Hi,

I'm posting this on behalf of two friends. They're currently sailing transatlantic on a cargo ship with their two Honda 150cc motorbikes from Montevideo, Uruguay to Hamburg, Germany via Dakar, Senegal. They've spent the last three months riding around South America, starting in Santiago, Chile (this is where they bought the motorbikes). Originally they planned to return to Santiago and sell the bikes then fly home, but they fell in love with the bikes and decided to bring them home to the UK (hence the cargo voyage). They've decided that rather than sail all the way to Hamburg they would try and disembark in Dakar and ride back to the UK from Dakar; however, they're quite clueless regarding riding in Africa, especially when it comes to motorcycle paperwork etc.

The ship they're on doesn't have a public internet connection for them to research themselves, only very limited access to the ship's email system. So they've sent me a list of questions to post on HUBB and ADVrider on their behalf. If anyone could answer/provide info it'd'be greatly appreciated!

The questions:

1 - They're both 22 years old, one has a French passport, the other has a British passport. The motorbikes were purchased new for about $2000 USD per bike and they have Chilean numberplates. They have all the correct Chilean paperwork proving the motorbikes are in their names. However, they have no Carnet de Passage or anything like that. Is a carnet required for motorbikes in Senegal, Mauritania or Morocco?

2 - What is it like in the Western Sahara? Can anyone share some first hand experience re. the quality of roads, availability of fuel, risk of malaria (other dangers), general safety of the region, political stability, etc?

3 - What is the Sahwari Arab Democratic Republic like? They know nothing about this country, and will have to ride through it. Any advice?

4 - Upon arrival in Europe (either via a ferry between Morocco and Spain, or if they disembarked at the port in Hamburg as originally planned), what paperwork is required to legally ride the motorbikes in the EU? Will they have to pay any import taxes etc?

5 - There's probably lots of info to be found with a bit of searching for this question, but worth asking here too: upon arrival in the UK what will customs say about the bikes? Eventually the bikes will be permanently imported to the UK (i.e. pass import tests at an M.O.T. station and be registered with the DVLA), but is it possible to ride from Dover to home with the Chilean plates and then sort out the permanent import? i.e. can the bikes be ridden on Chilean plates temporarily in the UK?

6 - Can anyone recommend an insurance broker who will insure British and French citizens on Chilean motorcycles in Europe, Africa or the UK (or all)?!

Apologies for the bluntness of this post: they are due to arrive in Dakar on the 1st August so direct questions are the quickest way to get the info for them to make the decision! If they disembark in Dakar and then cannot get the bikes to Europe for whatever reason then it defeats the entire point of sailing home in the first place! Many thanks for taking the time to read this, I hope some of you will be able to help these clueless fools out!

Thanks, StJohn