Its Adventure Time

[timbo]

Thanks Bill. Just for interest, here is a list of the bikes that went. People could do there own thing sometimes, so all these bikes werent together all the time.
KTM 990 x3
Yam XT660 Tenere x 4
Africa Twin
GS 1200 BMW
GS 800 x 2
1200 RT BMW
CCM 450 x 2
Honda 650 Dommie
Honda CRF250, yes, someone rode all that way on a brand new 250 bought days before. Run in, by thrashing across Spain's motorways in two days 
IMHO, the best all rounder of the lot is the Tenere. This is the bike I would choose if I was doing a similar trip 

[timbo]

And the million dollar question?
I'm relaxing with a beer doing the sums, and total cost of trip was approx £2000. That's three weeks, three return ferries, all food, all board in cheap hotels and hostels, all petrol, all drink (not always easy to come by in rural Morocco), travel insurance, Morocco third party insurance.

[Moto63]

Nice one Tim, sounds like you've had a true adventure mate. Good to hear ya all got back in one piece. Look forward to hopefully seeing some photos at some point if you manage to get them posted up.
Cheers... Michael

[timbo]

Better than any photos I took.

[iansoady]

WRT the photos, I've abandoned photobucket and the like and just host them on a webspace I pay for. Around £35 / year including my own email addresses and email hosting. I fear that any "free" service is likely to have the plug pulled at any time.

Simple html is easy enough to write using something like CoffeeCup, and file uploads etc using filezilla or similar also quite straightforward.

Things like:

http://www.iansoady.org.uk/Sunbeam/restoration.html

or

http://www.iansoady.org.uk/Arrow/

Oh, it sounds  like a real adventure BTW. Having visited other poor countries like Tunisia and Zimbabwe (some time ago) I recognise your comments re poverty and begging. It's impossible not to be touched by the difficulties people have in scraping a living but equally impossible to help everyone.

[Dave#22]

Nice one Tim...next time we meet up, you can tell me all about it.
Dave.

[timbo]

I totally concur with what you are saying Ian. Most of the people on the trip didn't even seem to notice the poverty. One even commented to me, " yeh, but they're not starving". Well, guess what. I reckon some of them were! No surprise, he was an ex banker from the south coast. I tried to explain the term, 'grinding poverty', but I don't think he got it. The two ' organisers', Kieth and Al, were brilliant with the locals and kids, and so was young Dave. A lad from the northeast, who had obviously had a rough upbringing, but was brilliant with the kids. I tried my best too. But basically, I reckon most of the locals just saw us as rich fat white westerners 
Knowing what I know now Dave, I would quite happily take a group of like minded people to Morocco 

[tommy]

good to see your back safe tim and the dommie did great against all the other modern bikes, i was in  morocco once in a very poor part ,real poverty and the locals were really nice to us great people ,just watched the video looks like a real adventure  groovy music too ha ,i,m sure one of the bike mags would be interested in running your story ,, mechanics ,or practical sportsbikes ect  cheers tommy

[Dave#22]

Tim, if it's a magazine you are looking to send a story to, try....Motorcycle Sport & Leisure....I get every month and covers all aspects of touring.
Makes a good read.
Dave.

[timbo]

Yes Dave. That is the one I was thinking of. I'm not looking any money, but it just seems like a waste of the time and effort I put into keeping a diary not to do something with it

[CrazyFrog]

Nice one Tim - sounds fantastic apart from the dodgy plug. Was it a fake NGK? There seem to be some around. I always buy from the Green Spark Plug Co as their prices and service are excellent and I'm fairly sure they only deal directly with NGK.

As for publishing, then I reckon MSL may be interested too, and why the hell not get paid for it - it might help defray the cost of the trip. After all, I don't think Charley and Ewan turned any money down  .

[Dave#22]

...........but it just seems like a waste of the time and effort I put into keeping a diary not to do something with it...............

Tim, I always keep a daily diary of trips...terrible memory, or too many trips...and recently with Wobbler trips on the little bikes, Pat and I produce individual books for the group.
The last couple of years have been with Bonus Print and they are excellent.
At present we have nearly finished the book (I do the script and Pat collects photos) for the Holland trip in May, so we now wait for an offer to appear, then have them printed.
Dave.

[bth2bth2]

now thats a good idea.
glad you got home safe and sound and trusty domi didnt let you down.sounds like a great trip.

brian

[Smithy]

Hi Tim

Been away for a while and only just read your account, what a wonderful trip by the sounds of it. I totally get your comments about poverty having been to some countries where just to exist people have to sort through rubbish dumps and sell what they can find. I went to Bosnia with an aid convoy in '97 and the only time I cried was when one of the other drivers wanted me to film kids going nuts for sweets he was throwing them. I didn't film and he regretted asking me!

Anyway back to bikes. Glad the Dommie at least got you back and it was interesting to see your comment about the Tenere, Steve D will be happy about that. Avoiding motorways always seems like a good plan to me unless you have to be somewhere quick and going with bikes of similar performance is sound as well. If you do think about doing it again I would like to be considered for a place.

Have you thought about Adventure Bike Rider magazine for sending your story to, it's just the sort of thing they like.

Anyway glad you're back safe and had a good time. See you at the Dragon.

Ian