Mmmm… the eternal camp-fire argument over which bike is best. Very similar to the Toyota vs. Land Rover saga, we had to decide between the BMW 1200 GS and the KTM990 Adventure R.
Or a third contender (which in the end won hands down)…
The Motomia Pachino.
During our prep-trip in December 2009, when we rode around South Africa for 19 days (covering some 5 850 km) we used two Motomia Enzo’s. A 125cc road-bike, costing a mere R5 499. This proved to be bullet proof, not missing a beat with the only problem one flat wheel. This inspired so much confidence, that we decided it would be easier doing a long trip like this with smaller, simple bikes.
The other option would have been on my Kawasaki KLR650 (2006) and Tania’s BMW F650ST (1999). Both bikes have done us proud in our travels, recent of which were a 2 500 km plus trip through Namibia in December 2010. That said, the bikes don’t share the same internals, making it difficult to carry all the necessary spares for both bikes.
Furthermore, we aimed to prove that it is not necessary to have an expensive 4×4 SUV or a >R100 000 adventure bike to experience the majestic continent that is Africa!
…cruising at 80 km/h all day is not only safer, but it trains the mind to be patient… very useful when preparing for the inevitable delays at the African border crossings… or so they say. Keep reading to find out if it was all worth it.
