Shipping the bike from South East Asia to Australia is pretty simple and straightforward if you know the steps and tricks. None of these steps are difficult, just exercise some common sense, vigilance, and oversight, and you will get an adequate and less expensive result. NOTE: All prices discussed in this post are US dollars, which is the official currency of Timor-Leste and me.
Pic: Seems obvious how BMW Determines the maximum length and height of their motorcycles. Relax the suspension and take the bike from the center stand, and two bike crates will fit perfectly, one on top of the other.
First, there is only one shipper, ANL, so you are at their mercy. Additionally, there is one consolidator (they operate under three names, Bollore/SDV/FEdEx), so you are at their mercy too. You might say that you are at the mercy of an organization that has a monopoly that is at the mercy of another organization that has a monopoly. Soooo, as far as negotiations go, you are not exactly in a power position. That being said, there are ways to shave down the price which I will got through in a bit.
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First, there is only one shipper, ANL, so you are at their mercy. Additionally, there is one consolidator (they operate under three names, Bollore/SDV/FEdEx), so you are at their mercy too. You might say that you are at the mercy of an organization that has a monopoly that is at the mercy of another organization that has a monopoly. Soooo, as far as negotiations go, you are not exactly in a power position. That being said, there are ways to shave down the price which I will got through in a bit.
Shipping Methods
There are three options to ship the motorcycle:
- Consolidated (in a container with other materials)
- Dedicated container
- On a pallet
The least expensive, and slowest method, is consolidated. This is slowest method as the shipper has to find other shipments to fill the container, and cheapest because the costs are spread over multiple shippers. With regards to shipping time, If you are first one in, then you have to wait a while for other shipments to show up. On the other hand, if you are last one in, you have the luck of the shipment being relatively fast. During my shipping research, I talked with guys who took between 10 days and two months to get their bikes shipped. As far as my bike goes, unluckily, I was first one in, luckily another sender showed up and filled the remainder of the container later that week.
The fastest, and most expensive option, is a dedicated container or strapped to a pallet. I personally do not mind my bike being strapped to a pallet when on a plane, but not real confident about that method on a giant cargo ship with yard arms swing around, so I did not inquire about pricing or schedules for this option. The dedicated container is a good idea if money is not an issue or you are riding with a group that can share costs. The math actually works out that with three bikes, it will be cheaper (and easier) to get your own container. .
Pricing
The fastest, and most expensive option, is a dedicated container or strapped to a pallet. I personally do not mind my bike being strapped to a pallet when on a plane, but not real confident about that method on a giant cargo ship with yard arms swing around, so I did not inquire about pricing or schedules for this option. The dedicated container is a good idea if money is not an issue or you are riding with a group that can share costs. The math actually works out that with three bikes, it will be cheaper (and easier) to get your own container. .
Pricing
The price for a BMW R1200GS (504 lbs), two full 48L boxes, helmet, tank bag, and a camping roll in the consolidated container was $640, whereas the dedicated container would have been $1800. I of course being a cheap person went with consolidation. Do to the luck of my container being filled quickly, the shipping time was the same regardless of the method used.
Some Tricks
Now for the tricks of the trade, the original price I was quoted was $917, $277 higher than what I actually paid. This is how I shaved the price. The shipping fee is calculated by measurement (i.e. length, width, and height), not weight, which surprised me a bit; I thought it would be a factor of both. When Bollore first measured the bike, I was not there, and they calculated the volume to be 2.36 cubic meters. I insisted they re-measure the bike in front of me (be persistent as they will tell you a centimeter here or there does not matter, it clearly does) and I found out that their measurements included the windscreen and mirrors in the height, and the two boxes (aka panniers) in the width. Reminding them that those items are removable (which of course they knew as they ship bikes all the time) and they can stowed up next to the front and back wheel of the wheel and on the seat. I was able to reduce the cubic meter calculation to 2.04, which brought the price down to $715. After further inquiry, I found that they were charging $75 to strap the bike in the container, a service that I am allowed to provide, and did, bringing the final price down to $640. One of the adventure riders I ran into in Timor-Leste shipped a Tenere 660 (a smaller bike) the same way, his bill was $800, so it pays to be vigilant during this step.
Contact Information for Bollore: antonio.magno@bollore.com
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ReplyDeleteSounds like a consolidated container is the way to go ... I wonder if this is the same as sharing a container with another party that's also shipping? In my experience, weight has been a factor in the cost though. I can't imagine something like a Harley would cost the same as a Yamaha for ex. If anyone is curious about shipping costs, A1Auto Transport's motorcycle shipping page has information about pricing for shipments to all corners of the world. If your destination isn't listed, you can email or call them for a price quote, which is free of charge. I'd definitely recommend knowing how much you can expect to pay, as well as the documents and requirements for shipping if you plan to ship a bike between two countries. Depending on where you're going there can be quite a few hoops to jump through!
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