Bimble into Africa
Moderator: Event Co-ordinator
Re: Bimble into Africa
...Great read!....Good luck withthe repairs.....It's always the breakdowns that turn into great experiences!!....
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Re: Bimble into Africa
Mechanical not nervous.pupster wrote:It's always the breakdowns that turn into great experiences!!....
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Be who you are and say what you feel because those that
matter don't mind and those that mind don't matter!
matter don't mind and those that mind don't matter!
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markgemma
Re: Bimble into Africa
Just a quick update.
Force motors pulled out the stops to get the pulley to us as quick as they could via DHL. Nearest they could get it to us was Agadir - 10 hour bus ride, 700km north.
Unfortunately Moroccan customs have not been as obliging. It arrived in Casablanca Wednesday 14 Nov and it's still there.
We arrived in Agadir on Thursday on an overnight bus from Laayoune to Agadir to collect the parcel, thinking it'd be here Thursday/Friday, the latest update from DHL office today is that it'll arrive here Tuesday.
We've brought as little as possible with us to Agadir leaving most of it + the bikes in Laayoune. So still paying for the room in Laayoune.
Camping in Agadir - we've been adopted by the Italian contigent on the campsite, we were invited for lunchtime pasta and copious amounts of wine.
So it's looking like our Mauritanian visas are going to run out before we can use them - which means getting another.
We're a bit fed up as we're spending lots of money just waiting around and another Mauri visa will be expensive + we'll have to pay someone to go get it for us - from Casablanca!!!! Where our parcel is......
Force motors pulled out the stops to get the pulley to us as quick as they could via DHL. Nearest they could get it to us was Agadir - 10 hour bus ride, 700km north.
Unfortunately Moroccan customs have not been as obliging. It arrived in Casablanca Wednesday 14 Nov and it's still there.
We arrived in Agadir on Thursday on an overnight bus from Laayoune to Agadir to collect the parcel, thinking it'd be here Thursday/Friday, the latest update from DHL office today is that it'll arrive here Tuesday.
We've brought as little as possible with us to Agadir leaving most of it + the bikes in Laayoune. So still paying for the room in Laayoune.
Camping in Agadir - we've been adopted by the Italian contigent on the campsite, we were invited for lunchtime pasta and copious amounts of wine.
So it's looking like our Mauritanian visas are going to run out before we can use them - which means getting another.
We're a bit fed up as we're spending lots of money just waiting around and another Mauri visa will be expensive + we'll have to pay someone to go get it for us - from Casablanca!!!! Where our parcel is......
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666ggj
Re: Bimble into Africa
Keep us informed how you are doing, really enjoy reading the post's of trips as they happen.
Good Luck
GGJ
Good Luck
GGJ
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markgemma
Re: Bimble into Africa
Great news.... we're on the road again!!
It's been a long two weeks since we had our breakdown. We've done a grand tour of Morocco courtesy of CTM buses. From Laayoune to Agadir to collect the DHL parcel (10 hours) - then to Rabat to get a NEW Mauritanian visa (10 hours), then back to Laayoune to be reunited with the bikes and our clothes (20 hours)! 40 hours on buses!
Mark fitted the parts on Saturday, then we had a overnight wait before we could take it for a test ride (threadlock needed to set). Sunday we rode 70km to see if the repairs had worked.
It seemed ok. Difficult to tell in a sandstorm though (well very high winds with sand blowing across the road).
We decided we had enough confidence in the repair job to carry on. So today we made our 3rd attempt to leave Laayoune on motorbikes and head south.
3rd time lucky then! We only rode 200km today to the next town - as planned - but the bike was fine and running good.
From here on the distances between towns are considerable - 340km to Dakhla, our next stop. Then nothing except a lone motel until the Mauritanian border. So we need to have confidence in the bikes..... but as Mark just said to me 'you've got to be adventurous if you want an adventure' so onwards we go into the desert. Wish us luck and 'Inshallah' next time we post an update we'll have left Morocco.
It's been a long two weeks since we had our breakdown. We've done a grand tour of Morocco courtesy of CTM buses. From Laayoune to Agadir to collect the DHL parcel (10 hours) - then to Rabat to get a NEW Mauritanian visa (10 hours), then back to Laayoune to be reunited with the bikes and our clothes (20 hours)! 40 hours on buses!
