Motorbike Shipping.

Motorcycles are small enough to fly and valuable enough to be worth packing properly. NLX Logistics ships bikes for racers chasing a season, riders flying out to meet a tour, collectors buying at auction and families relocating with the machine in the garage. The right method depends on how fast you need it and how much it is worth: air freight in a purpose-built crate for speed and security, a shared container for economy, or a sole-use container when several bikes travel together.

Whichever route you choose, the preparation is the same and it matters. Fuel is drained to a residue, the battery is disconnected and taped, the front wheel is strapped into a chock, the bars may be removed to reduce crate height, and the machine is bolted to a pallet base rather than resting on its own suspension. Bikes that are simply strapped to a pallet arrive scratched; bikes that are crated properly arrive as they left.

Event freight lives and dies by deadlines, so we work backwards from the date you need the bike in the paddock and build in slack for customs. Temporary admission procedures — ATA Carnet or the destination's equivalent — let competition machinery enter and leave without paying duty, provided the paperwork is prepared before departure and discharged correctly on return. We prepare carnets, brief you on how they are stamped, and keep the return leg booked so the bike is not stranded after the event.

Every motorbike shipping booking with NLX Logistics follows the same simple sequence, and you keep the same reference number and the same contact from the first email to final delivery. You send us the details, we send you a written quotation, and once you are happy we confirm space and issue a booking pack with everything you need to prepare.

We never ask for paperwork you do not need, and we never spring charges on you at destination without warning. If a cost is likely to arise at the other end — terminal handling, customs examination, quarantine inspection, storage after free time expires — we tell you about it in the quotation so you can budget for it rather than discover it later.

Good paperwork is what keeps freight moving, so we front-load it. For commercial cargo we need a commercial invoice and packing list, your EORI number, the commodity codes and the incoterms you have agreed with your buyer. For vehicles we need the V5C or bill of sale, photographic identification for the owner and the keys. For personal effects we need a detailed inventory and, where relevant, evidence of residence.

If anything is missing we will tell you exactly what to obtain and where to get it. We would far rather spend ten minutes on the phone before the cargo moves than deal with a detention charge at destination because a certificate was never applied for.

Standard carrier liability is limited by international convention and is calculated on the weight of the cargo rather than its value, which means an expensive, lightweight shipment is barely protected at all. We therefore recommend all-risks marine cargo insurance on the declared commercial or replacement value of every consignment, which we can arrange at the point of booking for a small percentage of the insured value.

Cover runs warehouse to warehouse, includes general average contribution, and is underwritten on Institute Cargo Clauses A for most cargo types. Claims are handled with a single point of contact, and we will help you assemble the survey report, photographs and commercial evidence a claim requires.