Vincent
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Shipping
Vincent Motorcycles
(Please send in your
info/experiences !!)
Avoid
R&L Carriers and Unishippers: I recently
received $3,000 of items obviously damaged by these shippers.
Although not motorcycle parts, the experience was very revealing
about trucking companies in general and R&L and Unishippers in
particular. A company in California sent me a heavy
well-packed box of valuable items....original MSRP of $7,200,
insured for current value of $3,000. Items were wrapped in
heavy plastic, then packed/protected with soft bags of 2" thick
spongy material, then protected on all four sides with 1 1/2"
aluminized hard foam, then boxed in Heavy strong cardboard and
placed on a standard wooden pallet. I volunteered to pick up
the 210 lb box and pallet at the shipping companies loading dock 45
minutes away as my narrow historic neighborhood streets have many No
Truck Turns signs. Arriving at the warehouse, the pallet and
box were brought out by forklift. The bottom of the box had
been completely torn off and even a large section of a pallet board
was missing. Something had really hit the box and pallet
Hard. Some of the contents were completely gone and what was
there was obviously damaged. R&L's forklift driver
told me that I would not win a claim as it was poorly packed.
I was so stunned by all the damage and his statements that I signed
something, took several photos of the damage and left to figure out
what to do about the several thousand dollar loss. Huge
mistake. Never, never sign anything unless Completely
satisfied as now R&L refuses to acknowledge any liability nor
pay even token compensation. When I arrived home, I found more
serious damage inside the box that would never be evident until you
had unpacked all the contents. I guess the lessons are...
never do any favors for trucking companies by picking up a from a
warehouse as there will be no truck driver to confront with a damage
claim, completely unpack your shipment before signing anything,
photograph all damage and immediately confront the manager or driver
with a claim. Do Not accept the statements of other company
delivery personnel as they may be just trying to avoid any
responsibility. Lastly.... use FEDEX or UPS if possible as I
have friends that have had shipping issues and UPS and FEDEX have
always been ready to personally inspect any damage even after
signing for receipt of goods....and have been willing to make
good on any valid damage claim. Federal Allied is another
reputable shipping company that I have employed over the last 20+
years that believes in quickly and fairly resolving any
issues. Further details will be added until the damage claim
with R&L Carriers and Unishippers is resolved. James
9/9/2012
Inquired about shipping a Vincent twin
engine a
couple of months ago. About $540 plus cost of crate. West
coast to Manchester air freight, not a lot less by sea. The
complication regarding stating it is for repair and return is that
HMRC might check to see that it goes back. The VAT is
chargeable @ 20% of value Inc. shipping. The price you have set on
the valuation is between you and the sender, but be sensible!.....
do you have a mate/company that is vat registered to absorb the
vat? Neil 11/29/2011
Shipping back and forth:
I ship Goldstar flywheels back and forth across the pond pretty
regularly. I find the US Postal Service the most economical,
and have never lost one. (touching wood) I always get a quote from
UPS also, is usually about twice the USPS amount. If they will
be sent back to the US, always put on customs form "for repair
and return", that way your party won't have to pay a duty.
Stuart 11/28/2011
http://www.motorcycleexpress.com/
Jacqualine
Bickerstaff reports positive experience shipping from Toronto to
Gatwick in the UK.
I have
personal experience as my bike was shipped from Sydney to London
when I bought it, I made all the arrangements myself remote
through Brian Moxham at CH Robinson,
C H Robinson (UK) Ltd
Egham, Surrey
Tel : (0) 1784 228550
Fax : (0) 1784 228555
They are UK based but operate through a
network of contacts worldwide - they arranged to have the bike
collected from an address in Sydney and crated and freighted by
ship. Stuart Metcalf 12/14/09
I just shipped a Comet from
Californina to WV with www.haulbikes.com after a couple not-so-fun experiences with
discount shippers. Steve Allen, a Ducati man at
Bevelheaven, has arranged some sort of "favorable terms"
contract with them...so my recommendation is to call to
check rates and arrange shipping through him. Phone: (925)
798-2385 or E-mail:
http://www.bevelheaven.com/ Since motorcycle
shipping is HB's specialty, your bike is never transported with
any other type of freight. Your bike goes on its own custom form
with soft ties and 6 tie-downs....no crating is necessary.
