Kenya
 

Hello hello, anyone got any must-sees, must-rides in Kenya? Or know any good, friendly, beery campsites round Mombassa or any other lazy beaches? Thanks in advance, Dan

Hi Dan
Best camping for me in Nairobi is Nairobi Park Services, out of town past Wilson airport. Great food, and brilliant bar with good place for working on the bike. Ask for Dutch Pete if you need any help with sorting anything out.
And fishermans camp at Navasha is EXCELLENT. Green grass, tree shade and hippo's at night.
Good rides are up north, evan if you just get as far as Maralal its worth it, those Samburu's certainly know how to dress
Andy Gray

PS How did it go in Tanzania, live up to expectations?
andy

Hey Andy - thanks again. Asanti sanna.

Yep, Tanzania is going well - came up the coast from Maputo, Mocambique - man, what a ride, rough but beautiful. Stopped in Mikundani, Lindi, Kilwas. Been hanging out in Dar Es Salaam for er three weeks, on the road again tomorrow heading up to Arusha and ah who knows. And yeah, then into Kenya.

Cheers, Dan Walsh

Hey guys
I'm going to spend a month or two in Kenya and Tanzania this fall, but I'm going to be arriving bikeless.
I'm trying to find out what kind of prices I can get a bike for over there, and I'll sell it before I leave. I've found some shops and emailed them but I haven't gotten a response yet. My friend who is there now (She doesn't know beans about bikes) found an XR400 for $4000 - which seems VERY expensive for a used bike.
Do you guys happen to remember seeing any good deals on bikes over there?

Thanks,
Wright

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Wright Bagwell
http://www.geocities.com/wwbagwell/

It may be expensive, but remember you are going to be selling it there too, so as long as the price you pay is the going rate, it doesn't matter - you'll be selling high too.

And don't forget it is Africa, and a long way from anywhere - and that adds a lot to the price.

I wouldn't worry too much about getting a bike lined up before you get there - so long as you know there is a reasonable selection of good bikes, you can make you own choice when you get there.

Of course if you know what you're getting in advance, you might want to take a few fresh tuneup and service bits, as they will be expensive - if available at all - in Africa, and the bikes will probably be poorly maintained.

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Grant Johnson

Share the Dream!
at: www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

I grew up in tz and spent some years in Dar. It is very hard to come by big bikes, by big I mean bigger than 250cc. If you do find any big bikes they are usually being sold by some expatriate and more often than not have not been payed import duties on yet. In dar however there are a number of second hand shops that sell bikes that have been imported from Japan (2nd hand). Most of these bikes are 250cc japanese bikes, (klr, xl, xlr, xt, dt, rm, dr) two and four stroke. I bought a Honda CRM 250 for 1 million shillings, but that was cheap compared to the other bikes which were going for 1.2 - 2.0 million (didn't have a go at bargaining with these though). You should know a fair bit about bikes though, before you try getting a bike from these guys.

If you do get a bike and plan on selling it be prepared- it is not as easy as it sounds. Especially if you buy an expatriate bike like the xr you mentioned. I know of many people who have had their bikes posted for sale for months without selling it, myself inkl.

Good luck.

Hi Wright
I'm waiting for a reply from someone in Kenya who knows the bike market there. Until then, my own experience doing the same as you are planning.
I arrived hopping to find a couple of second hand xr's but evan an xt or klr would of done. The few bikes I found were junk ( brake callipers missing, square wheels etc) So we bought new 125's, cheap at 3000 dollars each but not what your after, me thinks. Then the headache started getting them registered in our names, which you have to be a resident and have a social security number for. Evan with a 'corruption agent' supplied by the bike shop this took 2 weeks, usually 6 months. Expect problems selling them also, at least a week or two. This adds up to 4 weeks of your vacation.
However its possible to buy and sell, it just takes time. The bike shop I used were very trustworthy so give them a go; soken@iconnect.co.ke
Also try Dutch Pete who is in the know with the expats; nps@swiftkenya.com
One more thing, although I have no experince of buying in tanz. there are loads of xr 250's on the roads in dar salam and arusha, so thats maybe a better place to start.
Hope this helps, and as always where there's a will there's a way.
Andy