Getting the bike to USA

Finding a shipping agent.

Got the bike. Now I have to get it sea freighted to USA. Found any number of shipping agents on the web but spending money has never been so hard. Just a handful agents showed interest in my business. Contacted a dozen or more agents online and only three Australian agents responded. One was very helpful and professional BUT 400% more expensive than anyone else.

Two American agents responded but neither had experience in getting a bike from Australia to USA. They both had experience in getting Harley Davidson bikes and Mustang cars from USA to Australia. One of these was the cheapest but seemed a bit flakey when he communicated with me.

I settled on giving my business to Josh Mikkelsen, of 'Ship My Bike Australia' an Australian company. www.shipmybike.com.au Josh communicates promptly and appears to know what he is doing.

Josh gave me the opportunity to provide my own crate for the bike saving $800. A local motorcycle dealership, Barry Francis Motorcycles, gave me two metal crates free of charge. I had to cannibalise one crate to modify the other.

The cargo transit insurance I obtained from Wayne PARRY Insurance Brokers of Hawthorn, Victoria. Very friendly, professional and they gave me an affordable premium of $152.

Container space has been booked on the ship Cap Spencer (Maersk Line). The ship departs Melbourne on the 21st November, '08 and arrives at Long Beach, California on the 12th December, '08. The bike crate is about 3.5 cubic metres in volume and price charged, by Josh, for that volume is $1015.

The quote I received from Ship My Bike did not include the cost of an agent in USA to arrange the logistics at the other end. The cost of that service is in addition to the quote given by Josh. So at the moment I am communicating with Schumacher Cargo Logistics of Gardena, California. Uncertain of the cost oftheir service at this stage but will post as soon as the quote comes in.

The crated bike has to be delivered to the Melbourne depot at least two days before the cutoff date of 14th November, '08.

Buying a bike in Australia Vs USA

Considering options.

Every motorcycle dealer in USA will sell you a bike - not a problem. Problems arise when you want to get a title of ownership and register the bike.

The problem for me as a non-resident was that I did not have an address. A temporary address does not meet the legal definition of 'resident'. Why is that a problem?

What rate of tax to apply? Every state has a different rate of sales tax that applies to their residents even if a purchase is made outside of their resident state. The state in which you reside imposes their rate of tax before giving you an ownership title to your bike. In order to register the bike you must have a title and be a resident!!!!

One dealer was happy to use an address of someone I know in Ohio but I had to falsely claim that I was a resident of that state.


Every dealer would provide 'transit' registration for one month. That enables the purchaser to get the bike to his home state and register it there. I contacted several state Departments of Motor Vehicles and the answers received back were all the same. A non-resident cannot register a bike in their state.

So what is involved when buying in USA -


Getting someone to sell you a bike not a problem.

If you need registration for one month only then it is not a problem. If longer term required then some lies will have to be told but that wasn't an option for me. Some people go to the trouble of buying a US address from companies online - they forward mail etc to your correct address.


Insurance as a non-resident was not a problem. There are companies that specialise in that such as MotorcycleExpress.

Getting the bike back into Australia not a problem if (rough guide) -

1. If the bike is less than twenty years old and you have owned it for longer than twelve months and have used it throughout that period. Your passport is checked by customs to verify use. (If you are in Australia and the bike is in America then you could not be using it.) Work OS for twelve months is the go.
   
2. If the bike is older than twenty years.

Buying in Australia -

Not a problem for an Aussie. Registration, ownership and insurance as per normal.

Not a problem getting the bike out of and back into the country. (No matter the age or length of ownership).

Decision made.

Buying the bike in Australia for me was the best option when taking into account the costs involved and the least hassle involved. Purchased a bike from 'Quick-Fix', Harley Davidson Dealership in Mildura, Victoria. The Sales Manager, Jason Phillips, was a straight forward, honest and easy to get on with sort of guy. The previous owner, the only owner, had the bike for three years and it was like new.

The bike is a 2005 BMW R1200GS.

Long time in the planning.

In the beginning.

