When you want to journey hundreds of kilometres to an event, venture out of state for an adventure ride, or to conclude a sale, bike transport becomes important.
To help you make the best decision for your needs we’ve developed a guide to assist you in securing stress-free transportation.
We’ll take you through the pros and cons of the various bike transportation options, whether you are doing it yourself, or using a specialist moving company. With this guide you can avoid common mistakes, confidently prepare your bike for transport, and save money in the process.
Using a specialist transport provider or doing it yourself
Let’s dive into the pros and cons of each.
Option 1: Specialist Transport Provider
The good news is that there are several motorcycle moving companies across Australia; however, ensuring you use a reputable and reliable one is more challenging.
There are a few things to help you make a decision and watch out for:
- Read their reviews
- Get multiple quotes to make sure you’re getting a fair price
- Check they have insurance
Hot tip: Use a website that can source multiple quotes from vetted and trusted motorcycle transport providers in one request, this will save you money on the move.
When moving a bike over longer distances, outsourcing the move usually makes sense cost-wise as it saves you fuel and multiple days on the road going there and back.
Option 2: Doing it yourself
If you own a ute, van or a vehicle with a tow hitch, you can transport a bike yourself. This can be an excellent solution for shorter-distance trips if you have experience securing a motorcycle and driving with the extra weight. Remember that you may also have limited visibility at the rear as the motorcycle may obstruct your view.
Moving a bike yourself may seem like a cheaper option, and it can often be for shorter distances. However, if the move is interstate or a long distance, a motorcycle transport company will usually work out more cost-effective as they’re moving several bikes simultaneously.
Preparing your motorcycle for transport
After cleaning, it’s essential to verify the condition of your motorcycle before it is transported, preventing any conflict about the condition it arrives in, at its delivery point.
Get out the tools and remove all non-OEM accessories, categorising bolts with their mounting accessories into marked plastic bags or containers to prevent frustration when reattaching them.
What to avoid when transporting yourself
Ratchets and looping points can be tricky for the inexperienced, and although rubbing or vibration issues are never present when loading, that doesn’t mean they won’t happen once you get moving. At cruising speeds, a few hours into the journey, you could suffer a flailing ratchet strap end, creating a lot of avoidable cosmetic damage to your motorcycle.
Loading and unloading can be done by one, which means you don’t need to have a mate helping, although it’s always a good idea. Fuel? An empty bike is easier to load and unload, but consider how far it needs to ride, upon delivery, and fuel appropriately.
In conclusion
For transport close to home, it’s often cheaper to rig up the ute, or rent a trailer, and do it yourself. But when a motorcycle needs to journey many hours, or out of state, it can be smarter to use a transport specialist.
Discover multiple motorcycle transport companies in one request with Upmove.