Storing in Kenya - Africa bit by bit!
 

We plan to do Africa bit by bit, shipping ourselves and our rides in and out of Africa at the beginning/end of each leg. The relative costs of this is of course horrendous if one doesn't travel for very long. As a consequence we have lately begun concidering other options. One of the things we are concidering is storing our rides at the end of each leg and come back at a later date to continue where we left off. This would offer us tremendous flexibility. We could get on a flight on short notice, use even the tiniest windows of opportunities to travel, even if only for two weeks.

One issue for us is that the storing option might involve storing the rides for a loooong time. If we are unlucky it might take a whole year or more before we can return (luckily we have other rides at home, so leaving the rides for a long time won't cause us too much grieving).

Will storng for a long time pose any legal problems? Which? As far as I know, carnets can be extended. But, will I need to have it stamped out (exit) out of a country within a specific period of time? How long can the bike stay in one country before it needs to leave? How about Kenya? This is our number one concern...

Also, we would prefer having the rides stored at a place where they could receive proper servicing before our return. This way we could just jump on a plane on a short notice and get riding!

Anybody got any suggestions as of who offer this type of storage in Kenya?

Is this type of storage reliable or do I risk having my ride stolen, sold off, being used, getting wrecked, etc?

Any ideas as of how much this type of storage likely will cost?

How about just regular storage???

We will start off in South Africa in June and end up in Nairobi in July.

Our next leg will include Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt. Storage options along this stretch is also of interest.

Any comments are welcome.

We've been in Kenya 12 months on current carnet and will be trying to renew it next week for a further 12 months.

Chris at Jungle Junction, Nairobi, is a BMW bike mech and also runs this good backpackers est.

More detail if and when we get the carnet.

I met an Austrian couple in Uganda that did pretty much the same with their Landy. They left it with all their gear stored in locked steel boxes in Customs lock-up where ever they finished a stage.

Not sure how feasible and secure this is for a bike as they lost some gear before they went for the boxes.

Might be worth investigating further??? Could crating the bikes make it more secure?

J

Locks, crates and other security devices are for honest people http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/wink.gif

But yes, a crate would probably add a bit to security. But I was hoping to avoid crates all together. Crates are one of the reasons I want to find an alternative to shipping in the first place, they are a pain (but still an option we would concider).

As we are doing Africa bit by bit, every day is precious. We therefore want to look for alternatives that can save us both money and time. Sorting out crates, freight, etc. when arriving at your city of departure can take days at best.

The ideal situation would be to have it stored with a motorcycle shop/mechanic who could keep it on a battery tender, order up new parts, change tires, service it before we came back, etc. This way we could for instance simply arrive at a city, leave bike with with the shop as prearranged, and get on the next flight home. Our return could be arranged on a short notice. Just get on aplane and jump on a fully freshly serviced bike within an hour or two upon arrival. How great does that sound?

Thanks for the Landy tip. I'll give it a search.

[This message has been edited by Wheelie (edited 08 March 2006).]

i agree with trying jungle junction in nairobi. chris is a very cool guy and he might be able to help. he's also got a very nice workshop for servicing.

Not a bad plan. Just remember that you'd need to keep the carnet active (and your deposit locked up) for all that time.

Jungle Junction: S01 17.325 E36 45.635

Chris Kenya, 0722 752865

c_handschuh_68 ({attt{) yahoo dotto com


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Don't give the spammer scum your - or someone else's - email address! Make it easy for you and me to read, but their robots can't figure it out! Grant

[This message has been edited by Grant Johnson (edited 15 March 2006).]

Roger wilco.

Good idea. Its quite common to do Africa in chunks and store the truck in the intervening period.
The guys at Upperhill campsite in Nairobi will also store wagons for you. They will process paperwork and deal with carnet issues in-country etc. Great bar, good food, great management (who have been or still are overlanders themselves and know the score). I personally prefer it to Jungle Junction but there's not much to choose between them.

Its on Menengai road (near Barclays Bank), tel +254 20 2720 290 or email upperhillcamp@africaonline.co.ke
GPS S 1 18.000 E 36 48.719

If you get further south, into Tanzania, Maasai Camp in Arusha or Meserani Snake Farm on the Ngorongoro road will do the same. If anything, Maasai Camp is a bit more chilled than the sites in Nairobi.

[This message has been edited by Runner (edited 17 March 2006).]

Runner, can you post these in the Motorcycle Friendy accommodations forum please. http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif

thanks!
Grant

Great info, thanks

Any idea of costs???