2002-08-09

The prodigal KLR returns

I took the train to Vancouver to pick up my KLR. Anyone who has travelled by motorcycle will agree that borders and bureaucracy can be a great annoyance. This was no exception.

The train station has a small immigrations office you must pass through when you disembark. The officer asked why I was carrying a helmet. I explained that I was there to pick up my motorcycle. She was also curious why I had it shipped to Vancouver instead of the U.S. I told her it was about $500 less expensive than sending it directly to Seattle. She let me go and I was about to leave when a man standing nearby ran up to me and stopped me for more questions. He said he was a U.S. immigrations officer and he wanted to know why I was carrying a helmet. Same questions, same answers. Eventually he was satisfied and let me go. I have to wonder what kind of threat I must appear to be by simply carrying a helmet.

Getting my bike was another problem. The shipping company had no record of it for days. Eventually they discovered they had it in their warehouse. No idea how long it had already been there but I had to pick it up within the next three days or they would begin charging me for storage. They also informed me there would be a $46.01 (Canadian) customs fee to pay for the agricultural inspection. That was a surprise since I expected all fees to be inclusive in the fee I paid to Motorcycle Express. I called Motorcycle Express and they explained I would have to pay the inspection fee. I visited the agriculture inspection office, paid the fee, got the paperworked stamped and walked over to the shipping company office. There I was informed that I had to get another stamp from customs because, although they had inspected it, it had not been cleared. Another walk to a customs office, another stamp, and back to the shipping office. Finally, another surprise, a transportation surchage of $44.70 to the air shipper. I had no choice but to pay it if I wanted to pick up my bike.

This was extremely annoying. It wasn't just the money but the extra hours it took visiting offices to get the right stamps on my paperwork. The reason for using a company like Motorcycle Express is to make the transportation simple. They take care of the paperwork for you. You drop off your bike on one end and and pick it up on the other. At least, that's the way I expected it to work. Next time I will make the arrangements myself so I won't be disappointed by the aggravation.

It is easy to become discouraged when dealing with bureaucracy but I remind myself that many borders were much worse. This was just a few hours of frustration. I got off easy compared to getting the bikes into China, Russia and Ukraine.

Things are going well. I've got my bike. It is in good running order. The weather is excellent and I am returning home. My trip was a great success and I am looking forward to the next step: touring the U.S. to visit my friends and family around the country. Life is good!

That evening, after three months and 12,000 miles around the world, my KLR finally comes back home.