Hi All,

I'm a Canadian currently living in Senegal. This June-August, I'm looking to fly to East Africa (probably Kenya) and ride a motorcycle to South Africa.

Originally my idea was to buy a bike in Kenya, and sell it in South Africa. I'm starting to realize though, that this is a pretty complicated (potentially impossible) proposition. As I understand it, these are the roadblocks:

1. In order to travel through some of the countries I'd like to visit along the way (Rwanda, Tanzania, Botswana, Zimbabwe) and in order to get into South Africa, I'll need a carnet. I can get a carnet in Kenya from their AA, but it will involve, putting down a deposit equal to the value of the bike in Kenya.

2. Selling the bike in South Africa may be impossible since I'm not a South African resident (I'm seeing inconsistant information here -- does anyone have the definitive word?). Even if I do manage to sell the bike (potentially with the help of friends in South Africa that ARE residents), I'd sacrifice the deposit I put down in Kenya. So ultimately, if I buy a $2,000 bike, that's $2,000 I'll never get back).

Is that pretty much right?

It sounds though, like the best way to get around these problems, would be to team up with someone who wants to do the reverse trip (South Africa to Kenya) either before or after me. One of us would buy the bike on one side of the trip and obtain a carnet. The other would ride the bike back, and sell it in it's country of origin, avoiding any import fees.

Is this possible? Has anyone actually done it successfully?

* Does it matter which direction we'd do this in (buy and sell in Kenya vs. buy and sell in South Africa?)

* How does the paperwork work around the handoff? Does the person who bought the bike own it until final sale in the country of origin (and is it problematic that in this case, the bike wouldn't be owned by the person doing the return trip?), or does the person who bought it actually sell the bike to the person who does the return trip (in this case, is it possible to transfer the carnet and registration, etc. to a new name?

* How would one go about finding someone to pair up with for a project like this?

Finally, a few broader questions:

* I've travelled quite a bit in Africa, and feel I'm as well-equipped as anyone to deal with border crossings, personal-safety issues, etc. But i've never actually ridden a motorcycle before, am I crazy to try this?

* I have a Canadian driver's license, but it doesn't have a motorcycle endorsement. I don't have a international driver's license. Will either of these issues cause a problem?

Thanks in advance for your advise!!

-- David