A common method used for motorcycle transportion is the crated option. This option is not as common of a way to ship motorcycles as the uncrated motorcycle shipping option or the pallet option.
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Some customers request that their motorcycle be transported in a crate. This option has its pros and cons but it is a popular option regardless. The benefits of shipping motorcycles in a crate are fairly obvious. The motorcycle is completely enclosed in a plywood crate during transport and is completely protected from damage as long as the crate is a robust design. The crate also allows room for extra items to be transported with the bike. Many customers ship bike parts or riding gear with their motorcycle and crated shipping option allows extra room for those types of items to go along in the crate with the motorcycle.
Many motorcycle shippers are not set up to handle crates. Crated motorcycles require the transporter to have a forklift and/or a lift gate available at the pick up location and the delivery location. They may need to ship the bike from a loading dock to a loading dock if there is not a forklift or lift gate available at each location. Crated motorcycle moving companies also require the fluids to be drained and the battery to be disconnected. Additionally, most crated bike transport companies require you to set up an account with them prior to shipping motorcycles in order to get their best shipping rates. Also, the cargo insurance coverage on crated bike shipping is usually very minimal. Additionally, motorcycle crate shipping companies require you to provide a full wooden crated and crate the motorcycle yourself. There are crate shipping companies that build and sell wooden crates but they are fairly expensive to buy because they have to be custom made to the size of your motorcycle. Wooden crates usually cost between $250-$450 to buy from a crating company. Most customers that use the crated option are motorcycle dealers that have the motorcycle in the original equipment manufacturers crate and they have docks and fork lifts on hand at their dealerships.
If you are considering shipping a bike using the motorcycle crate shipping option, you should plan ahead and make sure you have all the proper materials required to fabricate the motorcycle shipping crate. You will need some quarter inch or half inch plywood, some 2×4 wood studs and an ample supply of wood screws. You will need to measure the length, width and height of your motorcycle prior to fabricating a wooden bike crate in order to determine the crate dimensions. It is best to lay the base of the crate out on a flat surface to the required length and width dimensions. Remember that a forklift will need to get under the crate so the base of the crate will need to be elevated about 4 inches off the ground to accommodate the forklift. You will want to reinforce the corners and the edges of the crate making a sturdy framework to attach the plywood sides and top to. It is recommended that you incorporate some metal eyelets in the base of the crate that you can hook tie downs to in order to secure the motorcycle within the crate.
If you have any questions about crate shipping and costs, please contact one of our motorcycle moving professionals at 866-383-1307 or sales@shippingmasters.com.