I too will be touring Europe this summer!

Just got off the phone with AC Cargo. Here are the highlights:

* 2017 pricing still yet to be released but if you want book now, they are honouring 2016 pricing

* Not all routes are open to Europe yet; from Toronto, the options are (bike-only / bike+passenger ticket pricing pricing in CDN):
- Frankfurt ($1350 / $1000)
- Paris ($1350 / $1000)
- London ($1200 / $950)
- Dublin ($1450 / $950)
- Brussels (forgot to ask for details)

* On top of those fees, AC Cargo charges:
- $75 Restricted Article (charge to accept a dangerous goods item)
- $17.70 Security Fee (X-ray of your cargo)

* There are additional charges to ship into the UK:
- Import Handling fee (£0.15/kg)
- Freight Forwarding company required, £100-200

As for paper work, spoke with Dangerous Goods Consultants. They charge $97.50+tax to do the inspection & paper work. As EvilE previously mentioned, know the total weight of your cargo.

Insurance in Europe
 

Most tour outfits provide the liability-only portion of the Green Card coverage. What are you guys doing for moto theft/damage insurance? Im looking at TourInsure.de

Riding a cheap bike...

Lee: I wish they had similar pricing to South America :scooter:

I booked passage for 'Gherkin' my 800gs yesterday for a May 1 flight Toronto-Frankfurt. I will follow the bike May 2. A/C cannot book bikes more than 29 days prior to flight date. As mentioned by Otherworld, they are honouring the 2016 pricing. All in pricing is about $1150 cdn to be paid upon tendering the bike in Toronto. (Plus Dangerous goods cert about $100 cdn each way which shipper must obtain). I am also told that there is a 15 Euro 'customs' charge in Frankfurt.

Re collision / theft insurance, I wasn't planning on it with my 4 year old 60,000 km bike. If it's readily and reasonably available, I would be interested in the details, though...

The last time I checked, Motorcycle Express was offering green card insurance with also bike theft/collision coverage

Motorcycle Express still does. Because Im working in CDN (MotoEx is in USD), its way less expensive to go with TourInsure.de and also I read somewhere MotoEx is re-selling TourInsure's policies, which explains whyt MotoEx docs look strikingly similar to TourInsure's.

Did you have to book before getting the dangerous goods certification or were you able to do it a lot time beforehand?

I booked with AC Cargo yesterday, shipping out May 3. They do require your AC passenger confirmation to get the discounted rate. DG cert requires cargo inspection by a DG specialist. This will be done on my way to drop off the moto at AC Cargo.

I booked Toronto to the Ireland (Republic, not UK). Speaking AC Cargo, they said they will provide me the waybill, and I have to work with local customs to get the bike out. In addition to proof of insurance (Green Card), what else might I need? Also, I'll be traveling in and out of the EU (Eastern Bloc and Morocco). Do I need a carnet? Any advice on getting through borders without having to worry about duties?

No carnet, no duties unless you're actually importing the bike permanently, and very few actual borders.

Get a green card which includes Morocco and the various former-Yugoslavia states if you can. An international driving permit is sometimes (very rarely) useful. So are pre-printed bits of paper listing all the relevant names, dates and numbers (registration, passport, etc. etc. etc.) which you can hand out like candy at police checkpoints. And sooner or later you'll need a home license which specifies that it includes motorcycles.

Hope that's useful.

Mark

Some info re the Dangerous Goods cert: After you have booked with A/C and have the (AWB) Email confirmation from them, forward it to Dangerous goods Packing Dangerous Goods Packing Crating | Consultants Service Mississauga. They will complete the DG certificate and Email it to you with the 'weight' blank. When you tender the bike at AC Cargo they will fill in the exact weight per their scales. The DG people advise that it will be required to disconnect the battery leads. (PITA on an 800GS!). Payment for the DG cert can be made via Paypal. They will take $125 cdn taxes in for the service one way.

Anyone know of a dangerous goods consultant in Calgary? I was told by AC over the phone it would be $250? A lot more than you were quoted in Toronto! I'm looking to ship early June to Frankfurt.

The Air Canada referred DG consultant wants to charge an additional $35 if I want to ship my bike with a used fuel pack (Rotopax). It's a sniff test, but they dont care. So I started shopping and ran across this website (havent called any of the numbers):

http://www.aircargoportail.com/en/dealers/4

Let us know your results, yeah?

why not just ship MotoEx and have all the paperwork and fees be done for you, for a reasonable penalty of approx. $500 bucks?
just wondering and scheming for a trip in the near future.

So you never meet the DG people? They dont need to see the bike?

This in important to me because I will most lekely be out of the country when I book and I will arrive in Canada just a few days before departing.