Auto Transport Tips: Shipping a Motorcycle
Transporting a motorcycle is a lot different than transporting a regular car. We’ve talked about shipping a motorcycle before, but there’s a few more differences that you should really be aware of when it comes to motorcycle transportation, and in this helpful blog post we’re going to talk about some of those differences as well as give you some tips on how to prep your bike for transport across this vast country of ours. For starters, you need to understand that the vast majority of motorcycle transportation companies out there ship them via an enclosed method, usually crating. Crating a motorcycle is the best thing you can do to protect your bike, and what’s fantastic is that it’s still generally cheaper than shipping a vehicle the same distance. Crated shipping is generally built into your motorcycle transportation quotes, but it’s always best to double check with the transport company that gave you said quote, because sometimes the true details are hidden in the fine print.
Few auto transporters out there will ship a motorcycle via open transport services. Open transport for a motorcycle is basically just strapping it down to a flatbed trailer and hoping nothing bad happens. This may be fine if you’re hauling it for an hour or two, but if you’re going cross-country with a bike it’s a bad idea, because so many things can happen over a five-to-seven day journey (or longer – coast-to-coast motorcycle shipping can take 10-14 days). Make sure that the quotes you get are for crated services, always. When your motorcycle shipping company arrives, you’ll definitely want to do a thorough inspection of your bike before it’s loaded, even if it’s being crated. Inspect for damages – you’d be surprised at some of the things that unscrupulous auto transporters have tried to pass off as prior damage, when really the damage occurred during transport. A pre-transport inspection is required by law, so make sure to not skimp out on it.
Oh, one more thing – make sure to take pictures of your motorcycle prior to it being shipped. This is the best way to ensure that you have accurate proof of the condition your bike was in before it was transported, and will make things a million times easier if you have to file a claim. Please understand that damage during transport of a crated motorcycle is extremely rare – really, aside from some catastrophic act of God that the transporter has no control over, your motorcycle will arrive in exactly the same condition it left in. We don’t mean to scare you, or anything – it’s just important that you cover all your bases accordingly. It’s like homeowner’s insurance – even if you live in the nicest neighborhood in the city, you can never be too careful, and it’s better to be prepared than not. You can get a free motorcycle transportation quote by filling out our online quote form or calling us any time toll-free to get one over the phone.
Since 2007 Dave has written all the content and blogs for American Auto Shipping and during this time added the duties of customer support and transport logistics.
He currently resides in Washington with his three kids and their mom and cat. A fan of Marvel movies and good stories, when not shipping cars Dave can be found working on his novel, enjoying a good book or playing some tournament HALO.
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