5 days in Morocco, great roads, great food and 1 epic 12 hour off road ride from hell

Really enjoying the report & pics Chris...those tracks are inspiring me to get my 400 over there next year!!

A few offs on any bike will get the adrenalin a pumping for sure, and the big uns are truly heavy to pick up; but with a few of you there assisting & supporting, you've done bloody well!! Plus, the bikes have a few battle scars which can be dealt with. As long as the riders didn't hurt themselves, then that's the most important thing.

I'll look forward to the rest of the report, plus chatting about your trip over a cold libation @ the HR.....:thumby:
 
I have been looking forward to this SE Rider, scan UKGSER everyday, I was a bit concered, but your alive and its a great story, and your adults that rock.

easy to forget that a lot of theses routes are done by folks alone in someways easyer that way.

I was seriously amazed that the stuff I was struggling on a few weeks ago on a KTM 525, I did on a 1150 some 10 years ago.

Not sure about folks giving advice to anybody really as things turn quick into shite, like what happened to me I had bought the wrong tea bags with me. :mad:
 
Enjoying the trip so far. Shame the 1st day didn't work out the way you expected, but at least you all survived without requiring medical attention :thumb2
I've learned never to entirely trust an experienced off-roader - what can be a very easy trail for them can be a nightmare for me. And always be willing to stop, turn back or quit.
Look forward to the next part :)
 
when you seek advice from people who know the country inside out and are really clear on the bikes you are taking along with the experience of the group you expect to be given accurate information. To be given a route that is 57k in length on some pretty harsh terrain is contradictory to what we were led to believe was a manageable piste... As a novice off roader (my experience is limited to around 5-6 Salisbury Plain ride outs) I certainly would not advise anyone with similar experience to mine to take on this route on any bike!!!!!

Seeing the pictures of the leaning mosque and the route above Chefchaouen, I have a horrible suspicion that I am the one who is about to be named and shamed. So I went back to look at the email correspondence.

Mark said of the the group's experience, "we're all good for blue pistes with maybe a touch of red?" Which is what they got. My definition of red is some degree of off road training required.

I described the route to the Crooked Mosque, "This is a nice and easy work-out to give everyone confidence riding off-road."

As far as 'Through the Horns' route, I wrote, "Keep momentum especially on the uphill bits. You can of course turn back at any time. From the waypoint above, turn left heading north and then west and eventually you will reach tarmac."

At the top the group had a choice. Either carry on and do a loop as suggested, or turn back as the web write-up describes. The group had SatNav, I provided key waypoints and any of them could have calculated a rough idea of the distances. Not enough water? Yup, typical error.

Edit: just looked some more at the email correspondence and I had included a link to a June 2012 write-up of the 'Through the Horns' route on post #6 at http://www.morocco-knowledgebase.net/forum/showthread.php?t=304

As the photos show and captions show, there's a climb of over 1000m, hence my comment about maintaining momentum. I've had a look at one of the videos posted and I'd say lack of momentum is definitely a problem with the group, also too bunched up, so when one person slows the whole group has to do the same.

At another point in that report I write that I was more than 30km from the nearest tarmac. I've just had a look at my tracklogs of June 2012 and including tarmac sections the route was 96km. I'm not a fast rider and although I'm experienced I wouldn't regard myself as particularly good off road. I like to stop often, look at the scenery and take photos, and I took just over five hours for the 96km (4:10 on the piste) but this included stopping a couple of times for tea with the locals, paddling in the river, and generally faffing about.

The other point is that pistes change according to the weather the previous winter and how much local traffic has been around to maintain the track. If in doubt, always turn back.

We filled our water bladders and headed out to the bikes to remove the panniers and prepare for our off road venture. We had been given a route and told it was about a 25 km ride and would take roughly 3-4 hours.
Don't know who told you that, but it certainly wasn't me!
 
Right that's enough of the lectures .................on with the report:beerjug:
 
n
Nearly every trip yer go on has its moments
Thats what makes an Adventure
You will soon forget the scary bits and remember all the fantastic bits
Then yer want to do it again - but better - then the cycle starts again
I think you will think it was fab in 3 months
I enjoyed yer posting - makes me feel normal now :thumby:

3 months!!!!!

We were over it after the 1st beer back at the hotel and we're already planning on a return trip next year to play in the sand:D

Really enjoying the report & pics Chris...those tracks are inspiring me to get my 400 over there next year!!

A few offs on any bike will get the adrenalin a pumping for sure, and the big uns are truly heavy to pick up; but with a few of you there assisting & supporting, you've done bloody well!! Plus, the bikes have a few battle scars which can be dealt with. As long as the riders didn't hurt themselves, then that's the most important thing.

