Hi Guys

Those of you that have shipped from UK to the USA can you remember prices to give me a rough idea as the price of hiring or buying over there is worrying!
Also have you all bought your bikes back after your travels? Is it wise to organise a return shipment in the UK?

Regards

Hi Steve - it really depends on the current exchange rate and fuel prices etc. So it's best to get a quote from a few companies... the protocol is to use a shipping agent in your departure country, although if you know the return date, then they might be able to sort out a return price with their opposite number in your destinaton country... That said, there will be a clause about the final price I'm sure - especially if fuel prices escalate like they did last summer...

When I shipped US to UK in December 2007, it cost me $1200 by air (and we were getting $2 to the pound).

When I shipped UK to US in September 2008, it cost me $1800 by air (when we were getting $1.76 to the pound).

These days, factor in around 1000 GPB each way, and you should be about right - even though the pound is now on the bloody floor...

xxx

ps. As such, WW (sea) may be significantly cheaper now - when I got a quote in 2008 it was 720 GBP one way...

hi guys... gonna jump right into this thread if you dont mind

ive also been looking to ship the bike from EU(italy) to USA. surfing on the net i found this American shipping company. the site has an instant quote calculator, and the rate it gave me was later confirmed by a representative on the phone. they handle FCL (full container load), crates or air cargo.
for a dl650 v-strom + cases (300kgs), all crated by myself, from Milan to San Diego came out to be 700 Euros, which is friggin excellent if you ask me (dollar to euro rates do help the cause)!!
this is the link, i hope it can be of help to some of you.
International Shipping Worldwide Freight Forwarder Air Ocean Cargo International Shipping Quotes

my plan is to ship to southern CA or TX, an then ride down to mexico. im still in the early stages of planning, but if you guys have any suggestions.... im all ears!!

Sounds like an excellent deal there Sadoblazo! (might check out their link for my return trip!)...

As for where to land, I suppose it depends on how long you've got, and what you want to see? The States that boarder Mexico (Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Califonia) are all nice for riding in - Texas less so, it's very big and the roads are long and straight and dull there, compared to further west... that said, Big Bend National Park is worth riding through, and the cities of Austin and San Antonio are very nice - infact Houston is also worth a visit for the Johnson Space Centre.

Also, I understand that crossing into Mexico from any state other than California is a lot less busy, and with less chances to get hassle/hassled.

Of course there is plenty of scenery / stuff to see if you stay north of the boarder - Arizona and New Mexico particularly have some fantastic riding roads (tarmac or dirt), and you could spend your whole trip in California and not get bored! - it has such diverse scenery, from forests in the north, mountains in the middle, to the deserts in the south... It's like riding from Scandinavia to southern Spain in one state!

Also, a quick plug for a chap/company I met in Tuscon Arizona called Frank Zabriskie who is a great guy, can fix/fabricate anything and knows Mexico (and his surrounding area) very well:

hi jmo...
im afraid that the link i provided is not gonna work for your return trip..... well, mine neither actually....
a rep on the phone told me that whereas for imports INTO USA they will take 1 crated bike, for exports they only take a full-container-load (4 or 5 bikes). the alternative is air cargo for which they quoted me 1500$.
So... it looks like im shopping for a shipping company for the return trip....
if you come up w/ anything let us know mate!

Ah, thanks for letting me know - I did tap some details into their calculator section, and it came up with a quote of around $1600 for air freight Las Vegas back to London - which to be honest is about the ball park with these current currency values...

The company I've used in the past for shipping US-UK by air is:

The Express Group.

I'm sure they will have an opposite number/agent in the country you are sending from (presumably it is a return trip to the same place?) - I have the details for Manchester Airport in the UK, but not any others...

Looks like I will be getting them to quote again...

Jenny xx