From ibmwrNoSpam@NoSpamworld.std.com Wed Jul 30 14:59:36 1997 From: "Ian Schmeisser" To: "James M. Dodmead" , Subject: BMW: Re: Shipment Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 14:16:33 -0400 X-Priority: 3 Reply-To: "Ian Schmeisser" Warren Motorcycle Transport...their number is in the MOA News and a lot of other cycle publications. They typically handle shipments to Europe. Lufthansa also provides this service. If you're shipping in the US, you may wish to consider going by truck. The AMA has information on this. You do not have to disassemble the motorcycle...typically you have to drain the gas. In the case of the truck, I was instructed to come with a very low fuel level. They typically put the bike on a palette and then forklift it into place. Bring your own soft hooks and tie downs... tie-downs are sometimes provided, but they will scratch your paint. Ian Schmeisser Atlanta, GA USA ---------- > From: James M. Dodmead > To: bmwmcNoSpam@NoSpamworld.std.com > Subject: BMW: Shipment > Date: Wednesday, July 30, 1997 1:24 PM > > > Just to get a feel for the cost of air freighting a motorcycle, I called US > Air. I was told that the enitre engine would have to be disassembled and > dried out, in addition to draining and completely cleaning out the tank and > cooling system. > > I was under the impression that this is a fairly routine matter. Can > somebody give me a hint? TIA. Jim > James M. Dodmead (Jim) Network Engineering and > dodmeadNoSpam@NoSpamnetsww.com Technical Services (NETS), Inc. > V 301.854.4945 14825 Burntwoods Road > F 410.489.7508 Glenwood, MD 21738 USA > From cohenNoSpam@NoSpamgo.com.jo Date: Sun, 31 Aug 1997 21:05:44 +0300 Subject: BMW: Border Crossings Part 1 - fairly long Crossing the Borders Traveling internationally, outside the U.S. - Canada border crossing can present many interesting experiences. In the 15 or so border crossings we made during our recent Middle East to Europe and back trip we found border crossings to range from the sublime to the ridiculous. Our first border crossing ranked in the ridiculous arena. Crossing from Jordan to Syria with a vehicle is a test of patience and money. Lots of money We had a transit visa for Syria (you need to purchase it prior to you= r journey, they are difficult to get, not totally impossible, at the border o= r in a bordering country) purchased for =B3only=B2 $25. I say only because the typical tourist visa costs almost $40, for Americans. After leaving Jordan, a relatively simple affair, we enter the world of bureaucracy. Full employment is a good possibility in Syria because everyone has a job. A job that can be done by one person is spread to five or six or seven. The middl= e east tradition of baksheesh (petty bribery) is alive and well in Syria. But have no fear, the bribes are standardized and the those being bribed cheerfully give you change. Usually there is a friendly Syrian at the borde= r who will =B3volunteer=B2 to help you. After helping you, he will want payment for his help. The payment can run from $1-$5. For most people, it is well worth the price. But if you have been through the border before, or if you keep these handy instructions you can attempt to pass through on your own. The time at this particular border crossing will vary dramatically depending on the time day and the time of the year. People pass through thi= s border on their way to/from the Haj (a Muslim religious pilgrimage) to Mecc= a in Saudi Arabia. You can also pass through if you are going to Iraq. In the summer many Arabs head to Amman for its cooler weather (hey, it=B9s all relative) and freer society (liquor is available easily). I have been at th= e border with 10 tour buses, innumerable taxis and a plethora of cars. If you have a motorcycle drive to the front. Now the fun begins: 1. When you enter, fill out two cards for entry into Syria. They keep one and you keep one. They will ask for car information which will be entered into the drivers passport. I was told that you needed a Carnet de passage for Syria, but when I had my Arabic speaking friend call the embassy they said it was not necessary. It wasn=B9t. 2. After you have completed that have the guy sitting at the desk give you some paperwork. 3. Go to building just past the gate to get your stamp- pay 50 pounds at stamp counter, guy will photocopy a bunch of stuff. 