Hi - 1st Post.... F650GS '06
- I am going to ship my bike from UK to South America in a few months (mid to late May '10), for approx. 6 to 10 months.

I am looking for any current advice as to best/easiest option. I do have time on my side, and the less I spend on shipment, the longer I can stay on the road. I am finding it difficult to get the total cost - ie shipping the bike plus getting it through port/customs. I do plan to use an agent to help as I have no/little Spanish (as yet).

- I have been quoted £600 to ship from Southampton to BA. Then I need to add port and agent fees....anything else? What will the extra fees likely be?
- I have been quoted £1200 to fly the bike from Heathrow to BA. Then add airport and agent fees again....What would these likely be?

I have emailed Dakarmotos twice to get them onboard as my agent, but no reply..? Do they still offer their agent service in BA?
Would be able to enter the continent anywhere that is best. (Hope the Falklands oil issue has not impacted travelers in Argentina??

Was thinking the sea shipment to BA to be best option, but seen many quotes of high port fees... Will this come out more expensive than airfreight including fees?
[At the end of tour need to get the bike back to UK ..hopefully I will be a little wiser then].

- Really appreciate any current advice or contacts. If anyone has similar plans and wants to share shipping costs to South America, please get in touch.
Cheers, Paul.

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Paul - F650GS -

Here's some food for thought, for what it's worth.

We have just returned to the UK from Buenos Aires, we flew the bike back for roughly a grand, we left everything up to Sandra at Dakar Motos and it was shipped with Iberia via Madrid. We could have gone with Lufthansa for a couple of hundred dollars more and would probably have got away with handling and clearance charges, but Iberia were still cheaper. In our opinion if you can fly the bike for anywhere around a grand it's worth it in the long run, you know the bike will be there in less than a week (ours took 5 days) and from all our research no one can ever tell you exactly what the extra charges will be if you ship by sea (port fees etc.) Once it's on the plane the chances of it going astray for a few days are slim unlike sea freight, if you get to Dakar Motos a guy by the name of Justin will still be there. Justin shipped his bike from the US by sea a few weeks ago and it's been half way round the world already and he may not get his hands on it for another 3/4 weeks. (if your'e reading this Justin, start filling out the insurance claim!) He has had a nightmare communicating with the shipping company and to date has not been able to find out exactly where the bike is (last known location Singapore!) You may have time on your side but it's easier to co ordinate you and the bike being in the same place at the right time without paying exorbitant storage fees. I'm not sure if Sandra can handle shipping from the UK but try Iberia or Lufthansa for a price and make sure you get a breakdown of all costs, we paid over the odds because I couldn't be arsed to take the front wheel and windscreen off to drop the height, and our BMW GSA is probably the biggest bike in terms of size. We just pushed it onto a palette and the freight guys did the rest, it also cost us less than when we flew it out to Alaska last year. Sandra can probably help getting the bike out at the other end or will know someone who can, she is not the quickest at replying to emails but the setup at Dakar Motos is second to none. Anyhow, do the research to get the best deal but don't be swayed just to by the thought of saving a couple of hundred quid.

Ride Ugly, It scares the natives!
Graham and Sue

Many thanks for your info G&S, good insight. Sandra did get back to me as well, and also advised to fly the bike and stated the airport costs are half that of the ports, and timescales and reduced hassle is the way to go.

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Paul - F650GS -

hello paul!

if you still need help we can get you full information to get your bike by ship to valparaiso, chile!

just get back to me, villakunterbuntvalpo@yahoo.de

cheers

martina

My friend and I are also planning to ship our bikes from the UK to South America sometime in April - May 2011, not fussed where in South America so long as the price is reasonable. We have done a lot of research on shipping and air freighting and still looking for more precise information. So far I find it very difficult to ascertain exact cost of shipping as everyone is providing me with an ambiguous answers. Therefore it is so difficult to know final price for crating, shipping and the cost on the other end such as agent fees, Terminal Handling, Port Charges, Storages, Customs Clearances and Processing, but from some quotes it looks as if they could be around £300 per bike.

I was wondering if anyone else could give me a bit more info on what would be the best way for me to transport two bikes from the UK to South America.

Thanks,

DAN

Hi there.
I would like to ship my bike as well.
may 2011 its fine to me.
we could try share a container. we are in 3 already.
may be somebody else to make part in it.
We could ship to Montevideo or Buenos aires.
Lets keep in touch.

im planning to ship my bike from Switzerland to Buenos Aires!
i have been looking at Roro shipping or by air but the price is around 4000 eur
seems quite a bit to me!! compared to what i have heard here!!
what companies have good deals??
anyone know??

thank you all