Experiences with US Shippers?

nlefcourt

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#1
Anyone have reviews to share of your own experiences with either Federal (FunBikes) or HaulBikes for shipping your motorcycle?

In particular I'm interested in timeliness as well as costs as compared to the contract (did they add extra charges on at the end?).

Did your bike make it safely?

Thanks,

Nancy
 

cacomly

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#2
I believe Paul Pelland recently used Haulbikes to have one of his bikes shipped home. I suggest reaching out to him directly for feedback
 
#4
I have used Haulbikes without an addded incurred cost, but they did take a while making the delivery. They pick up orders as the trucks cross the nation. This does add time.
--Chelsea
 

dmcqueeney

Staff member
Premier Member
IBA Member
IBR Finisher
IBR Staff
#8
Anyone have reviews to share of your own experiences with either Federal (FunBikes) or HaulBikes for shipping your motorcycle?
In particular I'm interested in timeliness as well as costs as compared to the contract (did they add extra charges on at the end?).
Did your bike make it safely?
Nancy
Greetings, Nancy ...
In July, 2014, I shipped a motorcycle from a dealership in Virginia to a dealership in Pomona, CA, via Federal. I didn't do any special preparation of the motorcycle for the shipment; just dropped it off at the VA dealership.
Pickup was scheduled for a 4-day window, and delivery for a 5-day window; these windows were about 7 days apart, and the schedules were met. (My transport need was not urgent).
Loading & unloading were handled by the drivers and/or dealership personnel; I wasn't present at the time of pickup or delivery.
The motorcycle arrived safely, undamaged, and the cost was as quoted -- no extra charges were added.
Regards ... Dave
 

nlefcourt

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#9
Thanks Dave, your recommendation means a lot. Looks like I'll be shipping my bike in to Mpls in June. The timeliness of it getting there on time is my main concern of course!
Nancy
 

Patrick Ford

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#10
You're rolling the dice about the start. Ride up there with me. I'm only going to take two days.
Leaving Tue, arriving Wed evening. Maybe leaving Wed and arriving Thur.
 

nlefcourt

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#11
Ride up there with me. I'm only going to take two days. Leaving Tue, arriving Wed evening. Maybe leaving Wed and arriving Thur.
Pat, it's not the ride there, it's the extra time off. I can have it there the week prior (I have someone on that end to accept the bike) and fly in Friday (my regular day off). Not to mention I ride I already have 2K on my tires (and service) and need to get them switched out or schedule a service with peeps I don't know (more time). I don't believe I'm the only one shipping from the west coast. Let me know if you decide to trailer!!
 

cacomly

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#13
Nancy, I toyed with the idea of shipping for 2015 for the same reasons you are and just could not do it. My reason was if something should happen to the bike during shipment I could be done before I started and I personally was not willing to take that chance. I considered positioning my bike there ahead of time so I knew it was there in one piece.

One thought is riding it to MN ahead of time if you can find someone who will store it for you. Maybe even a dealer who could do the regular scheduled service, change tires, etc. And then after the IBR leave the bike there and fly home, work, and fly back at a later date to retrieve it. For both the 2015 IBR and the 2014 Butt Lite I left my bike in the area and flew out at a later date to ride it home.

Just another option to consider ...
 

nlefcourt

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#14
Appreciate the input Chris. I've considered all those options. Really just looking for experience, good or bad with the two shippers, particularly with timeliness.

See you in June!
 

nlefcourt

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#15
I want to finish this thread since I started it. I shipped my bike to the IBR start in Minneapolis from Los Angeles via Federal Motorcycle Shipping. It was so easy, I'd definitely do it again. I dropped off and picked up at warehouses (they won't come to my house since I live in a gated community and cul de sac). I drove the bike up the ramp into the warehouse building where they documented cosmetic issues and I was on my way. You don't leave your keys and you can have your handbags on the bike. I picked up the bike in Minneapolis at the warehouse and it was by the drive out door ready to go. No problems. I knew when it was leaving the warehouse on the truck, and they called me the minute it was at the destination (at 4 am---guess they don't care about time differences). I told them when I was flying in to get it. I was in the airport when they called me again, and confirmed I was on my way.

I would definitely ship again. Just too easy.

I chose Federal over Haul Bikes because Haul Bike's contract is too vague. They would not guarantee the bike would be there on a certain date, and I could not take the chance. They are the nicest people......but without any promise, I couldn't do it. With Federal, I knew exactly what the schedule was. The pricing was almost the same.
 

rneal55555

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#16
I want to finish this thread since I started it. I shipped my bike to the IBR start in Minneapolis from Los Angeles via Federal Motorcycle Shipping. It was so easy, I'd definitely do it again. I dropped off and picked up at warehouses (they won't come to my house since I live in a gated community and cul de sac). I drove the bike up the ramp into the warehouse building where they documented cosmetic issues and I was on my way. You don't leave your keys and you can have your handbags on the bike. I picked up the bike in Minneapolis at the warehouse and it was by the drive out door ready to go. No problems. I knew when it was leaving the warehouse on the truck, and they called me the minute it was at the destination (at 4 am---guess they don't care about time differences). I told them when I was flying in to get it. I was in the airport when they called me again, and confirmed I was on my way.

I would definitely ship again. Just too easy.

I chose Federal over Haul Bikes because Haul Bike's contract is too vague. They would not guarantee the bike would be there on a certain date, and I could not take the chance. They are the nicest people......but without any promise, I couldn't do it. With Federal, I knew exactly what the schedule was. The pricing was almost the same.
Thanks for the follow up
 

cacomly

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#17
Thanks Nancy, will consider that for the future. I'll have to get over being leary about the bike not showing up on time or something happening to it. The thought of simply flying in and arriving fresh is very appealing
 

nlefcourt

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#18
Thanks Nancy, will consider that for the future. I'll have to get over being leary about the bike not showing up on time or something happening to it. The thought of simply flying in and arriving fresh is very appealing
Chris, I also weighed it against something happening to me and the bike in the 2000 miles to the start. No guarantee we'd make it to the start either. No guarantees in life period. Just the lesser of evils I guess.
You can do "what if's" all day long.

Nancy
 
#19
Anyone have reviews to share of your own experiences with either Federal (FunBikes) or HaulBikes for shipping your motorcycle?

In particular I'm interested in timeliness as well as costs as compared to the contract (did they add extra charges on at the end?).

Did your bike make it safely?

Thanks,

Nancy
Buddy, i used haulbiker many times and i loved their service. They will provide you fast service. But sometimes they go beyond our pocket.
i didn't used FunBikes service yet. That's why can't say anything about them.
I also used Citizenshipper bike transporting service(check) quiet a few times and get fast and cheap service over there also.

You can check haulbiker or Citizenshipper service both are equally good.

Cheers
 

nlefcourt

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#20
Buddy, i used haulbiker many times and i loved their service. They will provide you fast service. But sometimes they go beyond our pocket.
i didn't used FunBikes service yet. That's why can't say anything about them.
I also used Citizenshipper bike transporting service(check) quiet a few times and get fast and cheap service over there also.

You can check haulbiker or Citizenshipper service both are equally good.

Cheers

You replied to a post from 3+ years ago. I guess I should report that I've since used Federal Motorcycle Shippers three times to ship cross country and have been very very happy.