Mark fitted the parts on Saturday, then we had a overnight wait before we could take it for a test ride (threadlock needed to set). Sunday we rode 70km to see if the repairs had worked.
It seemed ok. Difficult to tell in a sandstorm though (well very high winds with sand blowing across the road).
We decided we had enough confidence in the repair job to carry on. So today we made our 3rd attempt to leave Laayoune on motorbikes and head south.
3rd time lucky then! We only rode 200km today to the next town - as planned - but the bike was fine and running good.
From here on the distances between towns are considerable - 340km to Dakhla, our next stop. Then nothing except a lone motel until the Mauritanian border. So we need to have confidence in the bikes..... but as Mark just said to me 'you've got to be adventurous if you want an adventure' so onwards we go into the desert. Wish us luck and 'Inshallah' next time we post an update we'll have left Morocco.
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arceye
- Posts: 2005
- Joined: Thu Jan 15, 2009 8:27 pm
- Location: Basingstoke Hampshire
- Location: Basingstoke
Re: Bimble into Africa
Glad you are on your way again. Have fun.
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Electric start conversions, Front Racks and Rear 350 Racks Fabricated to order.
MT 555,2 Armstrong projects,
2 CCM Armstrong projects.
MT 555,2 Armstrong projects,
2 CCM Armstrong projects.
Re: Bimble into Africa
....Good luck with the bike and good luck with the border crossing!.....Keep us all updated....
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markgemma
Morocco kills another MT:(
Well we're sorry to report that we're back in the UK for Christmas. This was not our intention but hey ho....
After our last report we rode to Dakhla, this is the most southerly town in Morocco. Next stop Mauritania. As we pulled up at the police post for the turning to Dakhla I (Gemma) heard bad noises coming from my engine. We decided to stop in Dakhla another day to investigate.
Mark spent the day with his head in the engine (again) and after careful thought and talk (and with advice from our new friend, ex mechanic, Bob the biker) it was decided that we wouldn't risk the journey through the Mauritanian desert but would head north. Initial thoughts were that when the pulley had come loose and the bike had lost alot of oil that perhaps the engine had run dry and the knocking noise we heard was the big end going
Dakhla is the kite surfing capital of Europe, its the most beautiful place we saw in the Western Sahara and very traveller/biker friendly. So we had a couple of days chilling out and also found some additive to make the oil thicker and hopefully lengthen the engine life.
We rode the 350kms back to Laayoune. It was hard going against the wind and constant worry that the bike would give up on us again. On arriving there was a serious oil leak and the bike sounded like it was on its last legs (wheels?). Mark took the cam cover off again and saw that the nut holding the pulley had come loose once more, despite using thread lock. Nu tightened and put back together again it sounded much healthier and we headed to Agadir for some much needed R n R.
We met up with Bob the biker again in Agadir and he and Mark really put their heads together for a good look and tinker with the poorly bike. Perhaps the big end wasn't damaged and the bad noises were caused by the bolt becoming loose again?
Bike put back together and everything locktite'd into place we took a 70km test ride down Paradise Valley and my bike felt and sounded much better. We were still in a dilemma, would the bike be ok now and should we carry on to Mauritania? A decision needed to be made and time was tight as our (second) Mauri visa would soon expire. We compromised on a 2 day test ride into the mountains. How the bike performed would decide if we trusted it enough to take it through Mauritania. Half way to Tafroute the following day we stopped for a snack and saw oil leaking from the bottom of the engine. On arrival the leak had got worse. Mark took the cam cover off and we could see that it wasn't the oil seal as we thought it would be. It was the the key that the pulley slides on to - the hole in which the key goes in had become huge - the key was loose and nearly fell out when Mark took the pulley off.
So here's what we think happened. When the pulley originally came loose it not only damaged the pulley - as you know we got a replacement - but must also have damaged the shaft - so it hasn't been running true and has destroyed the oil seals we've used and somehow enlarged the slot where the key sits. We replaced the oil seal and used JD weld to put it all back together and just hoped it would get us to Spain without further problems. Once in Spain we could use our European breakdown cover if needed.
