Selling a Bike in Niger/Mali/?
 

Hello

I have a beat-up KLR 650 with Guatemala license plates. In London now and would like to spend a few weeks travelling down to West Africa.

I know there's some good places (or used to be) for selling cars. How about bikes? I wouldn't be asking too much for it, but wouldn't want to give it away.

Any tips or ideas much appreciated.

Thanks
Toby

Hello Toby,

I live in West Mali, work for a gold exploration/mining company. We have numerous bikes coming through all teh time, with all sorts of number plates. I personally brought mine in on Namibian plates and had it registered in mali under malina plates, cost me a little bit in kickback with customs, about 150,000 CFA to get it all done, but I think Kayes would be a good place to sell your bike. From here you could take teh train back to Dakar, or hitch andthen fly back to London. I am almost certain you would be able to sell you bike easily over here, for a reasonable/good price.

hed

Hope that helps.

Hi!
What about selling car in Mali? Is Kayes also most suitable place or they are some places in eastern Mali?
gregor

Be dead careful about selling a car or bike in Kayes, the customs there are the greatest shower of mother****ers in West Africa, and that´s saying something. I know a number of peole first hand who have been ripped off there and a couple of them have been taking cars to Africa for years. To be honest I wouldn#t dream of selling a bike or car the´re unless I knew the buyer personally. On top of that most of the big bikes in Mali are "stolen" in France or Italy. Because of the number of people Bamako is probably the easiest place, but it can get a bit rough there as well.

Kevin,

Txs for setting the record straight there. I have never bought or sold a vehicle in Kayes, as I said all I have done is register my bike there and I also experienced them to be sharks, but got it done, that is why I put the post down. I was thinking that whatever deal would go down with the KLR from Guatelmala it would not be legit, that is why I suggested Kayes as the boys there are always open for business. I have been following your posts for a while now, it seems that you obviously have experience, so everyone else who reads this, go by Kevin's advice.

Cheers

hed

Thanks for your posts. Appreciate your responding hed, because with two conflicting answers to the same question, it can become another question of 'who to listen to'.

So I'll take both sets of advice and keep my wits about me. If all goes wrong, it wouldn't be the first time I've been ripped off and screwed by customs/jack-the-lads.

Thanks