MotoASIA_2013-14: Sakolchai Transpack Bang Na: THE Place To Go For Expert Crating.

The very last ride of this trip:
Downtown Bangkok to the crating company in Bang Na.

Bangkok morning rush hour. Actually, it is like this for most of the day.
People are saying that in case the Vietnamese ever should invade Thailand, their tanks would get stuck in Bangkok traffic, and that would be the end of that.

Multiple layers of traffic in the Asian metropolis. From top:
1. Skytrain Light Rail System
2. Toll Road Highway
3. Pedestrian Walkway
4. Street level Traffic
5. Below: Metro

Voluntarily I wouldn't want to ride a heavy and wide motorcycle through morning rush hour from downtown Bangkok to the industrial outskirts south of the CBD, towards the harbor in Laem Chabang.

But today is a special day, indeed. My bike will be crated and trucked to the Thailand harbor in for ocean freight shipping back to the U.S.!

What a relief!
Almost in the last hour I found a terrific agent and shipping company who will handle everything from customs clearance to shipping and truck delivery to Champaign, Illinois. They are fast in the responses, very helpful and know this business. Their main work is to ship and clear customs for car manufacturers exhibition cars, which are broad for a brief time into the country, and are exported again. However, motorcycle shipping, private cars, even private yachts is what they know too.

I was truly lucky to have found them.

The agent recommended a crating company south of the city, which is a 40 minute ride from where I am in downtown, traffic already counted in.

I made it fine to the location which -due to the confusing Bangkok street designation system- is best reached by using GPS coordinates. I arrive at 9.15 a.m., and after some telephone conversation with security at the factory gate, I am let in. The picture changes dramatically after the arrival of Khun Mon Mingmongkolkij, my Thai shipping agent from Prompt Shipping, who clarifies everything in Thai.

For then on the operation runs very smoothly; it is a pleasure to see the crew working to fabricate the crate.

In the meantime I have disassembled the windshield, mirrors, and front wheel; the precious front disc brakes are security wrapped and attached to the front fork, the battery is disconnected and the terminals and wires are safely wrapped in electrical tape. (We don't want to get into the fuel issue, but the little fuel which was left in the tank wasn't drained.)

It takes four hours to make the crate, including my prep work. The end result is a beautiful, U.S. spec fumigated wooden crate, entirely enclosed, no open slats, also a U.S. requirement.

A job well done!

I am somewhat spoiled by CRATETECH's crating quality at their Chicago location, but the guys could learn a thing or two here in Bangkok!

Thank you SAKOLCHAI!
The truck will come to pick up the box tomorrow morning.

The crate had a volume of 4.50 m3 on the way from the U.S. to Thailand, now, due to the front wheel being taken off, I was able to shave 1.00 m3 off which will make shipping cheaper.