preparing bike for shipping by plane

[bronx boy_imp]

hi guys,

i am going to ship my cb to europe next month.
i am planning to ride around europe for about four months total over the next two years. the shipping company tells me that i need to remove all of the fluids.
i am not that technically savvy. is this a big deal? i am shipping it to romania to start the ride, and i don't know what kind of support that i can expect. i would like to try it here before i get across the pond.
thanks for any help that you can give.

 

[Jim21680_imp]

Interesting. So this means that you'll need to be able to ship the bike from wherever it gets drained of it's fluids, which for me would end up being a real pain. Hopefully you have a trailer or something.

Anyway, as you know - it's just the gas, oil, and hydraulic fluids. If they'd let you slide on just the gas & oil, you'd save a lot of work....any chance of that???

If not, it's not a bad process. There's drain fittings on all the brake calipers, coupled with opening up the master cylinders under the seat and on the handlebar. For the clutch, I'm sure there's a drain fitting or banjo bolt at the line termination (you'll have to follow it from the lever to see where it goes)...I'm not too sure.

Good luck!

 

[wildezt_imp]

wish you a safe & a fun filled Odyssey!!

 

[Jim21680_imp]

On second thought, if the shipper really meant ALL fluids, that would require the fork oil too, which would be absolutely ridiculous. I'd drain the gas & oil, and see if they'll accept that.

 

[Lord Popgun]

I shipped a bike once. From Virginia to Florida. In my case I took it to a motorcycle dealer and they prepped and crated it. The shipper picked it up from them and delivered it.

This was in 1987 and the cost was not much. Around $100 back then I think. Shipping wasn't bad either.

Edit to add: That was by truck though, not air.

 

[The Spaceman_imp]

I sold my HD to a collector from Japan, and he shipped it home via air. The only requirement fluid-wise was that the gas tanks were drained and had venting caps (for air pressure changes at altitude). We had it drained and crated at the local HD dealer, using a Harley shipping crate he purchased. Usually the dealers return the crates, but you might ask your local Honda dealer if they'll sell you one of their crates.

 

[Lord Popgun]

Heck, they may GIVE you the crate. My dealer said they just throw them away and I could take whatever I wanted. I didn't want anything though.

 

[the Ferret]

Can't add anything about shipping, but here's a picture heavy link to a ride my wife and I took in 5 countries in Europe. All I can say is you lucky bloke! Riding in Europe is awesome. If it was where Canada is, I'd go there a lot! As is it costs a lot to get there and takes a long time. There's a list near the end of that thread that has some of the 20 differences you will find between Europe and the US if you've not been there... and some tips. Worth the read.

Contact Support

 

[bronx boy_imp]

thanks to you all for the best wishes.
i am meeting with the shipping company on saturday.
i hope that it is only gas and motor oil.
is there a gas filter that i need to worry about?

i ran around the states by myself...and that is how i intend to do europe.
i never enjoyed riding in groups because everyone has different mental clocks and schedules. unfortunately, i can only do one month at a time and then back to work.

i am starting in romania because i have heard that the carpathian mountains have the curviest (is that a word) roads on the continent.

i will take a lot of pictures.

 

[the Ferret]

I could only afford 2 weeks and had to be as efficient as I could, hence the tour, tour guides, hotels, bike rental from Edelweiss. I hate riding in groups, but in this case for me, it was a necessary evil.

I would have much rather done it how you are doing it.

 

[cb400four_imp]

I could only afford 2 weeks and had to be as efficient as I could, hence the tour, tour guides, hotels, bike rental from Edelweiss. I hate riding in groups, but in this case for me, it was a necessary evil.

I would have much rather done it how you are doing it.

Three of the guys with bikes in my neighborhood -- Vietnam vets, about ten years older than me and retired -- have reserved slots for the 2014 motorcycle tour of the entire Ho Chi Minh trail via the motorcycle tour operator Myths and Mountains. And one of them texted me a couple nights ago and said I've gotta go as well. It didn't sound like a question, more like an instruction to meet at the RV point and receive vectors for travel!

Most of my riding is solo but for something this out of the way I've got the feeing there is strength in numbers, so I would try a tour.

I'd go in a heartbeat but this thing called work is getting in the way!

 

[the Ferret]

Are they going to be on Japanese 125s or Indian made 350 or 500 Royal Enfields?

 

[bronx boy_imp]

I could only afford 2 weeks and had to be as efficient as I could, hence the tour, tour guides, hotels, bike rental from Edelweiss. I hate riding in groups, but in this case for me, it was a necessary evil.

I would have much rather done it how you are doing it.

great story and pics. thank you.

I could only afford 2 weeks and had to be as efficient as I could, hence the tour, tour guides, hotels, bike rental from Edelweiss. I hate riding in groups, but in this case for me, it was a necessary evil.

I would have much rather done it how you are doing it.

Three of the guys with bikes in my neighborhood -- Vietnam vets, about ten years older than me and retired -- have reserved slots for the 2014 motorcycle tour of the entire Ho Chi Minh trail via the motorcycle tour operator Myths and Mountains. And one of them texted me a couple nights ago and said I've gotta go as well. It didn't sound like a question, more like an instruction to meet at the RV point and receive vectors for travel!

Most of my riding is solo but for something this out of the way I've got the feeing there is strength in numbers, so I would try a tour.

I'd go in a heartbeat but this thing called work is getting in the way!

Three of the guys with bikes in my neighborhood -- Vietnam vets, about ten years older than me and retired -- have reserved slots for the 2014 motorcycle tour of the entire Ho Chi Minh trail via the motorcycle tour operator [url=http://www.mythsandmountains.com/tripDetail.asp?region=&country=Vietnam&tripID=1120201254249]Myths and Mountains. And one of them texted me a couple nights ago and said I've gotta go as well. It didn't sound like a question, more like an instruction to meet at the RV point and receive vectors for travel!

Most of my riding is solo but for something this out of the way I've got the feeing there is strength in numbers, so I would try a tour.

I'd go in a heartbeat but this thing called work is getting in the way!
there's that damn for four letter word again.
i feel your pain.

 

[cb400four_imp]

Are they going to be on Japanese 125s or Indian made 350 or 500 Royal Enfields?

I'll see them tomorrow and get the skinny.

 

[dBuster_imp]

I wish you luck also. I know for regulations there can not be anything flammable in the bike...

But thinking of the pressures someone mentioned... I could see some fork seals blowing possibly with the difference in pressures. Unless it is in a pressurized cargo plane.

I know the military planes ship vehicles all the time so fluids other than flammable on commercial flights might be okay. Just hope package handlers loading the crate don't throw it around like you see on the news reports of misuse at airport luggage areas...