Hey Guys - anybody know of or can recommend a good shipping company? We are leaving California in the next few weeks to go and live in Rome, Italy and need to ship our two HD's. Is there a company that anyone has used and can recommend? Many thanks.

 

Two suggestions:

1. Contact Citizen Services at the Embassy in Rome and ask if they can recommend or direct you to a list of companies in Rome that do this back to the States. (i.e. companies in Italy that already know the....mmmm..... unusual nature of Italian bureaucracy)

2. Go over to the Horizons Unlimited Forum (a very international forum of adventure riders--they will have a section about this and plenty of people who have actually done it.

I spent this summer working in Rome. You're going to be the coolest folks in town with Harleys. You'll turn heads everywhere!

 

Whatever you do, think twice before consigning them to Alitalia - they might not be around all that much longer! If you can airfreight them you should be able to have them pretty quick. Shipping them by sea, especially from the West Coast, and it may be a while before you're up and riding. I've had pretty good experience with both Lufthansa and KLM but not in shipping a bike per se but rather general household goods.
Now, be prepared; riding a bike anywhere south of Milan is going to be the hair-raising experience of your life. Make sure you get all the kit you need there in the States before you go - it'll save you a lot of money. Fox Creek is a good place to start - over here we actually like posers. Next, try not to be shocked but you're going to be paying about $8 a gallon! Other than that you're really going to enjoy riding over here and if you get up Amsterdam way, give a shout and we'll show you around. One other thing, in Italy you'll need one of those high visibility vests - it's the law now and considering how they drive there, probably not a bad one. They look like hell with Harley patches.

 

when in Rome don't look to the left or the right...just gas it! And I thought New York city and Chicago was bad!!! Rome takes the cake for Crazy!!!!