Can anyone comment on which city is easiest to ship into. My first choice is Milan but Munich or Zurich will work as well.
I'm wondering about customs fees and ease to work the officers.

Some of our clients from Canada and US, that are storing their motorcycles with us in Zagreb/Croatia, shipped to Milan, and all the procedure went smooth. Same was with Zurich.


Didn't knew Munich is on the list, we haven't had anyone starting from there, so can't comment on that.

cheers
Dooby

Motomon, like you I want to ship my bike to bogota or Lima. I was told some years back that AC shipped to Bogota, but riders had issues not being able to be on time to fly back with their bike to Canada at the date specified.

To avoid this problem AC must consider the migratory status of the motorcycle owner. If the motorcycle owner complies to the migratory requirements to enter the country with a one way ticket with his motorcycle, no hay problema.

I think that AC might be open to ship one way to South America if the rider wont need a return ticket for himself and the motorcycle.

I did Vancouver to Frankfurt am Main. Very easy and straightforward on both ends. It’s a direct flight. Only Airports with Wide Body Planes will be served as far as I know.




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Air Canada WILL still ship to south America, unless they stopped over the winter. They just don't offer the fantastic deals that they have to European destinations.

Just last fall I got in touch with them to ask pricing from Calgary, Alberta to Bogota, Lima and Santiago. All were possible, with Bogota being the cheapest. Much more expensive than the European destinations though.

True, they're hauling flowers from Bogota to Canada, this is the reason why the price is lower.

cheers
dooby

I've just been emailing with a freight forwarder in Milano. The cost will be about 500 Euro.
This is far more than most other countries so I'll be going to Munich instead.

Exactly. The price is very low on the southbound trip, when the plane's cargo hold is almost empty. Make sure you find out in advance what the price will be on the northbound trip, when you are competing for space with all those flowers.

u using air canada ? seems like fly your bike program doesnt cover Munich

Hi has anyone had experience using this service either Canada to China or Visa Versa as I'm planning a trip but want to get to shanghai without too much tough off roady sections as my partner will be on a 750 Vulcan Cruiser and me on a Trophy 900 so keeping to paved roads would be ideal and air freight yes more expensive but keeping us moving is a bonus with limited time away
Regards


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For which route? That's much cheaper than what Air Canada quoted me to get to Glasgow from Toronto 3 years ago. It ended up costing me about 1000 USD.

Tyler:

About that $500 - I think he is talking about customs clearance fees at the destination, not about the cost of air shipping the motorcycle.

Michael

They quoted me 1350 € + 63 € local fee for a R1200GSA LC from Frankfurt to Toronto leaving June 2020

Ah I see. That's quite a bit! Customs clearance for me at Glasgow was only £145 upon arrival and took them just one day!

when was this pls

Before Feb. 2015!

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Any one know when Air Canada might restart their shipping program. With vaccination rates fairly high in both Canada and Europe, you'd think it would be soon. I'm hoping to ship a bike to Europe in November (ideally to Madrid or Lisbon).

Don’t hold your breath. Air cargo in general is very hard to come by and price multiples of what it was pre Covid.
BA are just about to furlough all, every single one, of their staff as governments continue to clamp down on travel.


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Good to know. I’d heard that container shipping was backlogged. Might take another year. Will look at renting a bike locally instead

At least travel is restarting. Air Canada will have ‘approved’ flights to Italy starting on July. And Canada just announced vaccinated people don’t need to do the hotel quarantine anymore.

I expect the rules will vary a lot from country to country for the next while. But at least there are now some options


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As of our info, this year is very questionable (not going to happen).

We managed to get one client on the plane in April from Canada to Europe, no combo deal of course.

I am not sure if the volumes will be back up to 2019 levels that they will be into it this/next year.

If you plan to freight in November we will have sea freight in November for US/CAN clients from LA/NY-Hamburg so you can get in touch for a quote over PM or over email: info@lobagola-mototours.com

Cheers
Dooby

Likely not until they get their operations (their quantity of flights) back to within 10% of what they were prior to the pandemic.

