Fuel / Range in Morocco
 

See the last post I would like to ride a lot of dirt tracks in Morocco would carrying more than 22L (my tank) be very useful?

I was thinking of adding 2x10L jerry cans mounted low at the front of the bike (attached to crash bars) which will offset the weight of the rear panniers of course I only need to fill them when I need them and would give me 42L fuel - worth doing?

I would say not. Assuming you're not riding an RD350 you will do about 17kpl x 22 =370 kms. That is plenty in Morocco unless you are really going out of your way to avoid towns which IMO are part of the appeal in Mk.
Save the big fuel capacity (and the work involved) for when you really need it and so enjoy a light bike.

Chris S

You don't say what the bike is, but on a 1200GS the 22-litre tank will give you some 260 miles of track riding. The easy solution for a longer range is to strap a 10-litre plastic container to the pillion position. Refill the tank from the container after 120 miles. You can pick these containers up in Morocco in back street shops.

Tim

Are you the Chris Scott of the Adventure Motorcycling Handbook? I assume so. Great book - I phoned my father to look for it only yesterday so he could post it down to me in preperation for this trip.

I know you like a nice bit of offroading then! - on my Aprilia Pegaso 650 which tyres would be most suitable for riding 80% off road in Morocco? I could also change wheels and fit enduro rubber with 18/21 sizes but I'm concerned that the knobbles would get ripped off by the rocks and also the front tyre being much smaller than a 19 (normal size for the front of my pegaso) will offer a lot less protection to the rim from hitting stones. It would also sink in sand easier...

Also would tubeless tyres be good for this? i guess thay would but I'm not sure - no innertubes to pinch and flat and I can bring some tubes incase damage occurrs to the tubeless tyre or rim. can't afford mooses (meese?) for this trip. No rim locks though with the tubeless - is this their downfall?

For the tyre choice it would be great for an answer if A - I'm only using the tyres in Morocco and B - I have to ride from the UK = 1200 miles each way.

TKC80's have been recommended by a big traillie offroading friend but they are £170 / set and also the tread depth seems very shallow to me - they look useless offroad though most people say they are good. (are tubeless though). Front would have to be a 120 section as well i think about 100 is standard on the Pegaso.

Before you ask I would like to ride almost everywhere in Morocco so rocky and sandy though we are not planning on being able to travel anywhere in soft sand or dunes 'cos I expect my bike to sink though I would like a play in the dunes.

Bike is a Pegaso 650 should be OK for 50mpg on Tarmac - range is quoted at 200 to 250 miles by users (again tarmac) Carrying fuel that high up I would worrly would affect the handling a lot off road - also all the weight is on the back - hence why i wanted to carry the fuel low down at the front.....

Hi

I used a 22l tank for my 400XR and it was enough, you can find gaz almost every where, if there is no gaz station, often you can find gaz stored in jerrycan in small village.
I was twice, first I used a Michelin desert tyre and second a Michelin Baja cheaper than desert and ok for the trip

Eric
Picasa Albums Web - Eric
Two 400 XR in Morocco - ADVrider
Deux 400XR au MAROC

... on my Aprilia Pegaso 650 which tyres would be most suitable for riding 80% off road in Morocco? .... will offer a lot less protection to the rim from hitting stones. It would also sink in sand easier...

Dont think that is all much of an issue as a loaded up Pegaso is no KTM spring chicken. Keep it simple: stick with the reg wheels and run TKCs as hard as possible and as low as necessary. The reason the knobs are shallow is so they dont flex on the highway and put you over the Armco. I ran a 19" front Funduro with TKCs all round and tyre-wise it was fine on Libyan sand, rock, getting there and back etc.
Morocco is mostly rocky and dry so traction is good and radical knobs are not needed.

Also would tubeless tyres be good for this?
You need an airtight and tubeless rim. With the Peg it's not worth it. But you can run a tubeless-rated TKC with a tube on a tubed rim.

No rim locks though with the tubeless - is this their downfall?
Not really as long as you dont run an 18" tyre on a 17" rim as the valve has no tube to get ripped from.

If its your first time in Mk dont overplan - you will learn a lot with the Peg on TKCs and will probably find you wont do as much off roading as you planned but will still have a great time.

Ch

I carried a 10L can in addition to the 22L on my KTM950, but I could have got away without it. If you're doing a lot of sand riding then mpg plummets especially on a big bike - you should be fine on a 650 single though.
If you want a bit of piece of mind on the longer routes then get a cheap 10L plastic can to use and bin it when you're done with it.
42L tanks would be overkill in the extreme.
Don't worry too much about the weight of a 10L can on the back - a bit of extra weight on the back wheel is no bad thing when you're riding in sand where you'll want to keep the front end light to stop it digging in.

A 10-litre plastic container filled with petol is going to weigh about 8kg and it will be practically unnoticeable on the pillion position.

I hesitated to suggest binning it when you finished with it, but in reality that's what I would do. Don't worry about the litter situation, someone will come along and collect it and resell it.

Tim

Hi,
Unfortunately I don't have a readily made big tank for my bike and do not want to spend the cash needed for a custom made one. I only have around 200KM autonomy on my KLX 650c on my planned trip to Morocco this spring. I guess 200km is criticaly low.....should plan for the 10lt jerry can on the back which should get just over 300km riding offroad. Enough?