New Zealand to elsewhere
 

Hello

In this Covid world, I am seeking to take my nearly one-year-old Suzuki V-Strom 650 from New Zealand outside.
Ideally, I would like to head to South America in January 2021, but I can't find any transport options. Do you know any?
Another possibility would be Australia, but they seem to have an FOAD attitude to foreigners. Does anyone know any transport options that work from New Zealand to Australia? I had a quote that was a significant part of the value of my bike. Frankly, I'd do better to sell here and buy there.
Another option would be further afield. Does anyone know a good option to transport my motorbike to somewhere that I can get touring?

Thank you

S

Bikes Abroad, based in Melbourne, have always been a very fair and easy company to deal with, in my experience.

But the attitudes of Australian Departments of Transport suck, to say the least.
They all seem to have made it their life's mission to make it difficult for overseas vehicles.
And Australia is possibly one of the most expensive countries in the world as regards cost of living.
It's an interesting country, but I'd be setting my sights a bit higher.

And I had to Google FOAD, but you are bang on the money.

Air NZ has direct flights to Chile/Argentina IIRC. It's a widebody aircraft that can carry a motorcycle on a pallet. Air NZ Cargo should be able to tell you how to start.

This will always be true. Cross-continental bike shipments are quite expensive, any way you do it.

We have NZ friends who wanted to join us for a tour in South America in 2019. They wanted to ship their GS to Chile, but found it unbelievably difficult to get a sensible quote (and they are far from poor). In the end personal reasons prevented their trip (pity, because it was an absolute blast) but I know they were a little disheartened by the difficulty of getting the bike there even before they were overtaken by events.



Shipping should only be considered if you are going to break even at least on the deal (versus renting) - usually this means travelling for four weeks or so - or if you want to cross into countries your renter isn't happy about.


If you want to do something exotic at moderate(!) cost, consider flying to Joburg or Cape Town and renting. I particularly recommend SAMA Tours in Pretoria. You could then explore South Africa, Botswana and Namibia - that would qualify as the trip of a lifetime and would easily take a month or more. It would be exotic, and way more interesting than Australia, but not as mad as some places. Superb riding and brilliant people everywhere. Just be careful though, you'll want to back again and again!:mchappy:

Be sure to check the shipping section of HU for lots of info, including over a thousand shipments travellers have already done. There may not be exactly what you're looking for but loads of examples!

I wouldn't be taking a bike anywhere that involves a crate for a couple of years. The chances of gifting it to the border guards is very real - Joe Biden said yesterday that he can't see the US being vaccinated for two years. Second and third world countries...... God knows how long.

If you go, I would buy the cheapest transport you can, knowing you may need to leave it at the airport carpark.

How long in Australia? If its only a few months, send me a PM.

I agree - with COVID still on the rise, you run a real risk of having your bike stuck in a Customs warehouse somewhere indefinitely. If you are able to travel, I'd plan on getting a rental, or buying a small or used bike.