Motorcycle trip on the tracks of southern Morocco with friends (EP2)

Here's the second episode of our motorcycle trip to Morocco. 10 days of road trip with friends on the tracks of the south of the country in sublime landscapes of dunes. The time has come to feel the sand... and it's far from being my cup of mint tea. (read the first episode) Happy reading!

Skoura - Zagora - Erg Zahar

Today's objective? To reach the desert at M Hamid. There's something magical about this place, as much for the scenery as for the fact that it marks the end of all civilization. The road comes to a screeching halt at its gates, and then nothing. How exciting! Leaving Skoura, we hit a track found in a book dedicated to 4x4 off-roading by Chris Scott. A mine of information. We don't regret our choice, as the track we follow is just magnificent. The setting? Superb mountains! What a ride! It's a real treat.

Here and there, the trail is strewn with sandy areas. Nothing complicated in itself. It's just that these are the beginnings of what lies ahead. And I don't like sand! Finally, we reach Zagora safely. It's a well-known town, as it's the ideal starting point for trekking in the desert. It's also full of garages and mechanic stores for raids. Information that will prove useful later in this story....

A broken clutch in the middle of the desert

No lunch this afternoon. It's a radical decision, but it will allow us to arrive on time this evening. And it has to be said that the challenge is considerable: to reach M Hamid and then Erg Zahar in the middle of the Chegaga desert. That's almost 140 km, including 40 km in the sand. Pure challenge! The height of misplaced temerity? We reject our Erg Zahar host's tempting offer. He offered to join us in the desert to lighten our luggage, bring us water and guide us. This refusal was motivated by the desire of some members of the group to undertake this desert adventure on their own. Democracy wins out. Is it a foolish choice? Yes. Will we regret it? Absolutely.

Because you see, driving in the desert can't be improvised, either in terms of navigation or driving technique. And it doesn't fail: I burn out my clutch. How do I manage? I don't really know. It's all a blur. Anyway, after tanking up in the sand, the clutch was out. Yet I don't remember playing with it much. Overheating? Faulty? Premature wear? Doubts persist. But it's obvious that the 40°C on the thermometer didn't help matters. In short, we're in the middle of the desert with an out-of-order KTM and night falling. The stress is there. The tension too. A decision had to be made. The duo of Greg and Jean-Michel set off for the next village to find a pick-up capable of bringing back the 990. And 30 long minutes later, they're back with a 4x4. Phew...

Abdul, our local contact, takes charge of getting the bike to Zagora for repairs. The problem? It's the middle of Eid. Nobody's working. We'll have to be patient. And what about us? We decide to head for our original destination: the erg de Zahar. In a show of solidarity, the guys leave the bikes at the entrance to the desert, and we all drive on together with Tahar, our host in the Erg de Zahar. We spend the night in an amazing farmhouse in the middle of the desert, under the stars and on mattresses. It's not so bad, is it?

Today, there's no need to rack your brains to find a solution. The bike is in Zagora and all the garages are closed. So the program is as follows: sharing Eid with our host Tahar and walking in the sand dunes. This early-morning introspection leads me to new questions. Is the bike faulty, or is it the rider? Do I have what it takes to ride in the sand? However, these negative thoughts are quickly dispelled when I think of all the positives. Indeed, the members of the group showed incredible solidarity despite the frustration of being stranded because of me. Greg had struggled to repair my clutch in the old days, but to no avail. And despite all the problems, we stuck together. A fine example of the values I love about trail riding. And then, with wisdom - or simply age - I put things into perspective and accept more easily the fact of having shortcomings. You learn every day and at every age.

M Hamid - Zagora - Ben Haddou

We leave the desert to check on my valiant KTM. It's in the hands of Sahara Garage, an institution, but you never know... Today I'm riding as a passenger (it's been a long time since that happened to me). Greg plays the Uber to take me to Zagora. Does he deserve 5 stars? Hell, yes! I've got to say, the guy's the French road rally duet champion. So I'm pretty reassured. When we arrived, it was a half-surprise: my bike hadn't been drained yet. The clutch is reassembled and functional, according to the boss. In fact, all they found in the KTM was a liter of oil. I smile, knowing that the procedure for changing the beast's oil is complex and will take well over 2 hours.

But that's okay! We all relax and get to work. So, in terms of mechanics, we're more in bush mode than Austrian standards, but it works. It's THE country of resourcefulness. What do I love about it? The atmosphere is great. Everyone is relaxed, helpful and the tea flows freely. Momo, the Moroccan mechanic, explains his little tricks to me: "If the clutch disk isn't the right size, it doesn't matter. You just cut it in 4 and mount it like that." I love the spirit.

At the garage, we meet a British couple who have run out of clutch on the Triumph. Greg to the rescue! He sells them his used clutch for 30€ and fixes his clutch shift, which wasn't right. This allowed them to continue their adventure. See, that's what I love about the biker spirit: sharing and helping each other.

In short, as best they could, everyone was able to get back on their bikes. And 200 km later, we arrive at Aït Ben Haddou, a Ksar, or traditional Berber fortified village. A superb example of southern Moroccan architecture, these mud buildings take on incredible hues at sunset.

Aït Ben Haddou

Head for Marrakech! But be careful, not just any old way: by the kasbah route. What's that? The legendary N9, an ancient route used by merchant caravans, linking these majestic Moroccan citadels. Sublime! We're driving along the asphalt, surrounded by incredible scenery, when I spot a small track that looks like it might make a nice loop. "Shall we give it a try?" my comrades agree. So we set off on this impromptu 25km adventure.

The trail soon climbs to over 2000m altitude, offering us some sublime but tricky switchbacks paved with rocks. My little scare? When a mischievous pebble almost sends me tumbling into the ravine. I owe my salvation to a well-timed burst of acceleration. As a famous philosopher would say: "Gas is life". Quite technical, then.

First in the mountains, then in a wadi (river bed). We're not exactly serene, as our last experience of this kind didn't go so well. But? Everything goes perfectly. The track is nice and smooth, and we're all enjoying ourselves. In the end, this is how we got to Marrakech: alternating between road and improvised track. What fun and freedom!

Arriving in Morocco's tourist capital, we put the bikes down in an apartment with parking on the outskirts of town. A quick cab ride and we're in the medina. My impressions? The city has urbanized enormously since I was last here 25 years ago. Not surprising, you may say. However, one thing hasn't changed: it' s still as messy as ever. Afterwards, we enjoy a little "Marrakech by night" evening with friends. Super pleasant.

End of the second episode of this motorcycle adventure with friends in Morocco. And that's 4 days of intense adventure. Morocco may delight us with its landscapes, but it also teaches us more intimate lessons. Which are? It showed us that we had to remain humble in the face of the desert, that its inhabitants were incredibly resourceful and kind-hearted, and it also put our group cohesion to the test.

----> Read the third instalment of our motorcycle trip to Morocco with friends.

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Photo credits: Jean-Michel, Greg and Radu. The photos with the kodak chrome look are mine. I'll have to change my phone :)