When shipping your motorcycle cross-country, one issue you might worry about is how long it will take you to get the bike to its destination. If you would like to have your personal motorcycle delivered ASAP, or a certain date, then you may need to transport it yourself, or contract with a shipping company known for prompt deliveries. If you opt for door-to-door motorcycle transportation, your freight company will take (and load) your motorcycle, move it, and drop it off at your new destination. A professional motorcycle transportation company generally provides a complete service, picking up and dropping your bike at your chosen location, taking as little time as possible away from you.
Freight companies, professional motorcycle shippers, and independent haulers usually will have some insurance for your motorcycle. You will also find motorcycle transport services may be able to give you door-to-door services. In most cases, longer transport trips will cost per mile, but your Motorcycle Shipping Service Provider can also provide you with a fixed rate for transporting your motorbike.
When you opt for a Ready-to-Ride shipping option, you do not have to prep your bike for shipment. Before your bike shipping company arrives to collect your bike at your scheduled date and time, there is one major thing that you will want to do in advance: Prepare your motorcycle for transportation. Whether you are moving across state lines, or buying your motorcycle online, the shipping process is pretty straightforward. To start the transportation process, you will need to find a vehicle transport company first.
Ultimately, it becomes a matter of if your motorcycle is suitable to transport with the moving company that you decide to employ. Whichever route you decide to take, you are going to have to know how to load your motorcycle in the moving van first, then how to secure it on that trucks flatbed.
While not every moving truck rental service will let you pack your motorcycle in the back of a truck, some will. If you are planning on renting a moving truck for the rest of the move, renting a motorcycle trailer may work just as well. Moving your own bike may be cheaper than the other options, too, but this depends on the distance and if you already have a truck with a good setup.
If you are looking for an inexpensive, DIY option for moving your bike, renting a moving truck may be a better option. Choosing a full-service moving company that can transport your bike, as well as all of your other items, offers more convenience. It may not be the cheapest way to move a motorcycle, but if you are moving something larger than a bike, then this may make more sense. Shipping a motorcycle is a convenient and affordable way to transport a motorcycle over a large distance.
You will soon learn that a lot of companies claim they are shipping motorcycles, but most of them do not have the specialized equipment and training necessary to transport your bike securely. If the company does not have the right equipment to transport your bike, then it is likely that it will direct you to the company that it has partnered with to carry the vehicle. While some moving companies might say that they can move a motorcycle, chances are that they lack the experience that you want when it comes to handling such a costly piece of machinery. If they are not experienced or adequately trained on best practices when moving with a motorcycle, your bike may end up getting scraped or severely damaged in transit.
The carriers moving your motorcycle may be willing to offer you a lower rate for moving your motorcycle, since they have other loads that need moving on the same route. If you are looking to move a motorcycle on a closed-top trailer, shipping it on that is going to cost you more than shipping it open-air. You are more likely to find a car shipping company that offers an open-air trailer for transportation faster and easier.
If you are moving your motorcycle just for a short distance — let us say just a few hundred miles, which you would travel in one day and in a single trip — you might be comfortable shipping the bike in an open trailer. Shipping your bike yourself does not necessarily save you money, once trailer rental fees, gear costs for stabilizing your bike, and even hotel and food costs are taken into account if the trip is several days. The truth is, considering gas, meal costs, and other transportation expenses, it is certainly far more economical to hire a professional motorcycle shipping company or full-service moving company to handle this stress-filled job. Since somebody has a lot to deal with when moving, choosing to hire a motorcycle moving company is their best bet.
Before agreeing to put your faith in the bike moving company to transport your bicycle to a different area in the country, you will want to find out what will the transportation services ultimately cost you. An experienced motorcycle moving company can give you a rough cost for the shipment, which you can then compare with other quotes. You will want to find a motorcycle dispatcher that is capable of providing a precise, fair quote with no extra costs or commitments. Search for motorcycle or car transport companies online, and ask for multiple quotes on your move.
Say, if the destination address happens to be a residential neighborhood with tight streets, dead-end streets, or restrictions on large moving trucks, your motorcycle moving company will make arrangements to meet you at a nearby parking lot, where you can pick up the bike. That leaves bike shipping as the valid option to take your motorcycle from Point A to Point B. Bike shipping is usually the most trouble-free, less-fearful option to transport your bike to its new destination.