My last "discount shipper" brought my Vincent shoved against
a couple mattresses and a refrigerator in a ratty high cube
van. HB also can handle custom trips/ tours and shipping
from auction houses. Their rates depend on whether picked up or
delivered to a business or residence. Mine was billed from a
business to a personal residence, although I like to meet them to
pick up a bike at either a big truck stop or local Wal-Mart
parking lot. HB uses 53' tractor trailers....not handy in a
small touristy town with many No Truck Turns signs. My no
discount price was $638 coast to
coast. Jim 8/3/09
Update 12/14/09: Although Haul-Bikes is an excellent
shipper, my latest experiences have not been so pleasant. 4
times they delayed pick-up.. Now scheduled for almost 6 weeks
later than originally promised when I paid their dues. Seems
once a contractor gets your credit card number, they forget about
you. Their work is done. I sense an opportunity here
for someone with a large truck and trailer that would carry
say...10 bikes to haul Vincents and other high dollar Classics
around the USA for $1000 or so and pick up and deliver on-time
with regular phone calls to keep customers up to date where they
are in the process.. Jim 12/14/09 After 6 delays in pickup
date....Haul Bikes just wrote: " As far as the delays, it
states clearly in our contract on page 2 that we are not
responsible and that the time frames we give are
estimates." In other words, pay no attention to their
description of when the bike will be picked up and
delivered. My take: Not good enough.
Freight Center: A person wrote a harsh review of Freight Center
which I posted and the company wrote back 2 letters of policies
and explanations. Make your own judgement on that
company.
I just got my
two Vincent engines shipped by Berkley and they did a great job. Dennis Klainberg
handled it and it came from Mike White’s house near Toranto Canada
to Texas. Mike wanted it shipped one day after he had them
crated and ready. After we got shipping arranged, Mike said
they made contact with him, and they were there when he wanted
them, had them loaded up and gone exactly when he wanted it.
They shipped them to NYC for customs, then to me where I picked
them up at the Dallas Fort Worth Airport. No problems, no
damage, easy to deal with, very reasonable prices (cheaper than I
could have driven there!). The crates looked like they
didn’t have a mark on them. No damage to anything, and a
great, quick job. Charlie 7/24/06
UK to USA:
I had the Comet shipped from north of London to New York City last
month. The shipper arranged pick-up at the residence, crating,
customs and all paperwork and I picked it up at the Port of
Elizabeth in New Jersey. Total cost was $2170 plus an additional
$50 for lift loading at the depot. I was hoping to spend less, but
would have had to be more involved with US Customs, DEP, NHTSA,
and the various other Homeland Security issues regarding
importation.
Berkley Carrier
800-254-4422
Denis
www.shipmybike.com
He's a fast talking New Yorker, and tough
to pin down, but he did take care of everything. Which is what I
was paying for. It took 5 weeks from start to pick-up.
John 5/17/05
UK to USA: If the motorcycle was
499cc or less, there is no customs duty. I shipped my Comet
from UK to USA last year by air myself for 700 pounds sterling or
about $1300 US. It took 10 minutes in Customs in Denver -
filled in a form, showed some paper work and then went to the
airline and picked it up. Peter 5/17/05
Importing to the US:
I've
imported
a couple of bikes, one from Australia and another from the UK.
I did all the paper work, customs, etc. myself when they arrived and
found it no problem. The biggest hurdle is the EPA junk but
that only applies if the bike was built after those regulations went
into effect (I think 1975).
