Yamaha YBR125 in Ghana half the price of Senegal
 

Hello,

Not too sure if this is the right place to post this info. I am in Accra, Ghana, at the moment, and have just learned that the Yamaha YBR125 I have purchased (new) in Dakar just 4 months ago for about 2850$US is worth 1450$US (new) here is Accra. Same bike, same everything, cost of registration included. A collision + theft insurance will cost about 6% of the cost of the bike. Bike can be ready in 5 working days.

I got this info from Japan Motors in Accra (l Welcome to JapanMotors.com - Nissan Vehicles : Yamaha Motors l, 233-21-682223 (and 682220), sales person I spoke to is Wasim Deen Ahmed).

This is obviously quite a disappointment as I was planing to sell the bike here (or Lomé or Cotonou). I can only hope that I will be able to get more for my used bike in Togo ot Bénin...and riding back to Dakar to sell it is not a option for me. One thing that really puzzles me is how this can be possible. I had heard that the CFA (French African country currency) is overvalued - this experience would pretty much confirm it.

So for anyone interested in traveling West Africa on a bike, I would definitely suggest buying here in Accra, then ride across West Africa to Dakar and sell it there ; you might even be able to make a profit out if it!!


Regards,
Jean-Philippe Valois

I'm not doubting your report, but I admit to being confused by the fact that when I checked bike prices at Japan Motors last fall I saw nothing new from Yamaha for less than twice your US$1450. The Ghana cedi has drifted a bit lower since then, I believe, but not nearly that much.

I'd been thinking about bringing a bike down from Europe (which I can do with minimal expense because it will belong to an NGO and stay in Ghana). At your price, this wouldn't be sensible. How can I resolve my current state of cognitive dissonance?

Mark

(from Ushuaia, where winter is clearly in the air)

Hello Mark,

I know, this sounds quite weird. One thing is for sure, and that's the price I paid in Dakar : 1 350 000 CFA, which translates to roughly 2800USD.

The price I was quoted at Japan Motors was actually in US dollars ; the sales guy (Wasim) opened the big book in front of me and showed me the price : 1450USD. Very strange, I must agree, especially if you were quoted double that amount last year.

Perhaps this is a clearance price? The newer version of the same bike, the YBR125G, sold for 3400CD, which makes 2375USD, still cheaper than the Dakar price, but not by so much. However, I did ask if they would be carrying both models and they said they would.

I was quoted a few other bike prices (but the sales man's conversion calculations from USD to CD did not seem quite right) :

• YBR125 : 2200cd (whereas 1450 USD converts to 2075CD on xe.com)
• YBR125G :3400cd
• XT250 :8650cd
• DT125 :6410cd
• AG100 :6050cd

I will be at Japan Motors again tomorrow morning, so I will try to get a second confirmation and report back... :)

jp

Interesting. Thanks for elaborating.

I don't have time to run it all down right now, but I can note in passing that the DT (a proven, reliable, export-quality bike) is selling for about US$5000. The answer to the puzzle is in the difference between the DT125 and the YBR125. No way in the world one should sell for a third the cost of the other (approximately)....unless we're comparing Chinese to Japanese, or the salesman was mistaken, or.....or I can't imagine what.

Thanks much. I'd be interested in hearing more, whenever and whatever.

Mark

In South Africa you could get a brand new ybr125 for about 2200USD and the DT is about double. A good second hand one with less than 5000km would have lost about a third of its value.
The main difference is that the DT is two smoke and the ybr 4 stroke. 2 smokes are becoming increasingly rare in these green times.

The ybr is used mainly as a commuter by students and for delivery bikes. Less margin in a competitive segment? And then each country will have different levels of import taxes.

A bit more info
 

Hello again,

I did not get a chance to go back to the Japan Motors dealer, so I can't give any more info with regards to the prices I was quoted there.

There is one other possible explanation for the cheaper price of the YBR125: the manufacturer's name mentioned in the owner's manual is "Yamaha Jianshe Motor Shanghai Marketing Co.,Ltd.". I looked for this on the web and found that it is 30% Japanese and 70% Chinese...

As JHMM says, I have mostly seen it used as a delivery bike. Most bikes (i.e. 90%) in Senegal, Mali, Burkina and Ghana are Chinese (Sanya is a popular name, but there are quite a few others). Only in Acra have I seen bigger bikes (most of which I was told by a very disillusioned and grumpy Englishman arrive in unmarked containers from Europe and America).

If I had to do it all over again, I might be tempted to get a Chinese bike, considering they sell for half the price of the Japanese ones, but mostly because they are so widely available here (thus more parts out there).

I will be in Togo and Benin in the next few weeks, so more news from there if I can.

Jean-Philippe

Hi,

I am in Lomé (Togo) where the YBR125 sells for 1 400 000 CFA (from the official Yamaha dealer, CFAO Togo); That's the same price I was quoted in Dakar (about 2850 $US).

As a side note, a few people I have spoken to seem to think that I will get more for the bike in Cotonou. Specifically, I was told "they will pay fast and well" from a very convincing salesman working at at Sanya dealer (Chinese bikes).

jp

Re YBR 125 prices.

In the UK it's possible to buy the genuine UK spec bikes or the chinese built version.

The genuine Yamaha one costs £2599.

The chinese Yamaha one costs £1699.

Regards

Reggie AKA The Cameraman

A bit confusing here Reg, I think you will find that the Yamaha YBR's are either made in Brazil or China, I have a genuine Uk badged Yam made in China and I think the retail price is now £2k+ anything less is a copy and will not be badged as a Yam.
It is a sweet little bike that is capable of upto 130mpg(efi):mchappy:
But is a bit of a chameleon because when it gets wet the exhaust, frame and other cycle parts turn a reddish rust colour very quickly!
:oops2:

Hi Dave,

nope the chinese supplied bikes are fully marked up as Yamahas. It's only when you check the vehicle registration document that you'll find it's either a genuine or an import, complete with an SVA pass.

If you try to have any warranty work done on a none Yamaha UK supplied bike, you'll find that it'll be refused. The supplying dealer would be the only point re warranty work. So you could innocently buy a bike that you think has all the backing of Yamaha UK to discover it doesn't!

I know of a person who bought, what they thought was a Yamaha UK XT125, and 9 months down the line had an engine failure. The bike turned out to have been a Yamaha Italy supplied bike and Yamaha UK wo'n't even look at it. To compound the fun, the engine differ's twixt the bikes, so you can't even order the parts via Yamaha UK.

You have been warned!

Regards

Reggie

Hi Dave,

you're OK then!

Presume it was just cosmetic rust, rather than a failure within the construction?

sales of YBR125 parts
 

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