Bridging Gaps – Adventure Motorcycling

by Nick

To ship, or not to ship? We decided to ship two bikes from Australia and buy one bike in Chile. Why? To sell bikes in the USA at the completion of our trip would require US registered bikes. We decided that finding three US registered KLR650′s (bike of choice) would be to much of a headache. Shipping turned out to be cheaper than originally anticipated and allowed us time to familiarise ourselves with the bikes in advance, prep them, custom build panniers and racks etc. Through the Horizons Unlimited HUBB we managed to pre-arrange the purchase of one US registered 08 KLR650 complete with panniers!

SHIPPING DETAILS:

Shipper: Hellman Logistics
Contact: Jarrod Collins (Melbourne, Australia)
jcollins@hellmann.com.au

Cost: $895 – From Melb to Valparaiso (2 bikes in one crate).
Breakdown:
Sea Freight – $480. $185 per cubic metre. 2.6 cubic metres= $480
Local cartage and fuel surcharge – $99. (transport of crate to the docs in Melbourne)
Agency Fee – $75
EDN fee – $35
CMR fee – $15
Channel deepening fee – $10
International Courier for docs – $85
BAF – $10

These costs include all charges to get the bikes to the docs in Chile.

Getting the bikes off the docks in Chile was around $200 AUD per bike. This covered the usage of many stamps etc : )

CRATING

Crating the two bikes together proved much cheaper than individually, as many of the shipping fees are charged per crate. After calling numerous bike shops, we finally found a used crate that would fit the bikes, provided for free (Many bike shops throw them out – you just have to beat the scrap metal salvager’s).

The first major task is to clean the bikes. The cleaner they are, the fewer problems you are likely to have with customs. We unleashed a load of degreaser onto ours and spent an hour or so giving them a thorough scrub at a local grey-water car wash. Be careful not to get water where it doesn’t belong! We took great care to cover air intakes, electrics etc; however, we still managed to blow a few fuses. Adams ignition now won’t start (meaning we’ll have to push start off the docks!) and both bikes have light failures (hopefully fuses).

The crate was a steel frame, which we assembled around the bikes and covered with cardboard. Crating was easy and only required the disassembly of front wheels, handle bars, mud guards and mirrors. As you can see in the photos, the bikes front axles are clamped in place and straps are used to secure the bikes down (squishing the suspension by about 1/4). We also used straps to the sides of the crates, preventing any movement. We used an old rug and packing foam between the bikes to prevent rubbing.