Walking away from a career spanning thirty five years is not to be done lightly. Somehow intuitively I know it is time to move on and write another chapter in my life's story. This move is not retirement, as such, but more a chance to re-energise and seek out adventure. My savings are modest so I cannot travel endlessly and employment in the future is a definite. Just what I'll be doing I am not sure.

My wife, Shirley, came home with a fridge magnet that states "Retirement is More husband Less money". The jury is still out as to whether 'more husband' is a good thing. My wife has her own thoughts on that issue - no doubt. 'Less money' can never be a good thing - can it?

Fortunately we both have reasonable health and our children have embarked on their own independent journeys. Time to undertake activities that give pleasure and challenge us.

About three months ago I made the decision to plan for a solo motorcycle trip. Shirley was encouraged and invited to join me but declined. The prospect of hours sitting on a pillion seat was not to her liking. Being a caring person Shirley gave her consent for me to travel alone.

Australia to England overland was a reasonable goal to set myself. That goal was set, perhaps naively, while sitting in the comfort of my lounge chair and perusing the pages of an old school atlas. The magnitude of the task slowly but inevitably gained a foothold.

Quite some journey but I felt certain I could handle the hardship and enjoy myself. To complete even part of the trip would be an achievement. The route, visa obligations, customs and border requirements were straight forward enough for Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. China was the stumbling block.

China has opened itself to the rest of the world and must be admired for its progress in that regard. Chinese authorities will allow an Australian to enter the country with his/her own vehicle. There are three requirements that must be met before that permission is given.

1. The vehicle must be inspected and then receive Chinese registration.
   


2. The driver, or in my case rider, must then undergo a competency test and receive a Chinese licence.
   


3. The visitor must be accompanied by a guide while at all times while travelling through the country. The route taken is subject to daily review and change by the guide. The expenses of that guide was to be met by me.

The first two requirements seemed reasonable. The third requirement stopped me dead. There was no way I could afford to pay for the guide.

Alternative overland routes involved travelling through countries that involved dangers that I am not prepared to risk.

Searching the Internet for ways to get around this barrier I found a website - 'Globe Rider'. The site offered places for riders to join a small group ( 10 ) riding from United Kingdom to China. The ride commences on the 7th August, 2009. Apparently some of the riders in that group are considering the option to continue the ride into south east Asia and then Australia. The cost of the Chinese guide, that I found so prohibitive, is going to be shared between the ten riders. I am seriously considering that trip. It would achieve my goal but the trip would be with a group and in the opposite direction. There are still places on that tour available.

Plans moved in a different direction.

Shirley and I watched a movie called the "Bucket List" one night. The movie involved the seriously ill characters making a list of things they would like to do before they 'kick the bucket'. After the movie we discussed what we would include in our bucket lists. Shirley's list included visiting Mayan, Inca, Aztec and Toltec archaeological sites. Of special interest to her was Machu Picchu and the Pyramid of the Sun ( third biggest pyramid in the world ). The former is in Peru and the latter is in Mexico - several thousand miles apart.

"Go and have a look?" was my suggestion. To my surprise the answer was in the affirmative. In a subsequent conversation with Shirley's sister she expressed the wish to do same. Before there was any changing of minds I purchased airline tickets for both of them. They leave on the 24th January, 2009.

Meanwhile the Australian dollar (AUD) was performing very well against the American dollar (USD) and was approaching parity. The exchange rate made the purchase of a motorcycle in US cheaper than buying at home. That is when I hatched the plan to buy a bike, leave Australia a month earlier than the girls, travel through Mexico, Central and South America to Lima, Peru, and meet up with them for a week together in the Andes. When the girls fly out I would continue with the trip but at a more leisurely pace.

Unfortunately the AUD collapsed against the USD. From a high of 97c to a low of 60c ( 38.15%). That ended my aspirations of buying a cheap bike. If anything the bikes in US are now relatively expensive.

The thought of riding through Mexico and Central America still had enormous appeal. So I started to explore the option of getting a bike from AU to USA.

How that exploration has turned out will be the subject of my next post.