Texas to Montana Motorcycle Shipping

Texas to Montana Motorcycle Shipping Rates by Bike Type

A standard cruiser or sport bike from Dallas to Billings costs about $575 to $775 on an open carrier, or about $800 to $1,075 enclosed. Starting in Houston, the open range is near $625 to $850. Missoula, across the mountains in the west, comes to about $650 to $900 open from Dallas.

Distance drives the price, and Montana is a long way from Texas. The state has few people and fewer trucks, so many carriers reach it as an extension of a Colorado or Wyoming run, and a bike for a small town may wait for the right route.

A full-dress tourer commonly tacks on $50 to $100. A three-wheeler or sidecar bike raises the price by about $150 to $300. Winching a dead bike onto the trailer is routine when the driver is warned.

Timing counts. Summer brings Glacier and Yellowstone traffic along with Sturgis season next door, and winter snow slows every truck. Flexible dates are the best way to land a lower offer. Trying to save? Check our money-saving tips.

Big Sky, Long Gaps and Mountain Passes

Montana has three main interstates. I-90 enters from Wyoming near Hardin, passes through Billings, Bozeman and Butte and then reaches Missoula before crossing into Idaho. I-94 runs east from Billings to the North Dakota line, and I-15 climbs from Idaho through Butte, Helena and Great Falls to the Canadian border. Trucks from Texas usually come up through Wyoming and join I-90 at the border.

Billings is the easiest handoff for a Texas shipment, with open lots, wide roads and good interstate access. Bozeman and Missoula are friendly too, though both grow crowded in summer when visitors fill the hotels and parking lots.

The mountains split the state. Between Butte and Missoula, I-90 crosses Homestake Pass at about 6,300 feet, and Lookout Pass on the Idaho line is another winter trouble spot. Snow can close either one, which holds a truck in place until plows clear the road.

Glacier National Park, Whitefish and Kalispell sit far in the northwest, and the Going-to-the-Sun Road is closed to most vehicles for much of the year. A driver will usually meet you in Missoula or Kalispell and let you ride the rest of the way.

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, and a long run to the northern Rockies crosses heat, plains wind and mountain cold. Owners of custom paint and vintage bikes often pick enclosed for exactly that reason. Go through the bike and the paperwork together at pickup, then sign only if both agree. Hold on to the report and photos until the bike is parked safely in Montana.