Motorcycle Shipping.
By Peter Lenkefi
Is shipping any different to car shipping?

There are quite a few main differences between car shipping and shipping. While a car has a reliable handbrake and four wheels for extra stability a is quite different by design and has only two wheels with nothing to keep the bike stationery apart from the stand. You might think that shipping would be cheaper than car shipping because of the difference in size of vehicles but this is rarely the case. The closed carriers that are often used should be specially designed to carry motorcycles and this will mean that there will either be palettes specially designed for the purpose of shipping or there will be specially fitted tracks that serve the same purpose. What this means is that a basically takes up the same room as a car when it needs to be shipped anywhere.

How expensive is shipping?

This is dependant on two main factors. How far you are travelling and what services the company you intend to use has to offer. There are a variety of different services that a shipping company can offer you and you would be better using a specialist shipper than a car shipper that offers

shipping as an extra service.

The further you are travelling and the more services you require the higher the price is likely to be, but you will receive a discount from the right company if you are transporting more than one motorbike so do shop around and check any quotes you receive carefully.

Is shipping safe?

A reputable specialist shipping company will know exactly what they are doing with your bike. Many companies employ motorbike enthusiasts and owners to drive the carriers so you can be sure that the driver knows how much your motorbike means to you. This isn’t to say there isn’t the occasional accident, it’s only to be expected when transporting vehicles across long distance.

A good shipping company will include some insurance with your quote and will try their utmost to ensure that nothing does go wrong. While the Insurance will cover you for scratches and careless damage by the shipping company it is unlikely to cover for ‘acts of god’ like the ship sinking or damage due to rough waters. If you’re especially worried about this, either because of the time of year, the expected weather or simply because you are transporting your pride and joy you can buy extra Insurance that covers for virtually any eventuality and your shipping company should be able to offer you a little advice on the relevant policies.