International motorcycle shipping? (Urgent)

[basketcase]

Over on the Gold Wing side of my life, one of our European members is caught in a dilemma.

He purchased a GL1500 from a fellow GWRRA member (in the US) who made shipping arrangements with a company months ago.

The shipping company was paid for the services, and the dates have long passed for both shipment and delivery.

The overseas owner has called, and the bike is (reportedly) still in the warehouse. Quite a number of us on the particular forum are personally acquainted, and several of our GWRRA members on this side of the water are making plans to act on it pretty quick. Either the bike will be shipped as promised, or the bike will be retrieved and placed with another shipper.

And that leads to my question.

Keeping in mind that this is a one way shipment to Europe (Norway), can any of you provide the name and contact information for a reliable shipper?

By reliable shipper, I mean one that you have personally used, or that you know (first-hand) has been used by another MOA member to ship their bike to Europe in a safe, timely manner.

While I would personally have reservations about using them at this point, it may turn out that the present shipper will move promptly on the matter after being prodded. But the contingency is to form a plan B. So any information provided will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Rick

[jdiaz]

Is it a title issue? I had to give my original title to the shipper when my bike left my hands to be brought to Europe, and if the previous GW owner has signed his title (indicating a sale), there could be an issue with customs that the shipping agent knows will be a problem.

If it isn't a title issue, just email Stefan Knopf and have the thing air-freighted into Frankfurt. The guy has a great rep. knopftours@aol.com

[kbasa]

I believe DarrylRi has been working with Stefan for a while now as well. I think Stefan stores an RS over there for Darryl.

[DarrylRi]

Yes, I had my bike shipped from Daytona to Heidelberg by Stefan Knopf (http://www.knopftours.com). He knows the ropes and does some airfreight as well, though I haven't taken advantage of that. He has been storing my RS for 3 years now, and provides great service. I highly recommend him.

I can also tell you that I had a poor experience with a freight forwarder once. I cooled my heels for a week in Europe before the bike arrived. I then had to dismantle the crate myself with my swiss army knife (this is no joke). Then it took 4 weeks for it to return, and I was fortunate that my bike wasn't damaged. They put the bike into the crate on its centerstand, which was poking through the bottom of the crate when it arrived. A disaster all around.

I did have a great experience doing it myself from Vancouver, BC to London and back, on Air Canada. But that was also 7 or 8 years ago and things have changed a great deal in that time.