I suppose I need to start a new thread, to chronicle all the things that go into shipping a Sidecar Rig to Europe, including the prep work involved in getting a sidecar rig to the finalized point of "completion", and the steps taken to actually ship the sidecar rig.
It should be noted that I am not the first, nor the last person to ship a sidecar rig to Europe, as I know of others that came before me, and my hope is that by posting some of this information here, it might entice others to do the same.
This thread is going to be a multi-month long thread, as the actually shipment of the sidecar rig to Europe will take place next February, when I deliver the completed sidecar rig to a location in Tucson, AZ, and it gets containerized there, then shipped to Orlando, Fl, where it meets up with other motorcycles, they all have a containerized party, then they board a ship, and sail across the Atlantic Ocean to Antwerp, Belgium, where our shipping host, Stefan Knopf meets the containers, escorts all the containers through customs, has the containers delivered to his business location very near Heidelberg, Germany, where he unloads all the motorcycles and one lonely sidecar rig, and stores all of them inside his warehouse, awaiting for the intrepid travelers to arrive, and claim their iron steeds.
The...Where Do I Begin....is always a quandary, because a lot of thinking and stop/start goes into the process, before decisions can be made.
Most of you know I have the '19 Wing w/Hannigan Dream sidecar rig, named....the BattleWing Galactica. That rig stays in the USA.
Allow me to introduce you to the rig that will be shipped to Europe, my newly acquired 2015 Wing w/Hannigan GTL sidecar, that was previously the showroom floor model for Hannigan.......here is....Euro - Wing
Two Million Mile Rider...All 7 Continents
Exploring the World in Comfort
Its a nice new toy for sure Miles and you will be happily ticking off items on your fully itemized list. Then adding things i forgot to a new list =)
Walk with Joy
Steve Ives
This is going to be fun to follow along with. I'm very much looking forward to spending a good amount of time in southern EU in the future. Never to early to learn about "opportunities".
I have lots of questions. I'll try to keep them pertinent to each specific post you make along the way. If you've already answered these in another thread(s), feel free to direct me there. Thanks for your insights! Also please don't let me get ahead of your posting process. If I ask something you plan to cover, just tell me to hold-my-horses. lol
Of the rig:
* Why this rig over the one you just sold?
* Why Ship a Rig instead of buying a rig there that has already been through the EU inspection process for road-worthiness? Is that still even a "thing"?
* Will you be traveling the EU with your Washington license plate? If so, any safety concerns with that?
* Since this rig is U.S. spec'd are parts specific to this U.S. rig easy enough to procure if something were to break?
* Is there a difference insuring a U.S. spec'd rig, versus a EU spec'd rig?
* Is there room in the trunk for a stow-away? (i'm very low maintenance).
Of this specific shipper:
* How did you source this company?
* Is the same process available for mere mortals?
* What was the impetis for using this specific company?
* If you were to change your mind, is there a "drop dead date", or a sliding scale of reimbursement for deposit?
This would make a pretty awesome article for the Sidecarist. Either as a synopsis of the completed process, or as a multipart "contributor" column as it goes along. 😎
Hold my keyboard and watch this! 🙃
Scott, all question are pertinent, and I welcome every question, so feel free to ask, and do no hesitate. I shall answer your questions within your quoted post, with my answers in BOLD print.
This is going to be fun to follow along with. I'm very much looking forward to spending a good amount of time in southern EU in the future. Never to early to learn about "opportunities".
I have lots of questions. I'll try to keep them pertinent to each specific post you make along the way. If you've already answered these in another thread(s), feel free to direct me there. Thanks for your insights! Also please don't let me get ahead of your posting process. If I ask something you plan to cover, just tell me to hold-my-horses. lol
Of the rig:
* Why this rig over the one you just sold?
