Bike Shifting in Bhoganahalli

What a heavy bike changes

Mostly it's the weight. A commuter can be pushed and turned by one person without thinking about it, but a big cruiser leaning the wrong way on a sloped basement floor wants two people and some care. So we send enough hands for the bike you actually own. Tell us the make and model when you book and the crew turns up knowing what they're lifting.

Then there's the width. Wide handlebars and crash bars make a cruiser awkward in a packed parking row, and in a lot of these complexes the two-wheeler bays are lined up tight between pillars. If yours is boxed in by a neighbour's scooter and a car, ask them to shift theirs the night before, otherwise the first half hour goes on rearranging other people's vehicles.

Low ground clearance matters too. Some cruisers scrape on a steep ramp lip or a tall speed breaker, and the crew walks it over those slowly rather than riding at them.

And the side stand. On soft ground or a sloped visitor bay a heavy bike can sink or lean further than you'd like, so the crew picks a flat, firm spot before letting go of it.

From the tower basement to the carrier

Carriers don't go into basements, and in the bigger Bhoganahalli complexes the walk from the parking level to where a vehicle can stand is a long one. If the bike runs, the simplest way up is to ride it, either you or one of the crew, out of the basement and round to the gate or the visitor bay. If it doesn't, two people push it up the ramp together, slowly.

Visitor parking fills fast in these towers and on a weekday morning it's often taken before eight. We'll ask the society for a standing spot ahead of time, so the carrier isn't circling the access road with a bike waiting at the top of the ramp.

Timing is the ORR's call. The ring road clogs at both office peaks and a carrier caught in that just sits, so a collection before the morning wave is best, or a Sunday when the office parks are quiet.

Some residents ask whether the bike can be loaded from the service road directly. On this stretch of the ORR that's rarely sensible. The society gate or a side lane near Kadubeesanahalli is usually calmer.

Padding a big bike for the road

Before anything is wrapped, the crew photographs the bike from every side with you watching, scratches on the tank and the chrome included. Those pictures come out again at delivery.

Cruisers get extra padding where they're most exposed, the tank, the chrome on the exhausts and the fenders, and the long mirror stalks, if you tell us at booking that you want it. Then the wrapping goes on in layers and the bike is secured standing up in its own space, straps placed so they bear on the frame and not on painted panels.

Saddlebags, backrests and any touring kit that comes off easily should come off. Hard luggage can travel separately if you like, labelled, but leather saddlebags full of tools and spare gloves are better emptied and packed in your own boxes. A loose bag rattling around in transit is how a tank gets marked.

Crash bars stay on. They're bolted to the frame and they protect the engine, the crew just pads over them.

Scooter shifting from the same building

Most households with a cruiser also have a scooter for the short trips, to the supermarket or the metro station. The scooter is the easy half of the job, light, simple to roll up a ramp and quick to wrap, with the same pickup photos, padding at the bars and straps. It usually comes in a bit cheaper.

If both are going to the same place they can travel on the same carrier, each secured separately. If they're going to different places, say so early, because that's two bookings with two delivery dates.

Bike and two wheeler transport out of the ORR belt

Within Bangalore it's done in a day, whether it's a hop to Bellandur or a run across the city to a new flat. For longer trips the carrier joins the ORR and heads out by whichever highway the destination needs. Chennai and Hyderabad have frequent departures, the Kerala routes run regularly and smaller towns can mean waiting a while longer for a vehicle that's going there.

Big bikes are often the ones people consider riding to the new city themselves. That's a fair choice if you enjoy it and the distance is reasonable, but a long highway ride also puts wear on tyres and chain and on you, and plenty of owners decide they'd rather arrive with the bike fresh.

Ride in with the fuel low, since whatever's left is drained before loading. Keep a photocopy of the RC and your ID card ready for the crew. You'll get one firm price in writing after a free look at the bike, video or in person, GST shown on the bill. If the flat is moving too, the Bhoganahalli packers page covers the household.