My Brother-in-law does it all the time. Probably 8-9 trips over the past 5 years. He lives in south Jersey, so he rides to VA and then grabs the Auto-train to Sanford. From there, it is an easy ride to my house.

Each time, he describes pulling up to these sleds that the bikes get put on. Two bikes per sled that you can watch the guys load. There has never been an incident for my B.I.L. ever. After the sled is full, it get taken by this forklift type truck that slides the sled into the car-carrier, taking up the same room as one car. Once in Sanford, the opposite occurs.

Misfortune has to be rare. This past Bike Week here in the Daytona area, my B-I-L watched over a hundred motorcycles (him guessing) get off-loaded in Sanford.

Plenty of bikers on the train which makes it a party unto itself if headed down during Bike Week or Biketoberfest.

[sm=icon_cheers.gif]

 

I have taken the Auto train many times. The only negative is that it regularly runs behind schedule by at least an hour or more, so take that into account. For the most comfortable trip, get a sleeper cabin.

 

Couple of years ago, a bunch of us took it up to Virginia. We all had a great time except for not getting enough sleep.

Recommend taking a sleep mask and foam earplugs. And sit in the middle or near back of the car as the doors opening and closing all night can wake you up.

 

i have done both many times .actually 8 times per year becasue i hate to fly .

when in my car i drive all the way.
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when in my bike i start out from conn. or miami my plans are always to ride all the way .but then as i approach Lorton i check the weather report ahead and then depending on the weather report for the carolinas and georgia i either ride or take the train.

the plus and cons of the train
, relaxed trip,ok food and a bed to sleep in .
you leave at 4 pm ,sometimes ,many , times at 6 or 8 or 9 pm and there are delays on the way and you finally get there by 9 amor 3pm who knows ..and if it is late do not expect the food onboard to hold on nor the toilets to be ok. they are not ready for that.so bring extra snacks.

also, and this is a major item ,for me anyhow.......the worst driving is from connecticut to around Richmond.(about 1 hour south of lorton.)

and the best driving is from the n.c norder all the way to florida .therefore for me the train is superflous .

if you start out say in new york at 9 am ,you will miss all rush hour traffic everywhere and you can reach florence south carolina at around 7 to 9 pm depending on your speed and stops......it is 650 miles more or less.

from florence to miami it is 650 miles approx..leave at 8 am and you will miss all the rush hour traffic except for a little out of palm beach.

on the train ,you get to lorton at about 2 pm to have time to get the bike loaded ,etc...
you get to sanford near orlando at say ,on time ,9 am.

so, if you ride as above ,namely ny to florence and next day florence to say sanford fls. you will be in sanford at approx ...2 to 3 p.m.

it is 2 hours from florence to savanah I95...and 2 hours fromn there to the florida border ...and from there 2 1/2 hours to daytona ,and 3 to sanford .

so, you are saving a grand total of 5 hours by taking the train.

and spending $1,000 on the train versus approx $19 in tolls , $100 in gas (40 mpg --1200 miles est.$3.25 gal.)and $85 motel and $70 in meals .

a total cost by bike of $ 274. each way ---$$ 548. round trip.

hope that this helps you

also ,the best way is to start out on the bike with no train reservations and as you get to lorton then decide ....call 2 days before leaving to find out how full the train is and remember that as the trains fill,they add wagons ....

 

why not trailer them down...probably alot cheaper

 

Can you get a private sleeper on those transports?
hmmmmmm . . . .

 

Thanks for all the comments so far. Seems like more are in favor of the train, and I like the fact some have even done it. Believe me, I would like to ride the whole way. Problem is the wife has some medical issues (it's hell getting old) that prevent her from more three or four hours in the saddle without a long rest stop. I consider it a major miracle that she has agreed to the train and cruising around Fla for a week at all. I know - leave her at home.... Can't do. She has been on me to take her on vacation for the past six months and this is my idea of a vacation - not slurping sugary drinks on some boat somewhere... I'm gonna get the sleeper cabin and there's a bar on the train. What else do I need - booze and a bed and big mama, and the opportunity to visit two guys in Fla that did time in the desert with me. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks for the help.

 

have a good trip.

and, the sleeper is best if you get the room with the bathroom in it .it also has a comfort chair.

the regular sleepers are 2 seats facing each other and a top bed that drops out.

the bottom seats slide towards each other and then it becomes a bed .
no bathrooms here. the top bed is still the same as in the bathroom units.except in the bathroom units the beds are fixed ,if i remember them correectly.

on both top beds your nose is right up against the ceiling ,so try not to be claustrophobic.

also remember the sequence to disconnect the alarm system when you load the bike on the train as otherwise you will arrive with no battery left.

and as they secure your bike on the dolly ,make sure you are there,they encourage this and then if another bike gets loaded next to yours also make sure that the fittings are tight so it will not fall on yours ,

 

I have taken the auto train a couple times with a car and 2 small kids. Great meals, ability to shower before hitting the road and keeping the kids entertained made it worth while. Cost was equal to flying and renting a nice car for the time we were in FL.

 

Took the auto train 2 years ago with a friend. We both had Road Kings. The trip was great. The train was about half full so we could spread out. We didn't have sleepers but didn't really need them. We had all the room we needed. The bikes were loaded with care and taken off with care. We went to Orlando, Miami, and on to the Keys. The trip back was just as good. The biggest bummer of the whole trip was the traffic we ran into (I'm guessing it was Washington DC traffic) at Lorton. I would definitely do it again.