I vacillated back and forth 100 times as to whether or not to send my '06 Wing w/Champion Daytona 2+2, or....buy a completed sidecar rig that was already in Europe. Bought my '06 Wing rig back from Ned (DRONE) with the idea of shipping it to Europe, and then changed my mind...99 more times. The idea of buying one already there had merits, and there is an excellent Goldwing dealer (not a Honda dealership, but a GOLDWING dealer in Germany, that builds trikes and "used to" build sidecar rigs, and actually oder containers full of Hannigan sidecars, most recently the Hannigan GTL sidecars, and install them to the Goldwings they would buy in Germany, then resell the completed sidecar rig.
Buying one of their completed rigs is what caused me to offer up my '06 Wing w/Daytona 2+2....found a buyer within our USCA family, and in fact he will be flying out to pick up that sidecar rig next week.
Once I made the offer to sell my '06 Wing sidecar rig, and had a friend within this community agree to buy it, I was NOT going to go back on my word to him. It's as simple as that. It is going to cost me close to $ 25,000.00 USD "extra" doing it this way, versus shipping the '06 Wing rig over there, but my word to this friend in our sidecar community is worth it to me to spend that kind of money.
THEN....I found that the Goldwing dealer in Germany was no longer building sidecar rigs, they are concentrating on trikes...(big error on their part)....and for what they had left to sell....which was an '03 Wing w/Hannigan GTL for $ 38,000.00 Euro, or a '04 Wing w/Hannigan GTL for $ 34,000.00 Euro...I could put together a newer bike and Hannigan GTL, and have it shipped to Germany, for less money, and have one that I got my own hands on, did my own work to it, so that I knew the bike intimately, and had the confidence that it would not have mechanical issues while driving it around Europe.
* Why Ship a Rig instead of buying a rig there that has already been through the EU inspection process for road-worthiness? Is that still even a "thing"?
Any sidecar rig I have shipped to Europe does NOT need to go through any EU inspection process. It does NOT need to meet EU specs, etc, as it will be my own personal vehicle, and as far as they know, I will "someday" be shipping it back to the USA.
* Will you be traveling the EU with your Washington license plate? If so, any safety concerns with that?
Yes, traveling all of Europe with my Washington State license plate on, and yes....there are some safety concerns, but....I will deal with that.
* Since this rig is U.S. spec'd are parts specific to this U.S. rig easy enough to procure if something were to break?
Every Honda part on this 2015 Honda Goldwing 1800 is available at the shops I will be dealing with in Germany. There is little, or no difference in parts, other than the speedo. So, 99.314159 % of the parts on this bike are the same in the USA as they are in the EU....and readily available in the EU.
* Is there a difference insuring a U.S. spec'd rig, versus a EU spec'd rig?
My US insurance will NOT cover this bike or sidecar in the EU, or anywhere outside North America. I will have the Green Card Insurance in the EU, and that will be provided by the guy that is taking care of ALL the items regarding shipping.
* Is there room in the trunk for a stow-away? (i'm very low maintenance).
NO ! My wife, the Boss Monkey, has unbelievably good hearing, so if you make a sound inside that trunk (yes it is large enough), then she will hear you, and hit the ejection button.
Of this specific shipper:
* How did you source this company?
This guy, Stefan Knopf, has been doing this for more than 30 years. His wife and son are partners in the biz, and they have it 100% figured out, from arranging every finite detail of the shipping from several different countries to Germany, and from Germany to several different countries, a few times every year. He personally oversees every detail of the actual shipping, then receives the containers of bikes when it arrives in Antwerp, has the containers trucked down to his property in Heidleberg, he has relationships with all the customs agents, takes care of all the paperwork, the Green Card Insurance, the duties, etc. You pay him...and he takes care of all the little costs here and there, and when you fly into Frankfurt, Germany, his people are there to meet you at the airport, and shuttle you down to Heidelberg, where you bike is waiting for you.
His warehouse can store around 400 motorcycles inside, all plugged in to Battery tenders, he has a full service shop there that you can use, tire changes, oil changes, repair work, etc, along with several cute little B&B cottages to stay in, laundry facilities...it is all there.
www.knopftours.com
* Is the same process available for mere mortals?
