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One VERY careful owner

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2025’s best used bikes

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April 2025

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A Winter’s (Trans Moroccan) Trail

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Show Your Love This Valentine’s with £5 Off a Magazine Subscription

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Plan your visit to the Devitt Insurance MCN London Motorcycle Show

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Boorman’s back

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March 2025

Boost your bike skills

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Brain scrambler

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Tyre tread

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Britain’s best-loved…

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Back to their roots

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Slipping away

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February 2025

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Can two wrongs make a right?

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WHEN A BIRTHDAY PRESENT TURNS INTO THE ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME…

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New bikes

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’81 Triumph TR7T

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Easy as that

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‘Y’know what? I want one’

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SAM SUNDERLAND

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Trackday Clobber

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SIX MONTHS FROM HOME

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BRADLEY RAY

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THE VINTAGE MOTORCYCLE CLUB

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DAN LINFOOT & HIS DAD

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THE KTM DESIGN TEAM

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A RIDE WITH MICK GRANT

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A RIDE WITH RANDY MAMOLA

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Glorious ride: A land lost in time…

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GOING THE EXTRA MILES

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###### **5 BIKES THAT REALLY MATTER THIS MONTH**

#### _Bike_ reader sells his zero-miles Yamaha RD500LC on eBay for £36,100

**W**hen _Bike_ reader Steve Brankston nearly bankrupted himself to buy this RD500LC in 1985, his plan was to store it until he could afford the insurance, then get out and enjoy what was then one of the hottest race reps on the roads.

But things didn’t turn out quite as planned. He never registered it, never rode it, never even started it. And he’s just sold it for £36,100.

‘I bought it from Webbs in Lincoln when I was 22,’ Steve tells _Bike_. ‘I’d got a 350LC that I was using as everyday transport and when I saw the RD500 I knew I had to have one. It was £3250 and took me two loans to buy – I got one from the Yorkshire Bank and another one through Webbs. A bit naughty, I know, but I was desperate to have it.

‘I hired a van and brought it home myself. It had the plastic wrapping on from the factory to protect the bodywork so I left that on. I was living with my parents at the time and I tried to get it in the house (they were out), but it wouldn’t go through the hall. So I had to keep it in the garage.

‘Obviously with two loans to pay I was skint for quite a long time and didn’t do anything – I hardly went out and I certainly couldn’t afford to insure it. But I loved the fact that I had it in the garage and that it was mine.’

After a few years Steve could afford to use the RD, but by then Yamaha had stopped making them – and he realised it was too good to ride. ‘So it went from my parents’ house to where I am now,’ he says. ‘It’s only been out of my garage once, when it was on display in Webbs for a year.

‘I’m feeling okay about it going because I’ve been thinking about selling it for a while. Me and my wife were quite poorly last year, so that spurred me on. I’ve got an R1M, VMAX and a Honda Monkey, so I’m not short of bikes…’

Steve’s had a few over the years. Legendary dealer Clive Padgett made an offer at the NEC bike show but dropped his price when he got back to Yorkshire!

Twin crank V4 499cc two-stroke with YPVS exhaust powervalves. Steve has regularly turned it over on the kick-start to stop it seizing but it’s never been started.

Signed by Yamaha greats Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey, Kenny Roberts, Steve Baker and Alan Carter – Steve took the pillion cowl round a lot of bike shows…

#### :a[Head into stores to grab your latest issue, or why not subscribe to Bike Magazine and never miss an issue! What are you waiting for?]{href='https://www.greatmagazines.co.uk/bike-magazine?utm_source=bikemagazine.co.uk&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=bau_bike&amp;utm_content=article' target='_blank' rel='noreferrer noopener'}

#### In the mood for some **second-hand excellence**? Us too. Here’s this year’s expert pick of fabulous pre-loved metal

By **Jon Urry** Photography **Bauer Archive**

**S**tate of constant choosing. We’re all familiar with it, helplessly drawn to small ads and online listings, musing over what else we could slip into the garage – and what we could stretch to.

