Bikes in a lorry / van being taken abroad by a haulier

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Spotcheck Billy

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Before Brexit, I understand there were companies that would take your bike, helmet and gear in a van from depots in England to Spain.

I am also led to believe Brexit ruined this and if you are doing this now ,you need to accompany your bike in the van?Is that correct or has anyone worked out post-Brexit how to get back to the way it was?

I live in Scotland and want to tour Spain. The cost and time of getting there is putting me off but if a company could take my bike and gear and I just flew there, it would be great.
 
I think this is still doable, you just need to provide a courier with some sort of cover letter and perhaps some booking info from Spain so they will know at the boarder you are going on a trip. The only issue is that there is less companies that offer this service so the prices, I guess, are also higher.

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People send their track bikes out to Spain on lorries, so it's doable. You just need to speak to a company who does this regular and knows the hurdles to jump through.
 
It was a problem and still can be, depending on who is carrying the bikes.

Ask one or more of the better known carriers, as they will know for sure.
 
There are still one or two transport companies operating but the prices are crazy..and you still have flights to add on.
Hire a van from Enterprise one way, and another to get home :rolleyes: From Aberdeen to either Portsmouth or Plymouth you would be looking at around £240 one way ( that's with decent insurance added...£700 excess for vans so it's probably worth it ).

Ferry prices might be the decider though !


I had a quote from these guys recently but it won't work out for me, no harm in you asking though..

https://www.movingmotorcycles.co.uk//european-motorcycle-transport/
 
Have a look at https://www.flyandride.co.uk/ for an idea of cost (they advertise on this forum) (note the plus charges bit).
Aberdeen to Plymouth is a trek and I get the issue with time vs cost. Even so around a grand each way as a starter price plus flights might be the answer if you are short on holiday time.

Have you thought about ferry to Northern Ireland and then ferry Rosslare to Spain?
 
DJ123 said:
People send their track bikes out to Spain on lorries, so it's doable. You just need to speak to a company who does this regular and knows the hurdles to jump through.
Click to expand...

DJ I think the movement of track bikes was severely curtailed after Brexit. The need to provide a Carnet costing something like a third of the value of bike caused bike transporters to give up over night.

The procedures may well have been eased, but as of Oct 21 a courier delivering a bike to me was lamenting the loss of European track day. jobs.
 
mspenz said:
Are eurobiketrans still trading ? I contacted them early last year and the reply was that they had ceased indefinitely ..I might contact them again now.
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Yes, they are still trading, but a quick bit of digging, he is transporting bikes for use on the tours he organises but not as he used to do. (seems to be doing the tours for what was Allan Jeffries, now Vertu)
 
Davey B said:
Yes, they are still trading, but a quick bit of digging, he is transporting bikes for use on the tours he organises but not as he used to do. (seems to be doing the tours for what was Allan Jeffries, now Vertu)
Click to expand...

That figures :beerjug:
 
If time is limited , perhaps consider flying Aberdeen to say Valencia , approx £160 return in June.
Motorcycle rental from 50 euro ( VStrom 650) to 110 euro ( GS) per day.
 
Spotcheck Billy said:
I live in Scotland and want to tour Spain. The cost and time of getting there is putting me off but if a company could take my bike and gear and I just flew there, it would be great.
Click to expand...

Been looking myself and the nearest option to Aberdeen is Manchester and then it's near to Gatwick. So once you've got yourself down there, it's not much further, and cheaper I reckoned to take the ferry to Santander.

Still about a 10 hours slog south to Plymouth, but this year I'm doing it in a few hops, i.e. Aberdeen to Moffat after work (I do finish at 2:15pm), then down the M6 and then into Wales to stop near Newport. Then to the ferry the next day, which for me will be the Sunday. Heading back north almost the same, but stopping in mid wales and the Stirling. Doing this still means the "delights" of the M6, but no-where near to Birmingham. Bristol will hopefully be not too bad especially as it's outwith the school holidays time.
 
Obviously if there aren't companies doing the transport anymore, it is often cheaper to fly ride than take your own bike from the far North of the UK.
10 days GS hire at Malaga can be had for about £900, a rtn flight is perhaps £100.
Aberdeen to Plymouth rtn...1250 miles, 1/4 of a set of tyres for starters, 20% of a service etc etc, 2 overnights in UK, ferry cost plus the 6 days, 3 there, 3 back just to get there. So a week touring Spain could actually be a 12 to 14 day trip from home.
 
Why don’t you contact someone like Graham Swan at GS Motorcycle Tours Spain based near Malaga, great guy that does fantastic tours and very reliable. I’ve done the Andalucian Countryside Tour and it was brilliant and for 900 Euros inc bike hire, accommodation and airport pickup its well worth the money. He also hires bikes for self guided touring. Www.gsmotorcycletours.com
Check him out he’s a personal contact and a real nice chap. He does a range of tours, all on the website or bespoke.
 
I really don't see the point in all of this.
What's the sense in having your bike and not using it?
Instead of looking at the trips down and up the UK as a long slog to and from the crossing, with a reduced time abroad, why not just look at your holiday period as a few days riding the UK and then a big chunk abroad?
Take in some places of interest here that you haven't visited before as you make your way south (and likewise when homewards).
Treat it as a journey of discovery and pleasure on your own bike rather than an overplanned, possibly stressful and doubtless over expensive logistical exercise.
After all, why on earth did you buy your bike in the first place?
 
It wouldn’t be my course of action because I’d sooner ride there but have you looked at using an air freight company to ship the bike in a crate then get yourself on a budget airlines flight?
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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