hello, I'm from belgium. I've been dreaming a long time about canada. I would like to make a trip to canada alaska and back. but has anyone experience with shipping a motorcycle to canada? or would I be better buy a motorcycle in canada? The problem is I have not been working for so long, budget is rather limited. i would like to stay for 3 months.May June July.
There is nothing inexpensive about touring Canada for 3 months, even if you camp under a tree and eat bread & water. I should think that shipping your bike would be the best bet with a 3 month tour. Expect $3500 return for the machine by plane.
A 26 year old ice cream maker who just started working with limited funds would find it difficult to fund a flight for himself not to mention a bike. My thoughts are a job on a ship crossing the Atlantic to Halifax and pick up a used KLR or DR 650. Ride the shit out of it and sell it in BC. Food at grocery stores and camp on the side of the road with bare minimals. Bring a warm set of clothes and sleeping gear because May is not warm.
Dont know what would be involved in getting a bike licensed for a person that is a non resident of Canada. Each province would have its own rules on that. Flying the bike would be the way to go, but as you are on limited funds Wallenius Wilhelsmen Logistics has very good rates for a RoRo. They have weekly trips out of Zeebruge to Halifax. You will need a freight forwarder to work with them.
the outbound shipment from belgium is not that expensive. is there a possibility to sell my bike at the end of the trip? or do you need a lot of paperwork?
Buying a bike and selling at the other end would be possible. Getting insurance might be the biggest hurdle, you would need a Canadian address for that. Once you have insurance and registration, you'd be good for the trip but might need an inspection in the province you finish in to sell the bike.
Canada does not allow importation of motor vehicles newer than 15 yrs old, unless it's a U.S. registered vehicle. Period.
Patissier Eh! You could always get a work visa and work here. I do know a very good French one who is doing just that. Can you make the best Raspberry Blanc Mange???? Ice cream well, I ride for Ice Cream. I am waiting on my buddy, a prize winning Ice Cream maker from NZ to get enough funds and come visit.But he is older and has figured out that it will take a lot more 12hr/days at work to fund his trip.Another year and a half for sure. Yes looked on the boat fares before, that's pretty good but if you think of selling your European bike here after, that may prove very difficult. And licensing one from here as a non-resident also can be very difficult, if at all possible.
It wouldn't be hard at all to spend $50 CDN for fuel a day and $15 or so for food. You can camp in the wild most of the time but showers can be a little problem etc. Used bikes here can be a little expensive, Nova Scotia would be the start off point and they have MC inspections, no biggie. A 5 year old KLR or DR is around $3500. www.kijiji.ca is a good site for looking. Minimal coverage insurance would run $350 a year or so. No idea if you can get insurance though. You should be able to sell a Cdn. bike at the end of the trip if you have the time. This is a shameless plug but I have the perfect DR650 for your trip listed for sale. It is all set up with panners and a back rack bigger tank etc. http://moncton.kijiji.ca/c-cars-veh...s-motocross-2008-Suzuki-DR-W0QQAdIdZ433151315 The bike has already been across Canada once under it's own power and hauled across 2 times on a trailer. If your interested we can talk.
Did you have a list of places you want to see hanne? Halifax to Alaska is a pretty big trip, plus two border crossings and Canada and the US are not the same as crossing EU borders, or even into the old Soviet bloc. Just a thought, but if you can get a good price to get over, why not make one trip heading west, fly home and come back for the bike next year? I'm pretty sure we can scare up storage for awhile somehow. There are places that offer temporary insurance for out of country bikes in North America, might be simpler than buying here.
i was thinking to ship my bike to vancouver. not with a roro ship. and then from vancouver starting to go north. stops like banff en jasper in between. in to bc. just trying to ride and enjoy. But now it's still only a dream. I'm trying to gather enough information as possible. to make help my dream come true, and start planning the trip. thanks so far for your help.
If ever your dream come true, you have to make a stop in Quebec city ! Le vieux Quebec est comme l'Europe. Bonne chance et bonne realisation dans ton projet !
Go for it. You should be able to ship the bike for 1000 cdn - each way. Camping costs very little. Food costs very little. Gas is relatively inexpensive. Timing is important, if you are going to Alaska. I have a campsite with a view, in Vancouver, if needed. The wide open spaces and lack of people will amaze you.
Sounds like a good start. Where in Belgium are you Hanne? I'm going to be in Europe in March, maybe we could meet up?
Cyrille from France over 11 000 Km in the Maritimes, Québec and Ontario. Some interesting info for you. http://mouflonvert.over-blog.com/article-22242197.html
i'm considering the option of maybe buying a bike and selling it at the end. What is a good prices for a klr650 in good shape? klr is a model you barely see in belgium. or are their better and cheaper bikes?
A KLR 2008 and newer would be 4000 cdn dollars. Pre 2008 would be 3000 dollars, both depending on condition and mileage. The advantage of selling at the end of your trip is that they depreciate very little. A DR650 would be similarly priced. If you were going to do mostly dirt go to the DR and the KLR would be a little better for longer days on pavement.
Buying a bike in Canada may be a good idea for an extended trip. You gotta look into wether you can register and insure a vehicle being a non-resident before everything. All provinces and territories have their own legislation on that. There are also significant differences between provinces and territories in premiums. In the case you find that you are able to register and insure a bike, you probably want to be cautious in opting to buying and selling a used bike. Buying blind (before arrival) could grieve. Buying after arrival could take time. You also may have to "prep" a bike before commencement of your journey or simply have to update maintenance (which may also be a factor when selling). When selling time comes, you would need to still be in Canada or have someone store and sell it for you. Just like shipping your bike over, it all cost way more than you would like to. Lots of things to think about. Have a great trip.
Just a bit of information for all the posters in this thread. I looked into registration and insurance for Hannes and it is totally doable here in Alberta, my insurance agent said no problem just use my address and the registry said it would be better if he got an international drivers permit and no problem using my address. Insurance in Alberta is based on the summer riding months, for example if the premium was $400.00 for the year and he used it for only 3 months in the summer the refund would be minimum. I also looked at rental rates:eek1 Cheers
