Owning a cool bike: Behind the scenes

After all the dead ends I have encountered, I have finally found a way to bring my bike back to Canada! Although it is not currently in transit, the wheels have been set in motion to have the process begin at the end of the month.

Theoretically, navigating the export process is something you can do on your own. There is nothing standing in your way as far as rules or regulations go. The real challenge is finding an exporter who will give you the time of day. Adding to the complexity is that you need to connect with an exporter in Japan, not an importer in Canada.

This was incredibly difficult since I was no longer in Japan. But where there’s a will, there’s a way right? I scoured the internet for a solution. I came across a blog that touted the entire process as “easy”:  “Now look for a well established, reliable and experienced used motorbike exporter in Japan. It’s easy.”

  I don’t know who wrote the blog post, but it was anything but easy. I contacted dozens and dozens of exporters, yielding no results other than getting my email address on a spam list. Not a single one contacted me back, and now I get daily recommendations in my inbox for beat up Honda Civics I.

As a last resort, I contacted DHL Express. After being put on hold for 10 minutes, I get through to a customer service agent who tells me I need to contact DHL Japan. I nearly lost it on them! Are you kidding me!? You are a global logistics company! Why are you not the one contacting your colleague in Japan!? Isn’t that your job!?! In an attempt to get me off the phone, the agent takes down all of my information including the bike specifications, assuring me that someone will call me within 2-3 business days. No one ever calls me from DHL.

But after all this, don’t worry. There is a way. 

I found I had a better success as soon as I started contacting freight forwarders. They are basically logistics coordinators that deal with a network of export agents overseas. It is far easier to leverage their already established contacts, rather than trying to establish your own independently.  I contacted my guy, Leon providing all of the specifications and the next day,I had a quote.

As I alluded to earlier, you can do this all yourself theoretically. You do not need to go through a freight forwarder. It may be different in Japan because they have some of the most stringent regulations in the world, and their customs regulations are no exception. This is purely anecdotal, but I suspect that a lot of the exporters do not want to deal with personal exports (such as in my case) because getting it cleared by customs in Japan is a big hurdle, whereas businesses will know the process and the requirements inside and out.

But before the bike goes anywhere, it needs to be crated. John will be taking care of this for me. Business has really picked up at Apex so he will not have it done before the end of November. But that’s okay. With winter arriving earlier than usual, I will not get to ride it- and I was happy to hear that business is doing well!

If you plan on importing a bike into Canada,  the crate will need to be constructed from heat treated wood in order to be admissible into Canada and will need to bear “IPPC” stamps. This is basically an environmental protection to prevent the spread of invasive pests.

So as another twist in my crazy NSR love story, it turns out this IPPC wood is very rare in Japan, which means $$$$$ for me. However, there are workarounds, such as the use of plywood-since it is treated it is exempt from this regulation. However, you have to be ok with shipping the bike back in a crate with compromised strength. Another option is mixing regular wood and IPPC wood. However, this is done at your own risk since Customs Canada will deem the crate and all of its contents inadmissible into Canada, and will be sent back to it’s destination-  all at your own expense. 

I am getting very excited at the thought of having the bike with my in Canada- I figure I should get it just after the holidays if all goes according to plan!