Riding across Europe?

[Richcusd]

I am toying with the idea of riding my ST1100 around Europe. I would probably ride to East Coast and ship from there to France or Spain. Has anyone out there shipped a bike to anywhere in Europe? Cheaper/better to rent? Buy new, ride around, ship home? Is this a dumb idea?? Thanks for any thoughts or experiences you've had with this. I am that old grandpa guy who just returned from NH to CA ride. Stay Safe, Rich

[sparkinator]

I don't have any suggestions, only encouragement. You asked if this was a dumb idea. I don't think so. Go for it. Have a great time and good luck. Hope it all goes well and works out for you. I'd love to have the opportunity to see Europe and I can't think of a better way to see it than on an ST.

[MidLife]

I am toying with the idea of riding my ST1100 around Europe. I would probably ride to East Coast and ship from there to France or Spain. Has anyone out there shipped a bike to anywhere in Europe? Cheaper/better to rent? Buy new, ride around, ship home? Is this a dumb idea?? Thanks for any thoughts or experiences you've had with this. I am that old grandpa guy who just returned from NH to CA ride. Stay Safe, Rich

Have you also seen J. Murphy's account?

http://www.st-owners.com/forums/showpost.php?p=186812&postcount=1

[johnSTamela]

I can't help on the transport, but if you want to include Bosnia, let me know.

[RTETR]

My experience is if you're going for more than 3 weeks ship, otherwise rent. If shipping they will need 3-4 weeks before and 2-3 weeks after fo be prepared to be without your ST for at least a month plus the hassle of insurance and draining fluids etc..

If your good at planning, confident in your riding ability, independant and somewhat easy going, I suggest planning a trip yourself. It's more flexable, cost effective and certainly allows you to be where you want to be for as long as you want to be there rather than a route or schedual preset by others. Think about it... are your trips in north america with a tour company or a result of good planning?

In September 05 my wife and I and 5 others rented bikes from Frankfurt through Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria and back to Frankfurt. ST & RT rentals were about 700euro with unlimited mileage and our hotels and B&B's months ahead from home. Route planning was with the assistance of "Motorcycle journeys through the ALPS" by John Hermann, ISBN 0-9621834-6-6 Some pics posted here (http://groups.msn.com/ST1300US/euroalpinetour2005.msnw).

All total the 2 weeks, 2 up including a return charter flight for us was just under $7000CDN and I plan to do another 2-3 week trip again sometime. Just remember to get an international driver's licence from AAA and a passort.

I also travel over for work a few times a year and rent a bike when I can. I've been able to spend a few days here and there exploring Germany and Austria and found many Honda and BMW dealers will rent a new showroom bike for a day or two or long weekend. Some more pic here (http://groups.msn.com/ST1300US/munichoct2123rd.msnw).

[Alberta Boy]

I've been curious about this as well... never clear on the requirements for a NA bike on European roads as most stories I hear involve people renting once in Europe.

So as far as anyone knows, is there no special licensing or insurance required for the bike itself apart from "vignettes" required in some countries?

[RoadSurfer]

Craig Clark wrote:
ST & RT rentals were about 700euro with unlimited mileage

Sorry, Craig, but you mean you were able to rent an ST for approximately two weeks for a total of only 700 Euro (approximately $1,110 CDN, or less than $100/day)? If so, you gotta give me the contact info of that rental outfit.

[RTETR]

Craig Clark wrote:


Sorry, Craig, but you mean you were able to rent an ST for approximately two weeks for a total of only 700 Euro (approximately $1,110 CDN, or less than $100/day)? If so, you gotta give me the contact info of that rental outfit.

That was the price per week not for the two weeks. Sorry for the confusion.

We rented from AllRound (http://www.motorradvermietung.de/index_e.htm) in Frankfurt and as we rented 4 bikes 6 months ahead were able to negotiate slightly better than the posted rates. This was 2 years ago and like everything else they have gone up.

Still cheaper than shipping and far less complicated.

[captcallaway]

in 1998 i shipped my goldwing to frankfurt, germany. before you leave the states you most get "green card" insurance, which is only written by several companies. this insurance was separate from your stateside insurance, and was required to have in hand prior to getting your bike out of customs. i used luftansa airways. they allowed me to have a small amount of gas in the tank and didn't require anything else. they simply put the bike on a pallet, straped it down and off they went. since we were gone for 5 weeks renting was out of the question. hope this helps but bear in mind it been 9 years ago and lots of change. have fun, we sure did!

[RoadSurfer]

Thanks, Craig. Actually, according to AllRound's website's indications for their 2007 rates, it's still approximately $200 CDN/day, spread over a two-week period -- for a sport-tourer. Not too bad, really, comparatively speaking. Unfortunately, it seems they no longer offer the ST, but I'd be happy to settle for an RT or maybe the new GT.

Good to know those details.

[RTETR]

Unfortunately, it seems they no longer offer the ST, but I'd be happy to settle for an RT or maybe the new GT.

For info on shipping from US to Europe see here (http://www.micapeak.com/~marcl/pages/shipbike.html).

As for my rental experiences at Allround if you prefer an ST contact them and see what they might be able to do. When we rented as a group they only had one ST and somehow made arrangements to have a second ST available to us.

I suggest a bike that you are familiar with as the roads, signs, and driving conditions throughout Europe are different for us and not being familiar and comfortable on your bike will add risks and frustration. Buy the liners and pack at home then just slide them in when you get there. If you want a top case ask for it and they will likely add it for a small fee if not already on the bike.

As I said, it seems a lot of bike shops even rent show room bikes and so they may have other models available in addition to what's listed on the site.

You could also rent directly from Honda Motor Europe GmbH but the allowable kms are fairly low and then you pay for the addtional mileage and that adds up fa$t. (Allround give 2500kms while Honda is 1500kms free and .45 a km thereafter.)
see here (http://www.erento.com/mieten/fahrzeuge_fluggeraete/motorrad,_trike_quad/motorrad/2300039149.html?fil1=Honda&land=3)

I have rented ST's for 2-3 days from Honda in Pfaffenhofen and Munich. I've posted a link to the site and ya, it's in German, but in the center it says modell,(Pan Euro) and then select the postal code (Postleitzahlengebiet) you will be in for the rental locations. Munich is 80000-89999. See info here (http://www.honda.de/php/rentdemo/index.php?modelgroup_id=1&language=de)

[Richcusd]

Thanks for the info guys. I just returned from Ireland today where we rented a car for the week vacation. I saw many small sport bikes as well as several pan-europeans (guarda/police also rode them). In Dublin the HD dealer had some hondas but they were closed for "race day" the day I was in the city. I talked to a bunch of riders while traveling the southern part of the country and none knew of any place to rent in Ireland. We had a great time anyway! Take care and Be Safe. - Rich

[varglesnarg]

Richcusd

I go to Europe every year, im from Portugal and I have a bike there. I was toying with the idea of shipping my new st1300 to portugal, and I think next year im doing it.

It would cost me 800$ to ship it on a bin that fits 4. They usually wait until they have 4, so the there is a delay.

I plan on going next month and riding to italy on my africa twin. My friends are renting bikes in Lisbon. And they have a few st1100's, but are unavailable at the moment.

Email me if you ever get around to Portugal. We can do a cross country trip!