Maritime Reunion
I’m cruising at 30,000 feet in one of Air Canada’s wide-body planes and somewhere beneath me is my motorcycle. We will land in Toronto five hours after departing Vancouver, which is a lot faster than my planned return trip. Shipping my bike was one piece of a larger puzzle that would lead to a 10,000-km ride.
My two older brothers and I rode motorcycles as teenagers. John and I never stopped riding and, over the years, have made a number of big trips together. But when Allen, our eldest brother, bought a motorcycle, all our interests aligned again.
Over the previous winter, a number of emails were exchanged about the possibility of a Maritime tour and because I live on Vancouver Island, it was up to me to make the big commitment. I looked at shipping options and Air Canada was the best choice.
The boys confirmed the dates, and I booked my shipping and my own ticket. At the end of June, I was at Vancouver airport with my 2007 BMW R1200GS, saddlebags mounted and loaded with my tools and riding gear. The bike had to be checked in with Air Canada Cargo a minimum of six hours before the flight time, so I arrived with the required “dangerous goods” certificate, my bike’s weight and dimensions, proof of ownership, a list of what would be travelling with the bike and only a quarter tank of fuel; I boarded the plane later with my carry-on bag. Air Canada personnel checked over my bike, then strapped it to a shipping palette.
Ready for Pickup
Forty-five minutes
