Hello Moto!

Being out in the wild has some advantages. Namely beautiful scenery sliced by red dirt roads that I now get to rock on my new moto! Almost all means of personal transport out here is found on two wheels.  It’s no substitute for the DH bike but it does mean I can rock up to the closest village with electricity (22 clicks) and get some work done. So without further ado, here she is for your viewing pleasure:

I call her “The Black Volta”. Nothing fancy: 125cc, single cylinder 4-stroke air cooled engine. She’s made in China which means by the time you read this I’ll have rebuilt the engine twice and swapped out the primary at least once. I’m told, with rigorous maintenance the Black Volta will maybe last 3 years. That said, I have rocked a few major road trips. My first ever was 210km from my village in the south right up to the capital Ouagadougou. It was pretty wicked, met French girls and saw elephants!

Unfortunately Burkina is flooded with cheaply made Chinese products from bottle openers to cell phones. Depending on the product, the expected life span can be limited from one month to one use. They call it “Le Chinoiserie”. On one hand, it gives Burkinabés access to a variety of semi-essential products at very affordable prices. On the other hand, it stifles African innovation and destroys any entrepreneurial spirit that could have lead to locally made products of higher quality.

Just my 2 FCFA.    

R.K.