I am thinking of going to Rome and Pescara for six weeks this summer. Would it be cost effective to ship (to and from the US) my Honda 599 (hornet) in lieu of renting? If so could you suggest an air shipper from Philly to Rome.

I am not sure about which way I would go to be honest. What I can do is find out if rentals agency will give a discount for a month rent so I will get you a quote for 1 month rentals ( probably from Rome ) However since durng the summer bikes are in high demand I am not sure on what they could do - At the same time you should search on Google for *cost of shipping a motorcycle to italy* - Several shipping sites will come up and you should get a quote on the shipping costs. Remember however that you will have to add the cost of international insurance + storage of the motorcyle 'till the day you can go pick it up and probably other fees. Another alternative would probably be in selling the bike in Italy before you left the country but you will have to prepare a lot of documents here in the US before living for Italy.
Good luck
Paolo

PS Here is a place to ask for a quote
http://www.alliedspecialproducts.com/Motorcycles.aspx

Hi Will, I also have a Honda Hornet (919) and I shipped it in July 2006 using MotorcycleExpress.com for about $1600 USD one way, however the best deal might be for you to ship your bike through Lufthansa airlines for 2-way shipping for $1500 USD to a city in Germany perhaps and then do a beautiful road trip to Italy through the alps. Shipping your bike is going to be MUCH cheaper than renting and is your best bet to save money. Consider getting German insurance (cheap!) through ADAC indirectly through Knopf Tours in Heidelberg months in advance before going. http://www.knopftours.com/
Knopf will also quote you on shipping your bike to custom destinations if you prefer Italy delivery.

I have written a website to help people like you, since my site is geared toward the Honda 919 I'm sure you'll find it very helpful !!

http://members.shaw.ca/coteesh/motor...pe_how_to.html
note that my packing list and various things will soon change as I plan my next trip for May 2007. Packing list will now include a photo backup device with a total cost of $50 instead of uploading photos over the internet, as well as a $9 air compressor from WalMart dissassembled, for filling flat tires.

A trip like this is a piece of cake for me and I plan to do them every year at least for the next couple of years to come.

also consider joining forums such as http://www.advrider.com/forums/ there are a lot of helpful people on there!

thank you coteesh
your are great and well done information
I'm just about in a month or so to ship my bike to europe
Thanks
Dario

You have to do a break even calculation and then see if it is worth the trouble (your time, possible damage, etc).

As for shippers, Stefan Knopf of Knopf Motorradresien ships motorcycles between the USA and Europe. I've heard his rates are good, but you do have to ship during certain time frames.

I used a shipper and shipping ran me $1125 each way. They only do commercial accounts now, but agreed to ship my motorcycle since I have used them before and I knew what I was doing.

As for renting, rates for the same motorcycle can vary greatly from country to country. For example, from the same company, a BMW R1200 GS went for almost €200 more per week in Italy than it did in Spain.

Here is an all-in-one info link to touring Europe and the Alps...
Alps Motorcycle Tours - Priced Right, How to go about

well then i can spend this summer vacation in italy xD