Renting would probably be a better option
European travel
- Thread starter STSteve
- Start date
Moto-Charlie
Vendor
Steve - my feedback to some of the thoughts noted above - broadly speaking:
- Basic considerations - how long do you intend to go, will you be solo or with a passenger (impacts the size of bike you need), what level of newness or motorcycle condition do you want, etc
- I am used to owning bigger bikes like the Honda CBR1100XX Blackbird or ST1300, so I started off renting bigger bikes. Now-a-days I rent 800cc BMWs or 790 KTMs, which have more than enough power, are much cheaper to rent and get better gas mileage (which adds up at almost $10/gallon).
- RENTING - There are many more rental options in Europe because of the different insurance and litigation environment. Many motorcycle shops provide demo bikes, which they also rent - so they are frequently "current year" model - more expensive but likely more reliable
- There also a lot of smaller "Mom and Pop" type motorcycle shops that repair and sell used bikes and they frequently have a several older, well cared for models for rent for quite a bit less than the new bikes
- Rentals generally make sense if you're planning on 3 - 5 weeks, more so if you rent a smaller, used bike after you factor in the extra days and costs of buying/shipping.
- SHIPPING - This option makes sense if you're looking to stay 6 weeks or longer or planning to keep a bike over in Europe. As other have noted shipping your bike from Canada seems to be the easiest and cheapest way
- The current COVID situation makes this option uncertain at the moment. I was actually planning to take a bike over in 2020 to leave in Europe - the shipping and road insurance is already paid for. The problem is Americans are currently not allowed into Canada AND the airlines are not booking bike shipments yet. Hopefully there will be more visability into this option comes June or July.
- BUYING - As noted above there are some challenges to this option, with regard to the need for a permanent addres, etc. Here is the website for the outfit in Ireland >>> Motofeime A quick read through indicates that they are still an option, especially for long term buy and store, but maybe not be as handy as they once were for one-off trips. Make sure you read the fees section as to what's involved after you locate the bike you want them to buy for you. Don't know what impact if any Brexit has on this option.
- Another purchase option that may be a little easier is through Stefan Knopf near Hiedelberg Germany. He is well known to North Americans as a source for tour info, bike storage, on-road insurance, etc. The page linked here is the page that shows bikes for sale stored at his place. These are usually bikes that Americans are looking to sell rather than bring back. The benefit here is that most are already registered in North America, so ownership transfer is a little easier.
Thank you everyone - lots of great information!
Steve, interesting that this question has come up now as I had intended to ask the same, but for travelling in the opposite direction, how difficult to fly in and buy a bike in the States etc. Due to the pandemic amongst other things, any trips are on hold for the moment anyway so I'll save the question for another time.
You might want to check out www.horizonsunlimited.com for useful info on all things concerning world travel on two wheels. The site is run by a couple of experienced world travellers ( Canadiens) and their mission is to compile as much useful info as possible and share it with other bikers/travelers.
Back in 2011 I shipped a bike and trailer from the UK to the USA and it cost £2500/$4000 return. For the six month trip it was worth the expense, for anything less I'm not so sure. It was a lot of hassle, worry and red tape, you are giving your bike over to the shipping company weeks beforehand and delays can be quite common, ships get stuck out at sea etc. Mine was delayed at sea for one week, But then customs didn't visit the port for another week so no bike release, resulting in a two week delay eating into your valuable travel time.
Flying your bike would seem to be less hassle but then you may be required to partly dismantle the bike and arrange for crating it. It would probably cost more to fly it but then you wouldn't have the exorbitant port fees to cover if you had shipped. $320 dollars to roll a 150 pound trailer off a 4 inch high pallet on top of all the other port fees. Had to be paid in cash and six guys turned up to help, go figure.
So, given all this agro, my solution would be to find someone in Europe who has a bike that suits you, find out if they are planning on coming to the States, and do a bike swap. People do it with houses all the time. If you are too precious with your own bike to let others use it, then buy another, what the heck, you were going to buy one in Europe anyway and then you sell it on afterwards, you may lose a little on the resale but I'm sure that would pale in comparison with the cost of all of the other options and it has to be easier to buy and sell a bike in your own country than trying to do from 6000 miles away.
Right.....so when do I book my flights ( just kidding )
You might want to check out www.horizonsunlimited.com for useful info on all things concerning world travel on two wheels. The site is run by a couple of experienced world travellers ( Canadiens) and their mission is to compile as much useful info as possible and share it with other bikers/travelers.
Back in 2011 I shipped a bike and trailer from the UK to the USA and it cost £2500/$4000 return. For the six month trip it was worth the expense, for anything less I'm not so sure. It was a lot of hassle, worry and red tape, you are giving your bike over to the shipping company weeks beforehand and delays can be quite common, ships get stuck out at sea etc. Mine was delayed at sea for one week, But then customs didn't visit the port for another week so no bike release, resulting in a two week delay eating into your valuable travel time.
