We’ve said it before, at Autoshippers it’s not all cars, cars, cars! We have a motorcycle shipping service that is second to none, and we pride ourselves in the way that we crate motorbikes and scooters ensuring their safety and security during transit.
If you have a motorbike to ship to the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada or any other serviced destination across the globe, then take a look at the packing process undertaken when you book through Autoshippers.
Below is a picture of a glorious 1961 Lambretta TV175 in mint condition that we recently had the pleasure of shipping for a regular customer of ours. His passion is for 1950s and 1960s Lambretta and Vespa scooters and not only ships bikes but also memorabilia such as vintage signs.
We can follow the journey of this Lambretta scooter so that you can see from start to finish the process in shipping motorbikes with Autoshippers. This photograph was taken when the bike arrived at our warehouse in Bristol after being collected from the London area by our specialist motorbike collection partner.
Quoting to Ship a Motorbike Overseas
The process begins when we receive your initial quotation request. All of the crates that we use to pack motorbikes are bespoke, made to measure, so that we are able to secure your bike as safely as possible. When you send your quotation request to us, we will need to have dimensions so that we know the size crate required, so please can you ensure you include these on the quote form.
If you have other items to move with the bike, such as panniers, helmets or other related items, then please let us know as soon as possible. Our drivers are able to pick these up, but we need to know in advance. We also need to know the approximate size of these items as this may affect the size of the crate needed.
Your quotation will include collection, if you have stipulated this on your request with the full collection address, freight from the UK to the arrival port overseas, and the cost of crating your bike. Once we have your booking, and full details of the value of your bike and the insurance policy that best meets your requirements, we can also advise you of the cost of your marine insurance.
Autoshippers Nationwide Collection Service
Although you have the option of delivering your motorbike to one of our packing warehouses in the UK, we do also have a service that you can use to collect from anywhere in the country. We use specialised motorbike collection services to ensure that they know exactly how to collect, load and deliver to ensure the safety and security of your motorbike.
Your bike is photographed and checked on collection, and again when it is delivered into our warehouse. Once in the packing warehouse a thorough Vehicle Condition Report is undertaken, ensuring that you are covered for marine insurance via one of the policies that we offer from our specialist insurance broker.
Once arrived, we check the dimensions of your motorbike along with any other items that you are shipping, and won’t order the bespoke crate until we are sure that we have double checked that we have the correct sizes. Your motorbike is then held in our secure, alarmed warehouse, within a gated complex which has 24 hour security. If there are any keys, they are kept in a safe, separate from your motorbike to assist with the security.
Please ensure that no registration documentation is kept with your motorbike, as this may be needed for the import Customs Clearance and your crate will not be accessible until released from Customs.
Crating a Motorbike for Shipping Overseas
First of all, your bike is positioned on a solid, machine base, wooden floor with 3” x 4” runners. The kick-stand and wheels are then secured to the base using wooden chocks which are screwed into place, to prevent movement via shipping. All wood used is ISPM15 compliant, which means that it is suitable for international shipping.
We use 90mm hex head steel screws, making sure that all wooden chocks remain in place, and add polystyrene sheeting to further protect the bike. High tenacity polyester ratchet straps, with break strain of 500-800kgs, are used to secure your motorbike to the base of the crate, and these are also chocked into place using ISPM15 compliant wooden chocks and 90mm hex head steel screws.
Wooden side panels are then secured to the base, using 70mm hex head steel screws and, where necessary, extra padding is added to protect your bike (for example on handlebars) Your motorbike is then covered in clear plastic for even more protection.
Padded timber supports are secured along the top of the crate, for extra structural support, before the top of the crate is secured using 70mm hex head steel screws. Finally, markings are added to the outside of the crate for identification purposes, the crate is strap banded with a security seal attached ready for shipping.
So that you can see the whole process, here is the YouTube video of our regular customer’s Lambretta being crated for export shipping. We also have other videos available on our YouTube site and website, which shows that we are able to accommodate secure crating for all shapes and sizes of motorbike.
Shipping a Motorbike Overseas
Once your motorbike is safely ensconced into it’s made to measure crate, it is booked to ship overseas with one of our freight agents. We use commercial freight forwarders and shipping lines, who have regular scheduled services, often with weekly departures.
As your motorbike is fully crated, it can be loaded alongside commercial cargo into shipping containers. During the shipping process, there are multiple points in transit in which LCL (less than container load) cargo is handled, even if shipped in a container.
Our crating ensures that your motorbike can be handled safely using fork lift trucks and manual pallet trucks without the need to actually handle the motorbike itself. The crate also makes sure that your motorbike isn’t open to the elements whilst loading/unloading from any vehicles on the way, as well as during the journey over the sea.
What Happens When Your Motorbike Arrives?
Your motorbike will most likely remain inside the shipping container until it reaches a warehouse close to your final destination, depending on the country that you are shipping to. The crate is then safely removed from the container, again using fork lift trucks or manual pallet trucks, and stored in the warehouse pending Customs release.
We will introduce you to agents at your destination, who can assist with the Customs clearance process, and also can confirm the additional costs that are incurred for this process as well as handling, and delivery if required.
You can choose to have your motorbike uncrated at the warehouse, so that it is available for you to collect, or to have delivery whilst still crated. If you decide to have your motorbike delivered whilst still crated, it is loaded onto a vehicle and will arrive with you looking exactly the same as when it was shipped.
Then the crate can be dismantled at your leisure, and you can watch as your motorbike emerges from its protective wooden crate. Below are photographs of the 1961 Lambretta TV175 arriving, still in perfect condition, to a very happy customer.
Autoshippers Motorbike Shipping Services
So, there you have it. We aren’t aware of anyone else securing and crating motorbikes in the same manner that we do, and it isn’t just the classic, rare or expensive bikes that get this rock star treatment, our quotations for all motorbikes include crating to this high standard.
Don’t just take our word for it, our regular customer for whom we shipped this Lambretta (amongst others) is also suitably impressed by our crating and shipping process;
He told us that his “….scooters arrived beautifully. Did not move an inch in the crate and arrived with no damage at all. The scooters that I have you move are mostly from the 1950s and 1960s and are rare and difficult to repair or find replacement parts. Very happy with the crating and delivery”
If you’d like to have a quotation to ship your motorbike, then please fill out our quotation form with all your details. Alternatively, you can call us on +44117 982 8123 / 0800 389 0784 or fill out the contact form on our website.
Your motorbike can then take the same journey as this classic example of Italian scooter history.