Air Canada was able to offer the good deals in the past because they had a fair amount of empty cargo space on flights they operated DAILY to many European cities. They are now operating far fewer flights - sometimes only 2 a week to places that they used to serve daily - but the demand for air cargo shipments has not dropped off the same way the demand for passenger seats has.

My guess: MAYBE next year. Certainly not this year.

Michael

hotel Quarantine
 

Yes the announcement was made but there is a show stopper involved
If you have been vaccinated with what ever Canada is using then you are good to go. If not then you go strait to the Q hotel and not pass Go! People working in different continents need to be aware of this if they want to come home
Sounds like the heath officials are quite bias and Minister Tam needs to find another job Whatever vaccine is good for WHO is not good enough for Canada
I am Pissed I am vaccinated with Cinovac and it is not on the list of approved vaccines approved in Canada

Issue with some of the other vaccines is they have not published their clinical data. Unclear why the WHO approved them. Maybe they are bending the rules as it’s a pandemic. Normally it’s important to have the data peer reviewed.


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Makes sense. We can always keep our fingers crossed but I expect your timeline is the most likely


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Don't interpret that as suggesting that Canada thinks Sinovac is a bad vaccine.

Most likely, it's not on the Canadian approved list because Canada never purchased that vaccine for use in Canada - hence, there was no reason to approve it.

I suspect that as time goes by (meaning, over the coming winter) and large amounts of trustworthy data become available on the efficacy of various vaccines, countries will ACCEPT vaccination certificates for vaccines they have not personally approved. Likely the WHO will take the lead on this matter, providing member nations with lists of the vaccines that have been proven to be effective.

Michael

sinovac
 

its all fine and dandy if your vaccination is on the approval list But not everyone has the option for what is on the list. Take what I can get is my option
and if I have to go back to work in Ca,nada then I Have to pay for the Q hotel
Not Fair there are 40 or 50 thousand Canucks abroad working that may not have a option on a Canadian approved vaccine and we pay taxes also.
I wrote to the Canadian Consulate in Bogota asking about Inoculations for Canadians living in Colombia they Replied and said we are not supplying vaccines for Canadians Abroad I was Flabbergasted.
maybe is just Colombia I dont know

Tohellnback:

You have several choices available to you:

1) Get vaccinated (again) in Columbia with a vaccine that is on the Canadian government approved list.

2) Wait until the Canadian government publishes a policy that addresses acceptance of vaccines other than the ones approved for use in Canada. Canadian newspapers have reported that the government is working on this matter now, and expects a policy to be published sometime in July.

3) Come to Canada, go through the quarantine protocol, then get vaccinated here (free of charge) with a vaccine on the Canada-approved list so you don't encounter the same problem again in the future.

From what I have read, the efficacy of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine is considerably lower than the efficacy of the mRNA vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna), especially against variants (e.g. Delta). So it is in your best interests to protect yourself with a mRNA vaccine, especially since you will be travelling between continents, and especially because protection in Columbia might be in doubt due to the use of less-effective vaccines.

Michael

A recent update from Motorcycle Express.

https://www.motorcycleexpress.com/po...Uz82e9WEDwDwyo

Here's what I did find out recently, when researched for bike shipping to North America:

Westjet offers bike shipping from Paris to Canada this year. It's handled by Motorcycleexpress, see here.

In November 2021 I asked the Air Canada cargo guys in Frankfurt about the Fly-your-bike program for 2022. They promised to put me on a list of people to be informed, when they get news/the program starts again. Hope their offer will come soon again and be more competitive.

Insurance most probably will still be a major issue for those, who want to ship their bike over to North America. Very expensive or very hard to get in advance.

Therefore I consider to buy a bike in the US. But the registration/insurance seems to be still an issue for an foreigner.

Great news about westjet.

As to purchase in USA, I have also had a hard time getting definitive info but know someone who did it in California. Wish people would document the process when they work it out.


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Interesting information. Yes, I'm with you! Would like to know about this case too.
Are you going to purchase a vehicle in the US?
Then don't forget to drop a message about your progress ;-).

