Can a moving company handle a Spyder?

[SpyderJames]

Hey everyone. So I'm moving from Wisconsin to Seattle. I'm going to hire a moving company to handle all my furniture and I asked about my Spyder and they (Mayflower and Allied) have said "oh sure no problem." But I'm pretty nervous about that. It'll go on/off a truck 6 times (local moving company, then interstate company, then local on the other end). That's a lot of time someone has to figure out how to work the machine. My other option is to haul it with a trailer as I make my way out there but 2,000 miles with a trailer will add almost an extra day in travel time. Anyone have any experience using a "regular" moving company to get your Spyder to its new home along with your furniture? Thanks for the help

James

 

[Mazo EMS2]

I wouldn't trust that many "on and offs" by moving people. Too many unique quirks for a bunch of movers to deal with. I'd trailer it, even if it took 2 more days. Just me though

 

[Cruzr Joe]

I wouldn't trust that many "on and offs" by moving people. Too many unique quirks for a bunch of movers to deal with. I'd trailer it, even if it took 2 more days. Just me though

:agree: 10X

 

[Highwayman2013]

Hire a regular Bike hauler like:http://www.haulbikes.com/

I put my two bikes in a 26ft Penske and drove them from Penna to Las Vegas NV

 

[bmccaffrey]

Haul yourself.
Do they know where the anchor points are. Do not trust your spyder to just anybody :yikes:

 

[ARtraveler]

:agree: Keeping the :spyder2: under your control is better than giving it to people who probably don't work with :ani29: on a regular basis or ever. Your giving Murphy a chance to get in on the deal. :thumbup:

 

[Deanna777]

I wouldn't trust that many "on and offs" by moving people. Too many unique quirks for a bunch of movers to deal with. I'd trailer it, even if it took 2 more days. Just me though

:agree: haul your own spyder. Deanna

 

[Deanna777]

:agree: Keeping the :spyder2: under your control is better than giving it to people who probably don't work with :ani29: on a regular basis or ever. Your giving Murphy a chance to get in on the deal. :thumbup:

:agree: Deanna

 

[SpyderAnn01]

We have had movers move motorcycles for us a number of times with no problems. We had 2 on the moving truck coming here to Las Vegas from Michigan. The only difference for us was it was on the truck and off at the final destination. Joe was worried sick about them but we never had any trouble. Never had the Spyder moved that way though

 

[JayBros]

Having thousands invested in custom built bicycles, with the exception of moving to & from Japan, I always moved them myself. I've never been a trusting soul when it comes to moving companies. My Spyder -- I'd rent and drive the transportation myself.

 

[Grandpaspeed]

I retired from one of the largest moving companies in the USA which we also represented the number one motorcycle hauler. I would highly recommend NOT to use any of them. I can't tell you how many claims I dealt with because of workers not knowing and or caring how to handle a motorcycle let alone a spyder. If you have to use one then require them to provide a driver that can load on his truck and he delivers it that way your able to see how it's loaded and unloaded. However I still would haul my own spyder.

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Hey everyone. So I'm moving from Wisconsin to Seattle. I'm going to hire a moving company to handle all my furniture and I asked about my Spyder and they (Mayflower and Allied) have said "oh sure no problem." But I'm pretty nervous about that. It'll go on/off a truck 6 times (local moving company, then interstate company, then local on the other end). That's a lot of time someone has to figure out how to work the machine. My other option is to haul it with a trailer as I make my way out there but 2,000 miles with a trailer will add almost an extra day in travel time. Anyone have any experience using a "regular" moving company to get your Spyder to its new home along with your furniture? Thanks for the help

Are you paying for this move out of pocket? If so, and you're on a budget, then trailering may be the best way unless it'll cost more than, say, $600 to rent it. In that case Haulbikes would be the smarter way to go. If someone else is paying for your move then I would push real hard to have them pay for Haulbikes.

Based on my one experience of having my Spyder hauled from Wisconsin to Idaho I would strongly recommend Haulbikes.com. They specialize in hauling motorcycles, ATV, and water craft on trailers. They are contract haulers for all HD trikes. Their home base is Milwaukee so pickup at your end would most likely be a local pickup and could be arranged to take place in a few days. I'm sure they're hauling a lot of m/c's now that it's spring so haul time would most likely be less than 30 days. My Spyder was picked up in Fond du lac a couple of days before Thanksgiving, 2013, and dropped off here in Idaho a couple of days before Christmas! They charged me a few dollars under $1000 so that's probably about what you would pay.

 

[Bob Denman]

DIY, and save yourself a lot of worrying... :shocked:

 

[robmorg]

Hey everyone. So I'm moving from Wisconsin to Seattle. I'm going to hire a moving company to handle all my furniture and I asked about my Spyder and they (Mayflower and Allied) have said "oh sure no problem." But I'm pretty nervous about that. It'll go on/off a truck 6 times (local moving company, then interstate company, then local on the other end). That's a lot of time someone has to figure out how to work the machine. My other option is to haul it with a trailer as I make my way out there but 2,000 miles with a trailer will add almost an extra day in travel time. Anyone have any experience using a "regular" moving company to get your Spyder to its new home along with your furniture? Thanks for the help

James

James,

I recently retired from a local moving company, and was an agent for one of the major van lines, so I can add some things to this discussion that may help you. First I agree with much of what's been said above. As others have said, I would advise you to either trailer it yourself, or go with one of the transportation companies who specialize in moving motorcycles, ATV's, etc. for the reasons already stated.