My experience has been that arranging with a shipper at the
departure end is less expensive than working with someone in the
US who in turn must work with someone in the departure
country. Everyone has to make a dime and in that case and
the price increases. Larry Carlson 5/17/05
I am having a Comet shipped from London area to NYC as we speak. It is a complete machine, and the shipping broker
is arranging all of the pick-up, crating, and documents for it to
clear the UK and arrive, ready to pick up at the Port of Entry (in
this case, Elizabeth, NJ).
Berklay Cargo Services
1-800-254 4422
www.Berklay.com
This is not the cheap way, if fact it is
bloody expensive. But between the customs, and MOT in the UK and
all of the other paperwork, it probably is a wash with doing it
myself. John 3/12/05
Shipping a Petrol tank or other item to
Australia: You can not use wood unless it's of
the type approved by the Australian customs, which has been
chemically treated to prevent any types of insects parasites plant
life etc from hitching a ride. Even if you find a sheet of this
stuff, then cut it up to size to build a box, they wont accept it
because the freshly cut ends have not been chemically treated.
Your options are then to have the whole box fumigated and
quarantined. I would strongly recommend an oversize plastic or
Rubbermaid/Tupperware 'tote' container of some type. I know this
because I went through most of these steps when shipping my
Norton/Norvin chassis off to Aussie. No wood or wood product
materials are accepted, unless it bears an manufacturers stamps
saying it meets or exceeds the Aussie shipping requirements.
In the end the plastic totes are about as much as building a proper
crate from scratch. Marc 2/16/04
http://www.popupcrate.com/freight_pop-up_crate_standard.htm
10/24/03
Federal Allied: 800-747-4100 ask for Jackie x210. Federal
ships all around the USA and now into Canada. Vincent Twin,
uncrated, door-to-door, private parties at each end, about $700
for 2800 miles. Bike is tied down onto a special pallet. Good
personalized tracking system with 24 hour advance warning of
delivery. In Canada, you may want to get another estimate
from a second local associated Federal Allied agent as I
have been quoted different rates even though same parent company.
jim 11/17/02.
Interesting option to building a shipping crate.
http://www.popupcrate.com Bruce 11/17/02
forwardair.com is the website for Forward Air. They basically
are a biker friendly trucking company that will ship a crated
Vincent and parts USA coast-to-coast in less than a week for
approximately $100 per 100 pounds (about $500 for crated
Vincent). They have 75 terminals in the US and Canada near
major airports with good US coverage except for Montana, Nebraska,
the Dakotas, and Idaho. Local Harley dealers seem a good source of
suitable crates. You can start with a basic large crate from
any bike dealer and reinforce it with plywood sides and top.
If you are sending just an engine or a large crate of parts, it is
a good idea to start with a strong shipping pallet and build your
crate attached to the top...fork-lift friendly and a strong
non-twisting base. Also the pallet base is a standard shipping
size. jim 4/16/02 ( updated 8/2009)
MotoTrans:
is a door-to-door shipper of uncrated motorcycles.
Rates are posted online at www.mototrans.com . Boston to Florida
looks like about $400. jim 6/23/02
December of 2001 I had my
Norvin with a spare engine and various other parts sent from
Manchester, England to San Francisco. Initially I had called
several companies from California trying to arrange shipping, but
it was futile. For example,
Delta would have handled the job for a few
hundred dollars, but their nearest agent is in London--not
Manchester--even though they have "partner" airlines and daily
passenger service into Manchester. Likewise, Emery
(theoretically) would have flown into Sacramento for a few hundred
dollars--but could not be located at the Manchester end at all by
Glyn .
Glyn finally used a freight forwarder, EGL (Eagle Global Logistics), from Manchester
via London Heathrow directly to SFO, arriving on a Virgin cargo
carrier. The bike was on a pallet with a separate crate
containing an engine and other bits for a combined weight of
some 355Kg. Glyn prepaid £537 and I had to pay an
additional $35(?), which was 1/2 of the $70(?) due because they
had lost the waybill. For comparison sake, Air Transat,
which I had a really cheap rate from sending the bike from
Vancouver, BC to Manchester two years ago, wanted US$1100 back
to Vancouver and an additional US$800 to San Francisco.
