Shipping a cycle

dumale

Member
Hello, I plan to buy a motorcycle ( from a dealer) and have it shipped to me

1. Who do you guys recommend as a motorcycle shipper?

2. What do I need to do my my side to make sure she shipping goes smoothly?

Cheers!
-D
 

JMardy

More head - less ass
I bought a bike from Oregon and the dealer recommend motoshippers.com. They were great. Delivered in covered trailer. $300.

I've also had success with uShip but it depends on who you pick - read their feedback.
 

bobl

Well-known member
I'm sure you know, but I will say it anyway. If it's an out of state bike with less than 7500 miles, and is not CARB certified, you can't register it in California. Just a reminder.
 

Surffly

Member
I dont like using the big websites for shipping. They take too much of a cut so the rates are silly high. Also some ship bikes in legs. Meaning it is taken on and off a truck a couple of times and stored in a warehouse a couple of times before it gets to you.

I found a really good shipper and just keep using him.
Can PM you his contact if you would like.

My tips for shipping are to be as flexible as possible. Timing is everything. If you need it picked up at an exact time and delivered right away, expect to pay.
 

Demoni

Well-known member
We ship a lot of bikes all over the country, have used a few small private contractors with mixed results. Now we rely on Haul Bikes and Federal depending on the requirements.

Who ever you choose make sure they have insurance provided by a reputable company. Had a bike tumble off a trucks liftgate when using a mom and pop operation. Insurance policy was through a cut rate provider. They fought tooth and nail for every penny, process took months.

Haul Bikes - All they do is transport motorcycles. They pick up in 2 level semi trucks, drivers are intimately familiar with moving and securely strapping bikes for shipping. Their pricing is reasonable and is a fixed rate. They shuttle bikes from the pickup location to a regional hub and then onto another hub close to the destination. Due to this your bike may sit at one of their hubs for a few days till they have a full load. Expect 2-3 weeks between pickup and delivery.

Federal - They do general freight transport in addition to moto's. Your bike is strapped onto a metal skid for it's trip. They normally work with local contractors to pick bikes up using small box trucks with a lift gate. Then loaded into 18 wheelers for the long haul. I have gotten drivers that are very familiar dealing with motos and others that need some guidance. Expect 3-10 day shipping times. They price based on total distance.

Both companies do full inspections of bikes at pickup to denote any pre-existing damage. Have had very minimal issues of damage in transit. The 2 times it has happened the insurance claim process went smoothly.
 

JimE

Rider
Maybe if I shipped a bunch with Haul Bikes I would have had a better experience. I had an R1200GS shipped out from Illinois a couple years ago. My experience was:
-Took about 12 weeks to get my bike.
-They couldn't hold any kind of date or timeframe. It was a complete moving target. The original estimate was the 2-3 weeks.
-Pickup and drop off were done with little or no notice. You got a call maybe a couple hours out.
-They were supposed to deliver to the Safeway store lot in Felton and I had to get a ride and meet them in San Jose. Got out of going over 17 I guess. I got lucky I had the time to do that they told me if I couldn't they would send the truck on it's way and I would have to wait until it cycled back around in a couple weeks.

So not really great.

On the plus side their trucks are specific to the task. I take a lot of equipment freight and see a lot of damage and, from what they say, the bikes don't mingle with other stuff. That's huge. Chance of damage way less. The bikes are in a double decker stacked trailer and looked like they are handled well. Mine arrived as advertised. Price was similar to others.

So Haul Bikes is good I guess if you aren't in a rush. If I have to do it again I'll try somebody else though. Really aggravating being told a few weeks, and then a few weeks, and then a few weeks..... Getting a reasonable estimate for a bike I'd paid for, and paying the shipper up front, seems like it would be standard. I mean plus a couple weeks on a three week trip even. But three months just left a sour taste.

YMMV.
 

Surffly

Member
I 100% will never use someone with a semi to move a motorcycle.

Every time the driver is a real pain to work with as they claim they can not actually get to where ever they need to. Super aggravating to give a transport company two addresses, get a quote and then in the middle of the shipment have to figure out how to pick up the bike from a truck stop.
 

dumale

Member
I'm sure you know, but I will say it anyway. If it's an out of state bike with less than 7500 miles, and is not CARB certified, you can't register it in California. Just a reminder.

Didn’t know about out of state bike laws.

It’s a BMW, it’s 2007, and it has 40,000 miles - I’m thinking I’m ok. I hope to get more info on the unit this weekend.

Where do I need to go to check eligibility/ California readiness ? Must be some DMV / California website
 

Tom G

"The Deer Hunter"
Didn’t know about out of state bike laws.

It’s a BMW, it’s 2007, and it has 40,000 miles - I’m thinking I’m ok. I hope to get more info on the unit this weekend.

Where do I need to go to check eligibility/ California readiness ? Must be some DMV / California website

BMW has 50 states sticker, so you are good.
 

a32tango

New member
In September, I shipped my bike from NJ using 1AAmotorcycles.com. It took about 2 weeks to get here. The pricing was excellent, the customer service was flawless and they were extremely careful. Highly recommend. I believe they are based out of San Diego, but they are a national company.
 

bpw

Well-known member
I used Haul bikes to send a couple vintage bikes cross country and they where great. Easy to work with, picked up at the end of road because big trucks can't get to the house and dropped off at my house at this end. I wasn't in any rush but don't remember it taking very long, 10 days maybe?
 

whitelotus

The Fractured, But Whole
I bought a bike from Oregon and the dealer recommend motoshippers.com. They were great. Delivered in covered trailer. $300.

I've also had success with uShip but it depends on who you pick - read their feedback.

I’ve used motoshippers.com as well. They did a great job, it did take a while, but bike was coming from South Carolina and I wasn’t really in a hurry. I think it took about 2 months. But they delivered it right to my house and it was in great condition.
 

motomania2007

TC/MSF/CMSP/ Instructor
Didn’t know about out of state bike laws.

It’s a BMW, it’s 2007, and it has 40,000 miles - I’m thinking I’m ok. I hope to get more info on the unit this weekend.

Where do I need to go to check eligibility/ California readiness ? Must be some DMV / California website

I know others have said so but just want to reaffirm that with a bike with 40,000 mi on it California doesn't care it's a used bike and you'll register it as a used bike.
 
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