I'll look forward to the rest of the report, plus chatting about your trip over a cold libation @ the HR.....:thumby:

Indeed!! Looking forward to it Keith, recounting the trip over a cold one sounds great:thumb2

I have been looking forward to this SE Rider, scan UKGSER everyday, I was a bit concered, but your alive and its a great story, and your adults that rock.

easy to forget that a lot of theses routes are done by folks alone in someways easyer that way.

I was seriously amazed that the stuff I was struggling on a few weeks ago on a KTM 525, I did on a 1150 some 10 years ago.

Not sure about folks giving advice to anybody really as things turn quick into shite, like what happened to me I had bought the wrong tea bags with me. :mad:

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: How you managed to cope with that Steve i'll never know!!!:D

Enjoying the trip so far. Shame the 1st day didn't work out the way you expected, but at least you all survived without requiring medical attention :thumb2
I've learned never to entirely trust an experienced off-roader - what can be a very easy trail for them can be a nightmare for me. And always be willing to stop, turn back or quit.
Look forward to the next part :)

It's coming soon...

Your words sum it up, Fantastic view, shit roads what an adventure :D

Indeed, it was probably the best adventure we've all had.....

Would I do it again?....



Yer bloody right I would but not on a GSA, the 400 EXC would be my choice of weapon:D
 
Seeing the pictures of the leaning mosque and the route above Chefchaouen, I have a horrible suspicion that I am the one who is about to be named and shamed. So I went back to look at the email correspondence.

Mark said of the the group's experience, "we're all good for blue pistes with maybe a touch of red?" Which is what they got. My definition of red is some degree of off road training required.

I described the route to the Crooked Mosque, "This is a nice and easy work-out to give everyone confidence riding off-road."

As far as 'Through the Horns' route, I wrote, "Keep momentum especially on the uphill bits. You can of course turn back at any time. From the waypoint above, turn left heading north and then west and eventually you will reach tarmac."

At the top the group had a choice. Either carry on and do a loop as suggested, or turn back as the web write-up describes. The group had SatNav, I provided key waypoints and any of them could have calculated a rough idea of the distances. Not enough water? Yup, typical error.

Edit: just looked some more at the email correspondence and I had included a link to a June 2012 write-up of the 'Through the Horns' route on post #6 at http://www.morocco-knowledgebase.net/forum/showthread.php?t=304

As the photos show and captions show, there's a climb of over 1000m, hence my comment about maintaining momentum. I've had a look at one of the videos posted and I'd say lack of momentum is definitely a problem with the group, also too bunched up, so when one person slows the whole group has to do the same.

At another point in that report I write that I was more than 30km from the nearest tarmac. I've just had a look at my tracklogs of June 2012 and including tarmac sections the route was 96km. I'm not a fast rider and although I'm experienced I wouldn't regard myself as particularly good off road. I like to stop often, look at the scenery and take photos, and I took just over five hours for the 96km (4:10 on the piste) but this included stopping a couple of times for tea with the locals, paddling in the river, and generally faffing about.

The other point is that pistes change according to the weather the previous winter and how much local traffic has been around to maintain the track. If in doubt, always turn back.

Don't know who told you that, but it certainly wasn't me!

Tim,

It's a shame you respond publicly to this as i'd already stated that I would not name and shame. It's not my style or the way I go about things. However, you have responded and so will I..
Firstly I have to say that I was unaware of the email correspondence where Mark stated we were all good for blue pistes with a little red thrown in. To clarify out of the 4 of us only 1 member of the team had any real off road experience having circumnavigated the globe as well as ridden down to SA from London. The rest of us have only played occasionally on Salisbury Plain and the chap who bought the mint GSA only bought it a few months back and had only ever ridden for no more than 4 hours off road on the plains. So not only had he never really ridden off road but he was doing the trip on an unfamiliar bike. If I had been asked i would have said that we would have been fine on green pistes with a little bit of blue thrown in.... Apologies if this has been perceived as an attack, you were asked to provide us with a route and that is what you did. It is unfair to the rest of us that the experience level you were given about us was unrealistic...

Aside from all this the route you provided us with was fantastic!!! The views were incredible and we were all pushed (considerably) outside of our comfort zones. We all learned more about our capability and that of our bikes on that ride than we could ever have expected to learn on a similar days off-road skills course and for that I am grateful:thumb2. My only critique for you would be to be a little more specific on the information you give. To say "eventually you will reach tarmac" wasn't much help and we all thought we had taken a wrong turn as we had no idea, both in terms of time or distance, when tarmac would appear.

