Bike Trip 2015- anyone free??!

[rodyork]

OK people

..im back on grid and musing over the idea of a trip- with people I dont know...you!


Sniper will be putting in an appearance-he will have a passport by then!


What I'm looking for-
1.People happy to be filmed- it will be again released on Youtube
2.People prepared to have a go at something different.
3.people happy to camp/sleep/cook rough.


What will it be?
1.Approximately 30 days duration starting Mid April 2015
2. There may be the opportunity to do 2 weeks
3.fun- ideal for those who have not done a trip of this nature before.


Where?
1. Morocco


Cost?
TBC- we will be travelling approx 8000 miles by motorbike with 2 boat crossings totalling 10,000miles- let me have an idea of what you feel it may


cost


Hope to hear from you-If you have any questions- fire away here!






Regards
rod


an idea of what happened last time
http://foc-u.co.uk/index.php?topic=12543.msg140767#msg140767

[Phil]

8,000 miles in 30 days works out as 266 miles average every day. Ouch.

Morocco is fantastic, although I did my trip at the other end of the budget scale on an organised tour.

[rodyork]

Phil!
I'd love to pick your brains...I know its high mileage..but what would you feel more comfortable with in Morocco (miles per day)?Please!(off road styley)

[Simon.Pieman]

 Morocco sounds fun, I'll be watching this thread.


On the subject of 'extreme' bike tours, I did two weeks bike tour in Vietnam this year and it weighed in at around £1200 -all incl. If anyone is thinking of sucha trip and wants a breakdown of costs and route I'd be happy to supply it with contacts etc.

[Phil]

I did my tour with Hispania Tours.
http://www.hispania-tours.com/motorcycle-tours/morocco/tourinfo/

The route is still the same as on their website (click on the tourmap tab) but we did it the other way around. I can give you it on google maps if you want.

The reason for doing it in reverse was because it gave more options if the Atlas mountains were snow bound or the weather really bad. We went in mid March.

Mileage wise, Marrakesh - Meknes (480 km) was a very long day. We left Marrakesh at 7:30am and got to Meknes after it got dark, maybe 7:00pm. That was a very long but memorable day.
I don't think you want to do big daily mileages as you will miss a lot of scenery and places to visit. Morocco isn't a country to be taken at 80mph.

The overnight camp in the 'desert' at Merzouga wasn't worth bothering with, but as you will be camping anyway you will have a better camping experience.

There seemed plenty of petrol stations on the main roads. There is little traffic away from the main towns. The route we did which were mostly main roads, were of a decent surface quality. I asked one of the guide what the smaller roads were like, as at one point we headed back to Chefchaouen along the same road, and he said the minor roads were full of potholes and a pain to ride on. They hired BMW GS1200/G800GS and they obviously coped fine. A few bought their own bikes. A 60 year old Spaniard took his huge BMW 1600cc 6 cylinder tourer. There were a few trickier parts along the way but he made it fine.

 

Morocco has plenty of Guesthouses - Riads in towns, which were really nice. I didn't spot any campsites but away from town I don't think it would be an issue wild camping. Have a look on the adventure bike forums like  http://www.advrider.com/  www.adventurebikerider.com


If anyone wants a higher end/luxury tour, Hispania Tours were really fantastic and I can recommend them totally.

[midden]

A tempting venture indeed

[rodyork]

I did my tour with Hispania Tours.
http://www.hispania-tours.com/motorcycle-tours/morocco/tourinfo/

The route is still the same as on their website (click on the tourmap tab) but we did it the other way around. I can give you it on google maps if you want.

The reason for doing it in reverse was because it gave more options if the Atlas mountains were snow bound or the weather really bad. We went in mid March.

Mileage wise, Marrakesh - Meknes (480 km) was a very long day. We left Marrakesh at 7:30am and got to Meknes after it got dark, maybe 7:00pm. That was a very long but memorable day.
I don't think you want to do big daily mileages as you will miss a lot of scenery and places to visit. Morocco isn't a country to be taken at 80mph.

The overnight camp in the 'desert' at Merzouga wasn't worth bothering with, but as you will be camping anyway you will have a better camping experience.

There seemed plenty of petrol stations on the main roads. There is little traffic away from the main towns. The route we did which were mostly main roads, were of a decent surface quality. I asked one of the guide what the smaller roads were like, as at one point we headed back to Chefchaouen along the same road, and he said the minor roads were full of potholes and a pain to ride on. They hired BMW GS1200/G800GS and they obviously coped fine. A few bought their own bikes. A 60 year old Spaniard took his huge BMW 1600cc 6 cylinder tourer. There were a few trickier parts along the way but he made it fine.

 

Morocco has plenty of Guesthouses - Riads in towns, which were really nice. I didn't spot any campsites but away from town I don't think it would be an issue wild camping. Have a look on the adventure bike forums like  http://www.advrider.com/  www.adventurebikerider.com


If anyone wants a higher end/luxury tour, Hispania Tours were really fantastic and I can recommend them totally.

Phil- thanks very much for the detailed description and the link to the site.
The roads...& Google Maps- I would be really grateful if you are able to supply.
I have been on the other sites you mention ...this is a steep learning curve...that will get steeper ...of that i'm in no doubt!
Thanks again Phil
Regards
Rod

[Phil]

As it was a guided tour and hotels/guesthouses for a large group had to be arranged, which had to be of a decent standard the route and overnight stops were based around those. The places were excellent and varied from typical guesthouses through to 5 star hotels. I prefered the typical guesthouses.
The guides knew good places for lunch stops, although this wasnt every day. Some days we didnt stop for lunch at all.

