California to Washington Motorcycle Shipping

California to Washington Motorcycle Shipping Rates by Bike Type

A standard cruiser or sport bike from Los Angeles to Seattle runs about $525 to $725 on an open carrier, and about $725 to $1,025 enclosed. San Diego comes in at about $550 to $775 open, and a San Francisco pickup runs about $450 to $625.

Tacoma is on I-5 and sits a little closer at about $525 to $725 open from Los Angeles. Spokane is at the far end of I-90 across the Cascades and runs about $525 to $750. The west side deliveries are the easy ones, and a trailer can usually reach a residential street in the suburbs.

Several things nudge the price up. A tourer adds roughly $50 to $100, a trike or sidecar roughly $150 to $300, and a bike that will not run needs a winch.

Summer is the busy stretch, since riding season and the Oyster Run in September fill trailers. Fall brings Washington bikes heading south for the winter. Washington is not a snowbird destination, so quotes outside the snowbird lanes are often cheaper from October to February. See our money-saving tips for more.

I-5, I-90 and the Cascade Passes

West side deliveries are the easy ones. Seattle, Tacoma, Everett and Olympia all sit right on I-5, and a trailer can usually reach a residential street in the suburbs. Inside Seattle itself, steep hills and tight streets can be a problem for a long trailer, and the driver may ask you to meet at a wide commercial lot, which is normal.

I-90 is the only Interstate that crosses the state from west to east, about 297 miles from Seattle to the Idaho line near Spokane, running through Issaquah, Ellensburg, Moses Lake and Ritzville. It crosses Snoqualmie Pass at about 3,000 feet, where trucks can be required to chain up in winter. US 2 is the other way over, 326 miles from Everett to the Idaho line near Newport, crossing the Cascades at Stevens Pass, 4,061 feet, which is higher than Snoqualmie and slower.

Islands are a separate question. Washington State Ferries serves Bainbridge, Whidbey and the San Juans, and busy sailings back up onto the highway shoulder. A carrier hauling a full trailer may prefer to stop on the mainland and have you pick up near the dock, so ask before you book.

State Route 20, the North Cascades Highway, is a rider's road that closes for the winter, typically from late November until the snow is cleared in late April or early May. No carrier is going to try it.

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.

Rain is the west side's constant, and it hardly bothers a carrier, but an enclosed trailer keeps it off fresh paint or a high-value bike. Open carriers are still the standard choice for most bikes. Compare the bike with the condition report at pickup, and add dated photos of your own. Keep both to check against when the bike reaches Washington.