And temptation is greater than ever. The used market is awash with staggeringly capable and desirable motorcycles for prices that make you check it’s not 1 April. In the bad old days, buying pre-loved involved crossed fingers and sweaty palms, but modern machines – by which we mean those of the past 15 years or so – have reliability, durability and lasting appeal. Can you remember the last time a manufacturer wheeled out a clunker? Us neither.

To help navigate the temptation, we’ve assembled this year’s top used buys – and picked the 2025 Used Bike of the Year. Bring your wallet this way – much joy awaits…

**Unbreakable, well-priced, incredibly practical – it has to be a Honda NC750X**

Unsung hero? Not really – the NC750X has always sold well for Honda, just like the 700 version before it. Part of Britain’s biking backbone, the 750X is incredibly hard to fault; with lashings of well-considered and useful features, it just cracks on without fuss, drama or niggle. If practicality, quality, reliability and the ability to make a good fist in any situation are high on your shopping list, it’s head, shoulders and much of its torso above rivals. Consistently a bestseller throughout Europe, the NC750X combines adventure bike comfort levels and control with assured 17in-wheel handling and big-scooter practicality. And if this isn’t attractive enough, there’s the option of Honda’s slick DCT gearbox – which more than half of NC buyers choose in the showroom.

The 745cc parallel-twin motor won’t win races with 53bhp (58bhp on later models), but it’s tuned for super-easy thrust. It’s nigh-on apocalypse-proof, will run fault-free for tens of thousands of miles, and happily record 70mpg. At service time, its single overhead cam design and ‘nut and screw’ valve clearance adjustment makes even major services far from wallet-busting. The X has use-it-daily practicality, too. It has a very handy lockable 22-litre stashing space where you’d normally expect to pour fuel, with storage for a full-face helmet. Most used examples have a top box and/or panniers as well, plus accessory heated grips and maybe a taller screen.

Yet despite being so sensible, the NC750X is still a ‘proper’ bike. It’s still fun to ride. Faults are few and far between, prices reasonable due to them being so plentiful, running costs minimal, and it never fails to accomplish what you ask of it.

Do-it-all, ride-all-the-time second-hand buys don’t get any safer.

**1** If the bike stutters in hot weather, the fuel pump and lines may need replacing.  
**2** Check for wobbly rear wheel bearings. The fit is poor, leading to premature wear.  
**3** Service intervals are 8000 miles, with the valve clearance check at 16,000 miles.  
**4** Ensure the storage lock operates smoothly and hasn’t been forced open by a toerag.  
**5** DCT adds about £500 to a used NC’s value.

2012’s NC700X was replaced by the NC750X in 2014. Two years later it gained a more ‘adventurous’ look, new clocks and DCT upgrades. In 2018, two-level traction control arrived alongside an A2-legal version, while 2021 brought ride-by-wire, a touch more torque, power modes, a higher redline, 30mm lower seat height and a 6kg weight loss thanks to a new chassis. So yes, later is better – but they’re all ace.

**Yamaha TDM900 (2002-2010):** **£2500-£5000**  
The old 850 version was the first to do the upright-sports-tourer/adventure-sports thing. The later 900 is better. It’s spirited, funky, reliable and comfy. Coils can be weak, causing starting issues, but otherwise it’s very solid.

**Honda Crossrunner (2015-2021):** **£5000-£9000**  
Effectively a VFR800 on stilts, the X-model ‘crossover’ (awful term) is desperately overlooked and a great all-rounder. There’s only one thing to really watch out for: the valve clearance major service. It can be a bit salty.

**Suzuki GSX1250FA (2010-2016):** **£2000-£6000**  
A cheap mile muncher, the GSX is what the legendary Bandit morphed into. Finish isn’t too hot, and you’ll probably find corrosion. But the motor is stonkingly dependable. Find a good ’un and it’ll run and run and run…

**Hyperbike performance with a bargain price tag? Snap up aBMW K1300S**

Early examples of Suzuki’s Hayabusa are affordable, the venerable Honda Blackbird still attracts, however it’s BMW’s Autobahn-swallowing rocket ship that offers the most value for money. Not only does the K1300S have a far better spec than any rivals and just as much speed, it’s also generally cheaper to boot and has some always welcome exclusivity.

