Hi everyone!
I am currently working in Sierra Leone and will be finishing my contract end of January 2014. I'd like to buy a bike, prep it, and take it back to France. I've got six months to go through planning and prepping.
I am eager for advice, suggestions, warnings, encouragements, whatever you have, I'll take it!
Here's the situation:
Me:
Male, 25, resourceful, a lot of experiences in Africa, been working there for a while and using motorcycles for commuting / short travels on bad roads and worse,
BUT always 125cc. Good off-road experience on 4 wheels though. Mechanical skills are okay, I should have a lot of experienced help around me during preparation (yay!!) and possibly training / dress rehearsal for a week or so in SL.
The Road:
Still not sure. I'd be leaving beginning of February 2014 from Freetown, Sierra Leone, and would probably cross Guinea, Senegal, Mauritania to Reach Essaouira on the coast of Morocco, rest there for a few days, then continue to the south of France (All within a month? Is it possible?). I don't know much about these countries and their situation right now, if anybody has been there recently and / or can recommend itineraries, places or maybe a different route altogether, I am all ears.
The Bike:
I am still hesitating between buying and registering a bike in France and shipping it here, or buying one here and then importing it through customs when I arrive in France. What would be the best / easiest in your experience? I would like to avoid main roads and do a bit of desert if reasonable for a guy with my experience (is it?), so I am thinking XT660R, DR600, KLR600, XR650, NX650 or F800GS, packing as light as possible. I would actually like to work on the bike after I get home, maybe turn it into a scrambler or something like this
http://www.bikeexif.com/wp-content/u...onda-nx650.jpg
but that is another story
One more question:
I am a bit uncertain about travelling alone in tough places. I should be able to get some of my mates to join me for part of the trip, but that is hypothetical. Worst case scenario, does it seem reasonable to do that kind of trip solo solo?
Thank you for your help!