Yesterday’s day-trip by minibus to Marrakesh was fun, but strictly-speaking it was not part of my motorbike odyssey. So I will confine myself to posting a few photos and a video clip, and saying that I had a very pleasant day with three delightful companions: 
- Carol, a Korean-American originally from Hawaii and now living in Washington state. An engaging young lady who, to my surprise, told me she has two grown-up daughters. 
- Sousan and Karim, an Iranian-American couple who have lived in California for around 30 years. Their ages and length of marriage coincide almost exactly with Shelagh’s and mine. Karim is 5 weeks older than me, and they were married within 10 weeks of us. 47 years ago! 

I’m afraid that after a week with only myself to talk to for most of that time, I might have bent their ears somewhat. 
 
So, now that my bike trip is going to be on hold for a few weeks, this might be a suitable time to explain some of the reasons why I am doing this marathon on a small and apparently unsuitable bike. 

Firstly, although I haven’t owned such a small bike since I sold my BSA Bantam in 1967 (for £5), I have ridden many little bikes. In England, Greece, Colombia, Togo, Benin, Ghana, Tanzania, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Nepal, the Philippines and probably other places. So I have an idea of their abilities and limitations. And although they may not be designed for it, they can cruise at 60mph or more for fairly long periods. That’s more than enough for the overwhelming majority of African roads. 

From what I have read, the road to Cape Town can involve long and costly waits for expensive parts to be air-freighted from Western countries, and attendant customs rip-offs. It seems that heavy bikes on African roads tear through brake pads, fork seals, chains, sprockets, clutches, tyres. And that’s just if you don’t drop the bike! You probably will. More than once. 

Even when you have the replacement parts you still need to find someone who can fit them properly. 

But for a little Chinese bike I am hoping it shouldn’t be difficult to find compatible spares locally in Africa. I gather a lot of Chinese components are interchangeable between brands - not least because they are sometimes cloned from top-selling Japanese designs. And you can get suitable tyres for them on nearly every street corner. Even if things aren’t precisely compatible I suspect they can be modified to work. That’s Africa, and that is my hope. Nonetheless I have some spares with me, thanks in part to the guys at Lexmoto. 

Motorbikes are transforming Africa. Only 10 years ago there were 5 million motorbikes there. Now there are 27 million! Almost all 125cc or less, and almost all built in China or India. So motorbike repair shops are popping up like mushrooms. And you probably don’t even need repair shops - it seems that nearly every kid on the street can keep these simple little bikes moving. But few people have a clue about Western bikes. 

And you ought see how some of these bikes are treated here: loaded up with huge sacks of grain, cement, livestock, enormous pillion passengers or sometimes whole families. Unsurprisingly, welders are easy to find. Instead of welders’ hoods they protect themselves with a handkerchief and sun glasses! 

I have had lots of advice. Those who haven’t done such a trip generally recommend adventure bikes (which inter alia mark you out as a rich, spoiled westerner and a walking ATM). Those who have done it often recommend going local, small, inconspicuous and fixable. 

Final thought: try controlling a 250 kg adventure bike loaded with heavy kit on a steep, downhill, rutted and potholed dirt track. Tired, alone and miles from anywhere. Or preferably don’t.