I think this was the route. The 'N' roads may look like big and boring on the map but the majority are like smaller 'A' roads you get in rural UK.

Tangier - Chefchaouen .
Along the coast which was worth the detour. I would say Chefchaouen is a must. Very nice place and quite unique.

 http://goo.gl/W1aVQL

Chefchaouen - Fes.

Pissed down all day.

https://goo.gl/maps/xVO4u

I asked the guide why we didnt do a more direct route via that big lake and he said the roads were shite.

The old market at Fes is a must, but get a guide, its a real maze.

Fes - Erfoud
We went along the R503 as it was lower than the N8/13 and the weather was bad. Climbing over the Middle Atlas it was raining an 2c. Saw a snow plough but no snow on the road. Once over the top, sunny and blue skies. Out hotel was South of the town along the N13.

http://goo.gl/maps/sDtG2

The next ride was a short one down the N13 to the desert at Merzouga to camp in a tent, next to a hotel. It was back to Erfoud the next day the same way. Wasn't really that good.

Erfoud- Boumalene Dades
https://goo.gl/maps/odMIJ 

Next was a day trip up the R704 to the Dades Gorge then another road to the west. Theres no reason why you cant incorporate this in the days ride.  We tried a bit of an off road venture back along a dry river bed but it didnt work out.

Boumalene Dades - Marrakesh
There is a film set they use for westerns at Ouarzazate you can ride around.

The ride via Telouet was worth it, otherwise it is main road all the way. Fantastic lunch in Telouet which they arranged in advance.

https://goo.gl/maps/NFUuB
I thought Marrakesh was ok but quite touristy. If you get the option of staying longer in Fes or here then pick Fes.

Marrakesh - Meknes

https://goo.gl/maps/XLcJD

Meknes was nice enough but not as interesting as Chefchoauen/Fes/Marrakesh.

We stopped for lunch that day and getting served took 1 1/2 hours! Nothing fancy either, it was done on Moroccan time.

Meknes - Chefchaouen

https://goo.gl/maps/zonlq

Chefchaouen - Tangiers

The race to the ferry to catch an early one to give us a time for a scenic ride back to Malaga. Failed as getting through customs at Morocco too over 2 hours. It took 2 hours on the way over as well.

https://goo.gl/maps/tP6vg
 



 

[Phil]

If you look at other organised tours they seem to follow a similar route. Guess its because it is the best for the country. Few seem to go to the Atlantic coast, not sure why.

[Phil]

On the subject of 'extreme' bike tours, I did two weeks bike tour in Vietnam this year and it weighed in at around £1200 -all incl. If anyone is thinking of sucha trip and wants a breakdown of costs and route I'd be happy to supply it with contacts etc.

Was that an organised tour or did you just buy/rent a small bike and went your own way?

[Simon.Pieman]

On the subject of 'extreme' bike tours, I did two weeks bike tour in Vietnam this year and it weighed in at around £1200 -all incl. If anyone is thinking of sucha trip and wants a breakdown of costs and route I'd be happy to supply it with contacts etc.

Was that an organised tour or did you just buy/rent a small bike and went your own way?

I've in fact done both. A tour around the North with a tour company but a few years before that I rode from Hanoi to Saigon on my own aboard a Chinese 'Honda' (shamelessly inspired by the Top Gear Special). Both rides were great but although self-navigating isn't that difficult, a guide is a big advantage as he doubles as a translator and someone to make sure you get decent food and stay in the better hotels. Vietnamese hotels and restaurants are still poorly covered in the guide books.
 On the solo trip I had a real adventure but often got lost and ate dog, cat and ratmeat on occaisions (tasted fine actually) and slept in hotels rooms that were like prison cells -but some were fine. The guided tour was fun everyday with less stress, mostly great food and nice places to stay, especially the homestays. 'Stunning looking country is 'Nam.
 

[Simon.Pieman]

sorry, I forgot to mention that the guided tour was £1200 incl.

[Phil]

Thanks for the info.  What time of year did you go and what was the weather like? I keep looking at India, Vietnam or Thailand but the heat and humidity puts me off. Although I think that the northern parts of those countries would be ok in Jan/Feb.
My stepdad's grandson went to Vietnam recently and one place they stayed at the toilet was outside in the back garden and the sewerage went straight into the river.

[Simon.Pieman]

Thanks for the info.  What time of year did you go and what was the weather like? I keep looking at India, Vietnam or Thailand but the heat and humidity puts me off. Although I think that the northern parts of those countries would be ok in Jan/Feb.
My stepdad's grandson went to Vietnam recently and one place they stayed at the toilet was outside in the back garden and the sewerage went straight into the river.

I went in late February to mid March which some would say is the optimum weather 'window' for Vietnam but with the exception of the monsoon period around November/December the weather is quite variable at any time of year. You can get dry days of relentless sunshine and high temps or days when you get an hour or two of showers with very high humidity -and then hot sunshine again. But, it's always warm, usually not less than 25C and sometimes as high as 35C. Up in the mountains (Vietnam has lots of mountains) it can be a little nippy, near zero at night and first thing in the morning but then it warms up when the sun breaks through the mist. Thailand is generally hotter than Vietnam with the North being the coolest part.
 As for toilets, what you describe is pretty much a standard SE Asian toilet for a homestay but 'civilised' loos are gradually taking over, 90% of hotels have proper loos.