How did it all happen?

Some time ago my then partner and I purchased an Enfield motorbike in India, which we rode through much of India before we shipped the bike home to Sydney. Shortly after, I arranged for the bike of a French travelling Mate to be shipped from Sydney to Santiago in Chile. After a mountain of problems both bikes arrived and I had learnt a lot.

A little while later I was involved in arranging to ship 3 bikes from Brisbane to Madras in India. The bikes eventually arrived, although after plenty of heartburn.  I listened and learnt some more about shipping a motorcycle.

Around this time I realised other people were having all the fun. I seemed to be shipping their bikes overseas, for them to fly over and have a good time riding them. To me, flying over to some exotic destination and hiring a bike did not give the same satisfaction as my Mates received from riding these same roads and tracks on their own bikes.

In a short time I rode to Darwin, shipped my bike, and a Mates bike, from Darwin to Singapore, and after we had ridden through most of South East Asia, I shipped my bike from Bangkok to Dhaka in Bangladesh and my Mates from Bangkok to Sydney. Talk about a steep learning curve, although, all the Bikes arrived on time and definitely undamaged.

After riding overland from Dhaka through Nepal, India, Pakistan, the KKH, Iran, Gallipoli in Turkey, Europe on to London and my 3rd visit to the Isle of Man TT races I rode  back to  Japan  via Norway, Finland, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Siberia and Sakhalin Island. From Tokyo I shipped my Mates bikes to Singapore and sent my bike home to Sydney. The learning curve only got steeper! Over time, I had learnt what to do, and more importantly, what not to do.

By now I was starting to get into the swing of things, had learnt a lot and made some good contacts. I sent bikes to Europe in a couple of different shipments and assisted a Mate in shipping his BMW to the US and several months later bring it home again.

In 2010 I arranged to ship a full container of bikes, including mine, to Vladivostok in Russia. We designed and built the frames. They all arrived on time and in mint condition.  Things went incredibly smoothly. Previously riders had been spending 2 weeks or so in Vladivostok trying to clear their bikes through the maze that is Russian Customs. With the help of a brilliant Russian Customs Agent, I managed to achieve Customs clearance in 3 days. A repeatable record! The learning curve in shipping motorcycles had started to flatten considerably.