Shipping my bike from India to Thailand (by boat or by air??)

[Evelinaaroundtheworld]

Hello everyone!

We are in our motorbike trip around the world. At this moment the moto is in India. At the end of January 2010 we need to ship it to Thailand...but we are coming back to Italy, so it has to be a reliable shipping company which can also storage our moto on the boarder of Thailand till June 2010.

What is the best way to ship? by boat of by air? anyone done it in the resent 5 years? which company can be trusted?

Thank you and see you around!

Eva

[nico-la-vo]

I've just finished shipping the bike from Kolkatta today. It wasnt all smooth, we went with Lemuir air express who are owned by DHL. They are at first glance quite professional but we have a had a few troubles along the way this week. They keep you waiting around a lot without telling you much. Must have spent about 30 hours this week just sat in their reception - annoying!

Air is better, we looked into shipping by sea and it is actually more expensive when you include all the charges at both ends. Also shipping to Bangkok sea port has been strongly advised against on this site.

I think Lemuir can be trusted, just expect a few delays and dont believe everything they say.

As for storage, I am not sure anyone will be able to arrange that from India, probably something you would need to look into when in Thailand.

[dnicoletti]

first of all, i assume you're from italy: in that case benvenuti su H.U.!
i had to manage the bike shipping from india to italy 2 years ago. i had a deal with lalli sing in delhi (indeer moto), wich had managed the whole process for me. you could check him at his own office in karol bag. i think he would also provide for bike storage.
hope this will be useful for you.

all the best.

www.lungastrada.it

[Evelinaaroundtheworld]

Thanks for the replies!!

Our bike is already in India with Lalli . He based in Delhi, so i am not sure he can arrange the transportation from Madras, i will try to call him this days.

As for Lemuir - will have a look. Thank you!!

[beddhist]

I think you are setting yourselves up for trouble here. Sure, the shipping co. will store the bikes for you in their warehouse until you get around to clearing it out of customs, but it will probably cost you a fortune in storage fees. You can't really address the cargo to another person, either, because they don't have the right to import your vehicle (you are tourists, they are residents).

My suggestion: fly or ship the bikes to KL. Contact the HU communities in Malaysia, particularly KL for assistance. Fly to KL, clear the bikes out of customs (should be a breeze with carnet) and the hospitable Malaysian bikers will help you find storage for your bike. Then go and do what you have to do and you will know that all is well when you come back.

Cheers,
Peter.

[Evelinaaroundtheworld]

thank you

but why should i ship to KL if i wanna go to Thailand?

[memomemo]

Hey!

Stay away from Chennai for shipping the bike if you dont wanna screwed guys..

I made a mistake ant did it just 1.5 months ago and it costed me serious money since there is no competition in Madras(Chenai) between airlines like Delhi. Because of that reasin the air freight rates are really high. But if you try from Delhi or Mumbai(maybe?) i am sure u can find better rates.

Plus, noone knows nothing about how to ship a bike(Crate,paperwork,etc.) because there is not so many overlanders going this route. People usually choose to ship from Delhi or Mumbai i think. I did all the custom works by myself (because they lied to me big time all the time) at the last 2 hours to my flight! It was a big PITA and stressy..

Maybe it was my badluck. This is my experience.

Hope it helps..

Memo

[pecha72]

Originally Posted by Evelinaaroundtheworld

thank you

but why should i ship to KL if i wanna go to Thailand?

Because Bangkok seaport has bad reputation with the authorities collecting ´baksheesh´ from you. Port Klang near Kuala Lumpur has often been used, and has seemed pretty straightforward (.........but I have no personal experience of either port, and anyway my info is +2 years old!)

memomemo,
we sent our DL650 in Jan-2008 from Chennai to KL to Bangkok with Malaysia Airlines MASKargo, and it ended up costing about 600 euros. Shell Air was our shipping agent in Chennai. Sure it was a lot of work, even a PITA sometimes, and customs clearence seemed like a big hassle. But in the end everything went according to the plan (almost!) so I didnt feel like we were getting screwed (was VERY exhausted after India, though!!!) So could you please be a bit more specific about whether you shipped by air or by sea, and how it all went, what where the trouble spots, and how much it cost you altogether?

[memomemo]

pecha72 Quote:
Originally Posted by Evelinaaroundtheworld
thank you

but why should i ship to KL if i wanna go to Thailand?


memomemo,
we sent our DL650 in Jan-2008 from Chennai to KL to Bangkok with Malaysia Airlines MASKargo, and it ended up costing about 600 euros. Shell Air was our shipping agent in Chennai. Sure it was a lot of work, even a PITA sometimes, and customs clearence seemed like a big hassle. But in the end everything went according to the plan (almost!) so I didnt feel like we were getting screwed (was VERY exhausted after India, though!!!) So could you please be a bit more specific about whether you shipped by air or by sea, and how it all went, what where the trouble spots, and how much it cost you altogether?

I shipped the bike via Air Cargo and paid like 1000 USD. (Similar price like yours) But lately i find out that if i could have make this operation from Delhi or Mumbai,it could be more cheap,like 600 USD. Because at these points there is big big air traffic and competition. So the prices are more cheap when you compared to Chennai.

And i also was unlucky about the cargo agency. Last day after i paid all the money to them,they told me that i can take my carnet in the airport and everything is done. It was 3 hours to my flight and when i go there, my motorbike is still outside in the parking lot of customs and there was a big cue of trucks!! (like 50 trucks). Long story short in 2.5 hours time i was running like a mad cow to take the truck which carrying my bike into the customs area(there were lot of fights between me and other truck drivers) and found a lift to take off my bike(again arguements and very close to a big fight),and i begged 4 different officers to sign my carnet. Thanks god the officers were really kind and i did the impossible mission in 2.5 hours without any bribes.

The company name is Shansoon Logistics. Please stay away from them if you dont wanna be mad. They did nothing but gave me big trouble..

Memo