Replacing the K1200S, the 1300 ironed out many of the original model’s faults (there were quite a few…) and is a much safer used buy. Along with boasting a bigger capacity inline four, the K1300S upped the equipment levels and brought far more creature comforts. Naturally, most were optional extras, but luckily for used buyers most people ticked all the boxes.

As well as ABS and the option of second-generation electronic suspension (ESA II), the K1300S can be found with heated grips, quickshifter, traction control, tyre pressure monitoring and more. Add to this a centrestand and shaft drive and the K1300S is a blisteringly fast device even your sensible head will approve of.

And it handles, too. Few front ends have the rock-solid reassurance of BMW’s load separating Duolever system – the 1300’s roadholding is exemplary. The potent engine is gargly, raspy, with a unique feel, and delivers scorching performance.

Fancy smashing out miles with minimal effort and maximum velocity? This is the choice. With prices starting at just £3000, it’s an unmatched package.

**1** Low-speed weaving? The Duolever may need a rebuild.  
**2** Check the radiator for corrosion, damage and holes. New units are more than £600…  
**3** Ensure the ESA system works (if fitted) as technically it’s not rebuildable.  
**4** Inspect the wheel rims for dings – they can be a bit weak due to their light weight.  
**5** Walk away from bikes with ABS fault codes – a new unit costs more than £1500.

Replacing the K1200S in 2009, the 1300 ran until 2016 alongside a naked R and a touring GT. All were based around the same four-pot K-Series platform. Although the S was never updated, some extra options and a few special models – such as the Motorsport Edition and HP – were released later in its model life. We’d find a regular bike with all the official accessories.

**Kawasaki ZZR1200 (2002–2004):** **£1000-£3000**  
Tremendously good value for money, the ZZR1200 looks a bit dated but it is fast, cheap, secure in corners, and very comfortable for you and yours. The fuel pumps (there are two) are a bit weak, otherwise thrash and grin.

**Kawasaki 1400GTR (2008-2017):** **£4000-£9000**  
Powered by a ZZR1400 motor with variable valve timing, the overlooked GTR is as fast as a ZZR but brings extra practicality alongside traction control and ABS (on post-2010 models). Think tourist with warp-speed potential.

**Honda Super Blackbird (1996-2007):** **£1500-£7000**  
Fast, classy and reliable, the CBR1100XX Super Blackbird is a fabulous sports tourer. While not as speedy as the K1300S or a Hayabusa, the quality is top notch – and prices are starting to do that modern classic thing.

**Nothing gives as many widgets and gizmos for your quids as Kawasaki’s H2 SX SE**

How does owning a supercharged inline four with lean-aware traction control and ABS, power modes, two-way quickshifter, heated grips, cruise, cornering lights, launch control, anti-wheelie, fully adjustable suspension and panniers for less than £9000 sound? And not something dated, but a motorcycle you can still buy box-fresh?

Launched in 2018, the H2 SX brought Kawasaki’s bewildering supercharged inline-four engine into the sports-touring market. Sold in both base guise and in higher-spec SE form with some extra tech, the H2 SX SE’s price tag of over £18,000 brought slow sales. Many buyers just went for the cheaper and oh-so-popular Ninja 1000SX instead.

They missed out. Yes, the blown bike cost more, but that’s because nothing matches the part-throttle response of the chirping motor. It is utterly sensational.

And the lack of showroom popularity is good news for savvy used-bike buyers now, as the H2 SX SE is a total bargain. If you are happy to buy from a private seller, you can get an early SE with around 15,000 miles clicked off for £8500. It’ll probably have panniers, too. No other machine offers as much tech – both electronic and mechanical – for your money. Consider this: a new H2 SX has an RRP of £22,649…

It’s not all about that supercharged motor either. The Kawasaki’s chassis has plush high-quality suspension and a classy ride. Its finish will have you reaching for the Autoglym, and all that desirable tech is up to date and spot on. Fuel economy could be better, but you’ll overlook this minor niggle every time you touch the twistgrip.

