Buying Motorcycles in Africa
 

I am planning on travelling Africa on two wheels but i'm not sure what country I want to start in. Is it better to buy a bike in Europe and travel south or to fly in and buy a bike in Africa? I am Canadian so I will be selling (if possible) the bike after my travels, thanks

Best choice is Europe (eg. UK, Germany) to start looking at options that fit your budget.

Buying a bike in Africa isn't really that common as in most countries large overlander bikes are rare. The main exception to that is South Africa, which does have a fairly substantial sized bike market, but compared to Europe availability is less and prices are higher.

The issue of resale complicates things as most people go point to point (Europe to/from Cape Town) and then usually end up having to ship the bike back home as reselling in a different country requires importation and usually the payment of taxes.

One way to avoid this is to look around for a traveller bike that has been ridden down (or up) and then you can buy and return to the country of origin for ultimate resale. With enough lead time and searching, you might find a suitable bike and then you can wander up or down the coast at your leisure.

Happy planning.

What type of bike are you looking at buying

Chinese 50-200cc bikes are common and easy to buy and sell

Larger capacity bikes are more of a challenge, you should be able to get second hand bikes in Ghana and Nigeria if you plan and arrange ahead.

There is a KTM dealer in Lome, Togo if you want to go that way.

Inyang are the Chinese bikes something you could travel on for long distances or would they be better for shorter distances such as travel whithin a country?

Most chinese bike sold there are powered by Honda CG125 alike machine (125 same bore & stroke / 150 Different bore / 175 to 250 Different bore & stroke ) which are bullet proof , other parts depends on brand's reputation. Suitable speed in developing country, bike maxed ~60 mph :oops2: . The carb fitted on bike may shows what the quality is. Reputable chinese maker uses Keihin related (Deni http://www.dekni.com/ | http://www.keihin-knj.com/ ) products ONLY, "others" use Keihin clone.
One of those adventurer Motorbiking Adventures in Africa! - YouTube

Ηι there,

Look also in the moto market of Italy and Spain, both coyntries have a big choices and the prices is pretty much the sames in Europe...I propose you Italy and Spain because from there you can rich quick and fast Africa...But, if you want to send the bike to Canada, its better to buy it in South Africa and once your trip is finish, send it from Europe to Canada...

Shorter distances within a country would be more like it

But it depends

If you are doing below 350km a day, may be possible to use one for longer stretches.

They do tend to start falling apart quite early though.

Done Yaounde (Cameroun) - Brazzaville on 150cc locally bought Chinese bike. No problem at all. This year I will continue the same way from Brazza down through Angola.

Forgive my lack of basic knowledge, but what is the battery voltage of simple Chinese bike (Lifan, Nanfang etc.)?
I plan to buy a bike in Africa and feed connection to my GPS unit.

12v. Better bring waterproof cigarette socket from home. http://www.motorfans.com.cn/bbs/t_16842343_1.htm had examples.

Thank you! :thumbup1:

Hello there..

I'm riding North up the East coast from Cape Town, starting in a few weeks, back to London.. The Europe, North African part of the ride isn't exciting me that much as i've already ridden that area a number of times.. So i would certainly be open to selling the bike on to someone else in Kenya/Ethiopia sometime around October/November/December 2012.

The bike is a 2001 BMW 650 GS Dakar, registered in Britain... I'm just putting the idea out there for the first time as up until i saw this post i was set on riding all the way back to London.

Drop me a line if you're (or anyone else!) interested!

(also, the bike would/could come with full enduro kit: panniers, spares, tent, cooking kit, sleepin matt, hammock, tools, gps, etc etc)

Cheers.. Loader

Hi Loader,
If you're still considering it, I'm somewhat interested in the idea your proposing with your Dakar. At least I would like to discuss with you. I'm planning an Africa trip starting in December or January and have been toying around with starting in the UK or picking up a bike in Africa and so I was wondering where in the world you are and if you'd still consider parting with the bike around Kenya.

I have to admit my ideal situation would be if it were in Cape Town so I could ride all the way back up, but, well, let me know, I'm interested..

Cheers,
Peter

nottmrd @ gmail (dot) com

I have abandoned a bike close to Windhoek in Namibia - it is cheap 125cc, bought in Brazzaville. I can give it to you for free, if you are interested.

Anyone have an idea of what bikes are being ridden in East Africa?