7146: mwen Moto Haitienne (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Jedidiah <his_voidness@yahoo.com>

Yesterday I bought a new Haitian motorcycle. I have
finally gotten tired of trying to figure out how to
take the tap tap everywhere. And waiting interminable
hours for room on a return trip of course.

Moto Cap carries Honda and Jialing motorcycles.
Jialing are one of the many Chinese hondas. They
license the designs. Perhaps they actually buy
tooling from Honda.

Anyway, Jialing makes a 70 cc step thru basically
identical to the Honda Cub. They also sell a 125cc
trail bike which looks very nice. The prices for
those are $1300 for the step thru and $2100 for the
125 SL. 

Moto Cap also had one different Jialing. It is a
100cc moto off of the Honda super 90 design.
I always admired those Super 90's and restored
35 year old models go for $2500 or more in the
US.

This brand new Super 90 plus ( as I call it ) 
cost me $1400 usd. It has an electric start added
to it even. Everything else is just as it was
in 1965. The wiring is not up to Japanese standards
tho. It took me three hours to get the battery
mounted, working on the sidewalk in front of
the Hotel Universal in Okap, with all the street
hustlers around 'helping'. I bought food for all
the street boys, and I gave 20 buks to the one
who was actually helpful.

The shop was closing so I took the battery with
fresh acid in it rather than wait for delivery.
It would be next wednesday before I could get
in again.

I parked it outside the Hotel last nite, with two
locks on it. They have 24 hour security guards, but
this morning the handlebar was out of adjustment
and the right foot peg and brake pedal were bent.
Lot zenglendos tried to vole it in the night.
Not my zenglendos, I was assured. The hotel will
let me park it inside the Delco room from now
on.

The 125 trail bike would be a better machine, but
a $700 usd savings and my lust for a super 90 plus
won out. Also, I can just leave it with m'zamni in 
Saint Marc when I leave if selling it is too much 
trouble.

I could rent storage from Moto Cap for my next visit
as well.

The actual Honda brand moto are much more expensive.
A trail 110, a very good strong moto, costs $4,000
usd.
The CT 200, an agricultual model with a generator
style pull start, costs $6,000 usd.

I told Madame Antoine, the patron of Cap Moto, about
the Jawa moto from Czechistan. They sell the Skoda
auto from Czech republik as well so I thought she
might be interested in it.

I also told her to look into the Ural moto from
Russia. A two wheel drive sidecar rig designed for
the Siberian outback, the one place I can imagine
with worse conditions than Haiti, costs $6500 or so
in the US. They can go places that no jeep could 
ever go. They were designed to fight the wehrmacht
in the winter of the Urals.

But, for now, my super 90 plis is just the ticket.
Too bad I don't have a digital camera to upload
pictures to my website.


=====
J David Lyall,
AKA His Voidness, or Soy Devoid

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