Hi guys,
i will ship my motorcycle from New zealand to Sydney, and we already got a good price from the company.
but they need a purge certificate that state the motorbike already empty tank and remove the battery.

should i make that letter by myself or get third party to do it?
anyone ever did this? need a help asap.

thanks!

Hi Mate,
There seems to be a few shipping companies asking/charging for this "purge certificate" it is dubious at best..and the prices i have heard about prove it is BS.. (worst so far has been $1400).

The Airlines need a Dangerous goods declaration.. And it is not a certificate or inspection... go to the airline ask for a blank fill it out. Make the tank only have few litres of fuel left in it (ride/drain/whatever) Depending on the airline and if you have an alarm disconnect or secure the battery.. Sign the declaration and go...

This is an old post but spot on... http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/trip-transport/2006-rules-shipping-motorcycles-air-21880




Coming from NZ to Aus your bigger worry should be the cleanliness of you bike.. (possibly the other way too but i dont know)

I must be Showroom, spotless, they will check all to nooks and crannies so get it right.. If you dont, you will at least be charged a cleaning fee, at worse then can destroy the bike.. so Clean Clean clean.. no mud, oil grime, bug, grass nothing... Aquis know thier job and are VERY strict!

__________________
2000 Africa Twin
http://two-up-ona-twin.blogspot.com

When we flew our bikes to Oz we drained the tanks & carbs completely. We wrote up our own letter to confirm this. Ours flew as Dangerous goods - we did not remove the batteries, just disconnected them & taped up the terminals. Buying new batteries for both bikes in Oz was going to cost more than the DG charges.

I have been told by one experienced moto-traveller that you should be able to fly a motorcycle as non-DG without removing the battery but that didn't seem to be an option with the freight companies we used.

Cheers
Clint

Hi when I shipped my DR from Auckland to Sydney last year I spent a lot of time on the purge cirtificate route, I only went down this route to save money after an agent said it may be possible to send my bike NON DG but after speaking to many shippers this is what learnt after going past the initial contacts.

I had my local bike dealer check my bike was completely clear of fuel and type me a purge cert (letter) which I didn't use in the end.

You only need a purge cert if your sending something NON dangerous goods (which is cheaper) that has ever run on fuel - one senior agent told me it's nigh on impossible to go down this route as even previously run stripped engine blocks still end up going DG - airlines are just paranoid about DG stuff.

If you are trying to send NON DG with purge cert ask the agent if they have ever sent a motorcycle this way before - before you waste too much time on it.

Cost me $1300 NZD to fly with Mainfreight Auk & Syd in a crate both ends very helpful, Conroy's from Perth to Wellington by boat non crated $1700 with no hidden charges again very helpful staff.

Here is the corrected link for the post referenced above (by Xander, in post #2 of this discussion). The link in post #2 doesn't work because it has 'thumbup1' at the end.

Rules for shipping motorcycles by air freight.

I wrote that original post back in 2006. To the best of my knowledge, the DG rules affecting motorcycles have not changed since then.

Michael

Just a quick clarification about 'purge certificates'... this is explained fully in the post I referenced above, but here is an executive summary for those who don't want to read that rather long post:

If the motorcycle is being shipped packaged in such a manner that it is impossible for a reasonable person to believe that it could be loaded into the aircraft any way but 'right side up' (meaning, wheels on the bottom, gas tank filler port facing upwards), then it does not need to be drained of fuel and purged. This is normally the case when the motorcycle is shipped fully assembled and 'ready to ride'.

On the other hand, if the motorcycle has been dis-assembled and packed into a crate or other container, such that it is not immediatly obvious from visual inspection that the contents are a motorcycle, and if there is any risk that the container could be loaded into they aircraft lying sideways or upside down (for example, if it did not have a pallet base attached to it), then the whole thing has to be thoroughly emptied of fuel (fuel tank, fuel lines, carburetors, etc) and purged.

In practice, if the moto is being shipped in a wide-body (two-aisle) aircraft that has a cargo hold big enough to accept a fully assembled motorcycle on a pallet or in a ULD container, you don't have to drain and purge. On the other hand, if you are shipping in a smaller aircraft (737, A320 or smaller) that can't accept the motorcycle fully assembled and right side up, then it is likely you will need to dis-assemble, crate, drain, & purge.

Michael