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Shipping a Motorcycle – Preparations, Safety Measures & Cost

Sometimes, you don’t have the luxury of simply driving your motorcycle where you’re going. Maybe you’re moving and need the bike to travel separately while you transport your family, or maybe your bike simply isn’t equipped for a cross-country ride, but you still want to ride it when you get to where you’re going. 

In that case, you’re going to need to have it transported. 

This isn’t a difficult process, and it’s fairly cost-effective if you factor in the lack of having to stop for gas, or the expensive wear and tear a very long trip can put on the bike. 

Today, we’re going to go over 3 key concepts you need to understand when shipping a motorcycle: preparing the bike, keeping it safe during transport, and the overall cost you should expect. 

Preparation: 

Once you’ve found the perfect transport services company for your bike, you’re going to want to prep it for its journey. This phase is crucial. Keep in mind that your bike will go on a pallet and be secured when you drop it off at the transport service. 

Your main goal in this phase is to remove unnecessary items you can transport separately, clean the bike, and try to protect the bike as much as possible. 

Saddlebags, phone attachments, and other items can be removed. You can bring those along with you until you get to your destination. They add weight to the bike, give it a bigger profile that easily catches things while being moved around on a pallet, and just don’t serve any purpose during motorcycle transport. With that being said, if your container attachments are annoying to remove, at least empty them. This ensures you don’t have personal items on the bike. 

Cleaning the bike and protecting it can be done in one step. To prevent your bike from being exposed to rain and left in it, wash the bike thoroughly, and wax it as you normally would. Also, take time to protect your seats with Saran wrap or commercial covers. 

Find out more about preparations, safety measures and cost of shipping a motorcycle.

Safety Measures: 

The main safety measure that you personally have to abide by is draining its fluids. This not only lessens the weight of the bike, but it helps remove the risk of a fire or explosion if the transport vehicle is unfortunately wrecked. 

Getting the bike onto the pallet, securing it properly, and using the right type of transport vehicle are all measures that have to be taken, but the service typically handles that for you. 

Cost: 

On average, you will pay between $300 and $1600 to have your bike transported. There are two main factors that determine that price. 

First, distance obviously plays a role in it. The further the distance, the more it will cost. 

However, the price will also fluctuate depending on what type of transport for shipping a motorcycle you choose. An open-trailer transport tends to be a lot cheaper. However, your bike will be exposed to the elements during the entire journey. Enclosed trailers are safer for your bike, but they cost a few hundred more on average. 

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