For Ro-Ro, Wallenius Wilhelmsen are the people you want - they sail from northern Europe, via Southampton for us Brits, to the USA (west coast via Panama) and on to Japan, then turn round and do it all in reverse...

It takes about 22 days UK to LA (Ventura), and when I got a quote in spring 2008, it was £720 one way...

Although shipping by sea might appear simpler (and you might imagine cheaper), if it's a motorcycle you're taking, I'd recommend air freight for the following reasons:

1) It gets there when you want it to - typically 3 days is all it takes to get a bike across the atlantic, and that's to any city with an airport, not just New York or LA sea ports... Not only does that allow you to start your trip where and when you want, but it would be a pain in the ar5e if you'd arrived and your bike was still at sea due to unforeseen circumstances?

2) Crating a bike isn't difficult, and is certainly more secure (both from theft and damage) than using a Ro-Ro ferry... You can also fill the crate with your riding gear/boots/helmet & camping gear/luggage which all takes up space in your passenger luggage allowance when you yourself fly over...

3) although you might think sea-shipping is cheaper, I think the Ro-Ro operators charge a premium for the perceived 'convenience' of not having to crate... there also tends to be a number of additional charges when shipping by sea - customs, storage, loading/unloading etc - it can all add a significant amount to the base fee.

When I brought my bike back from the US last year, the price was $1400 (£700 at the exchange rate then, so actually cheaper than by sea!) - and that was picked up from my address in the US, and flown over to an airport near my home in the UK - all paperwork and customs sorted by the agent. All I had to do was turn up at the airport depot and take the bike away... If I'd paid a little more they would even have delivered it to my home address.

It was so painless, I did the same thing in reverse this autumn, and although the cost was a little higher (mainly due to the increase in fuel prices we saw last summer), I was able to pick the bike up at the airport, and after 20 minutes with a spanner and a gallon of fuel, able to ride the bike away...

I'd say that unless you have a full-dresser Gold Wing (and live in Southampton), it is far more convenient to ship a motorcycle by air?

xxx