Touring advice for North Africa & Middle East
 

Just wondering if anyone can give any advice on travelling in North Africa (I am thinking Tunisia and Morocco) and/or the Middle East (thinking Bahrain or Oman).

I know there is some great advice in threads here, and I've been digging them out and studying them. But I'm looking for general advice as well.

This is what I would like to do -

I want to travel to a nice place that has great off road and desert trails. Obviously not too knee deep in soft sand and 120 degree temps, and a place where I can hire a bike when I get there. I don't own a motorbike at the moment and don't want to travel on road if at all possible (I know this will be hard to avoid totally). So I am looking for somewhere where it is feasible to hire bikes in good condition (I've been stuck in the middle of a blazing hot desert sun in the middle of nowhere before and it's not a nice experience).

I suppose this would be possible in quite a few places, but was wondering if any of you could recommend anywhere at all in say Tunisia or Morocco or thereabouts.

Also, I think the South of France is pretty excellent terrain too, maybe for a bit of a warm up. Been a few years since I've been there, and it is as expensive as hell, but it looked like great off road biking country.

Also, I am assuming that I will need to pass my driving test here in the UK before I will be allowed to drive anywhere else. I have a full clean car license, but realise that I will have to take a specific bike test, if I want to ride anything over a certain CC'age.

I'm still finding out about all this, and I'm not expecting anyone to do my homework for me, but any general pointers or advice would be really appreciated, even if it is to say, what I want to do is silly or not feasible for whatever reason.

I haven't been on a motorbike for a few decades now and as mentioned, I have zero interest of driving on the road, especially in the UK, so I am looking for somewhere easy to start off, so I can start learning again. I used to have a little monkey bike with the fat wheels that never seemed to go fast enough, and I had loads of fun on that, and I messed about on a friend's Honda Enduro which seemed hairy at the time.

I used to ride a friend's Kawasaki KT(KD?)175 that was a bit more civilised if I remember. I still remember the shock at having my arms nearly ripped off by a Suzuki RM50. So that is my level. Sorry. Pathetic I know.

This was Middle East territory btw, Bahrain specifically, to give you an idea. I can't imagine any place on Earth better than there to ride - varied, soft sands to firms sands, soft shale ground to hard shale ground, Martian landscape - lots of Reds and Whites and Yellow, small dunes, big dunes, water and waddies to wade through. You can really throw a bike around and fly through the air there. And I couldn't even ride. I'm sure someone with experience would have a ton of fun.

I have native friends there as well which would make it easier, but losing touch through the years, does not. I could track them down in an afternoon if I was on the ground there though. I know I'd be looked after. And anyone with me.

I'm looking for advice on a general type of bike that is good for this kind of terrain. I have searched, but I don't seem to have had much luck with desert kind of tuned vehicles.

I'd like a bike with a bit of grunt to it though when I get going, so any advice on that as well would be great. I am less than a newb with all this. I don't think any of my pasts experience counts for anything. I am really looking for someone to say, for example - Eh Tunisia is really great for that or X or Y, kind of thing. That way, I can start getting serious about logistics and planning ahead.

What I'd REALLY like to do is get a handful of people together (no more than that) for a trip of a lifetime kind of thing in about 4-5 years time. So I am in no rush with this. I have read a lot about how difficult it is to get a good riding buddy, so getting a few people together would be like herding cats.

Time is getting on now, and I'd rather spend the best of it in a T-shirt in the desert, than on a Harley in the rain in leathers in the UK (no offense to any that do that, kudos to you in fact, this is just my preference).

Anyway, my goal is North Africa/Middle East in a few years time, with a few good buddies. Picking up the bikes when we get there (I guess more expensive that way too).

Don't be gentle, tell me if my little pipe dream is deluded. I won't think you're a spoilsport, I'll respect your advice.

Thanks.

Where are your native friends situated? You say they can look after you. So it is already solved.

You have ridden 50 CC and 175 CC bikes before. What bike you plan/dream to rent?
if you don't have desert riding experience before, how would you do this ? May be with help of team/group you would gather and ride together ?

You want to ride in desertous area and off road but mentioning south France too ? You should first decide what you want to do/where you want to ride!

Morrocco seems nice to me :D

My friends are in Bahrain. But I lost touch with them a few years ago. They are life long friends and I know where their family live, but I am not going to be able to pre plan anything. But it would be nice to see the smile on their faces when I knock on their door (Inshallah).

Bahrain is small as well, though having said that there is more than enough space and the terrain is exceptional. I doubt anywhere on Earth could better it for the type of riding I want to do.

It is a bit politically unstable as well. I'll have a think about this a bit longer and try and get back in touch with the people I know if I can.

