morocco questions

I'm thinking about a Morocco trip in the next few weeks and I have a few Q's

I'm not sure what tyres to use. I'd like to get off tarmac but I'd prefer not to have to put on knobbies if I don't have to. Are average Moroccan pistes doable on road tyres on a gsa or is it recommended that I lash on a set of knobbies before I leave ?

Can the dunes near merzouga be driven on ?
Should the dunes near merzouga be driven on ?

Do the seasoned moroccan travelers recommend bringing sleeping bag's or a small tent. Is there many opportunities to rough it out there ? I could imagine it being a great craic to fall into a drunken sleep out on the dunes, but dont want the extra weight If I'll just rough it out once.

Oh, can cold beer be readily acquired anywhere in Morocco ?

Is it best to use a motocross lid and goggles or a road lid.

Is there any opinions from any people (irish) who have gotten the boat from Rosslaire to Cherbourg and biked it from there ?

Should I wait till Ramadan is over ?

And lastly how come everyone in this forum uses this smiley~~> so regularly ?

........

I`ll let Tim answer Q`s not my department

Are average Moroccan pistes doable on road tyres?
Offroad tyres give grip in mud and sand. 'Average' pistes are packed earth or rocks, so road tyres are OK.

Should the dunes near merzouga be driven on?
Over the handlebars, broken collarbone, where's the nearest hospital?

Do the seasoned moroccan travelers recommend bringing sleeping bag's or a small tent. Is there many opportunities to rough it out there?
Lots of opportunities, but most of Morocco is over 3000' so cold at night. At the beginning of October sunset will be 1755, sunrise 0615. That's a long time in a tent plus extra weight on pistes.

Oh, can cold beer be readily acquired anywhere in Morocco?
Yes in western-style hotels.

Is it best to use a motocross lid and goggles or a road lid.
Flip-lid is best for me. I'll be taking my System V plus the kit to make it into a jet helmet.

Tim

Thanks Tim.

Look on my homepage (http://users.pandora.be/spog) for plenty of info & press the menu button!

T

How about having someone else take your luggage in a vehicle with a beer fridge

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=117577&highlight=moto-morocco


Rosie

Pink said:

How about having someone else take your luggage in a vehicle with a beer fridge

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Sounds expensive

The kind of trips you are planning, is a GS going to be at much of a disadvantage compared to a GSA or will it not make much difference?

Grizzly GS said:

The kind of trips you are planning, is a GS going to be at much of a disadvantage compared to a GSA or will it not make much difference?

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No difference whatsoever.

Fuel isn't an issue until you get south of Tan Tan, and you'd only ever go south of there if you were a) very silly and loved boring roads or b) on the way to Mauritania.

The lighter GS might even be an advantage over the lardy GSA.

Having said that, given the choice I know which I'd be on


Ramadan won't make much difference either.....we've just spent the last week of our September tour there and apart from not being able to raise a customs official after the siren had gone, slightly grumpier than normal drivers and so on, it had zero impact- you can still buy food and drink anywhere during daytime.

Cold beer BTW.......don't rely on it...there are quite a few hotels (and why on earth would you ever want to use a western style one anyway ) that have very limited if any supplies.

Beer is also expensive, compared to wine or spirits anyway

Accomodation......you can camp for 2 quid a night or you can get a basic cheap hotel for a fiver-----why bother camping??
You'll also see more culture and meet more locals by camping...get the lonely planet guide for a long list and fairly accurate descriptions of hotels in different price ranges, but don't ever assume they're all there are.

Following the friendly local who will always greet you with a grin on his scooter at the edge of town is also a damn good way of meeting people and finding cheap grub/accomodation- it'll cost you 50p to tip him but hey!

As Tim said, you won't be able to ride on the dunes at Merzouga unless you're on a very light machine and a riding god to boot



Elsewhere in the desert, they request you don't leave the pistes, partly because there are some surprisingly fragile ecosystems there but also for your own safety.

PS the desert isn't sand BTW....it's nearly all rock.....there are relatively few places where you could take your shoes off and get all Lawrence of Arabia...at best, it's Hamada which is rideable but don't fall off on it unless you're in full armour, at worst, it's just scrub and jagged rock and loose crap which is a total PITA to ride on

Tyres...fit TKC's and forget about it....you'll be able to go anywhere on OR off road and they're better than most people are on the road.
Tourences will struggle on a lot of surfaces from October onwards....slightly wet slabs of rock are slippery as anything

Thanks for that. I was in M last week actually, although we flew there and back. But it did whet my appetite for going there by bike.

As you say, Ramadan wasn't much of a problem.

Fanum said:

The lighter GS might even be an advantage over the lardy GSA.

Having said that, given the choice I know which I'd be on

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Well that's good to know 'cos I'm ordering an '08 in December for April delivery

V61

thanks.

Unfortunately I had to pass. I'm going to wait until probably April to go

Fanum said:

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Holy Crap. Judging by the photo, It's just as well bikes don't have any input as to who drives them, You'd be walking

mickskelly said:

Holy Crap. Judging by the photo, It's just as well bikes don't have any input as to who drives them, You'd be walking

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It's not me.........that's 'Nuffsaid that is

Pic taken about 5 miles east of Erg Chegagi, near M'Hamid

Photograph, superb.