**1** Get an insurance quote before buying – the H2 SX can be expensive to cover.  
**2** Overall finish is high, but some owners grumble about tarnished fasteners.  
**3** The 15,000-mile service is almost £1000. Keep this front of mind when looking.  
**4** That blown engine chomps rear tyres. If it’s showing wear, it won’t have long left.  
**5** Ensure the eccentric adjuster on the swingarm moves freely and hasn’t seized.

In 2019 the SE+ model introduced semi-active suspension. In 2022 the H2 SX got front and rear radars to add adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection and collision warning. Hill hold and a new TFT with connectivity were also introduced, while the SE gained semi-active suspension (the + was discontinued). Oh, and in 2023 an auto high beam feature arrived. Newer bikes therefore have the most bling, but early ones have the best tech/price ratio.

**Yamaha Tracer 9GT (2021-2024):** **£7000-£10,000**  
With semi-active suspension, panniers, an up/down quickshifter, cruise control, angle-responsive electronics and more, the 9GT is both excellent and excellent value for money.

**Kawasaki Ninja 1000SX (2020-2024):** **£6000-£11,000**  
Replacing the Z1000SX, the Ninja 1000SX has extra tech in the shape of cruise control, a two-way quickshifter and colour dash with connectivity. It’s popular, proven, and affordable.

**Aprilia Caponord 1200 (2013-2017):** **£4500-£7000**  
The Travel Pack adds panniers, super-luxurious semi-active suspension and cruise to this underrated tech-heavy adventure tourer. The later Rally version is the one to get if you can.

Welcome to Bike’s very special ‘red issue’. We look at the amazing rise of Ducati, from expensive alternative to world force in the showroom, plus their dominance of high-profile racing.

The DesertX gets thrown into an actual desert, we give the all-new V2 engine an in-depth prod and take a first ride on the latest Multistrada, plus get to test the magical electronics on the latest Panigale V4 S… by riding it flat-out in a storm. Exclusive chat with new MotoGP signing Marc Marquez, too.

And if that’s not enough, there’s a hand-picked selection of this spring’s greatest used buys, plus we name our 2025 used Bike of the Year. Kawasaki’s two latest 1100cc sports tourers – the Versys and Ninja SX – take on Suzuki’s rival GSX-S1000GX and GT in a dash to Mablethorpe, too. Plus, all the insight, opinion and humour you can only find in Bike…

#### The April issue of Bike is out now at all good newsagents, or why not :a[subscribe and never miss an issue!]{href='https://www.greatmagazines.co.uk/bike-magazine?utm_source=bikemagazine.co.uk&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=bau_bike&amp;utm_content=newissue_bike' }

#### Dickie Fincher has bought himself a **Ducati DesertX Rally** and wants to go and play in the desert. Now he just needs to find one. How handy that a new cross-country trail has just opened somewhere warm…

Photography **Dickie Fincher, Chris Scott, Henry Barney**

**I**t is the end of November and, therefore, entirely grim outside. Cold to the point of freezing, mizzle to complete visor-fogging duties and, being after 4.30pm, now quite dark. Getting ready has been a layering caper balancing cold against bulk. I’m trying to pack as lightly as possible to make the most of an upside that is currently inconceivable. Allegedly anything worn now will be peeled off in three days, packed somewhere aboard the bike and transported across hundreds of kilometres of Moroccan desert. What could be more ideal?

As the most quirky, sort-of accessible and definitely most-likely-to-be-warm spot you can ride a bike in winter, Morocco’s appeal has been heightened by the Trans Morocco Trail. This multi-thousand-kilometre romp over mountain range, through gorge and along dusty piste has been assembled by _Adventure Motorcycling Handbook_ and _Morocco Overland_ author Chris Scott, and perennial desert biker Ed Gill. Using back roads and a mix of trail and piste, the intention is for 4x4s, bicycles and full-sized adventure bikes to be able to savour the country. For those who follow such things it’s more like the Adventure Country Trails (ACT) routes rather than the well-established lightweight adventurers’ Trans European Trail (TET).

