A tale of a 2004 R1200GS (Morocco Trip Report)

araspitfire

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This is a tale of an epic journey (by my standards) on my R1200GS.


Hanging around these parts, it is easy to get the idea that the latest in the venerable line of BMW Duelsport machines just isn't up to big trips...

This weighed heavily on my mind as I prepared to depart for Morocco to join up with Fanum, Steptoe and MikeP for some easy offroad adventure...

I, unlike my other paying colleagues planned to drive the whole distance... 3500kms down and 3000kms back....

Would the lowly 'new kid on the block' be up to the job? Or would it leave me stranded on some motorway... or worse... in Morocco where my roadside assistance was null and void....

I did everything I could to prepare... got an early 'big' service done, built a big toolbox and put everything in it I could possibly need... even printed out a few 'recipes' for fixing the more common failures that are talked about so much...

And.. Bill assured me that he wouldn't leave me stuck in the desert someplace in Africa...

SO I packed up the bike and drove away...
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The reason for the longer trip down, was I decided to drive on the Milleau Bridge, and experience the twisties in Perpignan.
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Then after another long day of riding, a stay in a cheap motel in Algaceras... a boat ride.... I was in Morocco!... Africa....
The place of Adventure!....

As luck would have it... it was just after snapping this shot that I experienced my first failure.... I was nearing 20,000kms and my main beam blew... Dang... the nay sayers were right... this pig is expensive failure just waiting for a place to happen!...
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After limping into Marrakech with my broken bulb... I replaced it...(Lucky for me I had a spare in the tool box)... changed my windscreen, tires, helmet... Filled my spare water carrier, and I was ready to experience the pistes of Africa!...
The place of Adventure!....
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After a day of adventure (all within 30 miles of Marrakech no less!.... We returned... I put my 'no cranes' filter on my camera and snapped a shot...
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The next day we started on the 'proper' Moto-Morocco level 1 trip.. The 3 days before... of fun and entertainment put on by Bill and Mike, was just guys being friendly... Mike even arranged to get stung and swell up like a balloon for the entertainment and 'setting of scene' for the Africa newbies...
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Continued....
 
At some point here Steptoe showed us how to steal a bike from a local kid...
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Then we went to play in the sand...
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Some of us played harder than others...
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Tourist stuff was done...
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It was right around here that I remembered that I'd forgotten to worry about how delicate my bike was supposed to be... I spent all of 10 minutes worrying about my final drive... then forgot about it again.... (call me careless... =)
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These guys Rock!... Really don't think about it... just do it... On the rain day Bill bundled us into the Landy and drove us around some of the sights...
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We got to Ouarzazate... tried to get into the movie business... failed...
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Things got difficult... I briefly gave thought to my delicate 1200 about here..... Forgot again shortly therafter...
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Continued...
 
No... I really like my bike... It never let me down, despite treating it like a Dirt-bike... never threw me off once!....
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Eventualy we had to return to Marrakech...
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And I had to return home... And there was no way I was going to leave my new-found critical accessory... my TKC's...

I only changed them off because I'm cheap and already paid for the Heidenaus ... so decided to flat-spot them on the 3000km journey home..
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There are no...(zero) pictures from the trip back because for some strange reason... Steptoe's "on the dashes we do Europe in two days" little sound byte.... gave me the idea to have a go...

I got home in 3 days... and the first day was the 600km drive up Morocco...

Day two was 1300km of Motorway...

Day 3 was 1100km of motorway in the rain and fog... I finished up my trip arriving in the Antwerp parking lot at 18:00... lane split for 45 minutes and rode a couple more hours home...

You would think that after putting myself through Steptoe hell for 3 days that some of the shine would have scuffed out of my trip... but no way... My thoughts as I stepped off my baby in the driveway were...



What a great trip!... (sure the first thing I did was fall into a hot bath... but still... it truly was the best bike trip I've ever done... )

Total Distance: near enough 9000kms... in 21 days... 2300kms of it in points South of Marrakech.

Breakage for the trip on my 'delicate' R1200GS was as follows:

One headlight, just entering Marrakech, Engine guard bolt dropped out due to being too short with the new SW Motech bars (replaced by Bill's friend in Zagora), rims took some scuffs getting TKC's put on, cracked a knobby on the rear TKC, Front Mudguard extender interfered with front TKC, and was removed for safe keeping, zipper on HG Tuarag Rallye 2 riding jacket came apart, Found my home-made air-pump supply hose was stress cracked in multiple places, rendering it useless... just when we needed it to fill Martin's tyre. My 2820 GPS cradle security screw stopped engaging its threads.

That's it.... So stop worrying about your 1200 and go out and use it!

Al...
 
great pictures and story...

quite right I have had my 2004 (oh no don't buy that model) 1200GS, done 10000 miles and only changed oil, tyres and bulbs.

Never missed a beat.

Morocco hear I come. Its just that bit further from Scotland than the Nederlands!
 
Great post and great pictures :thumb2
 
Uhh... actually it was a red 1200.... but the Dutch shop I bought it from painted it into a 'special'.... It's metallic Black... Also came with a Laser can on it...

Al...
 
:eek::eek: A red one? And you took it to Morocco? :nono
You were very lucky to get away with that, fate must have been smiling on you. Either that, or the paint job was enough to distract the gremlins.
















:D
Mark
 
I liked that. I liked that a lot. Remind me, which one were you ??

Fantastic distance clarity in the pictures.
 
Or was he the phantom puppy strangler???? :confused::blast
 

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Rug smuggler?

(Wouldn't catch me in one of those things :augie )
 

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I think you'll find he was the one on the trip who got the most pussy :)


Ahh, yes, pussy. Reminds me of my sad day :( Poor poor pussy.

The story will out when i get around to completing the "Loneliness" report.

 
Luring the poor wee thing out into the road, just for a better shot??

Then, suddenly......






:blast




One down, 455,056,677 or so to go :thumb
 
Great write up and gives me a bit more inspiration - if I needed any! - of doing Morocco next year! Have to say that its the first time I've seen TKCs on alloys - in hindsight, and apart from the sandy bits, I wonder if the TKCs were necessary in the weather?
 


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