xrv
Registered user
Hi all
Hope you don't mind a none BMW owner's ride report here....(it might get moved!!!) there is a bit of BMW in it though.
I had been planning this solo trip to follow a few of the Moroccan stages of the Dakar shortly after arriving back
home from a supported trip with www.MotoMorocco last September.
That was my first visit to Morocco and i enjoyed it so much that i couldn't wait to go back.
The Dakar seemed like a good excuse so i started to plan
To hear that it had been cancelled the day before it was due to start and the day before i was due
to leave was a kick in the goolies but i decided to at least ride down to Tarifa (not too far for me as i live in Spain)before deciding if i would "cross over".
Sat 5th Jan
Left early for the long ride down to Tarifa....was looking at a 6-7 hour ride.Cold start to the day that got
colder as i climbed up towards Granada.Got to 1370 metres and it was cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey.
It warmed up as i headed down towards the coast,past Gibraltar and on to Tarifa.As i was in sight of Tarifa a sense of
excitment hit me as i looked over the straits of Gib to see the mountains of Morocco.I was following 2 German reg
bikes at this stage and decided to show off by standing on the pegs as i over took them on a sweeping downward
right hander......as i passed them i saw 2 Gaurda Civil police standing in the road flagging me down.Got a 63euro
on the spot fine for that.(I really am a tosser)
Stayed here for the night.34 euros single room with breekie.
Had a walk down to the port in the dark to see what was going on and was surprised to see loads of 4+4 off roaders,
a queue of bikes revving up ready to be first to ride up the ramp of the ferry and a massive truck.In the dark with all
the noise and smell of petrol i got fired up and was ready to take the following day's early ferry.
I had a walk round to find some food and spotted this place."El Motero" means "The Biker".The Isle of Man 3 legged symbol
caught my eye so i went over.
It turned out to be kebab shop...mmhhh!
I rolled up my left trouser leg,showed him my tatoo and asked him if i could have a discount.
No discount but we had a good laugh and chat about bikes and the TT.He knew loads about Joey Dunlop,Dave Jeffries,
Barry Sheen......
Sun 6th Jan.Up nice and early.Loaded the bike and rode the 400 metres down to the port.Within 5 minutes of entering
the port i had paid the 62euros for the single ticket and was being hurriedly ushered onto the ferry....before i knew what
was happening the bike was strapped down and i was on the deck looking back at Spain.
As we docked in Tanger and i was struggling with the rachet that held the bike firmly in place i noticed this guy and his friend.
This is a 650cc 1982 Ural back-end Honda front-end vegetable-oil powered bike that is going around the world to promote nuetral C02
transport.Eccentric!
His name is Henning and his friend is Simon riding a more usable Yamaha XT600.They were to be my Danish travelling companions
for the following 2 days.They were doing some filming on the way for a Danish TV station.
He also tried to ride a bike up Mt Everest a few years back.He got to over 5,000 metres i think before he fell out with his support
team and abandoned the attempt.Check out his site. www.ppo-mc-global-tour.dk
Some pics waiting at customs in Tanger
Got thru customs after about a 3 hour wait....during which the 3 of us decided to travel south together towards Casablanca.
Set off under dark skies with me leading.....little did i realise at the time that that would be the best place to be in this little group
as the smell from riding behind the Ural is like riding behind a chippie.
Headed south for a few hours before 2 of us needed to stop for fuel.In doing so we bumped into a bunch of Brit...and 1 Irish...bikers.
Turns out they all had their bikes trucked down to Malaga by BikeTruck and were doing a little tour.It also turned out it would'nt be the last
time we bumped into them.They got the name"The BikeTruck Gang"....
The Ural had to leave the motorway to find a superrmarket for his refuel.
[/[URL=http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2764561220083127559rUavCx]
URL]
We headed off towards Casablanca turning off the motorway just north of Mohammedia at the Bouznika exit then turned left
onto the B322 where we found an apartment complex.We paid about 90euros between the 3 of us for a 2 bed.kitchen and garden flat for the night.
Mon.7th Jan.Next morning after the Ural was given the once over and a dollop of veg oil i took the lead and we headed for Marrakech via the new motorway.
[/[URL=http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2631862990083127559UrYtEp]
URL]
We stopped in a service station for a coffee and saw the BikeTruckGang ride by.After a few more hours on the motorway we pulled off
onto the national road to head into Marrakech and after a while we saw some plumes of dust to our left and realised it was a small group of
bikers mucking about on a dirt track...so we rode over to check it out.It was a small group of the BikeTruck Gang who had decided to
break away from the rest of the group.We played around at off roading for a while
before the others got on the road while we found a
small muddy village for the Danish lads to take some footage for the documentary they were putting together.
Got into Marrakech and found the Ibis Hotel.
My room.
