How to ship a motorcycle
A motorcycle ships on an open trailer, in an enclosed trailer, or in a crate. The same practical questions apply as for a car: does it run, does it have a title, and who may release it. A crate is a packing choice. It does not replace the bill of lading or a check that the company is registered for interstate work.
Key facts
- Three ways it moves
- Strapped on an open trailer, inside an enclosed trailer, or in a crate. The bike's weight, fairings, and whether it runs decide which is realistic.
- Title still applies
- A motorcycle is a vehicle. Ownership paper matters at pickup and, if you bought it, at registration later.
- Military household-goods prep is separate
- Military OneSource says to drain the gasoline and remove the battery before a household-goods pickup for storage. A private carrier's rules can differ.
- Source: militaryonesource.mil
- Check the company
- FMCSA says interstate auto brokers and transporters must be registered. Look up the MC number before you pay.
- Source: fmcsa.dot.gov
The sources are listed on this page.
Motorcycle shipping is a bike on a trailer, a bike inside an enclosed trailer, or a bike in a crate. It is still a titled vehicle if your state titles it. It still has to be released by someone who has the right to release it. And the price is whatever carrier accepts the load, not the lowest number on a screen. A quote that is far under the range for the distance is the pattern the Better Business Bureau described in its 21 July 2023 vehicle-transport alert: a cheap offer, a small payment through a wallet app, and then no truck.
RideShipper shows a range and lets you request quotes. It is not a carrier and not a broker. It does not move the bike, take a deposit, or insure it. Companies that get the request may pay RideShipper. That is spelled out on how we make money.
Open, enclosed, or a crate?
These are the three methods companies actually sell. They are industry practice, not a federal ranking.
| Method | What happens | When people use it |
|---|---|---|
| Open | The bike is strapped on a trailer or a deck, in the weather | A running street bike the owner will accept getting dusty |
| Enclosed | The bike is inside a box trailer or truck | Fairings, a new paint job, or a bike you do not want in the rain |
| Crate | The bike is packed in a crate, then the crate is freight | A bike that should not be ridden onto a deck, a non-runner, or a long ocean leg that asks for a crate |
Fairings and a tall windshield change the job. A sport bike's plastic is easy to crack with a strap over the wrong point. A touring bike's saddlebags add width. A cruiser is heavy and low. Say which you have. The motorcycle pages split cruisers, sport bikes, and touring bikes for that reason.
A crate does not erase the need for a bill of lading. You still want a written record of who took the bike and what condition it was in. Photograph the crate closed, and photograph the bike before it goes in, if you are allowed to watch the packing.
Does it run, and can they stand it up?
Tell the company four things.
- It starts and rides, or it does not.
- It rolls, or the wheel is locked.
- It has a center stand, a paddock stand, or neither.
- The approximate weight, if you know it. Do not guess a number you do not have.
A bike that does not run is not the same as a car that does not run. A car can be winched. A bike usually has to be rolled, lifted, or crated. If it will not balance, say so. A driver who arrives with only straps and a ramp may refuse the load, and you can still owe a dry-run fee if the contract says so. Read that fee in the contract. We are not printing a dollar amount for it.
Take off or declare loose parts: a tank bag, a phone mount, a luggage rack that wobbles. Military OneSource, writing about motorcycles in a household-goods shipment, says to empty saddlebags, and that helmets, saddlebags, and windshields can stay on if they are strapped down. That is guidance for a government household-goods move, not a promise that every private carrier allows the same things. Ask. The private contract controls.
What about fuel, the battery, and the title?
For a private highway shipment, follow the carrier's written instructions. Some want the tank low. Some want the battery disconnected. Do not invent a level. If they do not write it down, ask before pickup day.
Military OneSource's entitlements page is specific, and it applies to bikes that move as household goods or as a privately owned vehicle under that program. It says to drain the gasoline and remove the battery before pickup for storage, drain carbureted models down to reserve, disconnect the battery and tape the ends, inflate the tires, repair fluid leaks, and unlock the bike so it can be rolled. Use that list for a military household-goods or POV shipment. Use the private carrier's sheet for a private shipment. Mixing the two is how a bike shows up drained when the driver expected to ride it onto the trailer.
The title or registration is how you show you can hand the bike over. If a lienholder is on the title, ask that company whether you may ship it. If you bought the bike in another state, keep the bill of sale and the title with the person who will meet the driver. Registration after it arrives is a state-agency job. Start with paperwork when you buy out of state.
