Motorcycle Purchased in Togo

Motorcycle Purchased in Togo

Motorcycle Purchased in Togo
Atakpame, Togo West Africa
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Andy of HoboTraveler.com



125 CC Sanya, Electric Start, Four Cycle for 325,000 CFA and 50,000 CFA for Insurance and Plates, this is about 750-800 US dollars, and I should be able to resell it for about 450-500 or more after one year of use.

I am now the semi-proud owner of a 125 CC large chasis Sanya, made in China motorcycle. It was an internal fight, a struggle up to the moment I rode away form the shop, should I or shouldn’t I buy this motorcycle. In the end, I think I am safer to drive the motorcyle myself on roads with very few cars. West Africa has what I would say is very light traffic, except in largest city per country.

I feel that a person who knows a road is a better driver than a person who does not know the road. However, these are not difficult to drive roads.

I must use a motorcycle, I have no choice, I must either take a Motorcycle Taxi or I must drive my own motorcycle. If I thought I would stop taking motorcycle taxis or that was even remotely possible in Togo, I would have abandoned the idea of buying a motorcyle.

I just returned from an afternoon drive around the city, I feel confident now in my decision, I was not in one too-close-to-the-other-motorcyle moment the whole time I was gone. Normally, what is difficult for me to handle of their driving is they will not allow more than the width of a persons distance when they pass either a person walking or another motorcycle. This is not enough allowance for human error. If a person sways or jumped into the road, there would be an accident. When I driver I allot adequate space between me and the othere people walking or driving to allow time to stop.

I feel safer now, I do hope I am not delusional.

I drove up many a small lanes, drove way up the hills of Atakpame, and around in small neighborhoods. I saw in one hour more small unique area then I knew existed, they were just annoyingly too far of a walk to explore before. I am thinking this is my new exploring the world friend. A motorcyle will go many remote places and allow me to take more photos of my world.

Motorcycle Purchased in Togo