Shipping from UK to USA
 

We have checked the shipping pages, has anyone recently shipped/air freighted their bike from UK to USA? Also, did you have to have an onward or return flight to prove you were leaving the country?

Thanks.

Maya

Yes, I've taken my bike twice to the US. In 2002 I flew the bike with AirTransat from Gatwick to Vancouver and returned from Toronto. In 2006 I shipped the bike by sea with Wallenius Wilhelmsen Line from Southampton to Port Newark.

I had a return ticket on each occasion.

Hi Maya, I have just (5 days ago ) shipped my bike from Southampton to Halifax with WW on a ro-ro, excellent service. I had a 1 way flight ticket from Gatwick to Halifax Nova Scotia and it caused no problems at all, Americans seem to be very uptight about everything these days but thankfully Canadians are still Canadians but see my thread about getting bike insurance in Nova Scotia. Ride safe.

Hello Paul and Mike,
Sorry for the late replay, but it took me a long time to make my mind up, but, after checking out other options as well, we go for Wallenius Wilhelmsen.
We will ship the side car from South Hampton to Charleston in the USA. It's the cheapest option and most people are positive about WW.
So thank you very much for your tips!!And ride safe.
Maya.

Hi
I've shipped my 1150GS from London to New York in July this year, using James Cargo.
I drove my bike to their office near the Heathrow Airport, they crate it and put in on the plane.
In New York I went to the customs with my Carnet, cleared the bike in a few minits, and drove away from the warehouse of Virgin Atlantic Cargo.
No hassles at all, and worth the 950 pounds it cost us.
Let me know if you want their details.
Johan

Much the same as has been said above - my shipping agent wanted a letter from me as the owner/consignee, confirming the value of the goods/vehicle, plus the expected date of departure and that it was a 'temporary' or 'tourist' import, not permanent...

No questions asked at the US end.

xxx

Another WW fan
 

Hi Maya

Good choice to go for Wallenius Wilhelmsen. I had a great experience with this firm when I shipped from Southampton to Halifax NS in June last year ('07). 10 days to complete the transatlantic crossing with no hassle either end. Your contact & best friend at WW, Southampton, is Tony White - tel. #02380-637-233 - he's a great guy, and v helpful.

Here's a pic (below) of what you can expect to see at the WW dockside ferry berth in Charleston - I was there, by coincidence, in mid-May this year ('08).

Have a great ride.

Cheers

KEITH

http://keithooper.smugmug.com/photos...47_hRRPS-M.jpg

Hi all,
We want to thank you for the replays and that picture! We booked yesterday with Wallanius and Debbie (Tony Whites collegue) is very helpfull indeed. The sidecar will go next week and we will fly on the 23 of november (Opodo offers some cheap return flyts). All we need now is an address and tel.nr from somebody in the USA.
Thanks!! Andy and Maya.

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

Hey Paul, out of curiosity what was the price for the return ticket from UK to Canada and back agan? It wont really be relevent for me but nice to know, I am flying probably from Vancouver to London.

How much hassle did you have with immigration and customs on the british side?

Cheers,
Ol

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!

Hi Johan

is a Carnet required for the States ?

Mike

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

If I might answer...

You don't need a carnet for North America - however, it is a good idea to include on you letter of authorisation to the shipping agent (they will want one), the approximate value of the motorcycle, together with stating it is a temporary import as a tourist vehicle (to be used personally by yourself), and your expected date of departure from the USA.

xxx

Hornet 600

I flew the bike to Vancouver, then returned fro Toronto, in 2002 so prices will have changed in the intervening years but from memory it was about £1500 return for the bike plus my own return ticket. The bike sat in a simple aluminium box and went in the hold of the plane.

My 2006 trip - with Wallenius Wilhelmsen, Southampton to Newark and back - cost £547 single - plus my own flight ticket. I would have liked to have sailed with the bike but that wasn't permitted.

No carnet required for the US. Incidentally flying a bike into Canada in 2002 was appreciably cheaper than landing in the US. I don't know the reason for that.

NOTE - a visa is required if your stay in the US is 90 DAYS OR LONGER. I almost got caught out with that one as my last trip last 92 days.

JFK to Heathrow Last Summer
 

I used Berklay out of New York to fly my GS from JFK to Heathrow. Would NOT recommend them.

You can't just leave it there, why not? :confused1: