Shipments done by Travellers

Sending the motorcycle from Brussels, Belgium via Singapore to Melbourne, Australia I used this company...Both companies delivered a good service.

Carnet de Passage
Getting a Carnet de Passage in Belgium is now possible at
Royal Automobile Club De Belgique
Aarlenstraat 53 bus 3
1040 Brussels
Belgium
Tel +32 (0) 2-2870911
www.racb.com
auto...@racb.com
Cost is 5000 BEF

They told me that they only deliver carnets to Belgian people with a vehicle registered in Belgium.

Motorcycle insurance:
I got it from the Royal Automobile Club Victoria, RACV, they have offices in almost any town, main office is:

Level 6, 550 Princes Highway
Noble Park VIC 3174
Australia.
Tel. 131955.

I went to their office in:

32 Kay Street
Traralgon VIC 3844
Australia.
Tel. 03-5176.1311

email: David Canning @racv.com.au

I paid for my 1997 R1100GS 464 A$, that is for a year, but you can cancel it after a minimum of 3 months. I got my money refunded without any problems.

I recently shipped my bike to Australia and back from London. In both cases the bike went via Singapore so it looks like that is a "normal" route, and I certainly had no problems.

As some of you may need to know a little more about releasing the bike of Thai customs I would like to advise you with one single thing: do not let any customs agent tell you what is possible and what is not. Temporary importation of the bikes is possible. Even in the port! If anybody thinks differently, let them call custom authorities at the airport in Bangkok. Apparently they know better than the others

"...At the end of September I airfreighted my bike from Cape Town to Buenos Aires. All went well so it's about time I shared some useful details. I used Malaysian Airlines. Their agent for cargo is Aireps who are based at the new cargo centre at Cape Town Airport - 1st floor of the Swisspoort Building. A good contact there is Delon Leo - d...@aireps.com, telephone 021 934 8800

It was not much cheaper than using South African Airways but Malaysian Airlines were far cheaper for a one way air ticket at R3320. Cargo prices were worked out on the basis of volume: cm3/6000 x whatever the rate happens to be, in my case 13 giving a price of just under R6000 including all the paperwork and dealing with customs.

I used a crate for a GS1150 which BMW dealer Trefco let me have. Trefco are now at 8 Northumberland Avenue, Bellville, Cape Town. Tel: 021 949 3690. Trefco were very helpful but couldn't transport the bike to Aireps warehouse. I used a company called City Transport - Tel: 021 447 3824.

At Buenos Aires the cargo terminal for imported goods is by the airport exit, a short walk from the passenger terminal. Customs Officers and warehouse staff went out of their way to ensure all went well. Warehouse charges were US$67. The process took about 3 hours and this was on a Monday when customs were trying to clear a backlog of cargo that arrived over the weekend."

I arranged everything in Dakar. You don't have to do anything before. Go there in the morning. Then everything can be done within one day. You have to pay cash (no credit card terminal!). The cost: 4500 FF (210kg) + 350 FF (tax) = 4850 FF for sending the bike Dakar-Paris-Warsaw, but Dakar-Paris was only 70$ cheaper. I have send my bike on it's own and nothing happened to it, but You have 3 options:
1) You can put your motorbike in a crate (but You have to organize it for your own and evrything will be heavier).
2) You can put your motorbike on a transport stand
3) just the motorbike
I think the best is to put it on a transport stand. Do a few photos of the motorbike when You will put the motorbike on the transport stand. If something will happen to the motorbike, You will have a proof that it happened during the trip.

When You will arrive to the Cargo a large group of people called transiters will attack You and offer to do the paperwork with some agents. It is obligatory to use them but some of them might be thiefs so don't hurry. First go to air france and do some paperwork and then ask sombody (from air france) to recomend a transiter.

I went to the agent with the transiter, but it was a big mistake (I had to pay 500FF to an agent and 100FF to the transiter, but it was definitely too much). Give him a price (300 FF should be OK). Then give him a paper which You will receive from Air France Cargo and a copy of your motorbike papers. He will do everything and when he will return go to air france to show them the papers. If evrything is OK pay him. So the total was 5500FF for me, but the Transalp is heavier and I payed 300FF too much to the transiter.