We were in pretty low spirits but also felt like we had made the right decision.
A few days later we were in Spain and wouldn't you know it, my bike made it all the way to Bilbao without any further breakdowns or oil leaks. But it could have been a totally different story.
We surprised our family and friends by turning up in Leeds the Friday before Christmas... there were tears all round.... and many hugs ... and lots of dinner invites and drinks and seasonal goodwill!
Morocco is a great biker friendly country... we brought home some special memories (and a rug! ... of course) and made some great new friends. The MT's were a talking point where ever we went and certainly helped us break the ice (especially with the spanish police!).
We learnt lots about the bikes and are filled with determination to go back on the MT's next year and carry on our bimble into Africa. But we think we need a new crank/replacement lower end..... anyone fancy a winter project?????!!!!!
KMs travelled from UK via France to Morocco and back = 11,815
After our last report we rode to Dakhla, this is the most southerly town in Morocco. Next stop Mauritania. As we pulled up at the police post for the turning to Dakhla I (Gemma) heard bad noises coming from my engine. We decided to stop in Dakhla another day to investigate.
Mark spent the day with his head in the engine (again) and after careful thought and talk (and with advice from our new friend, ex mechanic, Bob the biker) it was decided that we wouldn't risk the journey through the Mauritanian desert but would head north. Initial thoughts were that when the pulley had come loose and the bike had lost alot of oil that perhaps the engine had run dry and the knocking noise we heard was the big end going
Dakhla is the kite surfing capital of Europe, its the most beautiful place we saw in the Western Sahara and very traveller/biker friendly. So we had a couple of days chilling out and also found some additive to make the oil thicker and hopefully lengthen the engine life.
We rode the 350kms back to Laayoune. It was hard going against the wind and constant worry that the bike would give up on us again. On arriving there was a serious oil leak and the bike sounded like it was on its last legs (wheels?). Mark took the cam cover off again and saw that the nut holding the pulley had come loose once more, despite using thread lock. Nu tightened and put back together again it sounded much healthier and we headed to Agadir for some much needed R n R.
We met up with Bob the biker again in Agadir and he and Mark really put their heads together for a good look and tinker with the poorly bike. Perhaps the big end wasn't damaged and the bad noises were caused by the bolt becoming loose again?
Bike put back together and everything locktite'd into place we took a 70km test ride down Paradise Valley and my bike felt and sounded much better. We were still in a dilemma, would the bike be ok now and should we carry on to Mauritania? A decision needed to be made and time was tight as our (second) Mauri visa would soon expire. We compromised on a 2 day test ride into the mountains. How the bike performed would decide if we trusted it enough to take it through Mauritania. Half way to Tafroute the following day we stopped for a snack and saw oil leaking from the bottom of the engine. On arrival the leak had got worse. Mark took the cam cover off and we could see that it wasn't the oil seal as we thought it would be. It was the the key that the pulley slides on to - the hole in which the key goes in had become huge - the key was loose and nearly fell out when Mark took the pulley off.
So here's what we think happened. When the pulley originally came loose it not only damaged the pulley - as you know we got a replacement - but must also have damaged the shaft - so it hasn't been running true and has destroyed the oil seals we've used and somehow enlarged the slot where the key sits. We replaced the oil seal and used JD weld to put it all back together and just hoped it would get us to Spain without further problems. Once in Spain we could use our European breakdown cover if needed.
We were in pretty low spirits but also felt like we had made the right decision.
A few days later we were in Spain and wouldn't you know it, my bike made it all the way to Bilbao without any further breakdowns or oil leaks. But it could have been a totally different story.
We surprised our family and friends by turning up in Leeds the Friday before Christmas... there were tears all round.... and many hugs ... and lots of dinner invites and drinks and seasonal goodwill!
Morocco is a great biker friendly country... we brought home some special memories (and a rug! ... of course) and made some great new friends. The MT's were a talking point where ever we went and certainly helped us break the ice (especially with the spanish police!).
We learnt lots about the bikes and are filled with determination to go back on the MT's next year and carry on our bimble into Africa. But we think we need a new crank/replacement lower end..... anyone fancy a winter project?????!!!!!
KMs travelled from UK via France to Morocco and back = 11,815
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