We have just completed the shipping of a 2019 Honda Grom, a 2019 Honda XR 650L and a 2023 BMW K 1600 GTL from Santa Ana, CA to Appling, GA. All three of them were shipped in an enclosed trailer and reached their destination covering a distance of 2,297 miles.
Shipping of three motorcycles on one booking can be considered cost-effective and practical. What makes this shipment special and worthy of being mentioned here is the fact that these three bikes hardly have anything in common and the heaviest of them weighs almost three and a half times more than the lightest one.
The route
This is a 2,297-mile journey, covering the southern part of the country from Orange County all the way to the Georgia piedmont at Appling.
The trip begins at Santa Ana where drivers take CA-55 and move onto I-10 East all the way across the Los Angeles Basin and climb up past Palm Springs before crossing the Colorado River at Blythe.
Most of the road distance is covered by I-10. It passes through Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona; then Las Cruces and El Paso in Texas. In Texas it covers Fort Stockton, San Antonio, and Houston and enters Louisiana via the Gulf Coast cities of Baton Rouge, to Alabama’s Mobile.
After Mobile, the journey moves north on I-65 towards Montgomery; then northeast on I-85 towards Atlanta. It moves east to Augusta on I-20 where Appling lies to the northwest.
Three bikes, three different problems
The Honda Grom is small. Being 125cc mini, about 225 pounds in weight, it resembles a scooter much more than either of the other two. Small bikes are lightweight and easy to carry, but not always easy to secure, because of the problem of chock fit. It may not hold the small bike if it is designed to fit a big wheel and is supposed to fit around the big tire.
The Honda XR 650L is high and soft. Dual sport bikes have long-travel suspension and the seat height of 37 inches. Long travel suspension makes them good to secure in tie-downs because of compression during loading. However, you should be careful with the strap tension. Height influences the place where it can go into the trailer.
The K 1600 GTL is a heavy bike. It weighs something in the region of 800 pounds wet with a full fairing and top case. This is the weight of three Groms. It’s not the kind of bike that is pushed into place; it requires a suitable chock and proper loading procedures.
Not all bikes are created equal. In a three-motorcycle load, there is always the tendency to use one approach three times. Actually, each motorcycle needs its own chock and strap configuration, as well as proper placement, considering the weight distribution on the deck.
All of which must be included in our initial estimate, including models. Three motorcycles describe the load as accurately as three Groms. The carrier needs to know what to expect.
How three bikes price on one booking
This per-mile number is our lowest and requires some explanation.
Think about it in terms of per-bike. At $3,200.00 for three bikes over 2,297 miles, each transported at around $1,067, or 46 cents per bike per mile. Comparing the cost of $3,200 to a single-vehicle quote is a pointless exercise.
Sharing deck space is responsible for the low number. In our previous article on how to transport a Honda CBX motorcycle, we’ve mentioned how motorcycles take up only a small portion of space compared to cars. Even in a group of three motorcycles will not occupy as much enclosed trailer space as one sedan.
Distance plays its part too. With 2,297 miles the initial costs associated with picking up and loading and securing and delivering are spread over a lengthy distance. Three motorcycles transported over 300 miles will cost significantly more on per-mile basis.
Only one booking, only one arrival in this case. In other words all three motorcycles were booked and transported by the same carrier on the same schedule. Booking three of them individually will mean having three separate arrangements, and hence, the possibility for one of those to fail.
Labour cost will somewhat neutralize savings though. As we’ve already said, three motorcycles require three chocks and three securing efforts compared to one for a car.
Enclosed transport
Each of these arrived in enclosed transport; that’s the way our motorcycles always go.
There is nothing shielding any of those components on the bike; they are all exposed right up against the road surface. Over 2,297 miles of desert and Gulf Coast roadway, that’s not something you want to do to them. In the case of the K 1600 especially, the fairing and paint make up a large portion of its value.
Securing each of them involved using a front wheel chock to keep the front wheel upright and locked down. Soft ties were put on the handlebars and lower triple clamp, and then compression ratchets were tightened up to ensure nothing could shift. No securing strap was put on any frame or painted surface.
Transport summary
- Origin: Santa Ana, CA 92705
- Destination: Appling, GA 30802
- Distance: 2,297 miles
- Vehicles: 2019 Honda Grom, 2019 Honda XR 650L, 2023 BMW K 1600 GTL
- Service cost: $3,200.00 total, roughly $1,067 per bike
- Cost per bike per mile: $0.46
- Trailer type: Enclosed
- Route: Santa Ana, CA → CA-55 → I-10 east through Palm Springs, Blythe, Phoenix and Tucson → Las Cruces, NM → El Paso and San Antonio, TX → Houston → Baton Rouge, LA → Mobile, AL → I-65 north to Montgomery → I-85 northeast to Atlanta, GA → I-20 east to Augusta → Appling, GA
