Africa from April in a 6x6 - how can I help bikers?
 

Well I figure if nothing else, the title will have caught your attention!


From early April I will be driving (just bear with me for a few minutes....) around Africa, starting in Sudan and heading down the East coast then up the West - my ultimate destination is the UK via Morocco - Spain ferry by around Christmas 2018. Many of the people who have inspired me to take this trip made the same, or the reverse journey, but on bikes, and during my many years of planning, I got to wondering....

I'll be traveling solo in a 6 wheel drive Oberaigner (modified Sprinter) with a living cabin on the back. Details here www.timstraveltruck.rocks . I realise these large overland trucks / gin palaces are probably your idea of hell on wheels, but I happen to like mine :-) and if there's one thing I do have it's relatively large amounts of storage.


So just imagine if I was to carry a box of 'universal' spares for bikes with me - stuff that is hard to come by in Africa, and basically impossible or impractical for a biker to carry but could make the world of difference to a two wheeled traveler's journey if I just happened to have one / some in my spares kit, what would be on your wish list?

Remember, parts needs to be as generic / universally adaptable as possible - just 'cos you're riding round Africa on a Brough Superior with Whitworth left hand thread bolts doesn't mean everyone else is!

I also realise this is a can of worms I'm opening here and is could possibly to trigger endless debate, so please let me have YOUR wish list and don't stress if others disagree. I know the feeling - since I'll probably have the only Oberaigner LWB 6x6 in Africa, I doubt the spares I'm carrying for my truck will be much use to LC or LR owners either! I'm imagining fitting all this in a box something like 50cm x 25cm x 25cm, but that's open to debate too.


Why would I do this? Because I've done a lot of rallying in the desert and have helped / been helped out by fellow competitors time and time again. Why wouldn't I do it if I can? My friend Allan Roberts, who helped inspire me to travel, never would have completed his maiden Dakar ride if another competitor had not asked him why he was stopped, and after Allan explained he's lost his rear axle nut and his race was over, the guy reached into his jacket pocket, passed Allan the exact nut he needed and said "I always carry three spares". A miracle, in the middle of no-where, on Day 12 of the Dakar.

OK so 85 views and not a single comment in two days.

So either I am showing my naivety, and there's no shortage of well equipped motorcycle dealers and parts traders throughout E. Africa so whatever you need, is available.

Or thanks to FedEx / UPS / TNT you can get what you want in 72 hours anyway so that's sorted

And you're all too polite to tell me it's a rather daft post and I should stick to driving my gin palace, so if that's the case, Thanks, I appreciate your being so polite about it.

Let me know if you change your minds - I plan on leaving some space anyway, and if it's not needed, there's an orphanage in Ethiopia run by an ex Dubai resident who could always do with some milk formula and nappies, so I'll just take more of those.


Ride safe, hope to see you en route some day.

So few moto travellers on such a huge continent with such a wide variety of motorcycles that could need such a variety of spare parts... it's a very kind idea, but extremely unlikely that the stars would ever align so perfectly.

So the answer is: cold beer.

Thanks Jordan. In that case, I'll fill that space with beer and keep plenty in the fridge too. Those trucks have other advantages :-)

A 6x6? I had to click to see what that was! Enjoy your travels. :)

Well. We are not in the 19th century anymore. Any rider can have parts shipped from Europe within a week anywhere now. If you want to bring some stuff, perhaps you can bring items that can benefit the locals. Something that can make their life better. Can you bring seeds to grow veggies? Simple drugs. I dunno. But motocycle spare parts might not be a great idea ;-)

Just my 2 cents

Lee

Thats so wrong scince it will get stuck at customs for a few months in some countrys and you will be charged 300% of the value if your new parts are not dirty and look like old parts.
No the reason why clever people dont have any problems is because they are using old vehicles with less electronics http://schoene-motorradtouren.de/?report=lkw_tour I hope we dont have to help you with your computer on wheels out there. The locals are great when it comes to repair anything ond but they get stuck same as you when it comes to useless electronics ;)