Parked bikes then had shower before going out for dinner in the square.Nightmare of a taxi ride there.The eating area there
is outside in the square and what with the hustle and bustle of the place,the steam from cooking food rising up into the air,
the smells,the brightly lit food stalls,street entertainers and drug pushers it was quite a surprise for my 2 Danish friends.
We ate in silence watching everything.No pics of that but the place has a lot of atmosphere.We let the waiter just bring
us a few different rounds of food because none of us had a clue as to what to order.Cost next to nothing.Another nightmare
taxi ride back to the hotel and a couple of cold beers.We spoke about riding over the Tizi n Tichka pass and having lunch
there the following day.
Tues.8th Jan.Up early for breakfast.Paid bill for single room.About 40euros.Stashed some breakfast goodies into a bag for
later before i took the lead following my gps and getting lost before finally getting onto the N9 heading for the hills.About halfway
there i was passed by a KTM990 and 640 so i chased them.I caught and passed the 640 and stayed on the 990's tail.That was a great ride.It turned out to be the Bike Truck Gang AGAIN.
After a while we had all grouped up again and i became last man.As we were going thru a really twistie section
the Ural took a fall on a blind hairpin bend.I came round just after and almost run into him.No damage was done other than the riders pride.Remember!
This man had ridden halfway up Mt. Everest.
One of the BikerTruck Gang rode back and stopped any oncoming traffic while i helped pick the bike up.That thing weighs a ton!
We all set off again up to the summit where the BikeTruck Gang headed on to Quarzazate while we stopped for lunch.
I also swapped bikes with Henning and rode up for the last few miles.
Not the type of bike i would want to travel too far on.
Its here i said good bye to Henning and happily gave him his bike back for his return trip to Marrakech.His friend Simon on the Yamaha XT was coming
with me to do some serious off road riding down to Ait Benhaddou.I had taken this route last September with www.MotoMorocco.com.
After leaving the summit heading towards Quarzazate you find a track on the left about 1 or 2 miles from the top.This takes you towards Quarzazate
off road.After the first 10 miles of gravel track you hit about 20 miles of serious off road riding.
Quite difficult for a newbie on a big bike.....this time i managed to do it with a full load of luggage and rear tyre strapped on the back.I know a man who
did it 2 up with his girlfriend...what a brave girl!
We arrived at Ait Benhaddou tired and thirsty.This is where the film Gladiator was made.
It was getting late now so i said goodbye to Simon as he headed on back to Marrakech via
the tarmac route to catch up with
his friend for the rest of their trip.
It seemed i was alone for the first time since i arrived in Morocco.I stopped for lunch.
then headed the 15 odd miles into Quarzazte to find a hotel.As i was riding round
checking out the hotels,4 or 5 bikers pulled me over and asked me if i knew where a certain hotel was.I told them i didnt but was
looking for one myself so could i follow.No problem!When we arrived at the hotel i realised it was the BikeTruck Gang again.We had dinner
together in what turned out to be a completely empty hotel.The following morning Gnasher needed a bump start as his battery
must have been as old as his 20 year old steed
They all set off for Zagora while i decided to stay another night before heading south west to Tan Tan.
Anyway...i was not gonna ride with this bike 'cause i think this is abit OTT.....!
JOKING!
Great job.The fella who owns this is gonna ride in the Heroes and Legends next March i believe.
One of the group,Paul,said he might come back to join me for the 2 day trip i planned down
to Tan Tan.I didnt expect to see him again but at 6 that evening he came back as he didn't
want to head back to Malaga as the rest of the BikeTruck Gang were planning.
During my day in Quarzazate i got the rear tyre put on at Wilderness Wheels for 15euros.
Very profesional too.I was very impressed when he pulled out his botttle of talcum powder
and put in in the tyre before the new tube went in.He never had a 24mm socket to take the
rear off but luckily i had brought one with me which i had back in the hotel.A short quad ride
there and back meant he had the tools to do the job.
He made it look so fcuking easy.
I had abit of fun messing about on the local roads after.
[/URL !]
[URL=http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2610489820083127559VdDcBO]
A Kawasaki 750 flew by me while i was taking some pics.Later i found these two both at the side of
the road staring down at this.
I gave them a cargo net i had with me to hold the rear cowling on as the shredded tyre knocked it off.
They didnt seem to appreciate it.I said be careful,jumped on the bike and left them in a dust cloud as
i spun the rear wheel(accidently...) in their faces for not showing any signs of thanks.I almost took the cargo net
back off them...ungrateful gits.(they were very shifty)
Anyway,i headed back to the hotel feeling i was alone for the first time.I was having dinner when i heard
Paul pulled up on his BMW Dakar 650.
Still not alone it seems.
More Later.
Thanks for reading this far...sorry about the layout,not to hot on picture posting.
