I've shipped my STs (an 1100 and later a 1300) back and forth between Toronto & Europe a few times.

I've used a company called Motorcycle Express in the past. They are very competent. I've also dealt directly with Air Canada in the past, no problems there either.

Insurance is super-simple. You get what is called a "green card" insurance certificate, which provides the minimum required legal liability insurance for all of the Western European countries (EC countries) and most of the Central European countries. Various vendors that you will find mentioned here on the HUBB sell this coverage. It's exactly the same coverage no matter who you buy it from. See the Trip Paperwork section of the forum for more details. I have bought it from MotoCamp in Bulgaria in the past, cost is roughly CAD $100 a month. Forget about getting comprehensive or theft insurance, it's just not available. You really won't need theft insurance where you are planning to go - ST 1300s are not the kind of bike that gets stolen in your destination countries.

I do agree with the suggestion made above that you consider starting in the north (Netherlands) and then going south from there. Drivers are far more civilized in Netherlands than in Italy, it will be easier for you to adapt to driving in Europe if you start up in the north.

So far as "where to ship the bike", I've always found Paris to be a trouble-free location for pickup, customs clearance, etc. Anywhere in Germany would also be fine. Be aware that storage of the bike once it arrives at the freight warehouse in Europe will cost about CAD $100 a day, so plan to clear the bike out of the warehouse the same day you arrive.

As for shipping the bike back to Canada, I don't recommend you ship it out of Italy. Consider shipping it out of Zurich (expensive!) or Paris or Germany.

The air carriers allow you to put technical equipment related to the moto in the panniers (helmet, toolkit, perhaps your riding garments), but no other luggage. You don't have to disconnect the battery or crate the motorcycle, just show up with less than 1/4 of a tank of fuel. The freight handlers need (by law) to be able to inspect the fuel tank to confirm the fuel level is at or below 1/4 of a tank, for a ST 1300 this means attaching a key to a string and tying it to the handlebars so they can open the cap to look in if necessary. It's possible that this requirement might be waived by the freight handlers when you drop the bike off, but just be prepared to leave a key with the bike.

Here's a link to a post here on the HUBB that shows how the motorcycle gets handled to get it into the aircraft: click here. Note the 'CDN' white oval sticker on the back - you will need one of these. You can get a local sign maker to make one up for you - I had one made for my ST 1300 by a vinyl sign company in Sidney, BC a few years ago.

Hope this info helps.

Michael

PS: You will need a GPS navigator for the moto, that is indispensable, absolutely essential. European roads, especially in cities, are far more complex than North American roads. Forget about using a smartphone for navigation, the screen image is too small (regardless of screen size) for easy use in complex environments.

Be aware that Garmin navigators (the best one to use, in my opinion, after 20+ years of riding in Europe every year) come in both European and North American versions. The difference is the embedded basemap. You will need to buy a European version, which are not sold in North America. The European version (called the "Atlantic" version, vs. the "Americas" version) usually costs about 20% more than the North American version. Such is life...

Eh, I think that's a very personal issue, and compounded by being used to North American roads or being used to European cities. The advantage of a smartphone is that you can use connected maps that will route you around temporary road closures, and Waze is indispensable in Europe for knowing where cops and speed cameras are.

You definitely don't want to fiddle with a smartphone screen on a bike, even if your gloves are touch-sensitive, but in terms of setting a destination to an inner-city hotel and just following it, I'd take Waze over an offline Garmin any day.

A few thoughts.

For the cost of shipping your bike there and back you could definitely buy and insure a bike in Europe. AnTyx can help in Estonia, I've helped a guy in the past in the UK, and by all accounts Ireland is quite a straightforward place to buy (UK no longer in EU, complicates it slightly, technically you are only allowed 90 days out of 180 in EU). You don't need something the size of a monster BMW to tour Europe, the roads are fine and you'd be OK on (say) a 650 with luggage.

I prefer GPS over smartphone - I find the screen larger, brighter and clearer. Routing in cities can definitely be a headache so some sort of nav is a big advantage.

Theft can be a problem in the big cities. Find secure parking if possible, be prepared to lock it and don't leave luggage on the bike overnight. Out in the sticks no problem.

Hi AnTyx:

I comprehend what you are saying, and why you are saying it (Wyze provides current traffic information and also some other useful information), but the problem I have found with smartphones is that the actual display of roads on the smartphone screen is "too small" to easily comprehend with a quick look down at the device.

Contemporary smartphones have very high pixel resolution on small screens. The result of this is that the details portrayed (roads, features, and especially labels & text) appear smaller - in much finer detail - than on motorcycle GPS navigators. The motorcycle GPS navigators have lower resolution screens, this results in a 'bigger picture'. In other words, the depiction of a road that might be 0.4 mm wide on a smartphone will likely be 0.8 mm wide on a motorcycle GPS navigator.

The result of this is that it is much easier and much faster (meaning, less 'head down' time) to check progress & upcoming leg changes on a motorcycle GPS navigator than on a smartphone. This is particularly important for older riders (>45 years old) whose vision does not adapt as quickly from head's up infinity focus to head's down 70 cm focus.

Contemporary motorcycle GPS navigators can be paired with a data connection on a phone to fetch and display traffic problems. I acknowledge that Wyze probably does a better (more immediate) job at fetching traffic conditions than the navigators, but I have not found the difference to be meaningful except perhaps in the most dense urban environments.

Michael