Norway to Morocco, Spain, Portugal and Eastern Europe
 

Hey,

I was bit by the motorcycle adventure bug during this year's motorcycle trip to the Faroe Islands and Iceland. Therefore I have decided to take three months off work next year, the two first months by myself on my 1999 Suzuki DR650, and the last month together with my girlfriend, she will be riding on her 2008 Yamaha WR250R.

The plan, as of now, is for me to leave Norway in the begin or middle of May 2020, and go straight to Morocco as fast as I can (I'm guessing at 4-9 days, 3600-3700 km/2240-2300 miles to the port of Algeciras). Then I want to spend about a month in Morocco, before I head up to Spain and/or Portugal, for some offroading there for as long as I can. Then I will head north to Denmark, but hopefully at a slower pace on more interesting roads/tracks, to meet up with my girlfriend. From there we will go through Germany, Poland, (maybe) Ukraine, Belarus, (Kaliningrad???), Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, before we take the boat to Sweden and ride back home to Norway. We plan to do as much of this on the TET, and will prioritize the Baltics and Belarus if we will be pressed for time.

So, why I'm writing this post, is because I would like some feedback on some different aspects of the trip:

- To start at the end, the trip from Denmark through Eastern Europe: on the TET webpage the route we have planned, if following the exact TET route from Denmark all the way through to Estonia, should be 5457 km/3390 miles, plus 500 kms/310 miles from Stockholm back home. The TET is estimated to take 23-29 days, and from Stockholm and home we better have 1-1,5 days. For those who are more experienced than us, or who might have done parts of or the entire TET route we have planned, how feasible is this route to do in one months time?

- For my trip to Morocco, I have put up a route, which I would like some input on. I am not sure if it's doable or not in a month, and I'm also getting a bit "lost" in the High Atlas when I'm looking at all the exciting routes to take there. I've bought and read Chris Scott's Morocco Overland, and I've been using this book in the planning so far (I'm using the route names he's using in the book, with an r behind where I'm doing the routes backwards to how they're listed in the book). This might be a real messy post, but I hope you can bare with me.. Here's the route, as fas as I've come:
Tanger->N2 to Chefchaouen->N2 to Ketama->R505 to Taounate-el-Kchour->N8 to El-Khemis-de-Zrizar->R510 to Tahar-Souk->P5413 to El-Gouzat->R508 to Taza->N6 to Guercif->ME1 Missour to Beni Tajite->ME7 to Aoufous->MS11 to Merzouga->MS6 to Tagounite-> MS7r or MS77 to Foum Zguid->MA12 to Assaragh-> MA12 to Taliouine->MA4 to Guelmim or Fask->MW4 or MW5 to Assa or Aouinet Lahna->MW2r to Msied->MW7 to Smara->R101 to Tan-Tan->MW8r Sidi Ifni->R104 to Tiznit->R104(?) to Ousemlal->MA14r to Igherm->R106 to Taliouine->MH8 to Aguim->N9 to Ouarzazate->MH12r to Demnate->MH17 to Azilal->MH16 to where it meets MH18, then follow MH18 to a little before Aït Bouguemaze->MH19 to Boumalne Dadès->MH10+MH5 to Alnif->R113 + N10 to Tinerhir->MH2 to Imilchil...
This is as far as I've come, and I'm sure I'll have to skip quite a bit, and I'll also have to get back to Tanger for the ferry. Sorry this is so detailed, I'm not familiar with the different areas and don't know how to explain the trip in an easier way :oops2: Anyway, if somebody would be so kind as to take a look, I'll be very grateful.

- When I get back to Spain, I would like to do a couple of weeks on the TET in Spain and/or Portugal, but I'm not sure I'd have the time. Should I rather spend a bit more time in Morocco, and then head for Denmark, or could I fit in some offroading in the south of Europe before I head north?

- Finally, I would really appreciate some input regarding tyres. I do think the Mitas E07 could be a good choice, and they would hopefully last the entire trip (?), but I'm not sure how they would hold up in the more sandy areas of Morocco? Is it an idea to ride with E07 down to Morocco, change to a set of knobbies (ie. Mitas E09) when I'm there, and then change back to the E07s when I head back north?

- And then finally, is it too hot in some areas of Morocco in the middle of May-June?

Sorry for such a long and messy post, I'm very excited about this trip and have too many thoughts and ideas I'd like to discuss, so it's hard to keep it well structured :blushing:

Sounds like a great plan! Check out the thread I posted recently on how to take your bike on the ferry from Tallinn to Stockholm for free. And let me know when you're approaching Estonia, let's have a beer!

Thank you, I will (both check out your thread and contact you when we're getting close to Estonia

It will be getting a bit warm in S Morocco by June I think. Easy to search temperatures region by region on the web to get a good idea. If you buzz down to Morocco fast, at least if you find it too warm for enjoyment you can head north again and spend more time wherever feels more comfortable.

Regarding tyres, there are not actually too many really sandy areas (particularly in the mountains!) unless you go looking (and I wouldn't recommend it in the hot season solo) E07s should be fine.
I don't know what the Spanish sections of the TET are like, other than the mountainous north. Best place to ask for details is probably the TET forum. Looking at youtube clips of eastern european sections a lot looks not too technical, and possible on much bigger bikes than yours, but there are bound to be some suprises. There is no shame in taking a detour - when you're on your own you can't afford to take big risks.

Remember to take some time off the bike. You've got a big, ambitious plan, and it would be a shame to be burnt out and exhausted by the time your girlfriend joins you.
Have a great trip!

Very good advice from Mossproof in his post directly above.

Being a person who has grown up and lived most of their life in a climate similar to Norway (Canada), I think I would be rather uncomfortable riding in Morocco in late May or early June. It gets kind of hot there, unless you stay up along the north coast.

Last trip I took in Morocco was in February this year - I spent a whole month in the country this past February, and found the temperature to be very pleasant, about the same as late spring or early fall in Canada.

Here's a thought for you: Why not ship your motorcycle down to southern Spain around the beginning of April (one month prior to your current plan), fly down there from Norway, then start your riding in Morocco and then ride up to Denmark to meet your girlfriend?

The cost of shipping your bike and flying yourself will probably be less than the cost of riding from Norway down to Southern Spain. You won't have to worry about tire changes, oil changes, etc. down south because the bike will be (presumably) well prepared by you before you ship it. You could put your knobbies on the bike before you ship it, and only have to worry about changing over to road tires after you are finished with the TET in Spain. Tires (and the labour to install them) are cheap in Spain.

You'll cut your total mileage in half, and give yourself a lot of time to "stop and smell the roses" as you travel northbound.

I've ridden (many times) from Zurich down to Algeciras on my ST 1100, and it's a hell of a long, tiring ride if you just want to transit, rather than tour. If you want to 'make time' (get there fast), that means taking the French & Spanish toll roads, and they are friggin' expensive - you pay the same price as a car.

Food for thought...

Michael

Or add three more days to your trip and enjoy crossing Spain out of the highways... beer

Thanks for the replies, guys! And sorry for responding late, it's been quite busy the last couple of weeks.

It might be too warm for me during that time, but I'd still like to try, and then head someplace else if it's too hot for me. I'm sure there's plenty of places in cooler/more mountainous areas too explore, the desert just sounds so exotic :Beach: Well, there will always be new trips in the future.

I just sent an e-mail about shipping the bike to Spain, doesn't sound like a bad idea! If I can get more time to explore Spain/Portugal on my way north, and perhaps do some TET in France as well, I'd definitely prefer that.

Again, thanks so much for your replies, I'm really excited about this trip!