What does a fair price look like?
A motorcycle is one of the vehicle types the RideShipper range can show. The figure below is a range for a motorcycle on that lane, open and enclosed, with the date of the estimate. It is not a booked price.
| Route | Open | Enclosed |
|---|---|---|
| Phoenix, AZ to Chicago, IL | $683–$1,041 | $1,024–$1,561 |
Enclosed costs more because it is a different truck. There is no honest single "cheap" price. Open versus enclosed cost explains the gap without pretending it is a fixed percent. Diesel moves carrier costs over time. The latest U.S. diesel price is $6.127 per gallon, week of . Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration weekly diesel U.S., release 2026-11-10.. It is a national weekly figure, not the receipt in one truck's tank.
Before you pay anyone:
- Look up the MC or USDOT number. FMCSA's automobile-transporter advisory says interstate brokers and carriers must be registered, and that a broker only arranges the transportation. Use the company check.
- Compare the quote with the range. The quote checker is built for a number you already received.
- Pay the company named in the contract. BBB's alert says wallet-app payments are a poor way to pay a stranger, and it quotes a consumer whose California-to-Florida booking took $50 on PayPal and then produced no pickup. That $50 is the consumer's report to BBB, not a standard fee.
Say the bike type, whether it runs, and whether you need it crated. If you want enclosed, say that in the request so the range you see is the enclosed one.
What should pickup day look like?
Meet the driver, or have a person there who can sign. Walk around the bike. Note scratches on the tank, a cracked turn signal, and torn seat stitching on the condition notes. A strap across a fairing or a brake line is worth stopping for. You can ask the driver to move a strap. You cannot make a different company appear if you already released the bike to the wrong one. Match the name on the truck to the dispatch you were sent.
At delivery, look again before you sign. New damage goes on the paper first. Claim deadlines are in the contract. RideShipper does not judge the claim.
If the bike is going to Alaska or Puerto Rico, the ocean operator may not take motorcycles at all. TOTE's Alaska and Puerto Rico vehicle pages both say motorcycles are not accepted. Matson and other lines publish their own limits. A highway quote to a port is not an ocean booking. Read Alaska or Puerto Rico before you assume the bike can sail.
What should the quote say, line by line?
A usable motorcycle quote names the cities, the first day the bike can leave, open or enclosed or crate, and whether it runs. If any of those are missing, you do not have a number you can compare with the next company. Ask these questions and keep the answers with the contract.
- Will the bike be strapped on a deck, stood inside a trailer, or put in a crate before it is freighted?
- Who supplies the crate, and do you watch it packed?
- What happens if the bike will not roll when the driver arrives?
- Is a dry-run fee in the contract, and when does it apply?
- Which company is the broker, and which MC number will be on the truck?
- Are saddlebags, a windshield, and a helmet allowed to stay on?
Soft straps over a brake line, a plastic fairing, or a chrome exhaust are the damage people see at delivery. You can ask the driver to move a strap before the bike leaves. You cannot un-crush a fairing by complaining three states later if you watched the strap go on and said nothing. If you will not be there, tell the person who is there that they may stop the load for a bad strap.
A dirt bike or a bike with no plate is still a VIN and a release. "Off road" does not mean the carrier can take it from a stranger. The same title question applies. If the bike is going home from a purchase, keep the bill of sale with the releaser, and register it under your state's rule after it arrives. The truck does not register it.
Questions
Is the cheap quote the one I should book?
A price far under the range for the lane is a reason to check the company, not a reason to send a deposit. BBB's 21 July 2023 alert describes a low quote, a small wallet-app fee, and then no pickup. Compare the number with the range, and look up the MC or USDOT number.
Can I ship a bike that does not run?
Yes, if the company agrees to the way it will be loaded. A bike that will not roll needs a stand, a crate, or people to lift it. Say that before anyone drives to the house. It is not the same winch job as a car.
Do I need a title if I am only shipping my own bike?
For a door-to-door move of a bike you already own, companies commonly ask for the registration or title so they know you can release it. Rules vary. If you just bought it, keep the title or bill of sale with the release plan, and read the registration steps for your state after it arrives.
Will an ocean carrier take a motorcycle to Puerto Rico or Alaska?
Not all of them. TOTE Maritime Alaska and TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico say on their vehicle pages that motorcycles are not accepted. Other operators publish their own rules. Read the page for the route.