(hey its me its me the Don of DC)  So  i wanna move the gs overseas when i leave the country more specificaly to europe (portugal) and i wanted to know if anyone here has tried that be4? all the other vehicles over there cant go over like 45 cuz gas and engine size and all (u guys know how it is) so ill be the fastes damn thing on the road   :guns: anyone know the procedures, troubles, headaches, goods and bads of this?

It's easiest if "Parts" are shipped instead of the whole bike. It's also cheaper that way. Think 3 boxes... Wheels/forks in 1. Motor in another. The remainder in the last one. Use plenty of straps!!!

ride it all the way.

once in a lifetime opportunity (don't forget the pics)

I take it that you are not "THE" Luis Figo   or play for Benfica so are you in Brazil perhaps ? :dunno: (Same logic would apply to USA) Given the value of a used GS the transatlantic transport cost might just be disproportionate. I am not familiar with Portugal's specific rules but I doubt thet are that different to the rest of the E.C. so finding something like another GS would be simple enough.

Yes, probably best just to sell the bike and buy another in Portugal. Or ride it over like someone suggested.

If you can't get the GS500 in Portugal you could always pick one up in Spain and ride it into the country from there.
Shoudn't be a problem; they are both EU aren't they?

If spain don't have them I'm sure france does. That'd be a nice trip.

Naw i wont sell it ive invested alot of cash scratches and oweis already its an 05 F and its my baby and im not gonna tear it into parts

Well if you won't dismantle it be prepared to pay very heavy taxes on it, and have the bike witheld for inspection before it is cleared by customs...  It's almost worth taking the pieces you put on it, off of the bike and just taking them to mount on another bike. But it's up to you...
Good luck.        :dunno:

I have helped ship a friend's harley and his cars to taiwan.

You would have to check the local regulations to make sure that you can have it on the road. Odds are, you can. Always best to check though. There are three or four ways to do it, but I will just cover the ones that I am familiar with. You can ship it whole with no crate by a vehicle shipping company. This is kind of expensive so I reccomend option two which would be to do it yourself. Also do not forget about taxes that you may have to pay to get it into the country. You can take the bike apart and ship the forks and body seperate, then put them back together on the other end. You can take the forks and front and rear tire off. (This is the way we shipped the harley.) Or you can just disassemble the whole dilly.  

Here is how we did it with the harley. Next trip to japan for me, I am thinking of buying something and using the same method. I almost did this time.

Remember to drain the gas out of the bike about 2 1/2 days before. Leave the gas cap open so that the gas will evaporate out. The day of, remove the battery and drain the oil. PUT A STICKER OR MARKER AND TAPE SOMEWHERE ON THE FRAME OR GUAGES REMINDING YOU OR WHOEVER ELSE OF THE LACK OF OIL.

Open up your phone book and find a shipper that will have a ship in port, or call around to the local cycle shops. You can also check air freight.  These may be less or more expensive if you break it up, or if you keep it together depending on where it is going and who is shipping it. (If you are keeping it together in one piece, just industrial plastic wrap and bubble wrap the hell out of it.) Some places would just like to wheel the thing onto the ship or plane. If you have to find a crate builder and have a crate built to the size of the frame sans forks. Remember that you may end up needing a fork lift, or having to pay a forklift fee for them to move it if they are not rolling it.

Get the bottom of the crate. Place packing wrap down and tape it to the floor, overlapping the crate by a bit. This is so that you will not scratch the frame. Roll the bike onto the bottom 1/2 of the crate, over the packing wrap. Place a jack with a piece of foam on the bottom of it or some packing wrap taped to the bottom and jack up the frame. Make sure you do this in the optimal spot, you dont want to have the thing topple over. Remove the forks. (get out your label maker and ziplock bags..). Put packing wrap around the area where the chain goes and  push the tire forward to make the chain slack then wrap that in bubble wrap and tape it to the side of the frame. Remove the tire. Wrap the entire frame in one layer of bubble wrap, then attach a cherry picker to the top 1/2 of the frame. Remove the jack and lower it down onto the bottom of the crate.

Next you need to create a frame around the bike's frame. Use 2x4s and nails to create a frame "locking" the bikes frame into position. The wrap is to prevent scratching, the frame is to prevent the bikes frame from moving. This is no joke. It will be moving on a forklift  and possibly bouncing around on a plane or at sea.

Wrap the whole deal in industrial plastic wrap (the same stuff for pallets...) then stick in some taped up but empty cardboard boxes and then wrap them too.

You could at this point stuff these full of any of illegal substances that you are trying to smuggle in or out of the country. If you were smart though, you would have put the drugs in the gas tank or carbs. I am sure you could fit quite a bit in the gas tank. (Sounds like a page out of lethal weapon to me.. )

You will then have a bike frame, in packing "bubble" wrap, wrapped in plastic wrap, covered in a frame, with empty buffer boxes wrapped in plastic wrap.  The thing is pretty bullet proof at this point. You can then lower the top 1/2 of the crate down onto the bottom 1/2 and seal it shut with nails. Wrap and ship the rear rims and forks as you would any other parts, or stick them in another crate. You could also build the frame 1/2 height and make an almost shelf like area to ship them as a second layer. You could also just crate up the entire bike whole using the same method sans removing the forks and tires. I am pretty sure that is how they come over from japan. All wrapped up, then just rolled into huge crates, or just rolled onto the ship whole wrapped in plastic and bubble wrap.

Hope that helps. Good luck moving it.