Two stroke oil availability in Sahara
 

Does anyone have experience of trying to get hold of two-stroke oil in Morocco, Maritania, Senegal and Mali?

My ex pizza bike wil be struggling with weight so would rather get it on-the-road if possible.....

Henry, when I rode through the sahara in '78 on my RD350 I just used whatever oil I could find. That is exactly what the local 2 stoke riders do/did as 2 stroke oils were virtually unavailable outside of capital cities and were priced at a premium which the locals couldn't afford / wouldn't pay.

I subscribe to the theory that any oil is better than no oil and that there really isn't that much difference between an upper cylinder /crankcase lubricant regardless of whether its mixed with fuel vapours, or not.

Don't sweat it. :cool4:

When we were using 2 smokes there in the 70's that's what we did as well, just used car oil. We did get through a few more spark plugs than usual but that was probably down to the lo-tec ignition systems not being able to cope with a bit of fouling. These days even a pizza bike should have something better firing the plugs.

Thanks for the info guys, we are trying to get someone to donate an old Ambulance as a support vehicle so might be able to carry some but will bodge and make do if not!

The oiling system on the mopeds is a bit temperemental sometimes but I think engine rebuilds are going to be frequent anyway!

Now I just need to find some 14" Michelin Deserts......

In keeping with the spirit of the rally the answer would be to get some 17" ones, cut a segement out and superglue the ends back together again. :smartass:

You'll probably be able to find a tyre repair shop in Mauri that'll sew the ends back together if the glue doesn't hold. :thumbup1::thumbup1:

Nice one, it'll line up well with my "we can't get bib mousse's so we'll stuff the tyres with tennis balls" philosophy"

must remember to stop saying 'what's the worst that can happen'!