Will do.

My current priority has been Colombia, Peru and Ecuador where details are easy to see. Colombia is easiest. Other two are very possible but might need several weeks to get official ownership card. I’m currently finishing up an Ecuadorian trip. Did a Peru trip before COVID.


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Dont hold your breath on Air Canada. Nobody is going to fly freight cheaply at the moment unless they absolutely have to. Why would they when prices...and profits....are thru the roof. The only way you stand a chance of a good deal is sectors with high passenger/low cargo volume.

You're most probably right. This is why I consider to buy a bike in the US.
If bike shipping for both ways is more than US$4k it's definitely worth to consider this option. Have seen KLRs offered for this amount. In 2018 I paid about US$2700 both ways. Back then I was on limited time (8 weeks riding in Canada/Alaska) and therefore buying a bike would have been to complicated.

Buying a bike (2019) was pretty easy in Canada and we could just ride it round Nth America with no issues

Which nationality are you?
How did you get insurance in Canada? I never heard/read of any foreigner (not living in Canada), who got insurance in Canada.

Contact Carrie at Motorcycle express - Transat fly ride at pre Covid prices.

Air Canada Cargo Fly your Bike program 2022
 

I checked in with Air Canada Cargo. The program is cancelled for 2022. All routes, everywhere.

There is HOPE for 2023, IF freight gets back to some semblance of normal. But no promises on that.

The issue, as most people are aware, is that the entire freight system world wide is out of whack and overloaded. Flights are reduced significantly, and where before there was empty space on many tourist routes, as passengers luggage didn't fill the hold, now it's FULL of cargo. They can't get enough cargo space for the demand.

CURRENT pricing for one pallet, (which a bike takes all of):
Vancouver to Heathrow, C$11,640. One way.

Renting or buying overseas just got a LOT more attractive.

I have just had a very long chat with Carrie at Motorcycle Express.

She can currently do USD2791 from Vancouver to Heathrow - via Air Canada!
She's working hard to make it happen for travellers and looks to be doing a good job. (Mike passed away in November, so she's on her own)
Prices change, availability changes, nothing is fixed, but check in with her, and be sure to tell her you heard about her from Horizons Unlimited! :)

I also just spoke with Carrie and Motorcycle Express.
I'm trying to ship from Seattle (so it would have to be Vancouver with Air Canada according to her) to Lima, Peru in Feb or March, then return from Colombia three months later.
She said that as of now they aren't doing South America, but are trying to get into that gig, and will let me know.

Bad news
 

Just got a quote from Craters and Freighters in Tacoma, WA, USA to crate and ship a bike from Seattle to Lima, Peru. In excess of $14,000 US dollars!!

stunning! Just out of curiosity and a sense of the absurd, I wonder how much they want for the crating? I've seen some really ridiculous numbers for mediocre crates.

They didn't break the quote down. But last year from another operator I got a quote of $500 US to crate a bike if I brought the bike to them. So it probably wouldn't change the overall price much.

I just sent an email to Cargoriders/Veronica in Bogota to she if she can help me. I just picked up a brand new Ténéré T700 and want to ship it to Lima, then ship it home from Colombia three months later next year. Sooooo........depressing.

Try shipping to Chile instead--Valparaíso in particular. That's sometimes been cheaper and more reliable than Lima.

So latest quote is from Monica at Cargo Rider. She says currently Miami to Bogota is about $3800 US. However that would involve getting my bike from Washington State where I live to Miami, either paying by truck round trip, or throwing it in the back of my pickup and driving five days to get to Miami, leaving the truck there for three months, then shipping from Bogota to Miami and driving back.

Still waiting for a quote from Touratech Lima Peru (Not the farkle vendor here.) to ship from Seattle to Lima.

This is just getting ridiculous. :-(

Any leads for shipping to Valparaiso?

Colombia and Chile
 

Sorry I dont have any contact in Valparaiso.