Hope you don't mind a none BMW owner's ride report here....(it might get moved!!!) there is a bit of BMW in it though.
I had been planning this solo trip to follow a few of the Moroccan stages of the Dakar shortly after arriving back
home from a supported trip with www.MotoMorocco last September.
That was my first visit to Morocco and i enjoyed it so much that i couldn't wait to go back.
The Dakar seemed like a good excuse so i started to plan
To hear that it had been cancelled the day before it was due to start and the day before i was due
to leave was a kick in the goolies but i decided to at least ride down to Tarifa (not too far for me as i live in Spain)before deciding if i would "cross over".
Sat 5th Jan
Left early for the long ride down to Tarifa....was looking at a 6-7 hour ride.Cold start to the day that got
colder as i climbed up towards Granada.Got to 1370 metres and it was cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey.
It warmed up as i headed down towards the coast,past Gibraltar and on to Tarifa.As i was in sight of Tarifa a sense of
excitment hit me as i looked over the straits of Gib to see the mountains of Morocco.I was following 2 German reg
bikes at this stage and decided to show off by standing on the pegs as i over took them on a sweeping downward
right hander......as i passed them i saw 2 Gaurda Civil police standing in the road flagging me down.Got a 63euro
on the spot fine for that.(I really am a tosser)
Stayed here for the night.34 euros single room with breekie.
Had a walk down to the port in the dark to see what was going on and was surprised to see loads of 4+4 off roaders,
a queue of bikes revving up ready to be first to ride up the ramp of the ferry and a massive truck.In the dark with all
the noise and smell of petrol i got fired up and was ready to take the following day's early ferry.
I had a walk round to find some food and spotted this place."El Motero" means "The Biker".The Isle of Man 3 legged symbol
caught my eye so i went over.
It turned out to be kebab shop...mmhhh!
I rolled up my left trouser leg,showed him my tatoo and asked him if i could have a discount.
No discount but we had a good laugh and chat about bikes and the TT.He knew loads about Joey Dunlop,Dave Jeffries,
Barry Sheen......
Sun 6th Jan.Up nice and early.Loaded the bike and rode the 400 metres down to the port.Within 5 minutes of entering
the port i had paid the 62euros for the single ticket and was being hurriedly ushered onto the ferry....before i knew what
was happening the bike was strapped down and i was on the deck looking back at Spain.
As we docked in Tanger and i was struggling with the rachet that held the bike firmly in place i noticed this guy and his friend.
This is a 650cc 1982 Ural back-end Honda front-end vegetable-oil powered bike that is going around the world to promote nuetral C02
transport.Eccentric!
His name is Henning and his friend is Simon riding a more usable Yamaha XT600.They were to be my Danish travelling companions
for the following 2 days.They were doing some filming on the way for a Danish TV station.
He also tried to ride a bike up Mt Everest a few years back.He got to over 5,000 metres i think before he fell out with his support
team and abandoned the attempt.Check out his site. www.ppo-mc-global-tour.dk
Some pics waiting at customs in Tanger
Got thru customs after about a 3 hour wait....during which the 3 of us decided to travel south together towards Casablanca.
Set off under dark skies with me leading.....little did i realise at the time that that would be the best place to be in this little group
as the smell from riding behind the Ural is like riding behind a chippie.
Headed south for a few hours before 2 of us needed to stop for fuel.In doing so we bumped into a bunch of Brit...and 1 Irish...bikers.
Turns out they all had their bikes trucked down to Malaga by BikeTruck and were doing a little tour.It also turned out it would'nt be the last
time we bumped into them.They got the name"The BikeTruck Gang"....
The Ural had to leave the motorway to find a superrmarket for his refuel.
[/[URL=http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2764561220083127559rUavCx]URL]We headed off towards Casablanca turning off the motorway just north of Mohammedia at the Bouznika exit then turned left
onto the B322 where we found an apartment complex.We paid about 90euros between the 3 of us for a 2 bed.kitchen and garden flat for the night.
Mon.7th Jan.Next morning after the Ural was given the once over and a dollop of veg oil i took the lead and we headed for Marrakech via the new motorway.
[/[URL=http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2631862990083127559UrYtEp]URL]We stopped in a service station for a coffee and saw the BikeTruckGang ride by.After a few more hours on the motorway we pulled off
onto the national road to head into Marrakech and after a while we saw some plumes of dust to our left and realised it was a small group of
bikers mucking about on a dirt track...so we rode over to check it out.It was a small group of the BikeTruck Gang who had decided to
break away from the rest of the group.We played around at off roading for a while
before the others got on the road while we found a small muddy village for the Danish lads to take some footage for the documentary they were putting together.
Got into Marrakech and found the Ibis Hotel.
My room.
