Planning on Canada to Australia and tour

[ArcticHarleyMan]

Has anyone shipped their bikes from Canada to Australia?

Some questions:

Did you ship your bike by air and did you accompany it?
If so, how much did it cost you from the time you rode it to the airport 'til the time you rode out of the destination airport? (Visa, tax, inspections, etc.)

EDIT: Our bikes are a Harley Davidson Road King and a Honda Shadow ACE 750cc.

[loxsmith]

Just got word that our bikes are back on home soil in Australia, a VFR800 and a CBR1100XX. Vancouver to Brisbane leg via seafreight was $2794.30 AUD plus insurance for both bikes. There is a list as long as your arm of dreamt up charges, most of which I don't understand. Total consignment was 570kg. As for delivery time, we were told 6 weeks and actual was nearer to 8 weeks. For airfreight you can bank on about double that cost. Look me up when you get over here for a local tour and accom.

Glen

[ArcticHarleyMan]

Thanks loxsmith.
You said air would be about double? I read somewhere that sea & air are about the same in the long run. Air is what they say, but sea always adds more charges at the end.
But thanks for the info. It's actualy cheaper than what I thought. I think I was looking at about 3Grand for each bike, then add our fares. So maybe we can get there and not have to just fly there and buy bikes.

When we get closer to the actual trip, I'll definitely contact you and let you know what our plans are.

[Frank Warner]

Buy the Hemma Motorcycle atlas for Australia .. you can start planing your tip now ..

http://www.hemamaps.com.au/

Clik on 'Australia' in the background photo thingy
scroll about and half way down you'll find

Australia Motorcycle Atlas - 2nd Ed
1 865002 36 4 ZEAAUS10 Various $29.95 ..

those are OZie dollars .. add a bit for postage and you're there. Has maps, recomended rides .. petrol stops (when needed) ...

[Golden Boy]

I haven't shipped bikes via ship to Australia, but have been involved in a number of jobs where we shipped industrial equipment there and over to Thailand. Seems like they always tell you 6 weeks...count on a minimum of 8 and I've seen it more like 10 weeks. Don't know if it's still the same in Australia these days...but once in port we had one heck of a time getting our stuff unloaded...it sat for another week and a half in the hold of the ship while the unionized dock workers took their jolly old time and walked off the job with regularity.

When shipping overseas my experience has always been the only thing you can count on is that things rarely or never go as planned.

[davidmc]

I would recommend contacting Animal Travel in Vancouver www.animaltravel.com

They shipped my bike from Vancouver to Paris in 2005 by air for around $1350cad, but ship all over the world by air. I am sure they can help you out, contact them by email and they can give you a quote.

[VFRian]

ArticHarleyMan

Just read the posts about coming to Aus. I did ship bikes around the globe about 4 years ago and used Expeditors (I think it was). Had a five day wait in Sydney when the bikes arrived, but then rode across Aus to Perth before leaving via Singapore. Not sure how good they would be now, but a possible option.

Good luck with it all. Be safe -

[outthere]

Hi ,try 'TOLL INTERNATONAL' airfreight forwarders e-mail mark pols@toll.com.au..
"you never know if u never go"