The BSA A7-A10 Forum

Bikes, Pictures, Stories & more => Chat, Offtopic & Everything Else => Topic started by: Flatboy 1950 on 07.11. 2010 09:57

Title: Bike Business ; African style !!
Post by: Flatboy 1950 on 07.11. 2010 09:57
I was offered some bike frames by a lad in Zambia & decided to take him up on the deal.
I import new spares all the time & soon discovered that an Import Permit is required for used , shabby , rusty parts.
This took a while & eventually the frames were crated & loaded onto a truck in Lusaka.
Because of all the hassles in Zimbabwe , most trucks go through Botswana. When "my" truck got to the Zambezi River , both ferries were out of action. After 10 days parked on the river bank , the boss in Johannesburg decided to send his trucks back to cross into Zim at Victoria Falls & cut across the corner of Zim , back into Botswana ..... Well as soon as about 20 trucks entered Zim they were all arrested for "overloading". No weigh -bridge is necessary in Zim ; a black guy with an AK47 decides that a vehicle is overloaded.
Another weeks delay & a huge "fine" later they were on their way again !!
"My" truck eventually got to Joburg & a local courier collected my crate & delivered it to me.
6 months had elapsed since deciding to do the deal & the arrival of the goods !!

Cheers , Flatboy.
Title: Re: Bike Business ; African style !!
Post by: a10 gf on 07.11. 2010 10:59
Quote
a black guy with an AK47 decides that a vehicle is overloaded.
*eek*

Good reading, & reminds me to stop being enraged when anything here takes 1 day more than the 2 days expected.
Title: Re: Bike Business ; African style !!
Post by: cus on 07.11. 2010 20:53
Take out the AK47 & the rivers & it sounds like the trip my frame had out to Aust.,
Cus
Title: Re: Bike Business ; African style !!
Post by: Flatboy 1950 on 08.11. 2010 11:39
These were Indian & Harley frames & a couple of forks.
I already had an almost complete, but frameless, 1942 HD 1200cc Flattie & was particularly excited to get a big twin '42 frame!!

Cheers Flatboy.