Shipping FJR to Germany

[jtr1174]

Hello All,

Well, I am relocating to Germany next month and I was wondering what the best way to secure the FJR was in the crate. The movers are coming next week to crate it up for shipment. Any advice on how to secure it firmly in the crate to ensure it does not arrive on its side?

- Should it be placed on center stand or left upright off center stand and just cranked down?

Any input/feedback would be greatly appreciated as I have never had to deal with shipping a bike in a crate before.

Thanks in advance!

 

[RedPorscheKilla]

The way I remember it from the way the shop transported my FJR to me, they had it place off stand in a front wheel choke and strapped down on the front end/fork. It was pretty much unmoveable.

On a side note, I don't know if you will have to make changes to her in Germany, I assume you're belonging to the armed forces. The German MOT might require you to change your speedo from miles to km/h. Also you should check on the drivers license. Your license could be grandfathered in, as you're riding already with an endorsement. German rules imply for a "beginner" a limit of horsepower (34 bhp) to be driven for a probationary period of two years, before changing your license to a full bike, this when you havent had any major infractions or accidents. I know you ain't a beginner, but they can see you as a first time applicant.

Sorry don't mean to cause you any headache, yet I grew up there and been through all those ringers. When I immigrated to the US, I ended up selling all vehicles I had, since they were all European spec and not for cheap to be converted to US specs... Which is just the reverse order of actions.

Like I said, getting the Armed Forces DL for Germnay might save you that grief, but I'm not certain, so please check. When my wife was stationed in Germany, they gave her grief, because she didn't have in the beginning the AF license.

 

[SacramentoMike]

Hope you don't have to go through the big song and dance RPK describes, but as to the question about center/side stand, I'll just point out that when I put mine on the ferry for the all-day trip from Prince Rupert to Vancouver Island, they told us to put it on the side stand, then cinch it down tight with the straps. That's a better 3-point wide stance than you'd get on the center stand. Good luck.

 

[Canadian FJR]

There are some great pics her somewhere when Todd L. Witte shipped his yellow/black FJR to a rally (??).

I hope this helps.

Canadian FJR

 

[LKLD]

https://youtu.be/3Px9TYMekQo

This is a video for a crating system, but thought it might give some info. that would help.

 

[RedPorscheKilla]

Hope you don't have to go through the big song and dance RPK describes.......

I soo wish, that this crap ain't happen to him, yet German customs, rules and regulations can really get the better of you. When we moved back to Germany, they actually made us open up boxes to see, if we don't import something illegal and so forth. On the move back to the US, the container showed up at our house, end of story.

Riding a bike and frakleing it, like we do it here, would not really work there. If you don't have a MOT certificate you have to drive up the MOT and have the title amended, else you loose your operators license for your vehicle and subsequently your insurance coverage....... For instance the Trooper mod, would kill your license soo bad... really ridiculous.. Over time accessory companies produce farkles with a MOT certificate, so it gets easier, yet you have to go every 2 years for a MOT check, without their seal your operator license is invalid... So you're truly stuck in a catch 22, yuck...

V

RPK

 

[ionbeam]

Take a look at how the FJR comes from Momma Yamaha. Our local dealers used to hold on to the shipping containers if we asked and handed them out free.

There are more pictures here: GoTo

 

[jtr1174]

Thanks for all of the replies guys! It looks like I should not mount on the center stand, which is what I thought anyhow. The shipping guy did not give me much confidence, so this is why I ask you PROS!

Thanks again!

 

[jtr1174]

The way I remember it from the way the shop transported my FJR to me, they had it place off stand in a front wheel choke and strapped down on the front end/fork. It was pretty much unmoveable. On a side note, I don't know if you will have to make changes to her in Germany, I assume you're belonging to the armed forces. The German MOT might require you to change your speedo from miles to km/h. Also you should check on the drivers license. Your license could be grandfathered in, as you're riding already with an endorsement. German rules imply for a "beginner" a limit of horsepower (34 bhp) to be driven for a probationary period of two years, before changing your license to a full bike, this when you havent had any major infractions or accidents. I know you ain't a beginner, but they can see you as a first time applicant. Sorry don't mean to cause you any headache, yet I grew up there and been through all those ringers. When I immigrated to the US, I ended up selling all vehicles I had, since they were all European spec and not for cheap to be converted to US specs... Which is just the reverse order of actions. Like I said, getting the Armed Forces DL for Germnay might save you that grief, but I'm not certain, so please check. When my wife was stationed in Germany, they gave her grief, because she didn't have in the beginning the AF license.

I am in the Armed Forces and I was just over there a few weeks ago on other business. I spoke to a guy I will be working with who rode a bike as well and he did not mention anything that you were talking about, so hopefully it does not affect me. He did however mention that I have to take another riding test by German law on my bike, but other than that I should be good. Any recommendations on insurance? My insurance is going sky high with this move, almost 4x what I am paying here in the states with Progressive!

 

[RedPorscheKilla]

I surely hope, that you won't have to go through that kind of grief with the license and stuff. In re: Insurance, shop around, there's the German version of the AAA, ADAC (https://adac.de), they are good in giving you advice in insurance. When we lived there we used HUK Coburg, they've been fairly inexpensive...yet Germany ain't cheap, by all means, comes to vehicles and cost. A gallon of gasoline about 6 Euro so about $8.00 or so!

The German vehicle insurance system runs as follows, a bloody beginner, so a real beginner 18 year old greenhorn beginner, pays a whooping 175% of the insurance premium, a grandfathered in driver (like you) likely will start at either @ 125, or lucky you 100%, then every year you don't have a claim or accident, you will get a deduction of I think 10 or 15% until you reach 50%, than this deduction decreases to 5% until you reach 30%, which if I remember correctly is the lowest on insurance premium level you can reach, usually to make that happen you need about 8 - 10 years....... The insurance market here at home is a true blessing compared to the one in Germany, and way cheaper as you stated. My 3 bikes, 1 trike, a Hummer and an Escalade, would bankrupt me in Germany.

 

[DennisJ]

Mrs. DantesDame, a moderator over on Sport-Touring.net, recently had a thread about this. It appeared very difficult to meet the requirements to have the bike road legal. Might be worth contacting her to get more details. She and her husband decided to sell their BMW GS and another bike instead of trying to ship them over.