Cape Town to London or Vice Versa - Advice?

[Springbok_Rider]

Hi,

Australia isn't working out due to sponsorship issues, and instead of going back to Europe and wondering what to do next, I've decided to either head to Cape Town and ride to London or vice versa.

I've loved the idea before but this time I'm strongly considering it. However, I will be doing it on a budget and need to know if there are any recommended older bikes that are good for the trip (circa £2kish) - it seems that all these guys doing it are able to afford new BMW Dakar's etc.

Also if anyone has done it, are there any recommended itineraries. I think most of most of middle and southern Africa won't be a problem, but getting through Libya/Egpyt/Sudan safely may pose a challenge.

I'll also have to take a short motorcycle repair course to get a better idea of the full workings of a bike and make sure I have half a chance of fixing things as they crop up on the trip.

Anyway, sure this has been done a thousand times and I have researched a lot, but looking for advice from today since things are always changing.

Thanks,
Antony.
____________________
2005 SV650 ---> 2002 CBR 600 FS ---> 2010 Monster 1100 ---> 2006 Yamaha YZ250F ---> 2008 Street Triple 675

[G]

[Springbok_Rider]

[G]

Most 'dual sport' aren't too bad to repair.

You can likely workout a route that uses roads that you'll be fine on any road bike on - Nick Sanders takes his R1 to more challenging terrain.

Reliability is likely to be partly related to time spent flat out - big singles don't like being sat at high revs generally with big bits of metal spinning about off-balance.

If you're not going off road, then I would actually consider a BMW if you want to stick to a single.
Or something like the Africa Twin, which is a bit heavier still, but likely to handle more sustained high speed.

[Springbok_Rider]

Thanks, food for thought. I don't think the off road part of it will be avoidable since the will likely be desert sand, gravel, water beds, flinty roads and other horrors that I'd have to navigate.
____________________
2005 SV650 ---> 2002 CBR 600 FS ---> 2010 Monster 1100 ---> 2006 Yamaha YZ250F ---> 2008 Street Triple 675

[garth]

Postie bike!

[Springbok_Rider]

At least picking it up won't be a problem when I tip over in the sand. Or I could use my never ending stack of "Called But No One Was Home" cards to get traction.
____________________
2005 SV650 ---> 2002 CBR 600 FS ---> 2010 Monster 1100 ---> 2006 Yamaha YZ250F ---> 2008 Street Triple 675

[noobRider]

Avoid the wet season
____________________
Licence: Nov 2012, Bikes: Suzuki GN125, Moto Guzzi Strada 750, Triumph Sprint ST 955i x 2
AnPhonEh: I need plans, I need contingency plans also, I need back up contingency plans

[map]

[Springbok_Rider]

[G]

If it's hard pack sand or across a normal road, it shouldn't be a big thing.

But, more, none of those justify a dual sport bike. At best they justify dual sport tyres, maybe a thinner front wheel.

[map]

[Springbok_Rider]

[G]

[Springbok_Rider]

[G]

I took the opposite route going around Europe - I took a dualsport bike that's about as dirt biased as you can reasonably get (I did my first hare and hound on it).
HOWEVER I was going for the dirt riding - so the idea was to make that as good as possible.

If you're not worried about making dirt-riding an amazing experience but do enjoy road riding, I wouldn't be so bothered on focusing on it.

[c-m]

Ignoring the big BMWs loads of people do Africa on Transalps, Africa Twins, DR650, KLR650 etc..

The BMW F650s are popular too and only cost around £1,500 - £2,000

A cheap alternative might be the KLE500.

Pretty much anything reliable will do. Unless you want o go dune riding or something. You probably want something with good MPG and decent tank range. £2,000 will easily get you a decent enough bike for the trip.

Probably best avoid Egypt. the 500% carnet is going to be a killer.

[G]

KLE could be a good choice - twin will be better on the faster bits and smoother. And it looks "off roady" .
Heavy, but so are most of the other too.

[Springbok_Rider]

I've had a look and there really isn't a way to avoid Egypt without going through Tunisia and Libya, or Syria/Iraq and those are best avoided at the moment. They've also stopped all ferries to Egypt from the mainland where you can travel with your bike and that would just plain suck by the sounds of it. Will have to ferry from Greece to Israel and if I have the carnet go into Egypt, and if not, apparently ride through Jordan and get a ferry across the Red Sea. Would much rather avoid it and everyone wants to, but don't think I can.

Hoping to find a way to get the carnet before I get to Egypt - will try give them as few reasons to screw me over as possible.

