No helmet, slippery conditions... Its all the same to some of the kamikaze riders I have encountered...
The further north I have ridden, the more motorcycles I have come across. Most of them are Chinese and Indian imports with a variety of names I do not recognize. What does however become immediately apparent, is that only a fraction of the riders bother to use helmets. It is very rare indeed to find both rider and pillion wearing a helmet… Most ride around in T-shirts and shorts, some are even barefoot!!
In Arusha, this guy did his best to stay ahead of me, despite the fact that his bike did not have the best grip in the wet conditions… Each time a bus or car came from the opposite direction, and threw spray up and over us, he would lock his back brake and go skidding towards the verge. As usual, he wore no helmet and I hung back, marveling at the few lucky escapes he managed to conjure up… Eventually, I opened the throttle and the Big Fella tore past him, leaving him wobbling behind us…
Some guys, like these two below, take their safety a little more seriously…
The cow seems to be enjoying the ride...
Then there are those guys who use their bikes to transport anything and everything imaginable… In Moshi, I came across three guys moving a bedroom suite on the back of their bikes… Despite this bizarre sight, people they rode past did not bat an eyelid…
This guy on the left is giving a cow a lift, and the cow seems to be enjoying the ride… I received this picture from a friend who said I would probably see much worse than this, and he was right…!!
I am pretty sure than many of the bikes I come across are not roadworthy and certainly unlicensed… But I have yet to see a policeman stop any of them and give them the 3rd degree…
And I am pretty sure not too many of them have passed a drivers license of any kind either… Signaling is generally considered to be a waste of time…they usually glance over their shoulders, take a quick look at the gaps in the traffic behind them, and then shoot across the road without so much as a “by your leave….”
Here is a short video clip showing the calibre of bikers I have to put up with on a day to day basis…. Click the link below to see what I mean…
Thanks for starting my week off with a good laugh! (video very funny) I can’t believe that these riders get away with this kind of thing. It’s so dangerous. The cow takes the cake! Have a great week and thanks for the updates, we look forward to them.
Hilarious Ron – maybe not quite so funny if you’re trying to dodge the buggers. Keep you wits about you. Africa is a law unto itself! You won’t know what to do when you get to Europe and people actually adhere to the rules of the road. Travel safe.
If you think there are plenty of bikes now, wait til you get to Uganda! Chinese motorcycle heaven. Used as the local means of transport.
Loving your blog so far.
Safe travels and we look forward to more!
LSHCCOMNAIWEDA…… which translates to:
laughing so hard coke came out my nose and I wasn’t even drinking any
this should be on worlds most amazing videos!