4. Go find the Captain outside by the car inspection. He will sign your paper 5. Go back to the same building as the stamp and go to the counter to the left. They will do something. You will have to pay for insurance and road tax/customs, if you do not have an orange card (triptik). The orange card i= s the equivalent of the European Green Card. This cost me an unbelievable $70= From viper655NoSpam@NoSpamix.netcom.com (Dr.Robert A. Harms) Date: Tue, 23 Sep 1997 05:55:59 -0500 (CDT) Subject: BMW: Re: Federated # You wrote: > >I had a pristine /2 shipped nearly coast to coast by Federal. They did a >great job. The people were wonderful to work with both in person and on >the phone. They even helped me roll it up the ramp into my truck. It was >shipped on an open pallet designed to hold a bike. It arrived with no >damage and on the day they said it would. When I picked up my bike I saw >in thier warehouse a Olympic model BMW K bike, used during the Atlanta >games. It was also on a open pallet. I would highly recommend them and use >them again. Call them for info and price quotes. > >Dave Coburn > > > >>Rod, >> >>Their (Federal Companies) number is: 800 747-4100 >> >>I have no personal experience with them. Any feedback on this service would >>be of interest to me. >> >>Best Regards, Keith airhead #15 >> >> >>Anyone out there know the phone number for Federated (I think I got >>their name right), the folks who transport cars and motorcycles? I ran >>across a reference to them on a vintage motorcycle web page, but have >>since lost the reference due to equipment failure. >> >>TIA, >> >>- Rod >> >>Keith Hull >>Nancy Hull >>Alaska Motorcycle Adventures >>PO Box 2033 >>Palmer, AK 99645 >>(907)376-4513 (Phone/Fax) > > > I totally agree. Jackie Taylor is the queen of motorcycle shipping. Have shipped numerous bikes with the same excellent results. Doc R60/4 Date: Tue, 7 Oct 1997 19:37:06 +0000 From: Court Fisher Subject: BMW: Re: International bike specs (long) >Date: Tue, 07 Oct 97 12:17:04 +0100 (BST) >From: "Mike Barnett" >Subject: BMW: International Spec changes (was Non US R65s) > >The thread below reminds me of a question that came up when Victor Kimura= > and his lovely wife Karen stayed at our place recently (BTW Victor, I = >know what you mean about spending time with your SOs ex! [cf "European = >trip (#4): Germany and the Autobahn]). > >We were talking about BMWs in general and how to get hold of them cheaply= >. Victor thought that the spec would be the same for US bikes as it woul= >d be for bikes registered over here in the UK. I thought that it would = >not necessarily be the same. Neither of us had any hard data to back up = >their belief so we dropped it. > >Does anybody out there (either side of the pond) *know* whether the spec = >is the same or different? Anybody (presumably from UK) *know* what the = >regs would be for importing a US bike into the UK. Would it need to be = >inspected under the Type Approval rules that are about to hit us over her= >e? Is it likely to be cheaper than buying over here (including import = >costs, freightage, etc)? > >I'm not in a position to act on the info at the moment, just wondering, = >but would be interested to get the real gen on the situation for later = >use. > >TIA. > >Mike B. >- ---------- Mike and list, [sorry for the bandwidth...one time only} The specs are different. On the US side, there is a procedure available that theoretically allows a non-US spec (UK, German, whatever) bike to be permanently imported to the US and 'converted' to US govt-mandated (DOT and EPA) vehicle equipment and emissions specs. However, the out-of-pocket dollar cost (minimum estimate $2000) and time required (minimum estimate 6 months) to complete the procedure is so great that you have to be a glutton for punishment, have deep pockets, and/or be obsessed with owning one particular machine. In the last 8 years,only 15 bikes (3 BMWs) have completed this procedure. Ironically, the actual physical/mechanical changes to convert most Euro-spec bikes to US specs are not that technically complicated, nor costly in themselves; the bulk of the conversion cost is the required government paperwork which must be completed by both the owner and the handful of 'Registered Importer' companies allowed to do the work. Get more info at the US DOT website (www.htsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/import). If US Customs is doing its job, A US citizen cannot legally import a non- US spec bike into the US without preliminary paperwork showing intent to begin the conversion process, at which time the bike is immediately impounded/transferred to the 'Registered Importer' company that you are required to contract with ahead of time. If A US citizen tries to import a non-US spec bike without this paperwork, US Customs will either seize/destroy the bike, or require that you assume the cost of re-exporting/shipping it back to its Euro port of origin. This _happens_ and is obviously a pain in the butt and pocketbook for the bike owner who didn't know the law/requirements ahead of time or was trying to circumvent them and got caught. Get more info at the US Customs website, (www.customs.ustreas.gov/imp-exp/car.htm). (This should not be confused with non-US citizens bringing personally owned Euro-spec bikes to the US/Canada to use 'temporarily' for touring