But I have to say that I'm confused why you have been told that there will be a local pick-up and delivery at each end of your move. That is MOST unusual unless you either have a very small shipment of household goods, or you require storage at one end or the other. If neither is the case, you should definitely inquire with the mover why that is so, and/or perhaps talk with a different van line representative. However, even if that is the case, you can always ride the Spyder to the origin agent, and pick it up from the destination agent rather than have it handled six times. Under no circumstances should you allow your Spyder to be loaded on and off three different trucks. That would be asking for trouble.

If you do have the Spyder moved, either with a major van lines or a carrier who specializes with motorcycles, be sure that the Spyder is carefully inventoried at the origin end (or at the agent, if you ride it to them), and then checked again against the inventory at delivery or when you pick it up. Check it VERY carefully both times. With most major van lines, claims will not be a problem, IF the claim can be verified by the documentation. Also, whether or not you ship the Spyder with the mover, make sure you buy "Valuation Protection" for your move - especially if your household goods are going to be handled six times. Valuation protection is not that expensive and you will have several deductible options.

 

[Deanna777]

Haul yourself.
Do they know where the anchor points are. Do not trust your spyder to just anybody :yikes:

:agree: Deanna

 

[ARtraveler]

We have had movers move motorcycles for us a number of times with no problems. We had 2 on the moving truck coming here to Las Vegas from Michigan. The only difference for us was it was on the truck and off at the final destination. Joe was worried sick about them but we never had any trouble. Never had the Spyder moved that way though

I did that when I moved my V-Star up here in 2001. I watched the movers load it into the truck--way up at the front and tie it down. When they were going to stuff one of my expensive guitars behind it as backing, I said not only no, but heck no. They ended up using several moving blankets--which they should have in the first place.

I also watched them unload. It arrived in Alaska unscathed and unscratched. My goods were the only stuff, as we rented a 24ft cab over U-Haul and we hired a driver to bring the truck our way.

Don't think I would trust a Spyder to be moved that way though.

 

[kep-up]

Now, thimk about it....... Wouldn't that be a real nice 3 or 4 day ride? Then a flight or train home to get the pick-up. I doubt if it would cost much more tha transporing the spyder. And a lot more fun!

 

[SpyderJames]

Thanks all for the info. To answer a couple questions, I'll be funding the move myself. There will be some strorage time involved as I have to mix in some work and cleanup/repairs and I'll be a couple weeks behind the moving truck. And it's a 1 bedroom apartment, so I assume the interstate haul will include more than just my stuff. All of which is why there will be some on/off the truck action. I'm meeting the company reps next week so I'll get the official quote then and I'll show them the machine and see what they really have to say. UHaul trailer would be about $700. I don't mind hauling it but the extra time it'll take to get there is a negative, plus there's of course a little bit of risk with hauling a trailer. Not that I'm an idiot but just saying. I'll check out haulbikes as well. Thanks again

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Thanks all for the info. To answer a couple questions, I'll be funding the move myself. There will be some strorage time involved as I have to mix in some work and cleanup/repairs and I'll be a couple weeks behind the moving truck. And it's a 1 bedroom apartment, so I assume the interstate haul will include more than just my stuff. All of which is why there will be some on/off the truck action. I'm meeting the company reps next week so I'll get the official quote then and I'll show them the machine and see what they really have to say. UHaul trailer would be about $700. I don't mind hauling it but the extra time it'll take to get there is a negative, plus there's of course a little bit of risk with hauling a trailer. Not that I'm an idiot but just saying. I'll check out haulbikes as well. Thanks again

Based on all that I think Haulbikes looks better all the time. Ask the rep what the incremental and/or surcharge will be to include the Spyder in with the load. I wouldn't be surprised if it isn't somewhere in the region of the trailer rent or Haulbikes charge.

Since you have only a one bedroom apartment quantity check out U-Pack, U-Haul, and PODs. With all three you would load the storage/shipping box yourself and unload it at the end. It would just sit at a terminal and you wouldn't be looking at having to have the stuff taken off the truck and stored. A PODs type container might even be a viable option for the Spyder. Since you're looking at paying for loading and unloading with a moving company you could hire local mover type guys at each end to help you do that. If you're resourceful and capable and willing to do it yourself you have a lot of options available. Moving companies aren't the only choice, although in the end they might be the best choice for you.

 

[SpyderJames]

Hey everyone. I just wanted to come back and report on what I ended up doing unless other people come through and search the forum. So the move was from Wisconsin to Seattle. A U-haul trailer was about $700. Not bad but I wasn't thrilled about hauling a trailer that distance, plus it would add some time to the trip and be a general pain. Haul bikes was about the same price for a regular motorcycle, and I never got a quote for the extra space of a spyder. The main problem with them is that the delivery window is 28 days and you get a call 24hrs prior. That unfortunately does not work for me as I am out of town a lot for work and if I got the delivery call while I was out there'd be nobody around to receive. An option I didn't look into was having it delivered to my local dealer.

In the end I went with having my moving company handle it. I used Mayflower. I was fairly concerned as it would have to be "moved" fairly often. Onto the short truck at my apartment, then onto the X-country 18 wheeler, then into storage on the other end, then onto the short truck for delivery, then off the short truck at my new residence. However the estimator was very reassuring, and he had a point when he said that they move a lot of ATVs and this would not be a lot different. The price came in at an additional $680 for the bike, and that's fully insured with no deductible. I figured it had a higher chance of being damaged pulled behind my Jeep on an open trailer. So in the end it was cheapest, most convenient, safest, and lowest risk (in my opinion). I drove it to the main facility and they pushed it up a ramp into the 18 wheeler, and then on the other end I pick it up from the storage facility. There was not a scratch on it and believe me I looked.

So, successful move with Mayflower. Thanks everyone for the input.