Bike Shifting in Richmond Town
Some of the bungalows around Richmond Circle have a motorcycle in the garage that's older than most of the people living there. A grandfather's single-cylinder, a classic kept running by the same mechanic for thirty years, an old scooter that's become part of the family story. When the bungalow is sold or the family moves to a flat, that bike is often the one thing everyone agrees must go with them.
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Vintage bikes need more care than modern ones. The chrome is thinner, the paint is often original and impossible to match, rubber parts have hardened, and many bits simply can't be bought any more. If one breaks, it's a long hunt. So we treat these bikes differently, and tell us about yours when you book.
What's different about moving a vintage bike
On a modern bike the straps can go to most of the frame without much thought. On an old one we look first. Tank badges, chrome mudguards, rubber knee pads, original toolboxes and leather seats are all fragile, and some fittings that look solid are held on by sixty-year-old bolts. Straps go to the strongest frame points, with soft loops wherever metal touches metal, and nowhere near the painted tank.
The padding goes on generously. Chrome and old paint get a soft layer before any wrap, the mirrors and levers are padded separately, and any loose accessories, an old horn, a toolbox, a pillion seat that unclips, come off and travel in a box beside the bike.
Original parts deserve a mention of their own. If the bike still has its first headlamp, its original badges or a period speedometer, point them out to the crew. They get the most attention, and they're the ones a collector or a restorer will one day ask about.
The photographs at pickup are more detailed too. Every mark, patina and repair on an old bike is part of its history, and the record should show exactly what it was before it left.
Before the move: a word with your mechanic
If the bike has a regular mechanic, ask them to look it over before the move. Not to restore it, just to check that nothing is about to fall off. A cracked mudguard stay or a loose silencer bracket is much better found in the garage than on a carrier.
Old bikes often weep oil. If yours does, tell us, and the crew will put a tray or sheet under it on the vehicle. Fuel is drained before loading in any case, which matters more on old bikes whose taps and pipes are prone to seeping.
Tyres are the other thing. Old bikes that are ridden rarely often sit on tyres that are hard and cracked even when they hold air. They'll roll for the move, but don't ride far on them at the other end until they've been looked at.
Some families also take this moment to decide whether the bike should go to a restorer instead of to the new home. That's worth thinking about. A bike delivered to a workshop for a year is still a bike that has moved, and we can deliver it there just as easily.
Out of the bungalow garage
The old bungalows here usually have a gated drive, which makes the actual pickup easy. The carrier can often stand close to the gate on the wider streets, and the bike is wheeled a short distance. Where the street is tighter, near Langford Town or behind the circle, it stands a little way off and the crew walks the bike.
Old bikes are heavy, and many have stiff steering and brakes that were never strong to begin with. Two crew walk it, one steering and braking, one pushing, and they don't ride it unless you specifically ask.
If the bike hasn't left the garage in years, the garage itself may need clearing first. Old bungalow garages collect furniture, trunks and garden things, and a classic tucked behind all of it can take a while to reach. Clear a path the day before.
Kerb space near the bungalows fills up as the day goes on. Early mornings are best, before the cars of visitors and staff take the spaces along the old walls.
An old scooter and the scooty question
Plenty of Richmond Town families have an old geared scooter as well as, or instead of, a motorcycle. It gets the same care, extra padding on the side panels and the spare wheel cover, which on older models are easy to dent.
A modern scooty in the same household is simpler to move and normally costs a little less than a motorcycle. It's photographed, wrapped and strapped like any other two-wheeler.
Bike and two wheeler transport from Richmond Town
Most of these bikes stay in Bangalore, going to a flat in Koramangala, Indiranagar or nearby, and arrive the same day. Some go further, to a son or daughter in Chennai, Hyderabad or Kerala, on routes we run regularly, while smaller towns can mean a longer wait for a vehicle.
For a vintage bike, transit insurance is genuinely worth considering. You choose whether to take it, the premium follows the value you put on the bike, and for a machine whose parts can't be replaced, the cover is about more than the money.
Photocopies of the registration and the owner's identity card go along; the originals and any old service records stay safely with the family. The price is set after a free survey, ideally at the bungalow so we can see the bike, and it comes in writing with GST. The household move itself is on our Richmond Town packers page.
Get a price for the bike
Tell us the bike, the pickup address in Richmond Town and where it's going. One firm written figure on GST, after a free survey on video or in person.
+91 90444 22212Moving the whole house too?
The bike can ride on the same vehicle as your household and go on the same quote. The Richmond Town moving page covers the rest of the move.
Packers and Movers in Richmond TownHow the bike is packed and carried
The wrapping, the strapping and the condition photos are the same wherever the bike starts. They're explained in full on the service page.
Getting the bike ready in Richmond Town
Bike and Scooty Shifting in Richmond Town, answered
The destination sets most of it, with a little extra care for an old bike. We like to see it at the bungalow, then confirm the figure in writing.
Straps go to the strongest frame points with soft loops, never across the tank or chrome, and everything fragile is padded first.
No, not unless you ask. Old bikes are walked by two crew, one steering and braking.
It's optional, priced on declared value, and well worth considering for a bike with irreplaceable parts.
No. Tell us and the crew will put a tray or sheet under it on the vehicle.
Yes. A workshop address is as easy as a home address.
No, it's the simpler job of the two, and normally the cheaper one.
Yes. Both are regular runs, and you'll know the arrival day before the bike leaves.
Usually it stands close to the gate. On tighter streets it waits nearby and the bike is walked out.
Keep them with you, along with the original RC. Only copies travel with the bike.
Point them out at pickup. They get extra padding and attention, and the photos record them clearly.