Shipping bike to Australia

[jmcgilroy]

I'm just entering the planning stages for a trip to Australia and looking into shipping my bike there and back. I know some will offer the "just rent one" option but this trip should be about 40-45 days. A quick check showed a $140/day price for an F800 so I don't think
renting is a viable option. Another option is to buy a used bike there and sell it when I'm done. I'd pass on that option too for logistical reasons.

My first readings suggest that motorcycles imported for less than 12 months are not subject to taxes or duty. (something called a "carnet" ?) The bikes must be spotlessly clean from mud, bugs and debris and the pallet should be of metal or some special wood (no insects).
California driver's license looks good but I haven't researched insurance yet.

There are several shipping agents in Australia listed on the web but time differences have made it difficult for direct contact with them.

So...has anyone done it? California to Sydney, maybe?

If people are interested...I'll post any results that I get.

Jim

 

[snakebitten]

We did ~14 days on a Tenere back in 2012.
(Rented. Fully equipped with panniers and top box)

2-up with the wife. It was as epic as we could have imagined. More, even.

Cherished memories indeed.

I'm of the opinion it'll be worth every penny.

 

[Brick]

We did ~14 days on a Tenere back in 2012.
(Rented. Fully equipped with panniers and top box)

2-up with the wife. It was as epic as we could have imagined. More, even.

Cherished memories indeed.

I'm of the opinion it'll be worth every penny.

Snakebitten, some pertinent info please. I'd love to do this too. Did you do a tour? Costs? Stuff like that would really be of interest to me.


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[limey]

I look into shipping my bike to New Zealand for February- March 2016 and it was to much $ and not having my bike for a few months so I just ended up renting a 660 for three weeks. Then the wife flew over after I handed in the bike and we rented a camper van for the other three weeks. You also have this option http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/bike-swap-or-rent/

 

[snakebitten]

Snakebitten, some pertinent info please. I'd love to do this too. Did you do a tour? Costs? Stuff like that would really be of interest to me.


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So Brenda asked me one night just before lights out, "honey, you want to go to Australia in May?"

She'd ask stuff like that with a straight face while she was flossing her teeth or some other trivial task. Hilarious.

I'd stayed just as calm and mildly interested and asked "Australia? .....pause........How long? Let me guess....it's a medical conference and we'll be there 3 or 4 days and we really won't see each other but for dinner a couple of nights while the rest of the time I'm some loser loner tourist........am I right?

Didn't even get a rise out of her. She flossed the whole time I whined. Then she stopped again and said something similar to "Well, yes it is a medical conference. And yes it is for three days. But I thought you could spend those 3 days riding around on a motorcycle and then come back and pick me up and we ride for the rest of a 2 week vacation?"

That woman knew my buttons.

Flew into Melbourne for the conference.

These guys (Garners) were recommended to me by some crazy Aussie (grahamD?) that is an inmate here.
That picture does not reveal the fact you can rent almost any bike you can imagine. They have all makes and models.
I think the Super Tenere cost me about $2000 for the 2 weeks.

 

[OX-34]

Mainfreight ship out of LA and into Sydney. (www.Mainfreight.com). Depots all over the US.

I looked into it Sydney-LA-Sydney. Its a reverse trip of course, but each leg is the same. USD$3500 comes to mind, with 30 days on the water each way.

I was advised that for the trip from Sydney to LA I would need to crate my bike, but not the LA to Sydney leg so I would suggest you clarify that with Mainfreight as it may mean sourcing a crate here. Mainfreight may well be able to assist with that task, but I don't know. I has to be spotless in both directions.

As they are a freight company they can assist with the paperwork. Although a US drivers/riders licence will probably suffice, I'd recommend getting an International Drivers licence appropriately endorsed for motorcycle riding. ::024::


I just googled and found this site for overseas visitors to Australia which can help:
http://www.aaa.asn.au/international-services/



As for renting. I flew down and rented a Tenere from Garners before buying mine. They were very good to deal with. Like all rental companies, the daily rate reduces with longer rentals. With the greenback currently high against the Aussie dollar you are at a great advantage. 2 days into the new presidency I'm not sure how long that situation will last. ::017::


Its nice to ride your own bike though....

 

[limey]

https://www.facebook.com/adventurebikerider/posts/1438874412790982 is this any help?