My research established that most freight
carriers have NO interest in non-commercial traffic--and as
noted above, can be very
elusive even if you 'qualify' for their
services (I have a company, and the bike was picked up at a
commercial site). After my
experience, I suggest going through a
freight forwarder. In the future I know I shall.
John 2/19/02
Hi there, I just noticed your
web page and thought I should update and give you new information
on the intra-Canada and
Canada to USA/USA to Canada uncrated shipping service. We at Allied Mont Bruno/Lakeshore are the
company that has this specialized service. We are affiliated to
Allied, as is Federal, except that they service within the USA
only. Heidi Stewart is our Canadian Operations manager. We are the
official carrier of the HOG group, among many others. Dave
Urman. Local Phone: 514-336-1212 and toll free Phone:
877-336-1212. E-mail: www.brunolake.com/moto.htm
8/23/01
Crating:
When I shipped my bike to England for the International, I used
Air Canada out of Toronto. They shipped it in and out of Heathrow.
They strapped they bike onto a pallet going over to England.
Coming back, they put it in a small container just large enough
for the bike. I found their service excellent. Maybe Air Canada
can arrange flying in and out of Heathrow also for you Limey guys
in 2003! Their charge was about $550 American.
Tom 8/23/01
It has been my experience in
shipping from the US to the UK and back that a "crate" has
different definitions. The shipping companies I have dealt with
accept a pallet, as it can be easily lifted by a fork truck. In
the US I found Harley dealers willingly give you pallets, while in
the UK they told me, "Oh, they're quite difficult to build matey,
so we'll have to sell it to you." The Harley dealers also
have, literally, hundreds of tie-downs on hand they have received
from the factory. After putting the bike on a pallet it is
not a bad idea to wrap it in clear plastic, cheap and
effective. Carl 8/22/01
None of the companies I have spoken with would
consider that a "crate". Some (not all) will ship on a pallet as you
described, but it is considerably more expensive (and risky) owing
to the much-increased possibility of damage. When you are
told (as I have been more than once) that the crate must enclose
the motorcycle and that it not be visible, a pallet and plastic
wrap is NOT satisfactory. I can tell you that my bike would
NOT have been allowed to leave the UK as you described.
Furthermore, when I shipped my bike to Oregon and back for the
National this year I was explicitly told that it had to be crated
and the crate had to be either metal or plywood covered, top,
bottom, and sides. Along with that, it cost me a total of
$440 round trip - a much better price than the $700 or so to ship
it uncrated ("palletized") one way. David
8/22/01
Try Geologisitics they are accustomed to "particular" shipping
requirements. I manage the logisitcs of touring productions
which add up to about a quantity 43- 53' tractor trailers. They've
moved time sensitive, delicate goods for our company numerous
times from the UK, Europe, Asia, to and from the U.S and Canada.
They also provide brokerage services and they can deal with
crating should it be required. You can ship by plane, or boat and
you can trust your Vincent to them.
www.geologistics.com Marc 8/22/01
I have some experience in international Vincent shipping: twice round trip to the UK from the US (1983,
1999), twice one way from the UK to the US (1983, 2000).
Most recent RT was for the International in the IOM. It has
been my experience that it WILL be expensive, but it is quite
possible to do what you wish. I don't know about other
airlines, but Lufthansa will ship uncrated bikes to and from
London to the US East Coast. I think they probably have a
flight from LA to London over the
Pole that would do for you. You can
check their schedule and see. There are aslo several US firms that
advertise uncrated international shipping, and you can check
www.the vincent.com (go to shipping) for some of them.