up to 12 months; that's done all the time and the US Customs import/export procedure is easy] If you manage to slip a Euro-spec bike by US Customs import inspection, then, assuming the _State_ Div of Motor Vehicles (licensing agency) is doing its VIN- checking job, you will not be able to title/register that bike in [any] State. Of course there are always cases of folks 'getting around' any legal enforcement system, but in the US, this particular system works most of the time. >From the UK side, I don't *know* the details, but my impression is that UK import and type approval procedures (e.g., to import a US-spec bike into the UK and get it approved for UK title/registration) are much easier, and not a real cost add-on or impediment. I do know that UK/HM Customs and your UK/DVLA (licensing agency) have brochures/info that describe how this can be done. There is of course the separate question of UK import duty and sales taxes to be paid on US-spec bikes permanently imported to the UK. I believe there is a clause in the UK import duty schedule that decreases or eliminates such taxes if you can show that the bike was previously owned/used for 'x' period of time in the US before import to the UK. As a _general_ rule, new and used bike prices in the US are at least somewhat and sometimes substantially lower than in the UK (or any Euro country). You can check this out yourself by a little surfing on the various US and UK new dealer or used bike websites. This means if you have the time and patience, under some conditions you can make money or break even on a US-spec bike imported to the UK and transferred to UK title/registration. That's one reason of course there is such a strong motorcycle 'grey market' in the UK (and some other Euro countries with very high luxury or vehicle import taxes, compared to the US), but virtually no (legal) grey market in the US. Some US riders bring a US-spec bike to the UK to ride, then sell it (sometimes by pre-arrangement to a UK dealer), and the difference in US buying price and UK selling price can at least subsidize that particular tour. Maybe some of the UK and Euro prezzes can fill in the blanks from your side. Court Fisher Princeton NJ all the usual suspect acronyms court.fisherNoSpam@NoSpamworldnet.att.net Date: Sat, 13 Dec 1997 06:06:52 +0000 From: Court Fisher Subject: BMW: Re: Shipping Bikes to Europe >Date: 12 Dec 97 18:00:45 EST >From: BDeVriesNoSpam@NoSpampseg.com >Subject: BMW: Shipping Bikes To Europe > >I'm planning to ship two of my beemers to Europe(Germany). Is there a >President out there who went through this process and is willing to share >her/his experience. I live on the East Coast (NJ) and I thought there >should be a way to get the bikes to Germany at a reasonable rate. I called > to companies so far and I'm looking at ~ $700.00 per bike. I find this a >little expensive. >Does anybody know about better prices? >I don't want any companies being flamed here! So lets focus on good >experiences. >Thanks a lot! > >Boris de Vries >bdevriesNoSpam@NoSpampseg.com >1955 R25/3 (Yes, I love the thumper!) >1956 R50 >1961 R50/2 >------------------------------ >Date: Fri, 12 Dec 1997 18:18:27 -0600 >From: torsNoSpam@NoSpammcn.net (Duner Tor) >Subject: Re: BMW: Shipping Bikes To Europe SNIP >=========================================== > I shipped my GS via Lufthansa last summer, Newark -Frankfurt for $800. I >shopped around a bit and this was the best price I could find. The >experience was painless and the bike came through it without a scratch. ><>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<> Boris, Sounds like you're getting current 'industry-standard' quotes. Cheaper may depend on how flexible your shipping schedule is, how much prep you can do yourself, which agents you've already contacted. Email me off-list if you want to discuss details & save list bandwidth. best, Court Fisher Princeton NJ all the usual suspect acronyms court.fisherNoSpam@NoSpamworldnet.att.net Date: Tue, 23 Dec 1997 04:42:29 +0000 From: Court Fisher Subject: BMW: Transporting Bikes in US >Date: Mon, 22 Dec 1997 12:30:51 -0800 >From: Barry Brannan >Subject: BMW: Transporting Bikes > >I've found a couple of bikes in Marketplace I would be interested in but >they are in the midwest or east and I'm on the pacific coast. Wouldn't >mine riding the bike west at another time of year but not now. Anybody >got info on transporting bikes in the US? Thanks, Try 'AMA approved': D&D Motorcycle Services, 800-282-0507 Liberty Moving & Storage, 800-640-4487x1; www.libertymoving.com Court Fisher Princeton NJ all the usual suspect acronyms court.fisherNoSpam@NoSpamworldnet.att.net Date: Thu, 8 Jan 1998 09:44:44 +0000 (GMT) From: Ruairi Boland - Sunsoft CDE Subject: BMW: Re: Shipping Bike I've sea-freighted my bike a few times but not airfreighted. For air freight, all shippers