January first trip
 

New to the forum, but after reading through it this has been a great source of information!

I'm planning a week trip to Morocco in jan and by now have figured out my planned route.

D1: Arrive, hotel check in, get the bike, check the bike out, load up, make sure everything is set and ready.
D2: Down the R203, through Tizi N test pass. Spend the night around Taliouine. This is going to be a long day drive.
D3: Off road, going up winding roads to RR110, then joining RN10 to end up in Ourzazate.
D4: Round trip around Ourzazate. Down R1507 (Piste Rarmigte), R108 east, then R108, to Agdz, then N9 back to Ourzazate.
D5: R307, through high atlas to Demnat.
D6: Through ouzoud waterfalls to Bin El Ouidane. R304 east, P3105 north, waterfalls, P3100 east to Bin El Ouidane.
D7: Return to Marrakech and return the bike.
D8: Early flight back to UK.

A bit of background about me. I've got about 10 years road riding experience (way more if you count my 50cc days:scooter: ). I've got some offroad experience (in the UK and a few hours in Myanmar), but this will be my first actual off road holiday. As you can see above, I chose my routes to be mixed on road and off road, with bail outs back to on road if in trouble.

My main two questions are:
-Any comments on the routes above?
-More importantly, I can't make my mind up between renting XR660 Tenere or GS310? For the past four years I've been riding 600's on the road (ZX6R-New R6-Old R6). So I'm used to some weight. This will obviously be completely different off road, so I'm worried about the weight of the tenere off road. On the other side, I'm worries about the 310 maybe being too gutless for the planned trip. Any thoughts?

Don’t be too worried about going off road, I take my 2022 CB500x off road, as long as you don’t go too mad it will be fine on light off road, and if you hit some harder off road, get off and have a look to see if you can see a good route through it. I too have a little bit of off road experience both enduro and mx track. Learn how to pick the bike up, there are plenty of videos on various techniques on YouTube to give you some idea, I prefer using the headstock as a pivot. I, like most on here have picked up fully loaded big bikes in our time.
My latest pickup was outside my friends house near Lampang, Thailand about 2 months ago where I laid it down turning too sharpe at low speed and not concentrating on the bike.
Enjoy the trip

Wayne

Can't find RR110 but Tali up to Askaoun, across to Anezal (Sirwa piste), then direct piste east through to 1507 for OZT is a good day. That's me and XT-Z on it in 2008.
R1507 is now road (great ride).
A nice piste goes from El Borj on the 1507 east to N9 north of Agdz, about 60km.
Great road back on the N9 to Ozt.
With only one week out there Imo I would not waste a day on Ouzoud falls.
Do another day or two or day rides in the Tali Sirwa area.
I'd probably get a 660. Will make the trip a bit more fun assuming it's not too clapped out.
What about a Him 400? Great on the trails.

https://adventuremotorcyclinghandboo.../5k-rmerid.jpg

A week in morocco is not long enough !
You really need 2/3 weeks there if you are able. you will only scratch the surface , and you will want to return in the future
Hotels are very easy to find and range from £5
As for a bike i would go for a Yamaha xtz 660 , great bike to explore on
also it will be cold at night in the mountains:Beach:

Many thanks guys for the great advice.

I'm on day 3 now and arrived in Ouarzazate. That was an amazing road today.
Tomorrow the round trip, you've got exactly the correct roads Chris, many thanks for your advice.

After that I need to make decisions which direction to take. I'll look up your recommendations this evening Chris.

Many thanks

What did you get, Him or XT?

On the way north from Agdz you will start to climb over the remnants of the Anti Atlas mountains. There's a track to the right which should be marked Tizgui or waterfall. It's worth taking that then walking down to the tiny fall as there's a tea room there.

Tizgui is a common name in Morocco and has something to do with gorge and water. This Tizgui is marked on a map from the 1890s so it must have been special.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/arF-GzH6TsY

On day 5, don't miss Imi n'Ifri which is 10km or so before Demnate where the RN23 (used to be the RR307) joins the RR302.

It's a massive natural bridge. Park up, walk down and through, the up the other side. At one point when you look back the bridge entrance forms a map of Africa.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlEgmpaCOT8

Your recommendation has come at the right time. I'm having a quick tea now before heading to the piste from El borj to north of agdiz. I'll look for the signs and find it.

I ended up with the GS310. Loc2roues where the most responsive and very reliable and recommended here. Great bike, very forgiving and enough power. Rear brake is almost non exsistant, but manageable.

The El Borj piste (52km) joins the N9 at 30.7381, -6.6658.
A 310 will easily manage it, but you'll pass no one/nothing after the farm/orchard at KM12.

The Tisgui turn-off is 19km back down the N9 towards Agdz. I rode up for a look last month, now a road which leads past Tisgui to a new dam on the Draa river (dead end). Don't know if this affects the waterfall. I saw a few signs for the cascade but after seeing a picture wasn't that inspired to look.

Responsiveness is what Loc seem to have capitalised on.
Or what their competitors haven't all yet mastered.
Counts for a lot, even when there are potentially more interesting bikes on offer elsewhere.

Is there any snow on the High Atlas yet?
Weather still looks quite warm down there.
I'll be back out next week.