Would I recommend the route for inexperienced riders in future - no, nor would I advise anyone riding anything bigger or heavier than maybe an 800 GS to attempt the route. At the end of the day we all made it back in one piece, no-one got injured and the bikes can be repaired. We have all looked back on that day and discussed what an achievement it was and how much we all enjoyed it although at the time things were slightly different...

i hope you are not offended by the report and i can only apologise if it has come across that way:thumb2

BTW the following day we followed the route you suggested and included the river crossing and it was brilliant....

That will be coming up next....:thumb
 
The following morning he view over Chefchouan was amazing....

http://<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/77911971@N06/14016673600" title="IMG_3792 by Chris Needham, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5113/14016673600_4cdaf652e6_o.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_3792"></a>

After breakfast we headed down to the garage to carry out some repairs, top up with oil and have a general look over the bikes. I completed a repair to the screen with a drill and some tie wraps which i've grown strangely fond of. I'll always remember where it happened and it will tell a great tale...

http://<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/77911971@N06/14203195124" title="IMG_3796 by Chris Needham, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5592/14203195124_7728f7cef3_o.jpg" width="768" height="1024" alt="IMG_3796"></a>

A few years ago i would already have ordered a replacement screen but not any more - it adds to the character of the bike..

So, repairs complete, bikes loaded with gear and we bid farewell to the Hotel Atlas and Chefchouan and headed south towards Bab Teza and then on towards Beni Ahmed (thought that was the Moroccan version of a famous London restaurant :D)...

Anyway the weather was ridiculously hot - somewhere in the mid 30s i'd guess but the roads were clear and we had another 30k of off-road thrown in. We decided this time to head onto the piste and if it became too challenging we'd turn around and head back to tarmac. Adrian was not prepared to do any more damage to his bike and i can't say i blame him.

http://<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/77911971@N06/14223448773" title="IMG_3799 by Chris Needham, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5040/14223448773_9c1f043f69_o.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_3799"></a>

Anyway the off-road route we'd been given this time was perfect for our ability levels. Green pistes all the way which was great, especially as we had all our gear with us, panniers full of camping gear as well as roll bags with clothing n crap in..



More to come...:thumb
 
Great report so far Chris. Enjoying reading about your experiences and looking at the pictures.

Good on yer for getting out there an having a go. Looks like you've had a brilliant time, got some unforgettable memories and learnt loads which will serve you well the next time you go out there.

Next instalment please!
 
Cheers Paul:thumb2


We stopped on the way for a few photos and this couple of locals asked me to take a photo of them so i obliged..

http://

After around 30k of road we finally found the piste which headed off to the river crossing. The going was easy which was a welcomed change to the previous day and we were all thoroughly enjoying the roads...

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When we finally got to the river (it was more of a stream :D) we noted the large cannabis field on our right and Mark headed into it for a photo. The farmer came out and took Mark by the hand into the field for a photo opportunity...

http://
 
Epic in Morroco

Good morning ALL,
This is my first in put on a forum so be kind :)
I bought a GS 1150 Adv 3 montyhs ago with the aim of travelling through Europe and into Morroco with a bunch of mates. I had not off roaded before so a day on sailsbury plain was my starting point.
I have read the threads and it sounds as though people are very quick to judge or slag, it is easy to forget we all had to start somewhere and learning is all part of the adventure.
My first main point is to Tim Cullis, thank you for the time to help plan an off road route, it was epic but a huge adventure and achievement and Morocco lived up to my expectations and some :)
My second point is to my riding buddy Chris the Pizza Boy who helped me along and gave guidance and advice which helped my riding and by the time we are heading over the Pyrenes the bends just rolled along with a big smile.
Cant wait for the next trip around europe /Noth Africa and I will ensure I e-mail Tim Cullis direct so I know exactly what I am letting myself in for :)
Hope to see you ALL at the Hog Roast.
Kind regards,
The Hairless Hog
 
Well this has been an eye-opener for me. Fair play to you for your honesty.
I have zero off road experience & bought a brand new 12GSA last year with a view to doing Ethopia some time in the future.
Based on your experiences I smell trouble.

All the gear & no idea? Certainly sums me up at the moment.

Great report, as I said above refereshing honesty & some cracking photos. 10/10.
 
Thanks for posting your adventure, Great pictures and all :thumb2 :beerjug:


Morocco, never been but it's on my bucket list :green gri, I reckon its most likely the most far and foreign I would ever ride :thumby:
 
I gather the visit to the cannabis field was not all in vain :green gri:green gri:green gri

And as you're back safely, the special hiding place in the frame proved useful then......:spl1f:
 
Great report we'll done
if we don't push ourselves in life we don't learn but will always try again well done


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Thanks for all the comments guys, much appreciated. I haven't finished the full ride report as yet, still got a few days worth or Morocco as well as some days in Spain and France to cover off. No chance of updating tonight but i'll try and do some more later in the week...
 


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