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...