martinmauger 584 Posted January 26, 2019 Was discussing with a mate that many Australian riders naturally return home 'down under' in the winter, as do a few Brits, to ride in the Aussie Champs, enjoy the sun and maintain fitness. I wondered how much it would cost for one rider to fly to Aussie; return flight for himself with / without a bike and other equipment ? We were pondering whether it would 'pay' for a rider to sell his equipment whilst 'down under' and save the on 'luggage weight excess' for sold speedway gear. I realise if a troup or team, say for the possible Aussie GP, travelled they would club together for a shipping crate or two.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Humphrey Appleby 13,918 Posted January 27, 2019 Try Skyscanner - I'm sure they have to use the same airlines as everyone else... But fares from UK to Australia depend on when you travel, the route you take, and how long you're prepared to sit in a transit lounge. Leaving in early November and returning late February, maybe as cheap as 600 quid return, going up to 1,300. The closer to Christmas you travel the more expensive it generally becomes. You can ship 60 kgs by sea freight for about 200 quid or less, but then it takes several weeks. However, I wouldn't stick a race engine in a shipping container. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PHILIPRISING 7,298 Posted January 27, 2019 IN the old days many riders travelling out to Australia or New Zealand would often buy a decent second hand car and ship it Down Under full of engines, frames, spares parts, etc and then flog the lot. Times (and Custom regulations) have changed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
martinmauger 584 Posted January 28, 2019 Thanks for replies, I'll check it out. Bit like I read of one rider asking mates to bring engines onto aircraft in sports bags as hand luggage but carry them with one hand and somehow pretend they didn't weigh a ton .... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PHILIPRISING 7,298 Posted January 28, 2019 28 minutes ago, martinmauger said: Thanks for replies, I'll check it out. Bit like I read of one rider asking mates to bring engines onto aircraft in sports bags as hand luggage but carry them with one hand and somehow pretend they didn't weigh a ton .... THAT was quite common ... remember seeing Briggo and Ivan off at an airport and their wives, June and Sarah, were carrying engines in special bags! They had all sorts of tricks, none that would work now of course. Placing the toe of a foot under the scales while checking in was a good one. Knowing someone at the airport could help too. Once traveled from Heathrow to Los Angeles to meet Barry, Ivan and their World Champions troupe in California with 69 (yes, 69) pieces of luggage of my own, including about 20 tyres. An old school chum was working for the airline in question. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adonis 1,454 Posted January 28, 2019 On 1/26/2019 at 2:31 AM, martinmauger said: Was discussing with a mate that many Australian riders naturally return home 'down under' in the winter, as do a few Brits, to ride in the Aussie Champs, enjoy the sun and maintain fitness. I wondered how much it would cost for one rider to fly to Aussie; return flight for himself with / without a bike and other equipment ? We were pondering whether it would 'pay' for a rider to sell his equipment whilst 'down under' and save the on 'luggage weight excess' for sold speedway gear. I realise if a troup or team, say for the possible Aussie GP, travelled they would club together for a shipping crate or two.... Shane Parker used to take a loads of stuff home for the winter and come back without much of it , but the last few times he went he said the customs took invenetory as you wnet in and if you didn't have it all coming out you needed a good reason or big bills ensued for import duty Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
martinmauger 584 Posted January 29, 2019 A speedway bike under ones arm almost. Also a 'little bird' told me riders would take 'off-road' bikes (motocross) particularly to Eastern European countries and returned with the same number of 'off road' bikes (now speedway) having made a beneficial swap due to the exchange rates and relative cheapness of speedway bikes, mostly JAWAs. At some point customs officers learnt the difference between motocross and speedway bikes so the habit came to a halt.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Duane 65 Posted January 29, 2019 When we came back from England in 2015, we sent 3 motors back to Aussie with UPS (I think) & stripped 1 bike & put it in 2 suit cases. Can't remember the exact price for the motors to get back here but it wasn't that bad. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
f-s-p 832 Posted February 2, 2019 On 1/29/2019 at 2:58 AM, martinmauger said: A speedway bike under ones arm almost. Also a 'little bird' told me riders would take 'off-road' bikes (motocross) particularly to Eastern European countries and returned with the same number of 'off road' bikes (now speedway) having made a beneficial swap due to the exchange rates and relative cheapness of speedway bikes, mostly JAWAs. At some point customs officers learnt the difference between motocross and speedway bikes so the habit came to a halt.... This one still works. They bring their #1 kit from home and travel back with rusty crap. As long as the numbers match... Only difference is that nowadays they’ve spent the same money on their kit so it’s not that cheap to buy anymore. Back in the day they’d take a van full of stuff from the club garage having taken care of the manager (he lived though) swap it here and live happily in wealth towards the next trip... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
