Shipping to Rome (my research + top 3 options = plz help me?) | GTAMotorcycle.com

Shipping to Rome (my research + top 3 options = plz help me?)

adri

adri

Well-known member
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EDIT: Looks like there was a price change I did not previously see

Looking to ship my motorcycle to Italy to ride across the country this spring. These are the top 3 options that I found. Could you please give any advice/share any relevant experiences to help me decide? I want to pull the trigger Monday so I can start booking airfare, etc.

-------- OPTION 1 --------

1) Baggage2fly.com - $1,400 CAD I would need to have a local company do the dangerous good declaration ($150 CAD + a little extra running around). They fly Air Transat.

$1,550 it's my best price. I saw them mentioned on advrider but no one has shared any experiences about them. Don't know if I can trust them.

-------- OPTION 2 --------


2) Airmarinecargo.com - $2,250 CAD Toronto to Rome (via Calgary). They do the dangerous goods declaration. They fly West Jet.

I saw them mentioned on horizons unlimited, but again, no reviews. I'm okay with the price but I don't know if I can trust them either.

-------- OPTION 3 --------

3) Motorcycle Express - quoted me $1,400 USD (about $1,920 CAD!) for Toronto to Rome. They take care of the dangerous goods declaration. They fly West Jet.

They have many great reviews on advrider and from people I've met personally. Looks like the winner?

-------- WHAT THE **** DO I DO? --------

Please let me know if you have any experience with any of these companies, especially the first two, and what you would recommend for me.

Thanks!

PS: Also attaching a screen shot with some of the other quotes which go up to $7k, oouff!
 

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Depending on how long you are staying in Europe, how do rentals compare? $4k will get you 20 days of rentals and do you could rent bikes in different regions and not have a bike for the full time you are there.

Another option if you’re there for a longer duration (8weeks or more) is to purchase and trade back when you leave.

The are a few companies that handle this and can get insurance and documents required.

have not used this company but more for information only and nit in Italy.

www.advrider.com

NEW EU, Balkans, Turkey GREEN CARD provider + BIKE STORAGE + BIKE PURCHASE

Where do people get PCR Covid test for flight home? Do you know cost and how long it takes to get results? And if there is a positive test, is the paid...
www.advrider.com www.advrider.com
 
STARSHIP said:
have not used this company but more for information only:

www.advrider.com

NEW EU, Balkans, Turkey GREEN CARD provider + BIKE STORAGE + BIKE PURCHASE

Where do people get PCR Covid test for flight home? Do you know cost and how long it takes to get results? And if there is a positive test, is the paid...
www.advrider.com www.advrider.com
Click to expand...

Haha, I know Dooby. From the old country - Croatia.

Other companies offering full-service insurance/storage are Knopf in Germany (one of my friends and ex-GTAMer has kept a motorcycle there for over a decade. - $$$ though) and MotoCamp in Bulgaria. My buddy used to work at MotoCamp running moto tours for them. The Bulgarian option is nice because it neatly avoids Schengen Zone over-stay complications since Bulgaria is not in the Schengen Zone. Only you need to be out of the SZ, not your bike, but if there are any bike/paperwork/admin issues during pick-up/drop-off at least you can take care of that business and not eat into your riding time in the SZ.
 
Last edited:
STARSHIP said:
Depending on how long you are staying in Europe, how do rentals compare? $4k will get you 20 days of rentals and do you could rent bikes in different regions and not have a bike for the full time you are there.

Another option if you’re there for a longer duration (8weeks or more) is to purchase and trade back when you leave.
Click to expand...

The biggest drawback with the rental/buyback scheme is that your vacation has to be a round trip. You spend half your distance riding out and the other half riding back to your point of origin to return the bike. Not that bad with the autobahn/autoroute/autovias in Europe, you can cross 3-4 countries in a day if you really hoof it, but it does add an element of back-tracking.

With shipping, your origin and departure can be different places in Europe, and you don't have to set an end-date or place until your boots/wheels are on the ground, and you've gotten a chance to get a feel of the pace and where you want to go. Rather than have your feet held to the fire to make it to a hard date/place before you've even gotten there.
 
Hey guys - :rolleyes: uhhhhmmmm.... I ****** up! 😁

It looks like since I first checked Motorcycle Express, their prices changed, but the person helping me didn't mention anything, and I almost missed it.

New Motorcycle Express price is $1,400 USD if you aren't flying with Transat, -$100 if you are flying with Transat, and -$100 if you book before end of March, so basically $1,300 USD ($1784 CAD) or maybe even $1,200 USD.

