Depot Network
The OBO network comprises five primary depots and 10 secondary depots. Primary shipments between primary depots form the foundation of the network timetable. Secondary shipments connect secondary depots and are timed to link overland journeys to/from primary shipments. The network hub is the primary depot located near Kuala Lumpur in the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ), connected to Westports, which recently entered the world's top 10 container ports. This hub enables OBO's controlled transshipment and reconsolidation operation in a secure warehouse. Demand-led shipments are timed to link with all of the above.
Shipment Timing
The dates shown are the estimated container pack date at Origin and the estimated date motorcycles will be ready for collection at Destination. The period between them is not simply the vessel's port-to-port transit time.
Shipment duration is calculated for each specific shipment. OBO does not apply a generic default. It reflects the selected carrier and service lane, sailing frequency, ports and transshipments, time of year and peak-season congestion, Origin handling, export and import processing, Destination handling, and a route-specific operating buffer.
For example, the 68-day Melbourne to Valparaíso duration is calculated as follows:
During shipment operations, OBO communicates three motorcycle-ready dates: Earliest Possible, Most Likely and the Recommended Planning Date. The Recommended Planning Date retains the full route-specific operating buffer, while the Most Likely date is refined as key milestones are completed. For Valparaíso, seven days of operating buffer account for the possibility of missing the weekly Panama transshipment connection. Once that transshipment is complete, OBO can advise the Most Likely date with much greater confidence.
- Earliest Possible: Friday 15 January 2027
- Most Likely: Wednesday 20 January 2027
- Recommended Planning Date: Friday 29 January 2027
For the most recent Valparaíso shipment, motorcycles were ready for collection before the Most Likely date. Even so, OBO recommends that riders plan around the Recommended Planning Date rather than relying on earlier availability. Two weeks of free storage is provided at Valparaíso, allowing riders to preserve that contingency without needing to wait at the Destination.
Aligning Demand
Aligning demand is primarily a question of timing across different riders and their respective journeys. The Register Route Interest form captures two critical details: what a rider's preferred date relates to and how flexible that date can be before and after.
- When shipping at the end of a journey, the preferred date will normally relate to the container packing date at the Origin Depot.
- When shipping to begin a journey, the preferred date will normally relate to when the motorcycle needs to be available at the Destination Depot.
For example, an Aussie rider shipping to Chandigarh to begin a journey from the Himalayas to Southeast Asia via Tibet will be less concerned about the Origin Depot packing date, provided the motorcycle is where it needs to be in Chandigarh when required.
At the other end of the journey, when the rider wants to ship their motorcycle home from Malaysia, their timing will likely relate to the Origin Depot packing date. They may be less concerned about when the motorcycle becomes available back in Australia.
Good-value secure storage in Chandigarh and Malaysia provides OBO with the flexibility to align this rider's timing with other compatible riders, even allowing a three-month journey plan to align with a seven-month plan.
Shipment States
Motorcycle shipments move through three clearly defined states: Initial Demand, Building Demand and Shipment Portal Open. The first two states build compatible rider demand. Onboarding begins only when a Shipment Portal opens and a proposed connection becomes a specific shipment operation.
Initial Demand
Register Route Interest if your depot-to-depot connection is not listed on the Motorcycle Shipping page. OBO records this demand internally. The connection will not be listed until compatible interest starts forming or OBO decides to develop it as a strategically valuable seasonal route.
Building Demand
A connection appears on the Motorcycle Shipping page as Building Demand because compatible rider interest is forming or OBO is deliberately developing a strategy. Register Route Interest to help build enough compatible demand for the connection to proceed into operations with its Shipment Portal open. OBO will remain in communication with compatible riders to assess the overall best-fit timing.
Shipment Portal Open
A Shipment Portal Open status marks the transition from Building Demand into shipment operations. It is also used for primary shipments that form the foundation of OBO's network timetable. The Shipment Portal is OBO's rider-focused interface, providing full transparency and clear communication through shipment-specific information, including the Overview, Payment and Tasks pages. Once the Shipment Portal opens, the formal Onboarding Steps begin.
Onboarding Steps
Onboarding begins only when a Shipment Portal opens. OBO does not accept a Deposit until all five steps are complete.
1. Read the Overview and Payment Pages
Access the Shipment Portal and read its Overview Page to understand the intricacies of that specific shipment, including packing, secure storage, export and import processes, timing, and any linked onward or return opportunities.
Read the Payment Page to understand OBO's all-inclusive depot-to-depot cost and any additional charges to consider; for example, a Carnet de Passages en Douane if required.
2. Start Registration Inside the Shipment Portal
Select Start registration inside the Shipment Portal, even if you previously completed the website's Register Route Interest form.
Briefly describe your intended route and timing, note your preliminary big-picture queries, and confirm that you have read the Overview and Payment Pages.
After registering, you will receive an automated email providing access to your personal portal and Tasks Page. OBO will respond separately to your preliminary queries.
3. Read the Tasks Page and Terms and Conditions
Read the Tasks Page, which clearly outlines what is required from you throughout the Service.
Read the Terms and Conditions to understand how the Service operates. They are intended to explain the process plainly and provide full transparency rather than bury important information in legal mumbo-jumbo.
4. Complete Registration Inside the Shipment Portal
This form is located in your Tasks Page and will already be mostly completed from your registration in Step 2. Complete the remaining information.
Note your detailed queries about absolutely everything. Include your anxieties. Now is the time to get bogged down in the weeds if you wish.
At the end of the form, indicate whether you would like a call with OBO after your registration has been reviewed. If so, select either Google Meet or Phone.
5. Pay Your Deposit to Complete Onboarding
Payment of your Deposit defines the completion of onboarding and secures your space in the shipment.
By paying a Deposit, you agree to the Terms and Conditions, which apply to all shipment bookings made with Own Bike Odyssey (ABN 38 584 959 294).
OBO shipments use Full Container Load processes with finite capacity. Once a container is filled by Clients who have completed onboarding and paid their Deposits, that shipment closes.