Arizona to Alaska Motorcycle Shipping

Arizona to Alaska Motorcycle Shipping Rates by Bike Type

Prices for this lane do not follow a per-mile rule, so I am not giving you a table of numbers. Broker estimates for an open bike to Anchorage run from roughly $1,000 to roughly $2,300, and enclosed or crated service costs more. The spread comes partly from the trip having two parts, a truck leg and a sea leg, each priced on its own.

The bike, the pickup city and the date drive the price. A touring bike or Gold Wing takes more room and often costs more, and a trike or sidecar rig usually adds $150 to $300. A crate adds about $150 to $400, and some barge lines suggest one. One carrier line says an uncrated bike must be strapped to a pallet and travels at the shipper's risk, so ask each carrier what prep it requires and get that in writing.

Timing matters more here than on the road system. Bikes go north in spring, about when riders gather in Anchorage in May, and come south in late summer and fall, and winter slows everything. If you can ship in a quiet window, ask whether the sea leg price drops as well, since only the carrier can answer that.

The table below lists the common lanes without made-up prices. Get quotes and compare them. Our money-saving tips for ways to cut the cost on any lane.

Truck, Then Barge: How a Bike Gets to Alaska

Most bikes leave Arizona on a truck headed for Seattle. A carrier in our network collects the bike at or near your address in the Valley, Tucson or Flagstaff, hauls it north and leaves it at a freight terminal. A barge or ship then takes it on to Anchorage. Barges run on a schedule from Seattle to Anchorage, and the carrier books your bike onto a sailing, so a late truck can miss the boat and send the bike to the next one.

Some owners take the Alaska Highway through Canada instead. The Alaska Marine Highway ferry from Bellingham, Washington, carries passengers and vehicles but is not a bike shipping service, and sailings thin out in winter. Anyone riding or driving through Canada should carry proof of insurance and vehicle registration, according to Travel Alaska, which refers readers to the border agencies for details. The Alaska Highway ends at Delta Junction and connects to the Richardson Highway toward Fairbanks.

Most bikes land in Anchorage. The George Parks Highway links it to Fairbanks, covering 323 miles from the Glenn Highway at Gateway, near Wasilla, to the Richardson Highway in Fairbanks. Carriers generally deliver in town and not up a dirt road, so if you live outside Wasilla, Palmer or Fairbanks, expect to meet at a lot by the highway.

Southeast Alaska is a special case. Juneau, Ketchikan and Sitka have no road link to the rest of the state, so a bike headed there needs its own sea leg. Give the dispatcher your town and not just the state.

How Your Motorcycle Is Loaded and Secured for the Trip

A good driver loads a motorcycle upright. The front wheel goes into a chock so it can't move, and soft straps go around solid points like the frame or the lower triple clamp. The straps are tightened enough to hold the bike but not so much that they bottom out the forks. Hooks stay off your bars, levers and paint.

How the bike is secured matters more than usual on this lane, since it spends days on a truck and more days on the water. Enclosed or crated service guards against both, and some barge lines flatly recommend crating. One carrier line asks for a tank under a quarter full. Before loading, compare the bike to the condition report with the driver and take dated photos of your own. If a claim comes up after delivery in Alaska, those are the records you will need.