With all the changes COVID has made to the airline industry what is it like getting a motorcycle shipped from Central/South America to the US or Canada these days?

My plan is to ride south from the US along the pan-american highway and ship my bike back when I've had enough of riding south.

That's a really tough question to answer because there are no "general conditions" that affect all air carriers - or even all routes of a single air carrier.

Air freight charges, like other shipping charges, are very fluid and vary greatly in response to supply & demand. For example, looking at the past, it was historically possible to ship a motorcycle Canada to Europe or vice-versa for about $1,200 in the summer months, but the same shipment might have cost as much as $5,000 in the winter months.

A motorcycle is a very "low density" object so far as air freight is concerned - the airlines consider a motorcycle to be pretty much the same as shipping a huge box of popcorn. Weight is not the issue, cubic size (dimensions) are the issue.

So, if you want to find a great deal on motorcycle air freight shipping, you need to find a carrier where the following conditions exist:

1) Using a wide-body (twin aisle) aircraft. This enables the motorcycle to be put in a ULD (uniform load device) air shipping container and mechanically handled without disassembly or crating.

2) Low freight demand on that particular route at the time of year when you want to ship. In other words, empty space in the belly that the air carrier is willing to sell cheap.

3) Favourable weather along the route. If the operator has to add additional fuel due to weather risks, that reduces payload and means that they have less freight capacity to sell; therefore, prices rise.

4) Shorter, rather than longer routes: The longer the route, the more fuel has to be carried, this reduces payload, freight prices per pound rise.

An example of a situation that would result in a really low price to ship a motorcycle: a widebody passenger aircraft going from Miami to Bogotá during a period of low passenger demand.

An example of a situation that would result in a really high price: an aircraft going westbound (against prevailing winds) in the winter on a long route where there is a high demand for freight shipments.

So, as you can see, it's really hard to generalize. Call your local air carriers and also call some freight forwarders, ask them to advise you when the lowest prices on your proposed route normally are.

In addition to the above very useful description, a couple of things to consider:

1) I remember hearing that the North America to South America moto airfreight was significantly cheaper than the other way around, since airlines would fill up cargo space with things like fresh flowers in Colombia. But when the aircraft flies down there for pickup, there's much less stuff that is worth exporting by airfreight, so its cargo hold would often be empty.

2) Consider the Darien Gap and the fact that you will probably need to airfreight your bike across it anyway, now that the Stahlratte boat is no longer operating between Panama and Colombia. Consider the incremental cost between that and airfreighting it directly from your departure destination.

3) On the way back, you might as well choose cheaper container shipping back to a US port, since it's a much lesser problem for you if your bike is late coming *back* from the trip.

That's exactly what I was thinking of when I posted the "Miami to Bogotá" example above.
A good idea, but pay very careful attention to what the various "port charges" are at each end if you choose to ship by sea. The entire air freight industry is oriented to getting shipments in and out of the origin & destination freight warehouses as fast as possible, so although there may be some port charges at destination for air freight, these charges are no-where near as plentiful (or expensive) as port charges at each end when you ship by sea.

I have heard of travelers who shipped their bikes by sea because the freight fee was less than half the air freight fee, but wound up paying more in the end than air freight would have cost because of port charges at each end of the sea shipment.

If you want to ride in one direction, and air-freight in the other direction, I think it would be a lot cheaper and a heck of a lot simpler to air-freight the motorcycle southbound, then ride northbound.

If you do that, 90% of your dealings with air freight people will be at the origin end in the USA, rather than the other way around.

There is also the additional advantage of having a freshly serviced motorcycle with new tires, etc. to ride at the start of your trip - it would probably be easier for you to get replacement tires, service parts, etc. as you get closer to the USA (e.g. in Mexico) than it would be to get the same items down in South America.

Michael

Thanks for all the replies. Shipping the bike south first and riding north does seem like a great option I hadn't considered.

Where would it be best to ship from? One user mentioned shipping from Miami which makes a ton of sense, but is super far away from me. I live near ORD (Chicago O'Hare).

