Is there anything more romanticized than cruising across the freeways of America in your motorcycle? The wind ripples through your hair. Your handlebar grip tightens. The road hums along with the machine itself. It’s about as red, blue and white as a flag sewn onto the back of a beat-up leather jacket. Of course everyone would love to hop on a Harley and ride from Maine to California.
But if you’re actually moving from one coast to the other, that’s not necessarily the most practical option. Consider the trip from Portland, ME to Redondo Beach, CA — an astonishing 3,101 miles long with an estimated travel time of 46 hours. According to recent estimates, the national average for a gallon of gas is $3.586, meaning the ride from Maine to Cali would cost you somewhere in the vicinity of $11,120. And that’s on gasoline alone.
For a long move like that, it’s worth it to simply hire a professional motorcycle hauling service to handle the transport of your bike. Of course, if you’ve never shipped a motorcycle before, you’ll need to know exactly what to do before you sign any of the paperwork. Here’s a good idea of what to expect from the vehicle hauling service.
Drain Your Bike of All Fluids
With a regular car shipping company, you don’t have to worry too much about fluids because your vehicle has plenty of room while it’s in transit. Motorcycle shipping, on the other hand, requires that all fluids be drained from the bike prior to loading it onto the crate. That means ditching the gas, the engine oil and anything left in the carburetor. If you’ve never done that before, turn it over to a mechanic to ensure the job gets done right.
Disconnect Your Battery and Check Your Mirror
In order for a bike to be transported safely, it has to be completely “off” — that means unplugging the battery from inside the machine. You should be able to find detailed instructions on how to accomplish this in your owner’s manual, but if you need additional help, look online for video tutorials, or call a riding friend who’s had a bit more experience. Then, the next step of motorcycle hauling is to fold back your side views and cover them in order to avoid cracked or chipped glass.
Invest in a High-Quality Bike Shipping Crate
The last item on your vehicle transport to-do list is measuring your bike, then picking up the best-quality shipping crate you can get your hands on. That’s if you’re shipping the bike in your own cargo, that is. If you’ve enlisted the services of a professional motorcycle hauling company, they should have crates provided for you. You’ll still want to check them out to ensure they’re up to standard, though.
Now, you have a very basic understanding of what to do in order to ensure your bike gets the proper TLC it needs when you’re planning for its transport across the country. Remember that you’ll have plenty of open road to ride when you hit your final destination. In the meantime, do everything you can to make sure the bike is well taken care of in transit. Helpful info also found here: www.dasautoshippers.com