 

[jmcgilroy]

Thanks to all that have replied so far....please keep the info coming because it looks like this thing might be doable.

I just received an estimate from BikesAbroad in Australia which was very promising. Shipping, custom fees, port charges etc. at $1300 AUD each way. Currency conversion puts that at just under $1000 US. Optional Marine insurance is about $340. I'm sure a few other costs will pop up but a couple hundred dollars won't kill the deal.

Sailing time is about 35 days.

A circumnavigation of the country might be in my future. 12,000 miles maybe? More research on the weather and best times of the year to travel is in order.

Jim

 

[tomatocity]

Thanks to all that have replied so far....please keep the info coming because it looks like this thing might be doable.

I just received an estimate from BikesAbroad in Australia which was very promising. Shipping, custom fees, port charges etc. at $1300 AUD each way. Currency conversion puts that at just under $1000 US. Optional Marine insurance is about $340. I'm sure a few other costs will pop up but a couple hundred dollars won't kill the deal.

Sailing time is about 35 days.

A circumnavigation of the country might be in my future. 12,000 miles maybe? More research on the weather and best times of the year to travel is in order.

Jim

Sounds like a dream trip. So you are willing to give up your Tenere for 70 days of USA riding? Hope you have another motorcycle. Riding Australia still sounds good.

 

[Don in Lodi]

A friend hooked up with a small crew sharing a container to South America. Container shared between six bikes, pretty economical. Logistics were damn near impossible though. Not to mention trying to figure out how to get the bike back. Shipping through a freight company sounds like the way to go. "Be here at this time, be there at that time, pay this amount" sounds real good.

 

[Berg_Donk]

You could contact Get Routed, they do it all the time; http://www.getrouted.com.au/

I'm happy to assist with route suggestions here too, and naturally shed, bed beer etc are available.

 

[jmcgilroy]

You could contact Get Routed, they do it all the time; http://www.getrouted.com.au/

I'm happy to assist with route suggestions here too, and naturally shed, bed beer etc are available.

Thanks for that link, I'll give them a call. It looks like they ship to and from Seattle, WA which is about 900 miles from me but relatively inexpensive airfare to drop off/pick up the bike.

Jim

 

[OX-34]

Dave from Get Routed can be a bit prickly. Read every word on his website before you call him. He will probably ask if you read every word before you made the call.

Hopefully they can assist, but I doubt it.

Shipments with Get Routed amount to shipping containers filled with bikes attached to his cradles, so there is no need for crating. Once he has the container filled, it leaves Australia on the designated day. Unloading in Seattle (or maybe Portland or even Vancouver soon??) is with the bike owner present in mid June. Then the riders disperse on tours of the US/Canada on their own schedules for a few months. Return is a matter of getting the bike back to the dock by the designated day in mid-September - spotlessly clean (read every word)- to be shipped back to Oz.

I don't think his service is to collect USA bikes, ship them to Australia for a 45 day holiday, then ship them back to USA. It may be possible to ship with Get Routed, but your bike will spend a whole lot more time in Australia waiting to get shipped back eg Arrive in Oz in late November 2017, return to USA late June 2018.

 

[Rambler]

Don't know if this thread still 'active'. My 2 cents.

I've been following Horizons Unlimited and Adventure Rider Radio.
More often then not, Air Shipping is recommended. Quicker shipment, fixed fees. As opposed to sea shipment - subject to rate fluctuations, delays and surprise destination port fees.

Air Canada is a leader in Motorcycle Air Shipment - although origin flight needs to be from out of Canada.

https://www.aircanada.com/cargo/shared/documents/ACC381_Procedure_QA_Moto_ENG_062015.pdf

 

[OX-34]

Air shipping?

Last time I looked at flying my bike (on the same QANTAS flights I was on) to the USA and return the price was about AUD$10000 (approx USD$7500).

 

[Checkswrecks]

Last I heard, Air Canada was only offering this to Europe and South Africa.

 

[Sierra1]

My two cents say that renting a bike there is the way to go. Down side: it's not your bike. Up side: it's NOT your bike. Fly over, ride around, and fly back. No waiting, freighting, or crating. Meanwhile, your bike is safe and sound at home. Snakebitten had the right idea.

 

[Checkswrecks]

I've ridden in 16 countries and some here have ridden more. Most times outside of the US it's on a rental.