I’ve ridden here recently on one of Chris’ tours. We rented BMW G310GSs, loved the mix of road and trail, found it all achievable and very enjoyable on the smaller bikes, and generally agreed there was no need for anything bigger. But that was last year. Fast-forward six months to the glare of a Ducati showroom and it became clear that not only was a DesertX the only way to re-enjoy my North African fantasies, but it would have to be the additionally suspended, carbon-fibre-bashplated Rally version.

Chris believes with some zealotry that if a bike can’t be paddled or picked up it’s not much use as an adventure bike. There’s a fighting chance he may be right. Can the Ducati’s sublime balance and suspension make up for its nonsensical seat height? I contacted Chris to advise him that not only was I returning to explore further, but I was now suitably over-equipped for such an expedition. ‘At least the bashplate will burn nicely’, was his response.

Fired by mutual curiosity and his desire to revisit the mouth of the Draa (surely a location from _The Lord of the Rings_), we agreed to meet up in Marrakesh and explore the Atlantic end of the TMT. ‘It’s the most interesting and photogenic bit of the whole route’, Chris confides. Hence you find me, padded out like a kendo target, unable to get my leg over the vertiginous seat of the loaded DXR. Unless I can find a squire and a portable mounting block there may be a very ignoble end to this trip.

Fortunately, a friend, freshly back from riding to Tibet, has decided to up his annual country count further and is joining me on his BMW R1250GS. Unfortunately, we are meeting an hour down the road towards Portsmouth, so Henry forgoes delivering on the only reason I asked him along. I somehow clamber on and we converge near Towcester to find ourselves bleakly withstanding minus temperatures down the A34. The hows and whats of the road to Marrakesh are covered elsewhere; the ferries ferry us, Spain is motorwayed in a day and we slow down once in Africa to start soaking in the late-summer temperature and superb roads that begin within a few miles of Tangier Med port. Wriggling our way through olive groves set onto green hillsides, we don’t need to rush so I’ve planned a few trails to get us in the off-road groove, test the tyres and check our navigation in advance of the TMT proper.

The roads wind through slowly flattening hills, the terrain turning slowly to irrigated ochre plains. As we head further south the traffic mix increases. Donkey carts, three-wheel trucks and random meandering pedestrians need to be accounted for. The road into Marrakesh is a dual carriageway with a dust shoulder that is also available for manoeuvres. Vehicles choose the clearest path and dart forwards. We pick a couple of boldly ridden scooters and cling onto their tinkling exhausts, weaving through an opaque soup of buses, carts, hooting cars and crocodiles of crossing schoolchildren. It’s heating up in every sense.

We meet Chris near BM-Attitude, the rental shop he uses. It’s also a Mitas dealer so I fit a pair of Enduro Trail XT+. The Trail+ we’ve ridden down on are barely scratched after 1000 miles of motorway, mountains and a few klicks off-road. In the interests of trying something else my DXR will wear the far knobblier 20/80 road/off-road XT+. I can play out my Dakar fantasies and practise leaping canyons; the others are intrigued to see if I fall off on the first corner.

The plan is polished over some excellent pastries down the street from the shop.

Monstrous floods hit Morocco a month before the more widely publicised Spanish disaster. Reports from early trail trialists are coming back suggesting some sections verge on impassable. An advantage of publicised routes is that diversions and options are always being posted on either the Horizons Unlimited forum or the TMT Facebook page, which is already getting quite well travelled.

The first day is a couple of hundred kilometres down the N9 to Tazenakht to hook up with stage T (out of A-Z) of the TMT. It sounds like we’re linking right near the end, but there’s a good 800km within those final few letters of the alphabet. This road certainly delivers the good stuff we came for. Finally into the High Atlas, we are in an area of turbulent geology. Great bulges of layered rock burst from the ground in multiple shades starting with brown-greys, reddening and yellowing as we ride south. The roads slice through them, freshly laid – or sometimes being re-laid after rockslides. This element of jeopardy turns what could be an Alpine pass into an African one, hence holding a little in hand however enticing the upcoming corner appears.