Thanks for more bike suggestions. I have been looking a lot at the GS650 although will check the others as well. All of the blogs I've read there seems to be a common issue with getting dirty fuel so may have to take a couple of filters/pumps spare in addition to some octane booster/injector cleaner if possible.

Hoping to find something with a solid set of metal panniers in addition to a skid plate and crash bars already.
____________________
2005 SV650 ---> 2002 CBR 600 FS ---> 2010 Monster 1100 ---> 2006 Yamaha YZ250F ---> 2008 Street Triple 675

[G]

I've haven't kept up really recently, my Aunt and cousin live in Tunisia and while the situation has been 'tense', it doesn't seem entirely inhospitable. (My aunt is married to a local and so my cousin should have less problems.)

You can get the ferry from Tunisia to Italy, though it may be expensive - not sure what it is for a bike. Don't have to get a cabin, can sleep on the deck (err, or could 16 years ago)... which may be better than sharing a cabin, as it goes.

I presume you mean a 650GS - a GS650 would be something else entirely.
Why that bike out of interest? A lot of people like them and yes I did mention it I think, but personally I've never 'got' them. You've got a slow big single that doesn't like any kind of speed along with a lot of weight. Got the vibes and so on (damped a bit by the weight) of the big single, but not the advantage of being lighter for off road stuff.

[Springbok_Rider]

Fair enough on Tunisia. I have enquired with a couple of places to see if it's necessary to get a guide to get across. The issue is a lot of the old ferry lines have stopped going to a lot of the region so it's becoming tricky. If I don't book the Carnet in advance, maybe I only need to pay 500 euros or something when I'm in Egypt. I'll have to triple check this, but don't fancy the idea of leaving a deposit for twice what the bike is worth.

I think I like the idea of the 650GS Dakar as a lot of people have used them and they seem readily available. However, I haven't looked much and need to start researching that side of it today. I'm still open as to what bike to choose though and definitely appreciate ideas. I'm also a short arse at 5'7" and don't know if this is an issue. Figure as long as I can get one leg down as these will likely be way bigger than my SV it shouldn't matter. Africa Twins are nice but a little on the pricey side in South Africa. There seems to be a lot of KLR's too.

https://www.gumtree.co.za/a-motorcycles-scooters/centurion/suzuki-vstrom-dl650/1001084922940910210936009

https://www.gumtree.co.za/a-motorcycles-scooters/other/2008-kawasaki-klr/1001087146790910213894609

https://www.gumtree.co.za/a-motorcycles-scooters/claremont-newlands/2006-ktm-adventure/1001085181680910171044109

https://www.gumtree.co.za/a-motorcycles-scooters/george/2003-bmw-gs650-dakar/1001088548010910033527009

There are actually some decent KTM's although some people say they aren't as reliable as the BMW?
____________________
2005 SV650 ---> 2002 CBR 600 FS ---> 2010 Monster 1100 ---> 2006 Yamaha YZ250F ---> 2008 Street Triple 675

[c-m]

[Springbok_Rider]

Thanks for such a detailed post. I'm definitely leaning towards the Dakar. Some people have had little trouble with other bikes, but I'm also reading about preventative stuff - something as simple as using loctite on all the nuts and bolts which I imagine will help loads on those crappy corrugated roads.

Since I'm on a budget, I really need something that won't require too many mods, other than perhaps more durable and longer lasting sprocket an chain, an aftermarket fuel filter etc. I need to look at how to go about repairing a chain with a master link if it snaps as I can't take a spare of everything.

As for the range of tanks, it looks like a Dakar comes with a 17.3L tank. Is this the longer range you were talking about? How many km's do you think that could make given reasonable conditions?
____________________
2005 SV650 ---> 2002 CBR 600 FS ---> 2010 Monster 1100 ---> 2006 Yamaha YZ250F ---> 2008 Street Triple 675

[G]

He's not really planning any serious off road - I'm not convinced that a basic GPZ500s with a few mods wouldn't do just as well.
Problem for me with the Dakar etc is that at that weight you're only just below the weight of the lighter twins, which are generally better at doing distance sitting at high speed.
At that sort of weight I'm unlikely to be doing anything serious that needs the ground clearance.

I had a pillion holding a semi-pro video camera at 108mph on the GPS on my fully loaded 690. She didn't seem to mind the pillion accommodation TOO much - I did share my sheep skin pad, but certainly wouldn't consider it ideal!

[c-m]

G makes a point. Plenty of us on here sing the praises of the GPZ500. I've had one myself.

It's no lighter than the F650 though, but is about 15bhp up on power at the crank. Cheapest of the bunch too.

Apart form detours, it seems like it's all tarmac from Egypt to SA.