I may be totally wrong and no doubt will be corrected but I don't think they use the spillages that NL do.
Drop bike off at their site in West Sussex, usually a week or so before the event, with your leathers, tyres, warmers etc. they give you tags to name all your stuff. They don't use crates like NL do. you're allowed one small toolbox, a chair in a bag, no fuel cans. They pack everything into their trucks. I'd also tape foam over your seat, and if you really care about your bike bubble wrap it. A lot of guys when I went to Spain did that. I just taped foam and a sheet over the tail and all was fine. matt
I reckon FE are really good in this department. Its pretty much as abmatt describes it but believe me its a painless affair compared to some operators. They say in the bumf that you should disconnect your battery and empty your fuel tank which sounds a pain in the arse but I've never had it checked. And I for one would argue that there is more spark potential with battery disconnected and empty fuel tank. But there you go...
Oh and their yard is down near Brighton somewhere which is fine if you're a soft southern shandy drinker but they will do pick ups from various northerly locations for about 80 quid extra.
if your bike is precious i suggest wrapping it carefully in blankets and/or bubble wrap they have done lots of damage to my bikes and kit in the past
Yep, if you care about your bike, definately wrap it. I will do next time. And make sure you check it over properly when you pick it up. I didn't notice a few things until I unloaded the bike when I got home. as Mary hinge says, I disconnected the battery, but didn't bother emptying the tank. Never got checked anyway.
He's a tosser. Unless you're in the focussed click he doesn't give a shit. He forgets that you're the customer sometimes and acts like you owe him something. Think the fat twat has a 1199 but he can't ride it!
I've been a dozen times with focused, u get what u pay for, never had anything damaged or lost, hotels ok and it runs smooth enough over the 3/4 days, enough sessions for me who never normally misses any
Their drop off point is in Pulborough in Sussex and as mentioned they require it about a week before you go, they also give you a date when to pick it up and they expect you to do it on that date and not after. I have had two bikes damaged in transit with them and one had a massive strap mark pressed into the paint on my petrol tank where it had been strapped into the truck so hard. The other was where two indicators were knocked right off where the bike had been pushed in too tight against other bikes. Things may have improved now but personally I would wrap up and protect the bike as much as possible if you want to avoid any damage to it at all. At one point they had damaged so many bikes that they started putting in a disclaimer in their terms and conditions that any minor damage to the bike whilst in there care was basically tough luck and they were not going to be held liable for it. As I mentioned things may have improved more but plenty of people I knew at one time were suffering damage to their bikes at one point or another. I stopped using them to go abroad after the second bike got damaged and just stuck to UK trackdays.
Focus don't use stillages, they put 4 bikes abreast and strap the outer two, to the wall of the truck and then put duvets/blanket between the others. I've had bikes cosmetically damaged with Focused, but to be fair I've had bikes damaged on stillages. Try and get a single stillage if you're not travelling with a mate. An issue with the double stillages is people cram tyres, tool boxes, etc between the two bikes. Another rider crammed his tool box against my fairings and damaged them, and he wasn't prepared to cough up for the damage. I'll still use No Limits everyday, they're decent. Pack your bike, put blankets over fairings, wrap everything in clear pallet wrap, and take photos. A few marks are all par for the course.