Flying your bike would seem to be less hassle but then you may be required to partly dismantle the bike and arrange for crating it. It would probably cost more to fly it but then you wouldn't have the exorbitant port fees to cover if you had shipped. $320 dollars to roll a 150 pound trailer off a 4 inch high pallet on top of all the other port fees. Had to be paid in cash and six guys turned up to help, go figure.
So, given all this agro, my solution would be to find someone in Europe who has a bike that suits you, find out if they are planning on coming to the States, and do a bike swap. People do it with houses all the time. If you are too precious with your own bike to let others use it, then buy another, what the heck, you were going to buy one in Europe anyway and then you sell it on afterwards, you may lose a little on the resale but I'm sure that would pale in comparison with the cost of all of the other options and it has to be easier to buy and sell a bike in your own country than trying to do from 6000 miles away.
Right.....so when do I book my flights ( just kidding )
Moto-Charlie
Vendor
STinkers makes a good point about bike swapping. Don't know how prevalent that is in Europe but there are a couple of websites here in the US similar to AirBnB where you can rent bikes from private riders. I know of several riders here on the east coast that have gone down south or out to the west coast using these sites and have been pleased with the experience. Not sure how that would work if you're going to tie up a rider's bike for most of the summer thoughFlying your bike would seem to be less hassle but then you may be required to partly dismantle the bike and arrange for crating it. It would probably cost more to fly it but then you wouldn't have the exorbitant port fees to cover if you had shipped. $320 dollars to roll a 150 pound trailer off a 4 inch high pallet on top of all the other port fees. Had to be paid in cash and six guys turned up to help, go figure.
So, given all this agro, my solution would be to find someone in Europe who has a bike that suits you, find out if they are planning on coming to the States, and do a bike swap. People do it with houses all the time. If you are too precious with your own bike to let others use it, then buy another, what the heck, you were going to buy one in Europe anyway and then you sell it on afterwards, you may lose a little on the resale but I'm sure that would pale in comparison with the cost of all of the other options and it has to be easier to buy and sell a bike in your own country than trying to do from 6000 miles away.
Right.....so when do I book my flights ( just kidding )
One thing to note about shipping your bike via airplane from Canada - there is no crating involved. You basically empty the gas tank down to a gallon or less and disconnect the battery. The bike is then loaded onto a special pallet. You generally fly on the same plane. Any hassle involved comes from the time required to travel to the shipping airport (for me less than a day, for you longer), the 8 - 12 hour lead time required to drop the bike off at the freight terminal and then the challenge of finding the freight terminal at your destination. If all goes well you can be riding your own bike 3 - 4 hours after landing.
Andrew Shadow
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Anyone interested in Air Canada's motorcycle shipping service, be aware that it is currently not being offered due to the effects of Covid-19. Anyone who is interested in knowing the details of this service, or in keeping an eye on it to see when it may resume, can check their website for updates on it.
Air Canada Fly Your Bike
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Air Canada showed up at our 2019 Vancouver motorcycle show a few years ago with the cargo container that the bike resides in the belly of the aircraft, said just drop it off with a bit of gear in the saddle bags and they do the rest.
Also, they say you can fly with your bike, but also ship it a day before so it's
ready to go when you arrive. Sounds really simple.
Price list attached is a bit dated too
.
Also, they say you can fly with your bike, but also ship it a day before so it's
ready to go when you arrive. Sounds really simple.
Price list attached is a bit dated too
.
Where did you go in the end? Did you like the trip?
Europe has a lot to offer but i would definitely ask for the help from the proper travel agent.
Make sure you check their retention rate of a travel app https://zoftify.com/blog/7-ways-to-improve-your-travel-app-retention-rate and have the best quality services possible.
Travel agents will help you to see the best and the most interesting places in the short time and don't miss any great attractions around.
Make sure you check their retention rate of a travel app https://zoftify.com/blog/7-ways-to-improve-your-travel-app-retention-rate and have the best quality services possible.
Travel agents will help you to see the best and the most interesting places in the short time and don't miss any great attractions around.
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Martin at the Motofeirme in Kinsale is where I would go. I was there a couple of months ago and an American picked up a used Triumph that Martin had purchased for him and the American loaded up and departed very happy. Martin is having some problem with obtaining insurance for motorcycles owned by non-residents of Ireland but registered in Ireland. I hope the insurance problem can be solved. When I faced a decision like yours, my mechanic opined it would be better to set up a used bike here and ship it over than take the risks involved in buying a used motorcycle over there. I took his advice and shipped a "set up" ST1300 to Rotterdam and left it 3 weeks later at the Motorfeirme in Kinsale. Either way, I wish you luck in this endeavor.