Getting a bike to America

[Hardball]

Is this possible? would I have to ship it and fly separately? do some planes take bikes? I really want to do a US roadtrip
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Previous bikes:88 Honda CG 125,00 Aprilia RS 125,05 Honda NXR 125 Current bikes: NONE!!!!! >

[kerr]

cant help you regarding shipping the bike but i will warn you to stear clear of biker bars a workmate of a pal of mine got a kickin for not being a "real" biker
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aprilia 125 Af1 Futura >> Suzuki gsxr 600 srad >> J1 zx6r >> cbr 600rr >> Speed Triple

[Hardball]

[Pete.]

You can ship a bike by sea cargo but watch out because if the ship gets an order to pick up a few thousand tons of coffe/lumber from South America on the way over they won't stop to drop your bike off and you might end up with your bike arriving months after you did.

Or yes, you can send it by air, but it's more expensive. You also have to put it in (or build yourself) a certified crate.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[95Theses]

Once you figure in the shipping costs plus the insurance costs once you get there, and the massive annoyance that will be caused by hick red neck sheriffs deputies spotting your 'Goddamn yooropean fag plates' and pulling you over for a random stop / shooting would you not be better just hiring one?.

[carlosthejack...]

At Manchester airport in March when we were taxiing out to the runway, we saw a red sports car being loaded into the hold of an Etihad Airways plane, bound for Dubai, or some other middle-eastern snakepit. It's possible to ship pretty much anything by airfreight, but I imagine you'd need the bank account of a Sheikh to make it viable.
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DonnyBrago: "I think you may be confusing rain and napalm..." Paulington: "It's not what you ride, it's how you ride it."
Current rides: '05 VFR800 VTEC, '57 Mondeo 1.8 TDCi #58LEGEND

[Rowey]

I work over the airport and cars get flown out all the time. All airlines will have a cargo department you can call to get prices and terms. Don't expect it to be cheap though. These aren't ford fiestas flying out, they're often £100k+ luxury/sports cars.
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ZX6R C6F.
Never argue with an idiot. They'll only bring you down to their level, and beat you with experience.

[Bendy]

There are quite a few shipping companies will do it (have a google) including a Harley specialist one that'll take your bike to the big US meets so you don't have to get it dirty by riding it there. If it goes by boat you are gonna be without it for a fair while, so not ideal if the bike is your only form of transport.

Whether it's worth it or not kinda depends on how long you're going for - hiring is expensive, certainly. I was toying with it a couple of years ago and the money kinda worked out, but I was looking at a trip of 2 months or more and it seemed silly to have the perfect bike sat at home in my garage while paying to use someone else's. In the end, things changed and I didn't go.

Howabout buying and selling one while you're there?

[c_dug]

I've always been told that there are big issues with buying and insuring in the states as a non U.S resident?
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[Hardball]

[olionel]

I think airlines charge so many amount of £ per kg as long as you can pack it in to a standard/medium crate (i.e. take the front wheel off and handlebars off). Ring around a few companies and find out. Try and find a company that will handle all the paperwork for you though.
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1989 CG125 - Childhood Sweetheart (she got kidnapped by baddies)
1998 ZXR400 - Teenage Love (lasted three years, then she turned lesbian and left me)
2001 XRV750 - Wife Material (still getting to know her but head over heels in love)

[ZRX61]

[Pernig]

It will be worth your while signing up to this forum and asking around.

I've read from a couple of books that it can be cheaper to have you bike shipped to Canada and ride from there.
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H100 Breaking for spares

[chris-red]

[kawakid]

[Hardball]