Would you tour Morocco West Sahara on DRZ400E?

[djhep]

Hi all.
A wee bit of advice needed if you don't mind.....

I'm keen to do some touring in Morocco / Western Sahara on a motorbike, and had been lookin at possibly buying one of the normally recommended bikes for this purpose....KTM, BMW etc.

It's only the past couple of days that i've been having a re-think, and was wondering what would you guys think of the idea of doing it on a smaller bike.
I do a bit of offroad riding down here in Southern Spain and own a '04 DRZ400E.
Is it possible to mod this bike to make it suitable for a trip like this, and would the trip be majorly compromised as compared to using other bikes built for this purpose?.
I guess a long range tank would be a must, but what about fitting luggage racks etc, etc.
I enjoy heading off into the bush and roughing it in an old 4x4 while down in S.A. so wild camping would be my preference, therefore i would also need facility to carry a small tent


I haven't previously done any touring of this sort on a motorbike, and would love to hear some tips/advice from people who have been there and done it.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

All the best Dave.

[MikeS]

[url=http://www.touringted.com/drz400s-overland-prep]Touring Ted

[motoreiter]

Lots of info on ADVRider about "adventurizing" DRZ400s.

[Selous]

I looked for the same bike but would be going from UK over to Morocco so would like something a bit bigger.
As for you would say no problem look up touring Ted [url=http://www.touringted.com/drz400s-overland-prep] & enjoy the ride, may be look up Tim Cummings (on here too) on the GS Forum has a whole sub-section in http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?p=818831 hope of use

Good luck & enjoy

[*Touring Ted*]

Very easy to prep a DRZ... Loads of kit available.

For the desert it will be way more fun than a heavier bike and a lot easier... It's not the best bike for the highway but it's doable. Just use 15/40 or 15/41 gearing for the road and have a 45 or whatever you like to put on when you get to the desert.

Mines been 100% reliable so far with 15,000 miles on it.

You've got the E model which is essentially the same apart from the cam, carb and thicker base gasket. Can't see it being an issue though. If you look after it and change the oil like you should, check the valves etc it should do you just fine.

Feel free to PM or mail me for any other info... Ted

[Steve Pickford]

The DRZ400E also has a shorter subframe that's not so good for mounting luggage racks to, some E owners retro-fit an S subframe to the E model to allow luggage & occassional pillion usage.

Here's a link to a very lengthy DRZ only thread on Advrider
Drz400 Thread - ADVrider

Here's a link to the DRZ400S that I prepped a few months ago for my girlfriends South America trip (she's just Reached Arica, Chile):
Pumpernickel on Tour

[Big Yellow Tractor]

E Model Headlight is pants.

Because of the carb, cam and gasket difference mentioned by Ted, you'll find the E less tollerant of poor quality fuel and changes in altitude. Also, fuel consumption is better on the S.

I think the S is a better option for a tour or maybe even the SM with the right tyres.

I would use the E though. That's because I've already got one.

[djhep]

Sorry for the late response to all your replies.....
i've been stuck in the Niger delta for past couple of weeks.

I really appreciate the advice you have all given, and have now decided to go ahead and kit out the drz for trips into Morocco etc. This will work out much cheaper than buying another bike for that purpose, and also save some space in the garage....


All the best and happy travels.

Dave