Asian ingenuity....

..... is awesome!

Nairobi Couriers

These guys are doing it right!

Metal top box with lock and side inserts. Nice pink lid.

Small glass fibre box. Lighter but less room.

Big bespoke box. Lots of room.

Front racks. These are really useful. Not seen so much in the US or Europe but really handy. Austin Vince from Mondo Enduro was a big fan.

Nairobi Traffic - still dangerous

This happened in front of me last night. The car was pulled over ahead of a culvert to let a very heavy truck pass by on a narrow road at night.

The truck glanced the front wing of the car and then, weirdly, instead of stopping just kept driving. He mangled the whole side of the car in the picture and then smashed into us as well. Luckily we were in a 4 x 4 this time.

A Kenyan policeman, with an AK 47, happened to be nearby. As the truck continued to move off after the crush he ran up the road after it, made his weapon ready and then dragged the driver out of his cab. Great work and better reactions than a policeman at home!

The driver admitted it was his fault and added that it was his first day on the job. This wasn't enough to sort the situation out and he will be lucky to keep his job! The driver of the car was a Doctor and very upset. He threatened to sue for attempted murder, adding to the tension. As he said, "you don't do that if you are a normal human"!

A reminder of the unpredictability of the roads here. Ride safe guys.

East African Destinations - Mombasa bike life

Out and about in Mombasa this morning. It's the second day back to work after the recent Kenyan elections. The schools have gone back and people are going to work and about their normal lives. I always take a couple of shots as we drive along, there's always something interesting to look at!

RIDE magazine

Good, light holiday reading. Fits in your rucksack or pannier for those travel moments where you have to wait.....

Heartbreak Advert - funny description

Someone's going to get a bargain bike in this sale if you believe the reason why it's being advertised!

Seems legit!

East African destination ideas

This is Mombasa harbour in the morning sun. It's low tide and the locals come down to the beaches and swim, run and exercise. In the day they get a 'boda boda' taxi into to town for work or to see their mates. These are Chinese copies of CG125s; the local bike industry is increasingly dominated by Asian imports. They seem fine so far.

As destinations go Mombasa is a good one to finish at or, equally, a good waypoint. There's an international port to ship your bike if required (enquire with Seaforth Shipping locally) and an international airport.

If you ride in or out then the road north will head through Nairobi's urban jungle to the dry plains of Northern Kenya and then up through Ethiopia. Challenging riding with off road tracks, difficult navigation and limited fuel stops.

If you ride south then it's black top highway into Tanzania and on. Perfect African riding.

Man and Machine

This is brilliantly accurate. I expect it was a flat battery or something...