California to North Carolina Motorcycle Shipping

California to North Carolina Motorcycle Shipping Rates by Bike Type

A standard cruiser or sport bike from Los Angeles to Charlotte runs about $800 to $1,125 on an open carrier, and about $1,125 to $1,575 enclosed. San Diego comes in at about $800 to $1,100 open, and a San Francisco pickup runs about $875 to $1,200.

Raleigh costs a little more from Los Angeles, about $825 to $1,150 open. Asheville is a little closer at $775 to $1,075, though it can be slower to book than Charlotte, since fewer trailers head into the mountains.

Large touring bikes usually run $50 to $100 more, and trikes or sidecar rigs run $150 to $300 more. A bike that will not start needs a winch, so mention it in your request.

The best months for moving a bike are spring and early fall, and those are also the busiest. October color season and warm-weather riding weeks tighten trailer space, so quotes run a little higher. See our money-saving tips for more.

I-85, I-40 and the Mountain Roads

I-85 runs 231 miles across the state, through Charlotte, Greensboro and Durham on its way to Virginia. Near Greensboro, I-40 shares the road with it for about 31 miles until the two split near Hillsborough, which is where Raleigh-bound traffic peels off. I-77 heads north out of Charlotte, and I-95 runs through the east side of the state toward Fayetteville. Charlotte sits where I-85 meets I-77, so trailers cross there all week.

The Piedmont, with Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh and Durham, is simple, since interstates run through it and a driver can reach most addresses within a few miles of the highway. The mountains take more effort. Asheville is reached by I-40 and I-26, but the roads out of it climb quickly, and a long trailer does not fit on every one.

On the coast, a driver may prefer a lot near the highway to a narrow beach street, so offer one if you are near Wilmington or the Outer Banks.

The twisty roads riders come for are not routes a carrier takes. The Blue Ridge Parkway, 469 miles from Virginia to Cherokee, has a 45 mph speed cap, and commercial vehicles need National Park Service approval to use it. The Tail of the Dragon packs 318 curves into 11 miles of US-129 at Deals Gap, at the Tennessee border. Pickups near either happen on nearby highways, usually in the closest town.

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.

Enclosed trailers add a roof and walls, which helps over a week of weather and in hurricane season on the coast. Open carriers are the standard choice and suit most bikes. Look the bike over with the driver, then read the condition report before it goes on the truck. Your photos and that report are what you compare against in North Carolina.