The president of Uganda has just put out that everybody willing to swap their fossil-fuelled bikes will get an electric bikes for free – and from what we can see, there’s no limit on how many people can get a hold of this deal.
According to the report from Electrek, the announcement was made by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni himself at the end-of-year verbiage to the crowds, with an additional perk: The guy doesn’t have to pay for the ICE-to-EV program out of the country’s budget.
That’s apparently being covered by ‘Investors’ (which apparently remain unnamed):
“We have agreed with some investors, to take away the petrol ones and give the owners the electric ones,” explains Museveni.
“This swap will save motorcycle operators 50% of the cost.”
Uganda’s motorcycling scene, which will soon see a spike in electric motorbikes. Media sourced frmo TechCrunch.
Of course, a deal like this wouldn’t be possible without a you-scratch-my-back-I-scratch-yours catch; thankfully, it appears the investors’ new-found license grants to run charging/battery swap stations will work to the favor of everybody – at least, until these bikes get some miles under them.
Stay tuned for updates – we’ll be sure to keep you posted on the best of the latest.
Drop a comment below letting us know what you think, and as ever – stay safe on the twisties.
*Media sourced from Tech Crunch – images credited to SafeBoda and Asaak*
Three weeks, 20 motorcycles, and a whole lot of landmass to cover.
Bespoke Rallies is offering the experience of a lifetime with their 2022 Dakar Enduro Rally, set to begin February 28, 2022.
The words ‘Dakar Rally’ come with a huge following…and not a little risk. Not to be confused with the original (a blistering 6,200-mile endurance rally founded in 1977, with a bike category installed in 1979), Bespoke’s rally is more of a tour-style experience open to the masses.
It will also be the first rally to maintain as much of the original Dakar route possible, given that 2008 saw the original rally route canceled due to security threats from Mauritania.
Voted as the world’s most iconic enduro event, the Dakar Rally, or “The Dakar,” had many routes pre-2008 – the most famous being the 9,500 miles run in 1986 from Paris, France, to Dakar, Senegal. Today, Bespoke Rallies plans a very similar route, with a starting point in the hills of Britain and a finish line in Dakar.
It’s enough to get any moto head to nerd out – and who wouldn’t with giants like the Yamaha Tenere & Honda Africa Twin owing their birth to this monument of moto and auto history.
At present, the official Dakar Rally is held almost exclusively in Saudi Arabia, with no less risk to the competitors – and their wallets.
Bespoke has commented that the Dakar Enduro Rally will be more laid-back than its predecessor.
“Bespoke Rallies’ Dakar Enduro Rally takes its inspiration from this iconic endurance event, but at an altogether more manageable pace…we will be running in the wheel tracks of the original event wherever possible, using some of the finest roads of the classic route while avoiding the dune bashing of the more extreme sections.”
Dust down and gear up for the ride of the year, gents.
And bring some deodorant – you’re going to need it.
(Moroccan Magic in Dades Gorge. Image: World on Wheels (Sponsored post)
There are no methods to this crazy life we lead
No secret paths to walk upon
Just hang Love’s portrait in the cathedral of your heart
And warm the landscapes of your soul
– Billy Thorpe
Aussie rock legend Billy Thorpe’s passion for Morocco was well known and well documented. When he passed away in 2007 he was working on his final compilation, entitled Tangier. With subsequent help from another famous Oz guitarist Ian Moss, Thorpey’s album was released posthumously to great acclaim. Berber string arrangements can be heard prominently in ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’, from which the lyric above is borrowed.
Music has long been the thread holding together the fabric of Moroccan society. Minstrels in blue robes, still to this day wander the deserts with simple instruments like the gimbri, a three-stringed lute, and the darbouka, a single-headed drum played between the knees.
Jimi Hendrix was fond of visiting Morocco. Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Cat ‘Yusuf’ Stevens and Sting have all recorded there. Crosby Stills and Nash first rose to prominence on the back of their 1969 smash hit, Marrakech Express. Countless feature films have also been filmed in Morocco’s harsh and barren landscapes.
And World On Wheels have been conducting their popular motorcycle tours here now for more than a decade. One of the oldest international tour operators in the world, Australia’s WOW started way back in 1995 when it was considered by many to be simply too dangerous to contemplate riding a motorbike in foreign lands. Times have changed since those days and motorcycling is now more widely accepted as a bona fide transport option for global roaming, and WOW are still leading the way.
Their 20-day Moroccan Magic tour takes in the varied geographical regions of this diverse country, from the Mediterranean coastline to the forested Atlas Mountains, to the windswept Atlantic, to the deserts of the Sahara. Riding the latest GS range of BMW dual-purpose tourers, you’ll be staying in traditional riads and auberges and dining on authentic fare of cous cous, tagine, kefta, harira. There’s a camel ride into the desert for a night’s bivouac under a million Sahara stars, listening beside a campfire to the Berber minstrels mentioned above.