What you will also need is a customs broker
at each end to handle all the details. It can be done
without one, but (especially for foreigner) it would be easier
and a wise investment to hire one. Get your freight
forwarder in the UK to recommend one in both your ports of entry
and departure. I can provide a recommendation for a
shipper at Heathrow whom I used with very satisfactory results
to send my Norvin from London to Maryland. It is better to
use a crate, but that would be very difficult on the return
unless you shipped your crqate to your port of exit and then
paid to have it stored. Your Customs Broker can figure
it out and tell you the costs and
options. You can get a crate in the UK for very little
from your local Suzuki shop (my last one cost two pints) and
then discard it on your arrival by paying for disposal (about
$20).
My experience with Canadian imports is old
and may be outdated - but the authorities required a substantial
refundable cash bond to bring a bike in by ship or air.
They wanted to guarantee that it would not be sold. When I left
the country I applied to get the money back, and did. To
my knowledge the US requires no such bond, but I think
does require EPA and DOT certifications even though you will be
exempt from them.
For the international round trip from
Dulles (Virginia) to London and then by truck to Manchester it
cost me about $1800 round trip. But the bike had to be
crated to go from London to Manchester and back. It did
not need to be crated for the trip to London.
David 8/22/01
Hi Jim:
We're www.motoship.com and
www.motorcycleshipping.com, specializing in international shipments of motorcycles ,
since 1965. We ship a Vincent here and
there every so often; we move a few this summer to the
Isle of Mann for some folks,
and we've shipped for the Guggenheim
Museum's "Art of the Motorcycle" exhibit. Hoping we
can help your constituents, esp. to and from Europe, Hawaii,
Alaska, Puerto Rico, etc.
At your service,
Dennis Berklay
www.shipmybike.com
www.motoship.com
8/13/01
http://www.micapeak.com/~marcl/pages/shipbike.html
Good info on experiences
For International Shipping: AG Logistics
Joel Kebuti is John Ulver's contact and can be reached
via email at: joel@aglogistics.ca
Motorcycle Express
International Uncrated Airfreight to Europe,
Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
1-800-245-8726
516-682-9220
E-Mail: info@motorcycleexpress.com
Firstly there is a Motorcycle Yellow Pages at
www.micapeak.com that mentions some shipping outfits. I have
shipped bikes using a company called Federal Allied
with great success. This within the US, uncrated. Shipping
is broken into two prices, one 750cc and over, one under
that. A Spokane to Atlanta movement of my Guzzi 1100Sport
was somewhere in the range of $500. Very reasonable, I
thought, especially as it included $5000. in insurance. I
know for a fact that they move 10-15K bikes during the weeks of
bikeweek in Daytona, most of these owned by prickly HD
types, so they are used to the complaints and therefore very
careful. The specifics are as follows:
Federal/Allied 800- 747- 4100 (ask for Jackie x210 - updated contact 11/17/02) Glenn 02/02/01
Hi Jim:
Noticed your desire to do a shipping page
for bikes. I have shipped bikes four times: twice round
trip from US to UK, twice one way from the UK to US. Never
within the US. The round trips were in 1983 and
1999, both by air. The first was to carry the bike as excess
baggage out of Vancouver BC to Manchester. It worked very
well, but the airline that did it (CPAir) is now out of
business. The second was by
Lufthansa out of Dulles to
London and then by truck in bond to Manchester. In neither
case was there a problem. However, it was very expensive
in 1999 ($1800US) partly because I used a customs broker at each
end. It can be done without a broker's help, but I did not
and do not feel comfortable without one. The paper work is
pretty complicated. The bottom line is that you can use
any airline that will carry the bike, but the freight forwarder
knows all kinds of information that will make things go more
smoothly. There are lots of requirements, some of them not so
obvious - for instance, a motorcycle, even with the gas tank
drained and the battery disconnected, is a hazardous shipment.
The two bikes shipped one-way were both
imported to the US, so they were more complicated than the round
trip ones, because they had to satisfy the EPA/DOT requirements
plus customs duties etc.
Within the US should be easier but not
necessarily less expensive. You may still have crating
problems. A Suzuki (large displacement) steel-frame crate
fits a Vincent perfectly, and can be obtained for practically
nothing from your local m/c dealer who will be happy to get get
rid of it. David 02/01/01
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