Handing your bike to a stranger with a trailer brings one fear: that they will strap it down like cargo and dent the tank. A motorcycle is not a small car, and it should never be shipped like one. Motorcycle shipping secures your bike on its wheels — chocked and soft-tied, never chained. We move bikes every week. Here is how it is done right, what it costs, and which option fits your ride.
The short answer: Motorcycle shipping secures your bike upright with a front-wheel chock and soft tie-down straps at the frame — never chains on the bike — so it arrives unmarked. You get three options: open (cheapest), enclosed (weather protection for a valuable bike), and crated (the highest protection, for vintage or high-value moves). It costs less than shipping a car, and books up fastest in summer riding season.
This is the part riders worry about, and rightly so. A bike does not strap down like a car. It is loaded onto a front-wheel chock that holds it upright, then secured with soft tie-down straps at multiple frame anchor points.
The straps never touch the tank or bodywork, and chains never go on the bike. Done right, the motorcycle stands solid for the whole trip and arrives without a single new mark. We tell riders to confirm this chock-and-soft-tie method with any carrier before booking.
One honest caveat: a carrier who treats a bike like general freight is the wrong carrier. The securing method is the question that separates a real motorcycle hauler from someone who will dent your tank.
Unlike a car, a bike has three options, not two. Open transport carries it on an open trailer — the cheapest choice, fine for a standard bike, but exposed to weather and road debris.
Enclosed transport puts the motorcycle in a covered trailer, shielded from the elements and individually strapped. It is the right call for a valuable, custom, or vintage bike. Compare the covered method on our enclosed transport page.
Crated is the third tier cars never use: the bike is immobilized in a wood or metal crate on a pallet, the maximum protection for a rare or international move. We compare all three in our guide on crated vs open vs enclosed motorcycle shipping.
Here is good news: shipping a bike costs less than shipping a car. A shorter haul often runs a few hundred dollars, and cross-country more, with enclosed adding to the total and larger touring bikes costing a bit extra for space.
We never quote a flat number sight unseen, because a real price comes from your bike, route, and method. See the full breakdown in our motorcycle shipping cost guide, then price your exact move on the calculator.
The process is straightforward. Get quotes, verify the carrier, book ahead, prep the bike, and inspect at both ends. Prep means a clean bike for clear photos, a quarter tank, folded or removed mirrors, and loose accessories off.
We walk through the whole checklist in our guide on how to ship a motorcycle. The honest part: skipping the condition photos is the one shortcut that can cost you, because they are your proof if anything changes in transit.
Long hauls are routine, and the bike's low cost per mile makes cross-country shipping a sensible alternative to riding it across the country or trailering it yourself. Expect roughly 7 to 14 days coast to coast, plus a pickup window.
Book earlier for a long move, especially in summer. Our guide on shipping a motorcycle cross-country covers the timing and cost, and you can get a window for your route with our transit time estimator.
Carriers carry cargo insurance, but limits and terms vary, and basic coverage may not match your bike's value. Ask for the certificate of insurance, confirm what is covered, and check your own policy for any transit gap.
Choose a genuine motorcycle hauler — one that talks fluently about chocks, soft ties, and crating — not a general carrier squeezing a bike onto a car trailer. Verify any carrier's authority and insurance with our FMCSA lookup before paying a deposit.
Motorcycle shipping is about moving your bike on its wheels, secured the right way, in the option that fits its value. Chock and soft-tie, open or enclosed or crated, documented at both ends — do that and your bike arrives exactly as it left.
Price your route on the calculator, see the full cost breakdown, read the step-by-step guide, verify any carrier with our FMCSA lookup, and browse all of our car shipping services.
A real, route-specific price for your bike — built from live diesel costs and actual Google Maps distance. Open, enclosed, or crated, no spam, no obligation.
Calculate My Costor talk to a dispatcher: 1-888-706-8784
By a front-wheel chock and soft tie-down straps at multiple frame anchor points — never chains or hard straps on the bike itself. That keeps it upright and unmarked. We tell riders this is the single thing to confirm with any carrier, because a bike strapped down like cargo is how tanks get dented.
Three tiers. Open transport is the cheapest and exposes the bike to weather. Enclosed puts it in a covered trailer, protected from elements and debris. Crated immobilizes it in a wood or metal crate for the highest protection. We match the tier to the bike's value and your route.
Less than a car — roughly a few hundred dollars for shorter hauls, more for cross-country, with enclosed adding to the price. It depends on distance, method, and bike size. We never quote flat sight unseen. See our cost guide for the breakdown and run the calculator for your exact bike and route.
Open is fine for most standard bikes and saves money. Enclosed is the call for a valuable, custom, or vintage motorcycle, where weather and road debris over a long haul are worth shielding. We help riders weigh the bike's value against the premium rather than defaulting to either one.
The bike is secured inside a wood or metal crate on a pallet, fully immobilized with padding around mirrors and protruding parts. It is the highest protection level, used for vintage, high-value, and international moves. It costs more and takes prep, but nothing shields a rare bike better. Our crated guide covers it.
Clean it so existing marks show in photos, leave about a quarter tank, fold or remove the mirrors and any loose accessories, and disable the alarm. Note every scratch before pickup. We tell riders that ten minutes of prep and timestamped photos is the cheapest protection in the whole move.
A regional move is a few days; cross-country typically runs about 7 to 14 days, depending on route and season. Pickup is a separate window after booking. We tell riders to plan a buffer and book ahead, especially in summer riding season when demand and prices both climb.
Carriers carry cargo insurance, but limits and terms vary and basic coverage may not equal your bike's value. We tell riders to ask for the carrier's certificate of insurance and confirm what is covered, then check their own policy for any transit gap. We handle transport, not policies.
Yes, every type — cruisers, Harleys, sport bikes, touring rigs, and vintage bikes. Larger touring and cruiser models take more space and handling, so they can cost a bit more. The securing method is the same chock-and-soft-tie approach. We match the trailer and tie-down plan to the bike.
Prices and demand peak in riding season, roughly May through September, and ease in winter. If your timing is flexible, an off-season move costs less. We tell riders that booking a summer shipment a couple of weeks ahead secures both a better rate and a carrier before capacity tightens.
Tell us where you're shipping — we'll handle the rest. No obligation, no hidden fees.