Getting a bike shipped from Vancouver to Fairbanks

[Stan Dalone]

Hey there fellow inmates
I am leaving in June 2013 for the dream adventure. 1 year on the road on The Kawasaki Concours with the girl of my dreams
We have a cruise booked out of Vancouver in August 2013, and it ends in Fairbanks 10 days later.
How do I get my bike to Alaska? Is there a way without a ton of Bullsheet?
Its not critical, as I am sure I can find a place to leave it in Vancouver, but part of the dream would be to ride out of Alaska and down to the lower 48.
Any help or info is greatly appreciated.

[ADVBMR]

Alaska Airlines will ship from Seattle to Anchorage. You have to call the number for freight. There are a number of ways to truck a bike up here. Call Classic Motion in Anchorage and they can help you out.

[nuttynu]

Call out


http://www.lynden.com/ltia/

[TheSeeker]

I used KGM Motorcycle Transport in Kent, WA. 1-800-378-6618 These guys were super helpful and very professional. Give them a shot.

[GaryAK]

40,

Northland Services runs a sea-going barge service from Seattle to Anchorage, and by rail to Fairbanks. This is the least expensive shipper I have found, and I have used them 5 times - each time the bike arrives in the same condition it left.

Northland does not require crating, you will ratchet strap your bike (with a half tank of gas or less) onto a metal pallet, which will then be loaded into a sealed connex container. (bring your own ratchet straps)

You will need to get your bike to Northland at least three days before the barge sails. The voyage from Seattle to Anchorage is 10 days, and they have two sailings a week in the summer. I mention this because you will need to pre-plan for your trip. You can either pick up your bike in Anchorage, or have it continue on to Fairbanks by rail - they just load your bike's container on a railroad car - adds another day or two to the trip.

Cost is based on weight - my Suzuki DR650 was $319 - so a Concourse will probably be in the $400 range.

There are other shipping methods available, but they are all almost certainly more expensive, and require crating. So if you are willing to work around Northland's schedule, you can get your bike to Fairbanks inexpensively and reliably. My wife and I have had 5 bikes shipped this way, as well as several friends who shipped their bikes with Northland - in every case, the bike arrived in the same condition it left.

Hope this helps, and have a fun trip,

Gary

[Stan Dalone]

Thank you Gary, that exactly the info i was hoping to find.
I will be contacting them within the next 30 days.
It sounds so easy, but 1 year on the road actually takes a lot of planning.

[Solarmoose]

When you get a little closer to the time and need any help on the Fairbanks end, let me know. (assuming we aren't on the road somewhere.) But do shout out here and others can help too.