Parked bikes then had shower before going out for dinner in the square.Nightmare of a taxi ride there.The eating area there
is outside in the square and what with the hustle and bustle of the place,the steam from cooking food rising up into the air,
the smells,the brightly lit food stalls,street entertainers and drug pushers it was quite a surprise for my 2 Danish friends.
We ate in silence watching everything.No pics of that but the place has a lot of atmosphere.We let the waiter just bring
us a few different rounds of food because none of us had a clue as to what to order.Cost next to nothing.Another nightmare
taxi ride back to the hotel and a couple of cold beers.We spoke about riding over the Tizi n Tichka pass and having lunch
there the following day.
Tues.8th Jan.Up early for breakfast.Paid bill for single room.About 40euros.Stashed some breakfast goodies into a bag for
later before i took the lead following my gps and getting lost before finally getting onto the N9 heading for the hills.About halfway
there i was passed by a KTM990 and 640 so i chased them.I caught and passed the 640 and stayed on the 990's tail.That was a great ride.It turned out to be the Bike Truck Gang AGAIN.
After a while we had all grouped up again and i became last man.As we were going thru a really twistie section
the Ural took a fall on a blind hairpin bend.I came round just after and almost run into him.No damage was done other than the riders pride.Remember!
This man had ridden halfway up Mt. Everest.
One of the BikerTruck Gang rode back and stopped any oncoming traffic while i helped pick the bike up.That thing weighs a ton!
We all set off again up to the summit where the BikeTruck Gang headed on to Quarzazate while we stopped for lunch.
I also swapped bikes with Henning and rode up for the last few miles.
Not the type of bike i would want to travel too far on.
Its here i said good bye to Henning and happily gave him his bike back for his return trip to Marrakech.His friend Simon on the Yamaha XT was coming
with me to do some serious off road riding down to Ait Benhaddou.I had taken this route last September with www.MotoMorocco.com.
After leaving the summit heading towards Quarzazate you find a track on the left about 1 or 2 miles from the top.This takes you towards Quarzazate
off road.After the first 10 miles of gravel track you hit about 20 miles of serious off road riding.
Quite difficult for a newbie on a big bike.....this time i managed to do it with a full load of luggage and rear tyre strapped on the back.I know a man who
did it 2 up with his girlfriend...what a brave girl!
We arrived at Ait Benhaddou tired and thirsty.This is where the film Gladiator was made.
It was getting late now so i said goodbye to Simon as he headed on back to Marrakech via
the tarmac route to catch up with
his friend for the rest of their trip.
It seemed i was alone for the first time since i arrived in Morocco.I stopped for lunch.
then headed the 15 odd miles into Quarzazte to find a hotel.As i was riding round
checking out the hotels,4 or 5 bikers pulled me over and asked me if i knew where a certain hotel was.I told them i didnt but was
looking for one myself so could i follow.No problem!When we arrived at the hotel i realised it was the BikeTruck Gang again.We had dinner
together in what turned out to be a completely empty hotel.The following morning Gnasher needed a bump start as his battery
must have been as old as his 20 year old steed
They all set off for Zagora while i decided to stay another night before heading south west to Tan Tan.
Anyway...i was not gonna ride with this bike 'cause i think this is abit OTT.....!
JOKING!
Great job.The fella who owns this is gonna ride in the Heroes and Legends next March i believe.
One of the group,Paul,said he might come back to join me for the 2 day trip i planned down
to Tan Tan.I didnt expect to see him again but at 6 that evening he came back as he didn't
want to head back to Malaga as the rest of the BikeTruck Gang were planning.
During my day in Quarzazate i got the rear tyre put on at Wilderness Wheels for 15euros.
Very profesional too.I was very impressed when he pulled out his botttle of talcum powder
and put in in the tyre before the new tube went in.He never had a 24mm socket to take the
rear off but luckily i had brought one with me which i had back in the hotel.A short quad ride
there and back meant he had the tools to do the job.
He made it look so fcuking easy.
I had abit of fun messing about on the local roads after.
[/URL !][URL=http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2610489820083127559VdDcBO]
A Kawasaki 750 flew by me while i was taking some pics.Later i found these two both at the side of
the road staring down at this.
I gave them a cargo net i had with me to hold the rear cowling on as the shredded tyre knocked it off.
They didnt seem to appreciate it.I said be careful,jumped on the bike and left them in a dust cloud as
i spun the rear wheel(accidently...) in their faces for not showing any signs of thanks.I almost took the cargo net
back off them...ungrateful gits.(they were very shifty)
Anyway,i headed back to the hotel feeling i was alone for the first time.I was having dinner when i heard
Paul pulled up on his BMW Dakar 650.
Still not alone it seems.
More Later.
Thanks for reading this far...sorry about the layout,not to hot on picture posting.
)i was flying through these beautiful curvy 
) 