I've also read that shipping a motorcycle from the states is more difficult in that the motorcycle is classified as dangerous goods. Shipping out of Canada seems to be peoples preference in that regard. Assuming the Canadians would let me into their country I don't think it would be unreasonable to ride over to Toronto.

yes a MC is classified dangerous goods you will have to get this sorted out before you show up at the cargo terminal to ship by air
Air Canada quit shipping motorcycles to SA so Toronto bets are off
Enjoy the trip to NY Miami or whoever will take your bike if you want air shipment to South America

A motorcycle is 'dangerous goods' (to be precise, it is a 'Vehicle, Flammable Liquid Powered') no matter where in the world you are shipping it to or from.

Canada has historically been an easier place to ship motos to and from simply because there is far less paranoia here in Canada about terrorism, homeland security, etc. than there is in the USA. For example, in the USA, the security people worry about whether there is a bomb inside the engine. In Canada, they just look in the gas tank to make sure it is less than 1/4 full (a shipping regulation for vehicles).

It's the same as the difference in security with people: In the USA, you have to take your shoes off going through security. In Canada, you don't have to do that unless you are on a flight to the USA.

Michael

Actually, Air Canada has TEMPORARILY quit shipping bikes to SA, because of Covid. I spoke with their cargo dept, two months ago, and he said they will resume shipping bikes to SA again when the Covid stuff lifts.

Only proviso is he said the price will be more expensive than their advertised European and Morocco locations.

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2022 Yamaha T700. Vamos a viajar en America Latina!
30,000+ miles in Latin America by moto and counting.

I also am planning on air freighting my VStrom to Valparaiso or Santiago or Lima in December or January then riding back. However I can't find anything except wildly conflicting info on the ACTUAL state of all the land borders I'd need to cross. I suspect a lot of the info is just false, but not willing to risk it unless I know for sure.

For example, "official info" says that from USA to Mexico by land is for "essential purposes" only. However my wife and I waltzed across the border into Baja on my Goldwing in April with zero problems. Ten minutes of paperwork and we were through.

If anyone has, or has definitively heard of actual experiences from Chile north to Colombia, and then thru CAM, I'd appreciate it.

Grax.

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2022 Yamaha T700. Vamos a viajar en America Latina!
30,000+ miles in Latin America by moto and counting.

to avoid quarantine coming into chile do register on:
mevacuno.cl

Actually that's not true. I spoke on the phone with Air Canada cargo, and he told me that Air Canada does ship bikes to SA, but you won't get their advertised program discount as you would if you shipped to one of the European/Morocco destinations.

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2022 Yamaha T700. Vamos a viajar en America Latina!
30,000+ miles in Latin America by moto and counting.

That is true. But once you find out what the cost of shipping a motorcycle at "regular air freight rates" is, you won't have any interest in doing it.

The problem with air freighting motorcycles is that their "dimensional weight" is always way in excess of their actual weight. So unless you find an air carrier that has an excess of cubic capacity in the belly of their aircraft - and is willing to offer attractive rates for motorcycle shipping because of that - the cost of shipping the moto by air usually kills the idea.

See post #2 (above) in this discussion for a more thorough explanation of how airlines look at motorcycle shipping.

Michael

Air Canada has resumed regular flights Toronto >Bogota, Montreal> Bogota Avianca has inaugurated flights Bogota to Toronto it is the alliance with AC
Air Canada stopped flying motorcycle freight to Colombia stopped in 2019
There may be other options to Santiago but Colombia was cancelled Canuck airlines dont need the hassle, the market is much larger in Europe
I can see why I live in Colombia
as far as traveling beyond borders of Colombia on land borders forget it we are nowhere near 70 percent immunity, maybe next year
hell you can't go wrong 6 months on the road in Colombia it is a magical place
feliz suenos y viaje

Yes, the Stahlratte is gone, but word is Captin Ludig Hoffman is organizing trips from Panama to Turbo, CO. See this post on ADVRider: https://advrider.com/f/threads/panam...ratte.1486177/

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Peter B
2008/09 - NJ to Costa Rica and back to NJ
2012/13 - NJ to Northern Argentina, Jamaica, Cuba and back to NJ
2023 - Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia...back to Peru.

Blogs: Peter's Ride