UAE ADVriders unite !!!

Am up for the odd wadi bashing if i'm not on the long trail, though have sold my beemers so it would have to be on a 450X if you dont mind a slow-poke tagging along!

Catch the end of the last one at:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=780711

and look out for the upcoming Burma ride report!

You're right. Thats what i've found to be the case with most "Adventure bike" riders here and probably the same all over the world. People buy those bikes to "look" like adventure riders. Some of them even leave the hard luggage mounted on the bikes, including side AND top cases while they do their weekend run to starbucks. Forget that lot. The wadi riding in my last ride report is heaven (in terms of riding as well as cool temperatures in summer) for a big Adv bike.

I've ordered some stuff for my bike and need to do a service + fit the parts while summer burns us down. I guess it will be end Aug when we can do our first ADVrider ride .

great RR btw. Love you writing style.

i mostly do the wadi's and deserts and drop by the starbucks only for coffee. No, i don't keep my hard cases on all the time.....

















































looking forward to more of the same with you guys....

I am trying to get my hands on a 650GS Dakar. Do you think I could ride with you guys?

No wadis experience though... I've only done some of this:



with this:




Any room for a noob?

Thank you for the compliment. I often regret doing an RR once I have started as they are very time consuming, however the enjoyment they bring (and hopefully inspiration) to some does make it worth it. Fantastic pics you have there - inspirational! That's a big girl to push through the powdery sand esp with those tyres. I used to own an HP2 which i took into the desert once but not again...

Here some snaps of trips into the UAE, the Mussandam peninsula and <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Oman</st1lace></st1:country-region> itself to add to the motivation.


Believe it or not - thats a small portable barbecue straped behind the seat. It's called a "Cobb". Us South Africans take our "braaing" very seriously


Mussandam


Mussandam - dolphin watching


Mussandam


UAE


Oman


Oman - this pick copyright Ian Blakeway


Oman


Oman


Mussandam - yes there is a route through there...

I'm a relative n00b myself only having ridden in the sand for the first time in 2005 so they always get my vote!

Sweeper, is that Dakar up for sale??

Haha now that’s an interesting story kokos79. I used to be a good customer of BMW Dubai. I bought the GS1150 and the 1200 you see in the pics plus I bought an HP2. My mate Pete riding the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1:City w:st="on">Dakar</st1:City> there wanted to do a run with me up to the Mussandam so I asked BMW if I could test ride the <st1:City w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Dakar</st1lace></st1:City> for the weekend. Ahem. Getting it over the border was a little tricky…the salesman at the time is no longer with them so I can tell this story freely and he was never complicit. Sorry…I must also say I was never wildly impressed with the bike. Very reliable yes but never felt right. Maybe it’s just because it was a demo…If I were to go for something now in that size I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up a Yamaha 660 Teneré – rode one recently – fantastic machine. I am planning a 6 month trip through <st1lace w:st="on">South America</st1lace> in 2014 and it’s a toss up between the Tenere and the Honda XR650L for me…


Mussandam<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>

That HP2... that wouldn't happen to be one requiring engine-guard repair about a couple of months ago, would it?

One such bike was brought in to the site workshop where I work for such repairs, by one of my friends here. He said it was one of his friends' bike...


Anyway, the Dubai dealer has a used Dakar for sale, and since the new KLR650s arriving in October are my only other choice for a reasonable adv bike here, I am thinking about it. I know how good the 660 Tenere is, we've got plenty of those back home :) But here, it's either the KLR or a used BMW/KTM...

No fair sneaking Saudi pics in there. I'm guessing that this is somewhere in the Eastern Province?

Hi all,

I am in Riyadh riding a Kaw Versys if any one interested in a ride after the weather clears out..

Great pictures! My bike is at the port...should be in my possession this weekend. advice on which tires to put on it? Currently has front Pirelli knobby and rear Pirelli trial MT43...thinking of Dunlop D606 front and D908 rear? Seems only the Hunando (spelling?) K60 are available for 18" rear

Great pictures Vicks, it is no joke riding a 990 in the deep desert sand / dunes proper, I have done it a few times and had a few anxious moments. Will try and add some photos of my latest and probably last ride in Sydney before shipping if I can work out how to do it.

cheers

DH

We all are noobs at something or the other. Join up for a ride.

Nice pics and i envy your Oman trip. I still haven't ridden there and dream of one day doing this loop.

Oman Offroad 2011 from mats on Vimeo.

you gotta make do with what you got. right ? still haven't done any riding in the desert here. Hopefully start winter, we should be out in the sand..

Yes, thats the qurayyat area in Eastern province although Riyadh has softer and more beautiful sand. nice camping spots and i like this particular desert crossing to get from the half moon beach road to the Abqaiq highway.

Greetings,

would be keen to ride wadis. Not sure about lugging a 990 through the sand, find that already challenging on my 450...

Am planning to ride Iran, Pakistan and Northern India next month (if PAK visa comes through...)

Heidenau K60 is available in 18" rear AND most importantly 150 width for the big bikes. I run the TKC80 in 140 width on mine for the desert and its pretty good. MT21 fronts will do well.

Best get your tyres from the US/EU when you fly in. The resellers here charge a hefty premium.

Spoke to Shawn at Gecko motorcycle and he has a Michelin Desert in the 140/80 that I'll be putting on...steep price, but available and that's that for now...I'll ship with me next time something is coming from the US.

Cheers,
Nadim

nope

Hi Vicks,

In AUH too, just taken delivery of my 800gs.... If enough interested parties lets get a coffee/beverage sorted out soon,
Will pm you my number...

Can one of the mighty UAE posse tell me if Yamaha XT660Z Teneres are readily available new or secondhand in Dubai ?

I am down in Muscat and am keen to get another bike to compliment my CRF450X (ie say "good morning, you look nice" first thing in the morning )

Well, I've only been here for 5 months now and I haven't seen a single one of them. Not even the XT660R... The dealer does not import them, but I've heard from someone that they will be bringing the XT1200Z.

I have seen a few older XT600 Tenere imports in Sharjah though.