Motorcycle transport advice.....

[trig]

I am due to be laid off sometime in the next 12 months or so, and I am thinking of starting up my own little business. Its very early days yet but I am just starting to look into doing a ''man with a van'' type business, I thought about offering bike transport as well to try and pick up a little more business moving bikes around the country to and from shops and track days etc.

So my question is have any of you used (or considered using) a bike transport service? what were your experiences/expectations of it?
Would you mind saying how much you paid over what distance too?

I plan on investing in some proper tie down equipment and appropriate insurance which would cover me carrying the owner too.

Thanks.

[tony.mon]

It's either a breakdown service or one competing with the trackday transport people. Tbh you will make more money collecting gravel-trapped bikes away from circuits to home.

Most people know a bloke who can borrow the works van, though, and you'll need to be cheaper than hiring a van for a day and doing it yourself.

I'd have thought that you need to build sufficient or a regular clientele in order to guarantee a regular cashflow, you can't convince a bank to back you without some regular income.

If you have a diverse enough client group; man with a van, garden/house clearance, bike breakdown transport, trackday transport, preferably with an overseas option, it could work.

Good luck!

[bigtwinthing]

Hi Tony is right ( again) My mate has a business with a Van and a Small Tipper. He does anything he can, House and Garden clearance, moving bikes, rubbish, Dirt, Items from Ikea etc, and moving small excavators about etc ,while he keeps busy he does struggle sometimes to get a good price.

You have to diversify these days. Also remember if you go Self Employed you need to pay Stamp and have Insurance to cover everything.

Good luck but be prepared to carry anything! ( be wary of "Lube" to Coventry area)

[chric]

Doubt you'll match the established prices.
i do light haulage have done for 6 years its now to
the point where all the supermarkets use there own transport number of other company's gone bust.
hence if not worked for 3 week in now packing it in.
lots of costs involved goods in transit public liability light haulage van insurance.
running costs of van say clutch goes that can cost a week. Or more profit.
price of van to start up.
then the big company's what can fit work in with others so mass undercut you.
if you do pallet x you work for peanuts etc

[shahwales]

I use a motorcycle delivery guy. Used him a couple of times now so when I bought a bike online, I am happy to give him cash and let him go and pick the bike up. He usually charges around 85p per mile one way.
I broke down once. I got Swinton breakdown cover. A guy who knew nothing about bikes was sent by Swinton to pick my bike up from 100 miles away. Not sure if there is opportunity there.

[Yellowone]

I used us USHIP cost was just over £100 from Cambridgeshire to Devon 280 miles

[trig]

Thanks for the replies, I am planning on doing it as a sideline if possible, (I will have my pension at 50) so that, a bit of agency work, and hopefully the van business will provide enough to get by. I will have enough capital to start up and the missus can do the book keeping! I am also using my training money from work to do a forklift instructors course.... I am going for a bit of everything to cover my bases lol.

[tony.mon]

I have an ex-mobility minibus, with wheelchair tracks fitted in the floor and a removable rear centre seat.
This works well as bike transport, as the wheelchair tracks are great for strapping down.
But if I wanted to I could use it for local authority school runs at each end of the day.
And of course the load area is still fairly clear, although the two fixed seats in the back would have to be unbolted for pallets to go in.

It still works fine as a van, side door and everything, but you have the options for people transport, too- airport runs, etc.
You'd need to get a minicab license, I believe.

Only disadvantage is that you can see the load- lots of windows.

Wasn't expensive, either, based on a Renault Master diesel turbo lwb hitop platform.