1st things first: FANTASTIC screen name!
WRT to moving the bike, I just did this 5 months ago from MD to CA. I labored for weeks over the best/cheapest way to do it.
Cheapest: Squeeze it in the truck.
Best: Ride it.
2nd Best: Trailer it.
3rd best: Ship it with a reliable shipper.
For my situation, very similar to yours, I was also towing a car, so trailering wasn't really an option even if I had a trailer or rented one. As it turned out, I rented the largest truck and we filled it floor to ceiling, front to back...no room for the bike. Therefore, I went with a reliable shipper,
Keyboard Motorcycle Shipping - Great Motorcycle Shipping! Transport Your Motorcycle With Keyboard!. They were recommended by my uncle who moved from MD to WA a few years ago and they had the best price of any legitimate shipper (there are a lot of shady operations out there, many are brokers so you don't know who actually has hands on your bike and most of the reputable shippers were MUCH more expensive. I paid $675 and the bike was delivered as promised in the time frame promised with no damage.
If you have a vehicle that can tow, another great option would be to buy a good trailer where you are now, trailer the bike, then sell the trailer on the other side. However, if you plan to make any stops (took me 5 days to cross the country), consider how secure you'll feel with your bike on a trailer in a hotel parking lot over night (I LOATHE thieves!).
To sum up:
Good shipper:
Pros: Fairly inexpensive (cost is further offset by the fuel saved by not moving the bike yourself), no worry over theft during transport, specialized transport equipment to ensure safe/damage free transport, can time delivery to your schedule, no hassle with trailers or trying to secure the bike in with all you other UNIMPORTANT STUFF in the back of the truck.
Cons: Once it's on the truck, you have no control over your pride and joy; you need to give them some days notice (average two weeks) to ensure you get a spot in their pickup schedule and delivery can be a window of over a week.
Towing:
Pros: Bike stays under your control and it's with you for the trip.
Cons: Requires a tow-worthy vehicle and a good trailer (I had neither and only would have used a fully enclosed trailer); leaves bike/trailer vulnerable on the road to potential thieves; incurs add'l gas cost.
Packing in Truck:
Pros: You control the whole operation and the bike stays with you and is certainly not gonna be a hot target for bike thieves buried in truck where bikes usually AREN'T.
Cons: Moving trucks are not setup for moving bikes so to ensure a damage free bike, it's HIGHLY recommended that you modify the truck with wheel chocks and tie down points and/or crate the bike somehow; pretty much any standard moving truck contract will specifically prohibit the transport of the bike in such manner (only a problem if you get caught doing it, of course); you also have to secure you USELESS STUFF (all that household crap we all drag around
to ensure it doesn't hurt your bike; loading and unloading a bike on the truck can be devastating if you're not careful
.
My recommendation: The Hayabusa costs thousands of dollars, even used. Spend the $675 on a good shipper, participate in the loading and unloading processes (I did, to help ensure that they were done in an acceptable manner) and just consider it a cost of doing business. The last thing I would want to do is put in a moving truck that wasn't designed to hold it securely amongst all of my other gear that may or may not somehow bash/rub/slide/lean/fall/scrape/etc. into my bike which I work so hard to keep out of harms way on a daily basis.
Whatever you decide, best of luck with the bike and the move!
The floors on those U-Haul trucks are pretty slick and the bike will move if not chocked or secured somehow.