Well, I know the Monkey bikes don't really count, especially after such a long time, but I had a lot of hours on them and a lot of fun. The Kawasaki was my favourite, I found it easier to handle than the Enduro. It had the best balance of power for the sand. The Enduro was a LOT of fun on the harder stuff, but in the soft sand where I liked to play, it would get bogged down. If that makes sense. It was almost as if it had too much torque. It ended up burying itself most the time. It was good if you could get it going across the top of the sand though, it was like skimming a pebble almost, but it took a lot of effort to get it to that point. The Monkey bike was easiest (probably the fat tyres) but underpowered. The Kawasaki really was an almost perfect balance.

Am I right in remembering this, this way? I know it is a long time ago, but I see the Enduro is still around. Then again, my friend had 'Ratted' it out (Enduro) with wider handle bars and Silver paint job (black is too hot for the sun) and tuning iirc. The KT(KD?)175 was a lot more civilised (then again I'm sure it had slightly wider tyres than the Enduro so this might have helped as well). I just remember the Enduro being vicious, but I wasn't used to it compared to my Monkey bike.

Those were the only bikes I rode. Apart from pillion on a Honda CB400, with some Portuguese Nutter (he was a diver in work, so it was nothing to him) blazing along an open perfectly tarmacced and sticky rode. 0-60 in wet my pants. Never again. I got off that bike and was shaking! I swore I would never ride on the road ever again. He put me off for life. Straight lines and speed ain't my thing. He always had a smile on his face when he would offer me his second helmet and say innocently 'fancy a spin up the road?'. What a bastard.

Yes, the only bikes I rode on the desert. The RM50 I rode for about 30 seconds when I got home to the UK, but I don't like to talk about that. Suffice to say, I was all cocky about riding bikes beforehand and then someone said 'have a go on this' but it was on mud. I nearly drove it into a wall and crashed it. Not good. That thing was even more vicious than the Enduro. I made a mental note: 'never put anything between your legs again that has the letters "RM" on it.

I like the desert - it is dry, you pretty much know what you are getting. It has its pitfalls sure, but you get a feel for it. If someone was to suggest 'well maybe take up dirtbiking here to get some practice in', that would just be like taking another kind of risk. I can't explain it. I feel safe and at one on the desert. Roads scare me and so do muddy dirt trails. I don't take the desert for granted, and I know it still poses risks. Those risks I am prepared to take.

I'm never going to be a road rider, nor a mud trail dirt biker. But I know I can handle this. If I prepare. Feel free to bring me back down to earth.

I digress. Back to bikes. I don't know.

Obviously we are looking at something a minimum of 200cc - say Yammy TW200 - oops, almost posted a link there. I know nothing about them and I have no idea how good they would be for desert use. But then again, I suppose what I want is academic - it will be a case of what ever is for hire and in the best nick. My dream bike would be a Tiger 800, but that is in my dreams, I'm not sure I could handle a bike like that starting out.

I'm going to look more into it and this stuff is just for fun and general pointers. I am sure I will find some people to really show me what's what before I make any decisions. Bikers are a bit like musicians - get them talking about their machines and they don't shut up!

I'm just looking for a range of bikes that might be suitable so I can research and learn before I get going.

I have about 3/4 years desert riding experience. On very very soft sand which is a bitch but loads of fun coz you can chuck a bike 10 feet up in the air and not worry too much about landing (I mean, it isn't going to hurt) unless the thing lands on top of you and it only takes a few seconds in that heat to get a bad engine burn - happened to friends of mine. To very hard gravel/shale type ground that can actually be quite consistent so you aren't too worried about skidding or stuff being thrown up (punctures are your enemy here, but with fat tyres for the desert this is mitigated somewhat). Always wearing a lid of course, no matter how hot.

Bahrain is very diverse, with everything in between there as I've described. That is my experience. No bad injuries thankfully. I always tested the ground and built up to being a dare devil. I'm not a risk taker.

Then again, I am going to have to relearn everything, especially as I will be on a bigger bike. I was a lad when I was doing that and couldn't have physically handled a big bike, now there is no excuse!


Oh, I just mentioned the South of France as an aside. By the time I got it together for that it would be just as easy to get to North Africa. But some of the areas in the South of France are very much like the desert - the harder part anyway from what I can tell.

Yeah Morocco is at the top of the list at the moment along with Tunisia. They are fairly politically stable at the moment and for the few years ahead hopefully (as much as anywhere). They would be ten times cheaper than SoF or Bahrain.

I guess if we were going to tackle both, then it would be arrive in either Morocco OR Tunisia AND drive from one to the other through Algeria! That is a 1000Km through Algeria alone, though. Obviously I am thinking out loud here.

I would say pick either Morocco OR Tunisia and just do that, being realistic.

But man, it would be something to do all three. No reason why there couldn't be another trip planned for later, when we get a feel for things. I use the term 'we' loosely. ;-)

Then again, doing a 1000K across Algeria, I imagine most of that would be road and defeat the object of the exercise.

Anyway, just musing and dreaming..


Be brutal with me now!

Hi,
You can forget Morocco to Algeria as that border has been closed for about 20 years. :(

Regards,
Bob

Ok.

That is good to know.

Regards.