need to find a reliable/affordable way to ship it to Europe. I already got few quotes but the lowest was around $1600.
First,you need something and already got something? Are you doing it yourself? or having a moving company do it for you?
Next,regardless how you ship the bike, it needs to be dry with no battery. It's shipped to the dealer in a crate,the same applies to you,crate it.
Then your choices/options are simple, do you do everything yourself or have someone do it for you? Make a check list of what it would take to do it yourself and save a few bucks,crating,finding and transport to shipping,customs regulations,transport at the other end etc etc, it's a frigging hassle
believe me,I was in the moving biz almost 30 yrs,I was the guy that did all this for you
If you hire a moving company,it's up to you know/find-out their reputation. You want to know the TOTAL cost and it should include everything-pickup,crate,customs,ship,delivery etc everything!
The cheapest isn't always the best when shipping/moving. Get as many estimates as you can-there free and will give you a better idea/picture of the situation. Stick with name brand moving companies and ones that will accommodate you,answer your questions and sound like they know what their talking about,use your instinct on this.
It's going to cost period ether mentally or financially, the end question is do you endure the a$$whipping to maybe? save a buck or pay a little more to administer it? Sorry,inexpensive and affordable just don't apply when moving anything,sorry. Good Luck. PM me if I can help.