But shipping to Colombia and Chile is straight forward with customs.

mika :scooter:

Try contacting Villa Kuntabunt in Valparaiso. Martina has sadly passed away, but Enzo her widower is likely to still be in the business of helping vehicle travellers pass through Valparaiso port.

https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?i...853401511&_rdr

South America Shipping
 

ADVTRACKER, hmmm, I shipped two bikes from Seattle to Buenos Aires a couple of years ago through Miami and it was a mess. The bikes were stuck in Miami for a month in customs while we waited in BA for them to get released. The crating process was problematic to say the least. I want to get back there and I agree shipping to Santiago or Lima might be easier. I'm not sure if Ivan Guerrero still runs Touratech Peru but he is a great guy and would be a good contact. His email is trivanperu@yahoo.com

Back on the Air Canada topic... I'm watching this because I'm planning to ride part of the Trans European Trail, TET next fall and am watching for shipping options.

Air Canada wants (CA$) more than 12,000 on a pallet and more than 6,000 in a crate. So given that I'd have to crate it and do the Dangerous Goods in the USA then get the bike crated to Canada seems more than daunting.

Other bids here from Seattle to South American are more than $14,000 US one way.

Cargo Rider in Bogota says bikes are getting hung up in customs in Miami for three weeks, plus shipping my bike from WA State to Miami. So I'd have to try to time it to fly to Bogota then spend who knows how long waiting in Bogota for my T7 to arrive who knows when??!!

I've got a brand new T700 Ténéré just waiting to get shipped to Lima or Bogota to start a three month adventure.

Things just going from bad to worse. :-(

Help! Insert rolling eyes emoticon.

In 2013 I rode from Seattle to Buenos Aires and the whole trip took three months. Shipping to the US from BA was very easy. I've done it both ways and riding south and shipping north was much easier. Plus, if you leave Seattle around the first of the year you will hit the best weather windows riding south.
You can read about my trip here: https://advdonnh.com/motoraid-ii/
I would consider just riding south and saving a lot of hassle.
I see you live nearby, let me know if you want to grab coffee to discuss.
Donn

Where do you live?

ADVTRACKER, donnh, click each others names to get a link to Private Message each other to exchange personal details! :)

Done, thanks Grant!

So, I'm starting my preparations towards USA trip I wanted to make in 2023. Got info that Fly Your Bike is discontinued, got info to Frankfurts AirCanada cargo operator, will see what happens. I will also message Motorcycle Express.

In meantime I'd like to leave info that I'll be researching Frankfurt -> Vancouver, and then Montreal -> Frankfurt.

:funmeterno:

Hi Uwe,

I tried to contact the air Canada guy in Frankfurt without any success.
Let me know if you get a reply please.

Cheers
Werner

Update?
 

Hi,
Is there any update of the Europe - Canada story?
Sean

It sounds like West Air have picked up the mantle - details here:

https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hu...-2023-a-104070

Latest info is now posted on Westjets site: BIKE'Air

Basics for 2023 so far:
April to October, and Canada / USA / Europe.



Westjet thread here.

Air freighting general...
 

Hi y'all

I'm looking to hear from people who have successfully air-freighted a bike. From anywhere to anywhere... (personally I'm hoping to go from Heathrow to Toronto but general experience from/to anywhere is useful). How does the process actually work? What I think I know is this:

1. Pay a shipping agent at the departure point to crate the bike and ship it, including luggage, helmet and jacket all in one crate. They will empty the fuel tank and disconnect the battery. Do not include any aerosols in the luggage. The price will vary depending on the size of the crate. Taking off the handlebars, screen and front wheel can save money, but you have to be able to put thyem back on by yourself at the destination.
2. Maybe include an empty petrol can in the crate - you might need it at the destination airport. Thoughts on this?
3. Agree an arrival date for the crate (departure date is irrelevant, arrival date is crucial).
4. Get some insurance organised for riding the bike legally in the destination country. Usually possible online? Probably not possible at the airport?
5. Fly yourself to the destination. Take your ownership documents with you for the bike.
6. Your shipping agent will give you some documents (a Weigh bill?) for you to show to customs.
7. Go to the customs office at the detination ariport. Typically located in the passenger terminal somewhere? Present all documents. Get customs clearance for the crate and a Temporary Import License for the bike.
8. Pay a fee to customs for the Temp Import License? Any ideas on this?
9. Once approved, take the customs clearance documents to the cargo terminal. Ask the customs office where to go? Taxi? Walk? Bus?
10. Present paperwork at the cargo terminal and wait for them to bring your crate to the carpark/yard.
11. Pay any fees for storage if the crate has been there for a day or more? Any ideas on this?
12. Borrow some tools to get the bike out of the crate? Your own tools will be inside the crate! Will the cargo depot guys generally help with this? What's everyone's experience?
13. Leave the crate behind? Will the cargo depot guys clear it away? Will they charge a fee for disposal?
14. Connect the battery, fit the handlebars/screen etc and start the bike. The tank will have been pumped dry but there may be enough fuel still in the system to get you to the nearest gas station.....?

Does this sum up the process? Have I missed any steps? There's no better way to learn than from someone else's experience!!!

Jon:

See the reply I posted to your identical questions at this link: click here.

Michael

Air freight Air Transat Toronto to Paris August 2023
 

I shipped my bike from Toronto to Paris this week using Motorcycle Express and Air Transat
Air Transat requirements are clean bike less than gallon of fuel disconnected battery and absolutely nothing with/ on motorcycle other than empty unlocked panniers
Drop off in Toronto was straightforward and pick up in Paris took around 5 hours from when plane landed (I was on same flight) to riding away
I did my own customs clearance in Paris (with much assistance from an extremely generous and helpful local as I couldn’t find any fluent English language speakers)

Total cost was $1400 US air freight and €145 clearance fees in Paris

I can highly recommend Motorcycle Express and owner Carrie Drazec
Carrie provided a very detailed and up to date information package and was always available to provide quick response to my questions
I gained the impression that Carrie runs a very professional service and has a real passion for her business and ensuring her customers experience the best possible outcomes

I have used sea freight to ship a motorcycle a number of times but this was my first experience with air freight
I have experienced the delays and uncertainty with sea freight and the complex and costly administrative processes when dealing with freight through sea ports

The whole process from initial contact with Carrie to riding away in Paris was well organised seamless and very straightforward
I believe the cost of this shipment was excellent value and the convenience factor knowing your motorcycle will be arriving at a specific time/date is worth more than the extra $s you may pay above a similar sea freight shipment (based on pre- covid sea freight cost - which have increased significantly)

shipping our bike
 

Hi,

I shipped my bike last year from Montreal to Paris using Air Transat and it was also Carrie Drazek who took care of everything.
I just want to clarify one thing : I was allowed to leave my helmet and my gloves in the topbox after Carrie negotiated this with Air Transat.
It might help to know that because a helmet takes up a lot of space in a suitcase.:D
Total cost was 1200€ (ich) air freight.
I also highly recommend Motorcycle Express and, of course, Carrie Drazek ! She was always available and all my questions always had a quick response from her.

2024 Fly & Ride
 

My wife & I have been eagerly anticipating the West Jet / Air Canada schedule for 2024.

Our rough plan is to fly & ride to Ireland or the U.K. before circling the rest of Europe. Returning from to the U.S. from Frankfort or similar. (Is it even possible to return from a different location?)

I see that they have released some info. As we are in New England, Montreal and Toronto are the only real options and they are quite limited at this time. Looks like Toronto to Gatwick is our best option right now.

I assume more destinations will become available in the coming months. Can anyone confirm that? It's pretty reasonable right now as they offer a discount if a deposit is made before the end of January. I am weighing whether to be patient or pull the trigger now.

https://www.youtube.com/@2Upon2Wheels

I wouldn't be too optimistic about new routes being added. This is still new for WestJet, and while their initial plan was for more routes, they scaled back quickly.
Toronto to Gatwick is easy and good. I personally wouldn't waste sleep time over it, just get it done. Return the same way to keep things easy - you will know who and where everything is instead of figuring it out again in a new location, with a potential language issue too.
KISS :)