Ive finished working and have been getting ready to head off... and I tell you, its an expensive exercise!
I had kind of hoped that Id already have pretty much all the equipment that I would need for this trip... given that Ive done two big moto-tours before and have accumulated lots of parts and gear from those rides.
But no, about half the gear I have has in fact worn-out and needs to be replaced, and since im buying a bike there in Africa i will need to "fit it out" with some stuff for the long ride that it certainly wont have... and since North America is such a large market for moto stuff, parts will be way cheaper to get here than to get when I get to South Africa so i may as well take them with me if I can carry it in my luggage.
And on that note, I seem to have managed to buy another motorbike... Like thats a suprise I hear you all think! Well, yes it is spring here and I do seem to have a habit of buying motorbikes in spring :)))
But, Ive bought this one for this toure, and yes, its located in South Africa...
So Ive effectively bought it sight unseen from someone who Ive never met!
As i mentioned in an earlier post, i had started checking up on the local e-classifieds in SA for suitable bikes. Once I was less than a month from arriving in Africa I felt it would be OK to start to try to contact bike sellers via email to get bike details etc. Well, a really nice bike came up for sale in capetown and I sent an email enquiring, and the seller responded...
Suffice it to say that after a bit of email chat I felt sufficiently confident to commit to the deal, and now after further emails and sorting out details, I feel even more comfortable and Ive transfered several thousand dollars to the bike seller before Ive even left home... It may sound like Im just a "gullible chump" but I really dont think so and clearly Im willing to bet substantial money on it :)
Anyway, here is a picture of the bike (not the actual one Im buying tho):
As I mentioned earlier its a classic over-land touring bike and though it is 80s technology, its immensely reliable and very off-road capable. It has all the features that I demand 921" front wheel, long travel suspension, big fuel-tank, great reliability. Its biggest draw-back is that its very heavy at about 200Kg with an after-market exhaust, but I guess ive decided to live with that issue and hope that the better wheels/suspension will make it more manegable than my old VSTROM.
The bike Im getting already has an after-market exhaust (I think), a top-box, a centre-stand and fat foot-pegs, and the current owner has got some crash-bars for me.
I'm bringing extra stuff for the bike including side-cases, tank bag, hand guards, air-hawk seat cussion, and heated grips.
And then there will of course be spare tires, chain/sprockets, brake-pads, air/oil filters and heaven knows how much else... It all just keeps adding up and as usul im finding that Im spending litterally thousands of dollars even before the trip gets under-way! The money just flys away in all directions :)
But thats just the way things work with a trip like this... there is a big chunk of spending up-front.
The up-side of all the spending thogh is that Im getting really excited about the trip now :))
