Access A125-6
As a premise, this post is not very academic nor related to my research. Today I got a way to move around independently, finally. With this motorbike I can go from town to village easily, and visit hunters in the whole West of Burkina. It is a chinese-made, four- strokes 125cc Access. In Burkina these kind of motorbikes are commonly referred to as Sanili, one of the many brands that builds them based on the same components. There are at least twenty different brands, each one differing only for small details. For reasons that I cannot understand prices are, on the other hand, different, and range from about 500 to 750 GBP. Mine is in the lower portion of the price range, I was told it should be reliable during the whole year of my stay. Well, for starters I found the rpm instrument disconnected from its cable and there are strange noises coming from the rear wheel. I also keep finding unscrewed bolts, here and there. Anyway, it came with a three months warranty. I also have a very robust rear rack, mud (dust) flaps and an alarm remote. Some design details are pretty peculiar and worth mentioning. There’s obviously a lot of plastic, and the fit of some parts seems pretty precarious. Some things make me wonder. For example a led on the tachometer that flashes if your mobile phone is ringing. Indispensable. But the most amazing thing is a button on the alarm remote that allows to start the engine even if the key is not in. It could never be legal elsewhere. I really hope it is going to last, the conditions of the roads here are pretty stressing for any mechanical means. A few kilometres to drive it home from downtown Bobo Dioulasso and a fine, red dust is already everywhere. I will need to change frequently the engine’s oil and keep the air filter clean. Plus there is mud, holes and truck drivers on drugs. In sum, I will test it thoroughly. In the meantime, you can check its roar out!
Nice piece of technique. I am sure you are going to enjoy going to work!
it seems amazingly not used!
After a month and more than 1200 kilometres, I think there is something about driving here that can be connected to hunting. First off, it is damn hard for a 55 kg person to drive a motorbike with a passenger, on dirt roads that are full of potholes or country paths that sometimes are barely visible through the herbs. I had my problems due to overloading, but I suppose I cannot complain for I saw a Peul load his 6 persons family on the same motorbike and drive away.
What connects my driving apprenticeship to my hunting apprenticeship is the necessity to recognise different kinds of surfaces. One of the first things I noticed walking around with Lasso was that he could tell where it was better to place your feet. It was the rainy season then and paths were often full of mud. He could recognise the mud that offered some support, and the mud that would let you sink up to the ankle, where I was seeing identical surfaces. While driving I had to lear a similar way of perceiving, telling apart sand, deep sand, pebbles, consolidated or fresh mud, hidden rocks. Paths here often split in two or three alternative detours to the same destination, that someone created because the old path was flooded by mud, for example. You have to spot the best one before taking the wrong one.
But, most importantly, I learned the importance of identifying chromatic differences in the red surface of a dirt road. Often they allow you to spot a pothole before you can perceive the actual depression. A certain colour reveals tracks, which allow you to keep a higher speed than you would be able to by just looking at the obstacles. Differences in sun height, for example, can reveal or hide depressions, thanks to shadows. Spotting a track is not enough, though, because not all tracks are good for your vehicle and speed. If you don’t realise you are following a bike’s track, you might find yourself obliged to a sharp turn that could reveal impossible for a motorbike, because of the speed difference. A car’s track could bring you on a bad terrain because cars are wider and sometimes are obliged to take two wheels out of the best path. You don’t want to be following those two wheels, then. In sum, going to work is not exactly pleasant but at least it is teaching me something. On the other hand, the motorbike is proving indispensable and ideal for facilitating movements.