Mere mortals, and even owners of Screaming Yellow Zonkers.....YES...it is the same for everyone. I am getting NO special attention in doing this shipping with him.
* What was the impetis for using this specific company?
He's the BEST....period. His location in Heidelberg, Germany is close to being in central Europe, easy access to everything. His storage rates are very good, and in fact...he has even agreed to store a car for us, my wife's 2024 Subaru Crosstrek. It will be stored outside in his fenced in parking lot, but it will be secure.
Stefan Knopf has earned a reputation as being honest, and forthright in the motorcycle world. He cares about motorcycles, and the owners of these bikes.
* If you were to change your mind, is there a "drop dead date", or a sliding scale of reimbursement for deposit?
If I understand your question correctly, I haven't paid him a dime yet. I won't be paying him a dime until I actually deliver the sidecar rig to him in Tucson, AZ next February. By then, it will be loaded into a container, and on its' way to Florida, then on its' way to Belgium. I won't be asking for my money back.
This would make a pretty awesome article for the Sidecarist. Either as a synopsis of the completed process, or as a multipart "contributor" column as it goes along. 😎
Two Million Mile Rider...All 7 Continents
Exploring the World in Comfort
Some of the guys here have shipped vintage bikes etc to the UK.
Then riden them all over the country.
Done the Isle of Mann and shipped them back to Oz.
Hope your plans work out well Miles.
Thanks for taking the time to expound with clear and detailed answers to the barrage of questions Miles. Sincerely appreciated Sir! 👍 Every answer fit the thoughts behind the question.
To me this is every bit part of the "adventure". Along with the great education, there is an excitement to the read. Looking forward to your next update. 😎
Pretty cool of you to stick to "the deal". The '06 rig is awesome. Looking forward to seeing it in person at the rally next year, with it's new owner(s).
eta: Okay, no "stowing away" in the trunk, But when I finally do get to southern Europe, I sure hope we can get together and catch up!
Hold my keyboard and watch this! 🙃
But when I finally do get to southern Europe, I sure hope we can get together and catch up!
Scott, a few points of note, and added info:
I should have posted the link for that Goldwing dealer in Germany, as they are very big, and offer a lot of services.
www.goldwing.de
And the page easily translates to English.
Secondly, on the www.knopftours.com website, once the website has loaded up, you will see a banner of links on the home page, a row of links, across the page, and to the right side of that row of links you will see a link for...Buy/Sell/Trade. Once you open that link, you will see that he offers up 5 to 10 used motorcycles for sale, that are owned by the customers that have stored their bikes at his facilities in Heidelberg, and are now wanting to sell them, rather than ship them back home. A wide variety of bikes for sale, from V-Stroms to Harley Electra Glides, to BMW GS's, to Honda VFR....all for very reasonable prices, and still plated at the state where the owner was living in the US.
Lastly, in direct response to your idea of getting to Europe yourself....THIS sidecar rig that I will be shipping to Germany early next year will only be utilized by myself, and my Boss Monkey for approximately half of every year, which means it will be sitting in a warehouse for the other 6 +/- months of every year. Therefore, and Ergo....I will most likely be offering it available to "known entities" for use....to rent, per se, if someone wanted to fly over to Europe and have a sidecar rig available to them. I am NOT doing this to make a few shekels of coin. Don't need to make a few shekels of coin, but would be doing this to offer the opportunity for fellow sidecarists to drive a well built rig around Europe, if they wanted to.
A lot goes into that, as you can imagine, but the idea is there, and I will see if we can make that happen.
Two Million Mile Rider...All 7 Continents
Exploring the World in Comfort
I had heard a little about buying/reselling. Very cool to see that option is available through a professional source. I did something similar, but in a very rudimentary way, when serving overseas in the military.
I like the idea of a "known entity". When everything around is new, it provides a grounding point. Neat idea.
Hold my keyboard and watch this! 🙃
Checked out the the www.knopftours.com website...Buy/Sell/Trade. Yet not one sidecar rig for sale, or for rent.
FM, ship several rigs over there and start a sidecar rental business with Knopf Tours.
