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Old 23 Sep 2010
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Chinese Bikes Freetown then heading north

Hello all,

2 friends and I are planning to fly to Freetown in December, buy 3 Chinese 125s/250s and head north on west coast. Aim is to hit Northern Morocco / Spain in 12 days...

A few questions:

(1) has anybody done something similar?
(2) 12 days is very tight, I think. Starting in Dakar a better option? Or will we miss out the good bits?
(3) any leads on where to get (and how much is) a Chinese bike (or second hand similar) in Freetown?

Thanks!

Tim
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  #2  
Old 25 Sep 2010
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Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Posts: 193
Lack of time.

Hi Tim,
I done the reverse of your trip a couple of times and have lived in Freetown for a while.
Chinese bikes are readily available in the city I can't remember exactly their price but in the region of $1000 give or take some few $100's.
Your timeline leaves little time to do anything else except ride all day long.
There's enough riding in Morrocco to keep you busy there for 12 days & you can hire proper bikes too.
The last time I came down from Spain to FTN, I spent 3 months on the road. Unfortunately the good bits are not all conveniently spaced out along the way and you have to spend time getting to them.
I'd say wait until you have a bit more time to spare before you attempt that ride. Remember that the ride up from the Mauri border in Morrocco could take as many as 4 days on your proposed mounts & that's not a hugely interesting road. Doesn't leave much time for the rest of your trip.
CJ.
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