Considering that it's the one Lightcycle has had good experiences with, and I've probably been annoying the **** out of him with my questions every couple weeks for like two months now lol (sorry man), I think that's the right pick for me!
 
Yup, also want to give a shout to ViaMar for the really good sea rate. Lightcycle has shared a good deal about his misdaventures with sea, enough to scare me off, but if/when I decide to ship the bike back to Canada I will definitely reach out to them.
 
I also used Motorcycle Express to ship my CB500x to Calgary in 2019 and there was no drama. Can't comment on out of country tho. ( We used Air Canada previously )
Just be careful to get the fuel level as low as possible - my gauge said 1/8th remaining but in reality there was a crazy reserve on the bike that exceeded the allowed limit.
I was VERY glad of that reserve crossing Rogers Pass. Good luck...Italy looks lovely to ride in (been following Got2Go ) but you couldn't pay me to ride in Rome :eek:
 
MacDoc said:
I also used Motorcycle Express to ship my CB500x to Calgary in 2019 and there was no drama. Can't comment on out of country tho. ( We used Air Canada previously )
Just be careful to get the fuel level as low as possible - my gauge said 1/8th remaining but in reality there was a crazy reserve on the bike that exceeded the allowed limit.
I was VERY glad of that reserve crossing Rogers Pass. Good luck...Italy looks lovely to ride in (been following Got2Go ) but you couldn't pay me to ride in Rome :eek:
Click to expand...
I've driven in Rome. I lost my sh*t!
Driving in the country in Italy is wonderful. Florence is a little intimidating. Rome is insane and I would never do it again.
 
Lot of good info there and certainly seems buying a bike in Sweden makes sense then reselling,
f you want to buy and resell a bike in Europe, be aware that unless you are a resident/citizen, most countries registration requirements are that you export the
bike within a certain amount of time, and you may not be able to register the bike
in another country.

Met some Aussies in Norway who bought and registered their bikes in Sweden, that being the only country that would allow non-residents to do so.
Click to expand...
$5k cdn is about 40k kronor

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2001 BMW r1150rt in Bromma, Stockholms län
45.000 kr
2001 BMW r1150rt
Bromma, Stockholms län
3.800 km
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I had my Guzzi booked on a flight from Calgary to Paris with Motorcycle Express and then Covid-19 happened!
I was able to get a refund no problem.
Don't forget you also need Green Card Insurance for the EU and this is also available from Motorcycle Express.
That one-stop shopping saves you money and stress.
Motorcycle Express was also going to allow me to fill my saddle bags and trunk although they reserve the right to refuse this.
My neighbour had his car and household items shipped to the Netherlands in a container.
It was dropped into the harbour while unloading.
I had a vintage bike shipped to Hungary and it had to be crated using special wood (box cost $350.00)
Fortunately the new owner knew who to bribe to get it to clear customs even though it had proper documentation.
 
adri said:
EDIT: Looks like there was a price change I did not previously see

Looking to ship my motorcycle to Italy to ride across the country this spring. These are the top 3 options that I found. Could you please give any advice/share any relevant experiences to help me decide? I want to pull the trigger Monday so I can start booking airfare, etc.

-------- OPTION 1 --------

1) Baggage2fly.com - $1,400 CAD I would need to have a local company do the dangerous good declaration ($150 CAD + a little extra running around). They fly Air Transat.

$1,550 it's my best price. I saw them mentioned on advrider but no one has shared any experiences about them. Don't know if I can trust them.

-------- OPTION 2 --------


2) Airmarinecargo.com - $2,250 CAD Toronto to Rome (via Calgary). They do the dangerous goods declaration. They fly West Jet.

I saw them mentioned on horizons unlimited, but again, no reviews. I'm okay with the price but I don't know if I can trust them either.

-------- OPTION 3 --------

3) Motorcycle Express - quoted me $1,400 USD (about $1,920 CAD!) for Toronto to Rome. They take care of the dangerous goods declaration. They fly West Jet.

They have many great reviews on advrider and from people I've met personally. Looks like the winner?

-------- WHAT THE **** DO I DO? --------

Please let me know if you have any experience with any of these companies, especially the first two, and what you would recommend for me.

Thanks!

PS: Also attaching a screen shot with some of the other quotes which go up to $7k, oouff!
Click to expand...
Are these one way or return?
 
timtune said:
Are these one way or return?
Click to expand...
One way.

