Hello,
I've gone through lotsa HU posts, and frankly, I still don't have an answer -- probably because it's pretty obvious that rules vary by country, as well as vary day-to-day. Many informative HU posts are back from 05 or so.

Does anyone have advice on the cheapest AND easiest way to get a Harley Sportster from Norfolk, Virginia (or thereabouts) to Paris, France -- BY AIR?

I want to also send along helmet, heavy MC jacket, some tools, saddle bags, dismounted windshield, etc., SO I'LL ALSO NEED ADVICE ON CRATING (OR WHERE TO HAVE IT DONE).

I can't figure out how to get the bike to Canada;
I don't want to send by ship due to all contrary advice (and time delays) mentioned on HU.

I have gotten some quotes, but frankly, I don't trust the completeness of information or prices. The prices I have gotten are around $2300, one way -- and that is through Canada or from Norfolk (same price from both locations!).

Appreciate any recent experience or general advice.
Thanks.

DOES ANYONE HAVE SUGGESTIONS

Baloo:

$2,300 sounds reasonable, based on prior shipments that I have made from Montreal or Toronto, Canada to Paris. There will be another $100 (more or less) of charges imposed by the warehouse in Paris when you pick the bike up, keep that in mind for budget purposes.

Getting the bike to Montreal (the city with the most frequent flights to Paris, when compared to Toronto) is easy. Just ride it up there. When you ride across the border, tell Canada Customs that you intend to ship the bike to Paris via Montreal, they won't have any problems with that at all and will wave you through same as if you were just on a short tourist visit to Canada.

Plan to arrive at the freight terminal at Montreal airport with 1/4 of a tank of fuel or less. You don't have to have an 'almost dry' tank, just 1/4 of a tank or less. There is no need at all to disassemble or crate the motorcycle. The windshield can usually stay in place (see my bike, a ST 1100, in the pictures below to get an idea of the size of the container used).

If you are shipping via Motorcycle Express, all the paperwork will be ready for you and a pallet will be ready for you. The freight shed guys will put the motorcycle on the wooden pallet, then strap it down. The pallet is then loaded into a container (called a Uniform Load Device, or ULD) that is placed in the bottom of the aircraft.

The whole process is simple and trouble-free. If your bike has saddlebags on it, you can get away with putting clothing in them, maybe even your helmet, but don't put anything else such as camping equipment in them.

There are usually no fees associated with dropping the bike off at the departure airport a day or two early, but there are fees associated with storing the bike at the destination airport beyond the day of arrival. So plan to pick the bike up promptly in Paris.

It's a simple process to clear the bike out of customs in Paris. Pick up the waybills from the freight shed in Paris, take them to the customs office (a short walk away), show the customs guy your ownership and European insurance (green card), he stamps the papers (no fees), you then go back to the freight shed, pay the $100 or so in destination freight shed fees, then ride away.

Below are some pictures taken in both Montreal and Paris that might help you understand the process.

Enjoy your European trip.

Michael

PS: When it comes time to bring it back to the USA, Knopf in Germany organizes sea shipments (in big sea containers) from Germany to southern Florida each winter. There are only one or two dates available each winter, but it is a bit cheaper than air freighting the thing back.

Moto on pallet, prior to loading in ULD


Moto on a pallet, inside a ULD


Details of pallet tie-down (the freight shed guys do this for you)


A different shipment than above, not using a pallet


You likely won't have to remove the windshield.
(I only put my fleece over it to avoid having to carry the fleece with me in the plane... my excuse was 'to protect the windshield').


Coming out the other end in Paris, 10 hours later
FYI, I was on the road 2 hours after taking this picture.

Those were probably my posts. Things really have not changed very much since 2005, honest.

Michael

Thanks Mike -- yes, I had read your previous posts; great info.

Here's the thing though. I do not want to ride the bike from VA to Montreal. I have no interest in going that distance, and do not see that as a vacation.
So, I need to air ship from Norfolk or nearer than Canada.

Have you had any feedback from anyone who has not gone the Canadian route?
Thanks.

If you've gone thru lots of posts, you've seen the Air Canada deal ... last I knew, it was $700 from Toronto or Montreal to Paris if you book an Air Canada passenger ticket for yourself... or $1000 without your own ticket... and those are Canadian dollars, so make it $570 or $812 USD.

Otherwise, yeah, $2300 seems like the going rate from Motorcycle Express and some other outfits these days for air shipping out of the US. One large shipper quoted me $5000 a few months ago to fly a bike from NYC to South Africa. Out of Toronto, I got a quote for $1500 USD to Johannesburg -- crated!

Sorry to beat a horse you don't want to ride, but hey, it's a one-day ride from Va to Toronto....

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RideFar,
Thanks for the good info. Say, if a whole day ride doesn't bother you, would you mind driving it from Portsmouth, Virginia, and delivering it to AirCanada (Montreal or Toronto) -- I'll pay your return flight (as long as it is a reasonable cost).