have a world directory of 'per kilo' rates for each (origin:destination) airport pair. The rates vary from airport to airport. However, at least one airline (Lufthansa?) had special offers for bike plus airfreight. When air-freighting, you strap the bike down on a palette, possibly covering it with plastic. For sea freight, you typically crate the bike (Not the difference because airfreight is based on weight, sea freight on cubic capacity.) Note also that any vehicle imported into Australia will be inspected by quarantine officials. If there's a speck of dirt, they may charge you AU$300 for steam cleaning. My advice is: for a bike as heavy as a BMW, sea-freight it and give it at least three months. [Ruairi Liam Boland, Travel Author] ****************************************** [ ] [ ] \ / Ruairi Boland +++=\ /=+++ #7, 41-43 Park Av. \\-_-// Sandymount, Dublin 4 _|(_)|_ Ireland ||___|| Date: Thu, 8 Jan 1998 17:37:45 +0000 From: Court Fisher Subject: BMW: Re: Shipping bike >Date: Thu, 8 Jan 1998 09:44:44 +0000 (GMT) >From: Ruairi Boland - Sunsoft CDE >Subject: BMW: Re: Shipping Bike > >I've sea-freighted my bike a few times but not airfreighted. For air freight, >all shippers have a world directory of 'per kilo' rates for each >(origin:destination) airport pair. The rates vary from airport to airport. >However, at least one airline (Lufthansa?) had special offers for bike plus >airfreight. >When air-freighting, you strap the bike down on a palette, possibly covering it >with plastic. That's the method that Lufthansa and a few other experienced airlines use, but the aircargo industry 'standard' is still to require that bikes be crated, just as they are for most seafreight (with the exception of RO-RO vehicle transporters). > For sea freight, you typically crate the bike (Not the difference >because airfreight is based on weight, sea freight on cubic capacity.) Many airfreight tariffs are based on 'volumetric' or 'cube' weight, which is computed as (length x width x height)/ 89. Airlines have the option to charge on the basis of actual weight or 'volumetric' weight, depending on a variety of 'what the market will bear' factors. On almost any motorcycle, the actual weight is much less than the the volumetric weight. >Note also that any vehicle imported into Australia will be inspected by >quarantine officials. If there's a speck of dirt, they may charge you AU$300 for >steam cleaning. My advice is: for a bike as heavy as a BMW, sea-freight it and >give it at least three months. The seafreight transit time from East Coast USA to Sydney is about 30 days, not 3 months. Date: Mon, 19 Jan 1998 22:23:21 -0500 From: Jon Zurell Subject: Re: BMW: Re: transporting bike to daytona At 06:23 PM 1/19/98 -0700, Bryan Lally wrote: >Jon Zurell's keyboard spoke: > >> Here 'tis: >> http://www.amtrak.com/ > >I played with this site for a while one day. I wanted to get from >Santa Fe to Deming. Both in New Mexico. Both Amtrak cities. I like >trains. I was going to buy my bike (there's the BMW content!). The >search algorithm found a route for me with only one connection. > >The suggested connection was in Washington, DC! > > - Bryan May I retract my post??? :):) Regards, Jon From: willoNoSpam@NoSpamwebtv.net (Willoughby Rhodes) Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1998 13:58:57 -0400 To: bmwmcNoSpam@NoSpamlists.ibmwr.org Subject: BMW: Fwd: Tramp Freighter Transport Sender: ibmwrNoSpam@NoSpamworld.std.com Reply-To: willoNoSpam@NoSpamwebtv.net (Willoughby Rhodes) X-No-Archive: yes X-Bmw-List: Majordomo 1.94.3 X-Web-Page: http://www.ibmwr.org/ X-Copyright: (c) IBMWR and the original author(s). From: willoNoSpam@NoSpamwebtv.net (Willoughby Rhodes) Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1998 13:50:51 -0400 To: RosieNoSpam@NoSpamcapecod.net, bmwmc-digest-approvalNoSpam@NoSpamworld.std.com Subject: Tramp Freighter Transport Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7BIT MIME-Version: 1.0 (WebTV) Rich & Frauke - For any and all info on transporting one's self & motorcycle (BMW for content), I refer you to: MARIS USA LTD. 215 Main Street Westport, Connecticut 06880 USA E-mail: MARISNoSpam@NoSpamMCIONE.com Phone: (203) 222-1500 or (800) 996-2747 Fax:(203) 222-9191 "Tramp" implies usually non-scheduled, individually owned, poorly maintained boats most often found in a specifically localized coastal area or island group. Maris, however, is the clearing house for that in which I think your friends may be really interested, basic freighters, which also carry 2 to 12 passengers for very reasonable fares. This is MARIS's only business - be it info, reservations, prices, schedules etc. They also publish the leading monthly newsletter on passenger-carrying freighters. Usual disclaimers. This is just an endorsement with no fiduciary interest therein. Bill Rhodes '95 K75 Grosse Pointe, Michigan