Working on finding storage is next. Worst case, there's a place in Milan, I think it worked out to $400ish for 11 months of storage, but I'm optimistic I can find better solutions.
 
adri said:
One way.

Working on finding storage is next. Worst case, there's a place in Milan, I think it worked out to $400ish for 11 months of storage, but I'm optimistic I can find better solutions.
Click to expand...
Buy an €1 house in Italy - problem solved. (Most probably that house will be without a roof and a few walls though)
 
adri said:
Working on finding storage is next. Worst case, there's a place in Milan, I think it worked out to $400ish for 11 months of storage, but I'm optimistic I can find better solutions.
Click to expand...

Lots of places in Europe catering to foreign riders, offering rentals + Green Card insurance + storage + tours. Most of these companies will also offer a service where they can buy and register a bike on your behalf, getting around the residency issues associated with each country.

Here are a few other options:

Mototouring in Milan (probably the one you're looking at): Motorcycle storage in Italy
I buy my Green Card insurance from them every time we're in Europe. Very responsive.

Knopf in Heidelberg, Germany: BIKE STORAGE | Knopftours Website
A friend and ex-GTAMer has stored his bike here for over a decade. He's a bit well-off and this is a high-end option - probably going to be more expensive than MotoTouring.

MotoCamp in Bulgaria: MotoCamp Bulgaria | motosapiens.org
My friend worked here and ran tours for them. Probably going to be your cheapest option

Lobagola in Croatia: Terms & conditions
I've known Dooby for a few years, never used his services, but he seems like a decent guy. Probably cheaper than the IT and DE options.
 
Last edited:
adri said:
EDIT: Looks like there was a price change I did not previously see

Looking to ship my motorcycle to Italy to ride across the country this spring. These are the top 3 options that I found. Could you please give any advice/share any relevant experiences to help me decide? I want to pull the trigger Monday so I can start booking airfare, etc.

-------- OPTION 1 --------

1) Baggage2fly.com - $1,400 CAD I would need to have a local company do the dangerous good declaration ($150 CAD + a little extra running around). They fly Air Transat.

$1,550 it's my best price. I saw them mentioned on advrider but no one has shared any experiences about them. Don't know if I can trust them.

-------- OPTION 2 --------


2) Airmarinecargo.com - $2,250 CAD Toronto to Rome (via Calgary). They do the dangerous goods declaration. They fly West Jet.

I saw them mentioned on horizons unlimited, but again, no reviews. I'm okay with the price but I don't know if I can trust them either.

-------- OPTION 3 --------

3) Motorcycle Express - quoted me $1,400 USD (about $1,920 CAD!) for Toronto to Rome. They take care of the dangerous goods declaration. They fly West Jet.

They have many great reviews on advrider and from people I've met personally. Looks like the winner?

-------- WHAT THE **** DO I DO? --------

Please let me know if you have any experience with any of these companies, especially the first two, and what you would recommend for me.

Thanks!

PS: Also attaching a screen shot with some of the other quotes which go up to $7k, oouff!
Click to expand...
I had made arrangements to store my Guzzi with Knopf for my 2019 tour of Europe that got cancelled because of Covid-19.
I was going to leave the bike there for 10 months and return to attend the 100 year anniversary at the Moto Guzzi factory.
I had also booked the Bed & Breakfast so I could drop off the bike and take the high speed train to Paris the next day.
They would even take me to the train station.
I had no problem cancelling the reservation.
Bulgaria and Croatia would have been cheaper storage but the cost of getting to my flight cancelled that out.
If the price is CDN$450.00 that is reasonable from what I found in my research.
Technically you are suposed to register and pay import on a vehicle after 12 months but is very seldom inforced if you do not become a resident.
North of Milan are your best roads anyway.
The best way to see Lake Como is by regular passenger ferry.
If you are doing the mountain pass thing you will most likely entering into Switzerland.
In Switzerland you need to purchase a road tax sticker but they are available at the border or the nearest gas station.
I spent 100s of hours on research and mapping that now is never going to get used and I am willing to pass along accommodation info and maps in .GPK and/or .KLM format.
 
Italy and Switzerland are on my list, in not too distant future... (Austria too).

I am just starting with my planning and options. I plan to leave my bike there, outside Schengen zone, and use it when I visit (already have connections for storage, which helps a lot).

I also wonder how our Ontario plates would do overseas... With no sticker renewals, I hope I won't have to bribe every cop I encounter...
 
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