I'll be shipping my Nightrain abroad soon, and have yet to discuss this with the shipping companies, but have a question for those that may have experience shipping.

Do I need a shipping pan as the one advertised for $100 on my local Craigslist ?

 

I've shipped a couple of times but never out of the country. Each company had different requirements. You need to check with whatever company you choose to ship with. If that is called a pan in the photo, it works great for holding your bike in place and having tie-down points. A fork lift can move your bike around safely and securely but you MAY want to have a hard cover over the whole thing. Again, check with the shippers.

 

Sage advice above, check with the shipping companies.

The real world part of it is;
Do you beleive every fork operator, warehouseman or dock hand whom's hand the bike will pass through out there is capable of using the hand brake, lifting the kick stand, making sure the bike is out of gear and wheeling the bike across a warehouse, loading dock or cargotainer?
The bike needs to be crated and made to withstand hard warehouse fork slams including tip overs and stacking.

 

Some dealerships will give you those things and yes the bike needs to be crated in such a way it can be moved by a forklift easily. You consider time, materials and weight savings the metal one is best they are less than half the weight of a wooden skid.

 

I shipped a bike from Hawaii to Ca. the company I used specialized in vehicle transport . They rented the shipping rig for $100 . I would check with the company who is doing the shipping . I went this route and dropped my bike off to them and let them pack . This enabled me to have a good deal of insurance on the transport using their container rigged to their specifications. Also make sure to contact your insurance and make sure it has coverage during shipment