only 2 weeks off. He would rather spend that in the Taurus Mountains or the Carpathian mountains in Romania than slogging across Europe to arrive knackered with only a 6 day in the area he wanted to see most.

[captinktm]

I'm a 100% get-outer.
What about saving yourself that ride back?
You can pick some fantastic routes between your place and The UK.
Just ride the bike from The UK to yours and let the Dude pick a nice, non-motorway route back.
Through The Balkans, The Alps, Southern Germany, Up through rural France and The Ardennes.
Or.....The Balkans ferry to Italy over the Alps etc...
Or....Up Through Romania, Poland Germany
Loads to see on any route.

Ah that's better your coming on side now. Yes the guy could ride here via anything taking his time and meet me at Sofia he flys home and I ride his bike back. Or vicky verky. because my experience is crossing Europe in a rush to get to the good stuff here means motorways and that shite. If you take your time and do the best routes it's could easily take 2 weeks.