This September departure is a fully supported tour, with a luggage van bringing up the rear and an Aussie tour guide leading the way up front. All meals are included except on rest days, all fuel also included, all hotels are booked in advance with your name on the reservation sheet. World On Wheels can also help you get your Travel Insurance and airfares sorted.
Riding South Africa is safe, but you may have to pay the cops $2 for a “drink” if they pull you over for a random licence check, says Brisbane rider Jim Hulme (pictured). The 69-year-old has just returned from an eight-day bike 2900km motorcycle tour of the north-east of South Africa with friends and says he can allay people’s fears of travelling the magnificent country. Here is his story:
Safety and security
Think South Africa and you immediately think personal safety and security.
There are people on the roadside wherever you go, stealing goods or going places, so care is needed.
However, in the two weeks I was there, staying with friends in Cape Town for sightseeing and recovery from jet lag, and then friends in Pretoria followed by the bike tour, I did not experience any personal safety concerns.
South Africa is like Australia in many ways including climate, culture and friendliness, and most people speak English. Black South Africans were courteous and friendly and everyone was interested in Australia.
Five people with luggage on four BMWs and one Harley headed off on a route designed by my host.
Accommodation
He also arranged all the accomodation specifically avoiding the typical city tourist stops, to give us a better appreciation of the rural landscape.
The accommodation ranged from basic, similar to an old Aussie pub with creaky floors, to exquisite but inexpensive lodging.
As a foreigner, the food, drink and accomodation was incredibly cheap. The Rand was converting at about 10R = $A1 so a beer cost $2, a latte $2.40, “a policeman” $2 (read on!) and meals $7-14. I need to add that the meals were typically generous portion sizes.
While the accommodation was booked by my local host, the rates were cheap by Aussie standards.
Cedar Garden B&B
However, I noticed that the same places quoted via Tripadviser were charging at double the prices so direct bookings would be the way to go and avoid letting the venue know you are Australian.
South Africa roads
The roads across the north-east are very good quality, but there are some toll roads and you need a swipe credit card or cash to get through those.
Even rural highways are good quality but sometimes peppered with serious sized potholes that need to be avoided.
The speed limit is mostly 120km/h even on many rural roads and high-speed touring is possible as the police seem to allow about 10km/h over the limit before they are interested.
There were some speed checks mostly on the tollways, but we also had two random licence checks where the police were mostly likely looking for theft or cross-border smuggling.
In one of these checks, a policeman asked my host to buy him a drink. We offered $1, but he said it would cost at least $5. After some negotiation he accepted $2.
Jim at fuel stop
Police check
Corruption exists in many levels of government it seems.
Stunning scenery
Sandstone columns in the countryside near Bethlehem in Free State
While the scenery out of Pretoria is flat and agricultural, most of the country is amazingly hilly and scenic.
We stopped at Castleburn Resort at the southern end of the fabulous Drakensberg Mountains and it was stunning with thatched roof buildings, immaculate lawns, lakes and a mountain backdrop.
Castleburn Resort
Direct flights from Australia are available on Qantas from Sydney or on South African Airways from Perth. All international flights land at Johannesburg and there are many South African domestic flights available to connect to Cape Town including British Airways and South African Airways.
I didn’t have to rent a bike but an online search shows Samatours, a Pretoria-based tour business offers reasonable rates for self-guided tours. Fully guided tours on a BMW F 800 GS costs $A140 a day plus accessory charges at samatours.co.za for a seven-day-plus rental.
I highly recommend a ride in South Africa. Australia will seem over-regulated when you get back!
A Spanish woman who rode her Ducati Scrambler 15,000km through Africa has been honoured with the Spanish Geographical Society’s Journey of the Year 2018 award.
The Spanish non-government organisation provides humanitarian aid projects such as water supply and health care, initially in the Afar region of Ethiopia, but later extended to other African countries.
Alicia’s ride started in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, and crossed Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique and Lesotho before finally arriving in Cape Town, South Africa.
The only hiccup along the way for the Ducati ambassador was two punctures.
Round the world
It’s not Alicia’s first big adventure.
In 2011, she set off on her BMW F 650 GS on what would become a round-the-world ride that included Australia in 2012.
She rode from Spain to Asia, then Australia, North America down through South America and back to Europe in 2014.
Alicia became the first Spanish woman to circumnavigate the world on a BMW.
She has continued her travels through the Americas and Asia.
Other awards she has won include:
Illustrious Visitor of the City of Tarija, Bolivia;
The 2016 Penguin Honorific Award for “The Legend Continues”; and
In 2017, she took third prize at the I Madrid Motorbike Film Festival for “Adventure in India and Nepal” (below)
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