Motorcycle shipping can be handled a few different ways.  The two obvious options are if you want to transport the motorcycle on an enclosed trailer or an open trailer.  We always advise our customers to transport any motorcycle on an enclosed trailer for several reasons.  Our two biggest concerns are damage from road debris and theft.  On an open trailer motorcycles are strapped down in a similar fashion as on an enclosed trailer, the main difference being, everyone can see it.  To remove these straps and steal the bike isn’t likely, but we feel it isn’t worth the risk to save a few hundred dollars.  Most people are very finicky about how clean their bike is kept, and that is another advantage of enclosed transport.  When you ship it on an enclosed trailer it will come as clean as it was when you gave it to us.  On enclosed transport, you can have the motorcycle crated, as is required by some carriers, or just strapped down.  Both are safe options as both kinds of carriers are prepared to properly handle how they move the cargo.