Motorbikes Shipping

[natasha2106]

Hi all,

 

Looking for some general advice - we had our first shipping quote come in yesterday. OMG!! Good job I was sat down when I read it as I think I would of fallen over!

 

This was our first quote so are waiting for the other companies to look and give quote so we can have a comparision.

 

Anyway, both my husband and I have a motorbike each, Honda Fireblade (1999) (my baby) and hubby has GSXR 750. We asked for a quote with taking bikes and without. The price went up by nearly £2000 for us to ship the motorbikes with our household belongings. We were quoted £2700 for half a container, which we thought was quite expensive giving the fact that we are not taking any bedroom furniture or beds, very little being taken in fact. So for the quote to go to £4800 with taking the motorbikes we were just gobsmacked!

 

I have briefly looked into taking the motorbikes and I have been told by shipping co that it is not an easy task and on reading through the paperwork they gave us it does look like there are alot of hidden costs etc when we arrive with them and changes we need to make to bikes before it can be loaded onto container.

 

I have looked at prices of buying a fireblade same year as mine from oz, but the price is stupidly high! Nearly 3 times the cost of what I would get for selling mine here.

 

My question is, has anyone shipped their motorbike recently? If so, how difficult was it, is it really as bad as the shipping company make out it is?

 

I would really like some advice from anyone who has done this as my hubby is really reluctant to sell his as he has only just had a one off spray job on it and it really doesn't want to get rid - however it comes down to costs and time really.

 

Thanks

 

Natasha:arghh:

[OKMorris]

hiya

We didn't actually ship hubbies bike in the end (bandit 1200) as it all did seem very complicated. Our shipping company were only charging about £500 plus the cost to build the crate around it but you have to get an import permit(found on the SA Transport website) and this involves sending the paperwork over to Oz and waiting about a fortnight for the permit to get back.($50) You must have it steam cleaned before you send it(£60 we got quoted) then when it arives there are customs and quarantine charges to check it are about $500 and then you have to pay GST on it and they take this figure from how much they value the bike at in Oz including any charges that you have had to pay i.e. hubbys bike was worth $7000 plus the quarantine charges at $500 plus incidentals(whatever this means!!!) so all in all the GST would be about $800 - $900. we got to the stage where it would have added to the stress and we didn't bother but good luck if you are going to go for it as it has been an emotioanl process for him to let his baby go!!!

[OKMorris]

sorry forgot to say then you have to register the vehicle with Australian plates etc and we could never quite get a definitive answer of how much this would cost so can't help with this bit im afraid

[snifter]

That sounds about right for half a container and then more for bikes. A sole use 20ft container is around £4,000 these days. The odd company comes in under £4,000 but most seem to be on those lines. Some charge more.

[Guest adzm124]

Sell the bikes - hard I know, I'm about to do it too! It's not worth the time and effort, they don't want you to bring them in and make it that way so it's easier to buy an Australian one. Unless you really, really love it, or it's very rare, sell it!

Don't forget you'll be earning dollars instead, so the conversion rate is irrelevant.

Just my thoughts.

[spanners]

Sell them and get some when you are over here. Look interstate for cheaper prices. If you were bringing something like an oval pistoned NR750 or an original RC30 then maybe but for regular bikes (no matter how loved) its just not worth the effort.

Heres something else to consider and don't take it as anti bike as I had early 'Blades, fox eye 'Blades, YZF's, etc before changing and racing enduro. The driving standards here are really bad and we all heard about bikers being organ donors in the UK - here bikers get T boned left right and centre. If you can miss the dicks in their cars you'll then have to avoid roos at 150mph!.... and cops - speeding here is on a par with child molesting.

Sorry - all bad news.

[duncan-clan]

Hi i used copsey in romford i know they are very good...i brought a 20ft container from uk with a ￡20,000 snap-on toolbox plus my complete home also i used them for another 20ft container from my other home in spain but can't remember what they charged me. i know they can send bikes any where in the world and they do have a photo book of all the big and special items they have dealt with.

Oh you will love the hillside in Adelaide for bike riding. I'm up there when ever i can on my super motard

 

Alex

[Guest adzm124]

Weird isn't it, you'd assume they are all laid back because of the legendary 'no worries' and the general sunshine, but I got caught 6 hours north of Perth doing just under 90mph on cruise control, not having seen a car for an hour! Didn't realise the buggers have forward facing radar in the grilles (arse). He went mental as if I was (like you say) a kiddy-fiddler, Jeesus mate we're in the middle of nowhere? Not interested, big lecture, stay safe! Yeah whatever mate.

Super motard sound like a good idea. Unless you like lots of straightzzzzzzzzzzz...

[spanners]

adzm124 - I had the exact same scenario on the Hay Plans driving back form Canberra whilst on a Aussie reccie. Didn't then realise (but now do) that 130kph in a 110 zone in the middle of nowhere was such a crime. Now 2 years in I'm just used to driving at 50 / 60 / 90 and 110 as appropriate. Bummer isn't it.

[snivag]

As stated by OKmorris you have to get a permit to bring a bike into the country, mine was turned down 2 weeks before the container was due to be packed, no reason why, just no. Had to sell it quick, not the best outcome.

After you get all your information on the costs etc, apply sooner than later.

[Guest adzm124]

Spanners, - it sounds it, I don't really know, we don't live there yet!! Coming in Oct (to a cinema near you.......)

[keldaz]

Sell them and get some when you are over here. Look interstate for cheaper prices. If you were bringing something like an oval pistoned NR750 or an original RC30 then maybe but for regular bikes (no matter how loved) its just not worth the effort.

Heres something else to consider and don't take it as anti bike as I had early 'Blades, fox eye 'Blades, YZF's, etc before changing and racing enduro. The driving standards here are really bad and we all heard about bikers being organ donors in the UK - here bikers get T boned left right and centre. If you can miss the dicks in their cars you'll then have to avoid roos at 150mph!.... and cops - speeding here is on a par with child molesting.

Sorry - all bad news.

 

Have to agree with Spanners on this one I'm sorry to say, you would think that Aus would be fab for motorbikes with the better weather. Aussies call motorcyclists 'Temporary Australians'. When it rains here the roads turn into skidpans, on account of all the junk vehicles on the road. Trying to find a road with a decent surface is hard work. I haven't done a great deal of country driving, but the roads I've used were poor at best, with a lot of potholes and loose surface material. Don't want to sound as if I'm down on bikes, I passed my test in 87 and have had loads of bikes. When we were emigrating I looked into bringing my shiney tricked up Hornet, but after looking into cost and hassle said 'stuff that' and sold it.

As to road riding over here, where I had promised myself a sports bike next, think I'll be looking at getting a XT660 or similar, get off road basicly as much as poss. Not as exciting I know, but I like having 2 legs, they stop me falling over, lol.

[natasha2106]

Thank you all for your replies.

 

We were really looking forward to riding around oz, I had heard bits about drivers being non biker friendly but didn't realise how bad it was, especially about road conditions was expecting them to be really good surface.

Spoke to hubby both decided to sell bikes here but will enjoy the rest of summer (little that it is) and enjoy perhaps some drier winter days out on it and then sell beginning of year, if they don't sell before we fly out my dad will sell them for us.