Shipping a motorcycle over long distances can be challenging. You might not know which shipping method to choose, which carrier to trust, or which quote to believe.
With thousands of miles ahead, it’s essential to understand the shipping process and transportation cost before making a decision.
Today, we’ll walk you through 5 tips that’ll help you safely ship your bike across long distances. We’ll also discuss how you can get the most affordable motorcycle shipping rates possible. Let’s dive in.
Table of Contents
1. Prepare Your Motorcycle
When it comes to motorcycle shipping, preparation is key. After all, your motorcycle might travel over a long distance on a trailer or in a container. So, you must ensure that you’ve taken every precaution to protect it from natural elements, sudden movements, and other potential hazards.
Here’s everything you need to do:
- Thoroughly clean your motorcycle; make sure you remove the dirt and grime – this will help you during the inspection phase.
- Remove all loose items, such as mirrors, GPS trackers, safety alarms, and other personal items, as these may not be covered under shipping insurance!
- Next, drain all fluids, such as fuel, oil, transmission liquids, and brake liquids. You can leave around a quarter gallon of gas in the tank so that the shippers can move it during emergencies.
Once this is done, take pictures of your motorcycle from different angles so that you can compare it when it arrives at your desired destination.
2. Choose the Right Shipping Method
There are three different methods you can choose from to ship your motorcycle across the country. These include:
- Open Trailer Shipping: Your motorcycle will be shipped on an open trailer with several others along a common route. This method is usually the most affordable, but it might also take the longest to deliver your motorcycle.
- Enclosed Shipping: Through this method, your motorcycle will travel in an enclosed container along a common route. However, it will be protected from natural elements and other hazards that accompany open trailer shipping. You can expect to pay slightly more for enclosed motorcycle shipping than open-trailer transportation.
- Expedited Shipping: If you need your motorcycle to arrive at a destination on a tight schedule, this is the method you should choose. Through it, your motorcycle will be shipped as soon as possible along the fastest route available. But it will cost you premium shipping prices.
You can select the shipping method based on your budget, shipping requirements, motorcycle value and condition, and the schedule you’re working with.
3. Compare Different Quotes
Motorcycle shipping rates may vary depending on the carrier you’re working with. They could also differ based on the services you’re requesting. So, you should always request multiple quotes from regional and national carriers to see who is offering the best prices.
Here are the different factors that will affect your motorcycle shipping rates:
- Distance to destination
- The weight, make, and model of your motorcycle
- The location of your destination – rural or urban, well-connected or poorly-connected
- Prevailing fuel prices and surcharge
- Insurance costs
- White-glove handling and residential delivery
You should also check the reputation of different carriers to understand whether you can trust them to safely ship your motorcycle. Plus, all carriers usually have a customer review page that you can check to understand the experiences of other shippers.
4. Always Get the Best Insurance Coverage
Whenever you’re shipping your motorcycle, there’s always a risk of accidental damage. This could be due to poorly maintained roads, turbulent weather, or mishandling. While you can’t prevent every possibility, you can eliminate every chance of financial damage.
To do so, ensure that your carrier offers adequate insurance coverage to cover the cost of accidental damage. You should also ask if you can upgrade your insurance coverage by paying a little extra. After all, you save thousands by paying just a little more premium.
5. Use a Shipping Marketplace
The best way to get the cheapest motorcycle shipping rates is to compare different carriers in the same place through a shipping marketplace. Here’s how it works:
- Visit a shipping marketplace
- Enter the details of your motorcycle shipping requirements
- Request commitment-free quotes
- Compare different quotes based on their prices and services in one place
- Select your preferred motorcycle shipping company
- Ship your motorcycle hassle-free
Using a shipping marketplace will save you the time, money, and effort required to compare different carriers to get the best motorcycle shipping quotes.
Get the Best Shipping Rates for Your Motorcycle!
We’ve covered the 5 tips you can use to ship your motorcycle and get the best motorcycle shipping quotes. To recap, you must thoroughly clean your motorcycle, choose the correct shipping method, compare multiple quotes, get adequate insurance coverage, and use a shipping marketplace.
Remember, the safest and most affordable way to ship your motorcycle is to make a checklist of all the services you need, get multiple quotes, and work with a carrier that offers all the services you need!