The Next Adventure

The old 2004 Suzuki 650 V-Strom

We have been planning this next motorcycle adventure for about a year now. The plan is to take our old Suzuki 650 to a new destination and leave it there for a few years. We looked for a location where the climate is warm enough, during the autumn and spring months, to ride comfortable....  some place interesting and not too expensive.  Since we know a little Spanish, we decided that southern Spain fits the bill.

I spent the last year or so sussing out the motorcycle options.... rent, buy, borrow, steal, have a friend buy one for us or ship our bike. At first I looked into buying a bike in the UK but getting insurance is an issue for non-residents.  Motorcycle rental is expensive but as part of the research, Linda and I went to the UK. in the summer 2015, and rented a bike to see if this option was viable. (see earlier blog entries)   We rented the same model of bike that we own and it cost us roughly $1500 for a 2 week rental. This price was a deal compared to rental rates on the continent.  After mulling the options I decided that we would ship our bike to Europe.   Air Canada charges $1200 to fly your bike (one way) to Europe. Plus the cost of inspections.

So....  we are heading to Europe for 2 months this September and spending most of this time in Spain. We fly into Frankfurt, Germany and will spend a couple of nights in Heidelberg, acclimatizing to the time change and preparing the bike for the trip. If all goes according to plan, we will take 5 days to ride about 1400 kilometres to Bot, Spain where we stay and we will take in the first of two MotoGP races. This one in Aragon (near Alcaniz) and the other in Valencia, just before we head back to Canada in November.

In between the races we have rented a house in the village of Gaucin, Andalusia for the month of October.  From which, we will explore south-western Spain. Mid November we will leave the bike in a storage facility in Barcelona and fly home.

I don't think Suzuki ever built an uglier bike, but it does the job very well.

Left pannier is my stuff. Top bag is Lindas. 

        Right pannier is misc. stuff

The motorcycle we are taking to Spain is the same bike that we rode to Panama 10 years ago and left in Mexico for several years.  We brought it home from Mexico about 18 months ago. The heat and humidity in Mexico in conjunction with the proximity to the ocean combine to creates a harsh environment for vehicles.  Anythings that can corrode will corrode... steel, aluminum, electrical connections, etc.  The old Suzuki needed a bit of attention.  Over the last few months I disassembled a lot of the bike. Then I repaired, cleaned and repainted most of it. I modified a few things and replaced many worn parts. Now it is ready for the next adventure.... and so are we!

 Motorcycle Shipment

Yesterday was motorcycle shipment day. We took the bike into Calgary on our trailer. After dropping Linda off at Market Mall. I went to Lee's place and replaced a broken mirror (How it broke is another long story). Then Lee and I headed for the Air Canada cargo depot located on the west side of Calgary airport.

I had a rough idea of the procedure but I expected some surprises. ... The only surprise was how smooth the whole procedure went!  Todd from Avisar and the Air Canada staff were extremely pleasant and professional.  They went out of their way be helpful.

After unloading the bike from the trailer we wheeled it into the Air Canada cargo depot. Todd inspected the bike to make sure that it met the Dangerous Cargo restrictions. I had been made aware of the restrictions before arriving so there was no problem with certification.

Next the bike was weighed and a Transport Canada came over to perform a security inspection of the personal items that I was able to transport in the luggage.  I was able to pack all our riding gear and miscellaneous items in the luggage. After the security inspection the bike was loaded and secured on a pallet. While the pallet was being loaded I went into the office area to pay Todd and Air Canada. The total cost, including inspections and shipment from Calgary to Frankfurt came to $1325.

Ready to go!

This price is an Air Canada special deal.  It only applies to motorcycle shipment to limited destinations in Europe. The get this price you have to have a confirmed Air Canada passenger reservation to the same destination as the bike.  The bike can be transported on the same flight as you.

In our case we chose to ship the bike a week earlier than our flight. I made arrangements with Stefan Knopft, from Knopft Tours in Heidelberg, to be the shipment receiver. Stefan will pick up the bike from Frankfurt Airport, clear it though customs and take it to his B&B in Heidelberg. When we arrive in Frankfurt next week transportation will be waiting to take us to his B&B where we will spend 2 nights relaxing and getting ready for the ride to Spain.

As I am writing this the bike should be on the flight to Frankfurt. We don't leave until next Thursday, Sept 15. I'm already packed.  Linda is still trying to decide what to take! We are both pretty excited.

 Stay tuned for more....