Kibo Africa is boosting local motorbike production in Kenya through technology sharing and logistics partnerships.
The company recently launched a new motorbike, the K160E-Evolution, designed to reduce commute times and improve mobility for urban dwellers.
Kibo Africa has collaborated with local logistics firms that use motorbikes for their services and has shared its technology within Kenya, enabling the local production of 38 bike components.
The company aims to achieve a 30% local component production rate and to increase its annual production from 10,000 bikes to 50,000 within three years.
The K160E-Evolution motorbike is fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly, with a 160cc air-cooled single-cylinder engine that provides comfort and power for city traffic.
The bike has a load capacity of 200kg and a lower ride height that enhances stability on tarmac roads.
Kenya’s motorcycle industry is expanding due to the increasing demand for convenient transportation, with local assembly producing 25,000 to 35,000 motorcycles every month, and the number of newly registered motorbikes growing by 15.6% from 2020 to 2021.
Kibo Africa’s collaboration with local manufacturers aims to make crucial components like mufflers and exhaust, to achieve 30% local component production by Q1 2024.
The Kibo K160E has a 4-stroke SOHC ICE engine with a displacement of 161.5cc, maximum output of 11.7hp at 6,500rpm, and a maximum torque of 13.9Nm at 5,400rpm.
It has a hybrid backbone cradle frame chassis, 5-speed constant mesh transmission, telescopic front fork suspension, and twin coil-over shocks rear suspension.
The front and rear brakes are single disc with dual-piston, and it has a carrying capacity of 200kg and a kerb weight of 145kg.
While Kibo’s bikes are not electric, Kenyans can purchase electric ones from other local motorbike manufacturers such as Roam Air.
The market is slowly transitioning into clean energy, but it is not clear whether Kibo Africa will venture into EVs in the future.
Kibo Africa CEO, Huib van de Grijspaarde, emphasized the value of motorcycling in improving mobility for urban residents and expressed the company’s commitment, “To designing mobility solutions that fit customers’ lifestyles while maintaining affordability and environmental consciousness.”