Buy bikes Cape Town and tour East Africa
 

Looking to tour east Africa. The problems and costs of getting our bikes from the UK are making us think about buying bikes in Africa. Possibly Cape Town or Nairobi.
Wondered if anyone had any recent info on this. We have to consider registering the bikes, taxing, insuring, carnets. And of course any recommendations on where to buy the bikes. Can we resell them? Probably heaps more questions.

Any advice gratefully received.

Cape Town would be a good place to buy, easy to Register in your Name and you can ride with SA registered bike up to Kenia on TIPs.


Jürgen from LeCap always knows some bikes for sale

Hi Daffers

Find Wild Dogs - should be plenty of guys who will help!!

Wild Dog Adventure Riding - Index

Hi LarryMcG

Thanks for this. Will follow it up.

I know someone who did this about four years ago with no real problems. They bought in South Africa, travelled as far as Kenya and back with no carnet and sold again in South Africa. Not sure of all the details but it is possible.

This was posted recently:

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...t=South+Africa

Found that info just after I posted my query. It has just the right info we need, looking very promising now. Just have to find the right bikes to buy.

South East Africa - Questions and Answers
 

Hi Daffers

I'm the one who posted the guide on how to buy a bike .

I've been travelling in Southern Africa for the last 6 months so i can help you with any info you might need .
Write down all the questions you have and ill reply ...

Hi Ido

Sorry for the delay in replying. There will be loads of questions. We have made contact with a Honda bike dealer, and accept the fact that it may take a while to organise the registration, but I am sure we can keep our selves busy. Hope to be out there October this year. Will check through your info on the forum and will be in touch.

Hi LarryMcG

Wild Dogs have been great. Thanks for the advice.

Hi Ido,

It looks like you've been through Uganda. I went last year (by plane) to a spot you must have passed. Now I want to go by bike. I'd ship it to South Africa and ride from there.

Can you recommend the quickest route from Cape Town (I guess that's where the plane lands!) to Kampala through Rwanda? I'd be taking time off work and it's not really a sight-seeing trip, so what's a reasonable minimum time it could be done?

Also, when is the best weather. Those red dirt roads are endless and get awful slippery when wet.

Many thanks
David

Been in SA almost a week now. Attended the HUBB at Elgro Lodge, what a fantastic place, thanks Kobus. Met wonderful, helpful people. Currently in Pretoria waiting for bike paperwork to be completed, bought 2x Honda 250 crf. Hope to head to Blyde River Canyon for the weekend, unfortunately in a hire car. Might see some of you on the road.

Well if you're stuck in a car, go to Kruger, or better still, one of the lodges in Greater Kruger where your guide can go off road. We stayed at Balule and had a great time. Hazyview is a nice base- try the Rissington Inn.

Made it Graskop. A very long ride on a small bike. What a beautiful area. God's Window, 3 Rondavels, Pilgrims Rest and wonderful dirt roads to practice on.

Hi Daffers,
did you have any luck shopping around Cape Town?? I am also on the hunt for a smaller Honda, second hand preferably. An XR 200 or maybe something as small as a CG125... I haven't had the greatest amount of luck yet. May I ask what you paid for your bike and did you purchase it brand new?

Thank you,

Tilly

Hi Tilly

We got new bikes from Honda Menlyn in Pretoria. 250 CRF. Speak to Albie Eager there. He may be able to help.
Tel 0027 82 698 8589. Good luck.

"TIPs"? What are they please?

TIP Is a temporary import permit. SA bikes do not need a carnet.

Hi Daffers, I'm curious how long it took you to be able to get a TRN so that you can register the bikes you bought? I'm a Brit coming to SA in 3-4 weeks but I only have 6 weeks total in country so I'm worried about getting delayed with bureaucracy etc. I read the very helpful guide that was posted earlier in the thread, I was just wondering about how it all went for you, thanks very much.

I'm currently in Cape Town. I arrived on Wednesday morning. Dropped my stuff off at my hostel and went straight to the traffic department to apply for TRN. They accepted my paperwork without any reservation(I used the documents Ido posted). The lady told me it could take six weeks but to come back in 2 weeks to check. I hope this is not the case. I will go and check every week.

Thanks for the info nextlife, hope it works out for you soon.

Are you going to try and buy a new bike or a second hand one? I'm wondering if it would be possible to find a sympathetic second hand seller that would simply sign the bike over to someone allowing usage rather than transferring ownership and thus not requiring and TRN. One problem with this though is selling the bike afterwards.

Hi. Now in Durban with the bikes. Could not get TRN in Pretoria. Told we needed a 6 month visa not 3 month as given at the airport. We have affidavits from Honda Menlyn manager saying we can take the bikes across borders. Fingers crossed. Try speaking to Albie Eager manager of Honda Menlyn near Pretoria.
Just ridden through Lesotho and Sani Pass. Scary.

So did you buy the bikes outright or are you kindof "renting" them with the affidavit?

Lesotho and Sani pass was scary security wise?

Sort renting them with an affidavit, although we have payed for them.

No security problem in Lesotho, it was the dirt roads and Sani Pass which scared me. I am not an off-road rider. Most spectacular views I have ever seen, you must go.

Ahh great thanks for the tip, I'll add it to my list of places to visit.

So did you find a private buyer that was happy to "sell" to you with an affidavit? I'm thinking of seeing if I can find someone that can do the same for me. Sorry for all the questions, thanks for you help!

I received my TRN on Thursday:)

I purchased new from the Honda dealership.

So happy everything worked out okay

cheers

Hi

Lots of people expressed and interest in buying the bikes when we return to Pretoria in April. Currently in Mzuzu Malawi.

Heading to Uganda next week, will be buying a bike there. Click on link below and you'll see how this all unfolds. :-)

Hi Lorraine. Tanzania at the moment heading to Kilifi in Kenya then Nairobi. If you are still in Nairobi would be good to met up as we pass through. Bikes will probably need servicing there. Any suggestion where we take them. Honda 250 CRF. Plan to go to Uganda on our way south back to Pretoria.

TIPs?
If I ship a bike or buy one there, is there a trading block for the southernmost countries that allows me to move the bike around more freely?