It’s soon clear the knobbliness of the XT+ isn’t going to be a limiting factor. They turn a tad slower because of their squarer profile and the bike moves more, but in a predictable way. Anyway, the scenery demands riding at adventure rather than head-down pace, and very soon any concerns at riding a big bike on a ‘dirt’ tyre are parked in the ‘remember to reassess if it rains’ portion of the brain.

Tazenakht is a gateway town and rolling down the busy main drag there’s a mix of charcoal griddles, crammed general stores and tyre menders that characterise this region. We pick our way past carts and errant scooters on unfathomable errands to pull into the lodgings. The Bab Sahara is a common layout; shaded walkways around a central courtyard and no water in the pool at this time of year. Better not get pissed and fall in; fortunately there is no beer to facilitate this because that’s the last thing we crave after a long dusty day. Oh well. We tuck into the first of many tagines washed down with mint tea.

The accommodation sets an ongoing trend for odd bathroom layouts. All the relevant components are there, just a little jumbled up. The combined shower and loo with enclosing curtain makes timing ablutions and rearranging the towels, drying washing and toilet paper depending what stage you’re at somewhat critical. We nevertheless manage to set off refreshed and only damp in parts.

Chris rode through this area a few days before and the planned route wasn’t much fun. He also points out that slavishly following the TMT isn’t in the spirit of the thing. Read his books and he stresses they are guides; for riders to build itineraries around. There are enough valleys to choose from to pop us onto the other side of the Anti Atlas and we still get to mix tarmac and trail.

The winter sun throws excellent shadows from mid-afternoon onwards, making the clash of darkness and colour painted across the mountains even more striking. An oasis adds a streak of green into the glowing ochre. We’re chased along its length by fleet kids after a pen or sweets – Bic or bon bon. Breaking free, spiky acacias line a fast, gravelled run towards Aguinane where a twisting dust road between square, flat houses scattered up the valley side gets us to a small hotel on a vantage point looking down the valley. We stand on the roof and watch the sun drop, then post-tagine head back up to stare at the stars.

The following day Chris makes another call to deviate after reports of post-flood mayhem. An earlier rider cracked an engine casing crossing a riverbed on the infamous baby heads, round stones formed and spread densely by flooding. We are now in a wide valley sided by waves of rock that have undergone ferocious force in the past. It curves up from the ground in vast layers of red sedimentary stone. Everywhere we look, every day of the ride we are in Big Scenery.

We break off the road onto a track and soon hit a river crossing with the bikes needing different techniques to handle the stones. Henry uses balance, torque and irresistible mass to roll through and over the rocks. Chris’ much lighter bike can bounce across the surface, with the low seat height allowing firm dabs when it’s deflected off-line. I haven’t got a hope of finding firm footing from my perch so rely on the suspension and steering damper to hold the line, closing my ears as rocks twang off the bashplate. The tyres protect the rims despite taking some vigorous hits. It’s the first time the additional scope of the bike has come properly into play, and I’m liking it.

The evening’s accommodation in Tata is most bearable. There’s a pool complete with water and a bar complete with beer. And a tagine. A young Belgian couple on ageing BMW Dakar 650 singles are here on their first overseas biking adventure. They’ve been inspired by the TMT and are somewhat amazed the living personification of it has turned up in their hotel. They are following the route to the letter and found the chewed-up bits pretty tricky – but got through. Youth and enthusiasm can still triumph.

The following day we’re in a wide valley with a train of humpy, many-layered hills pacing us to the south. It’s as if they want to remind us we might come across camels… which dutifully make an appearance to ensure another Moroccan experience can be ticked off. Now, how about a stage of the classic Dakar route to close the deal?

What are these? Small cairns dot across a dried-out clay pan detailing an old stage from the ’90s. Here’s a fine place to test the DXR’s credentials. Rallyists exceed 100mph for miles; I manage 85mph before fear overtakes me and flags me down to a saner pace. My suspicion that a loaded adventure bike, albeit with fancy suspension and decent tyres, won’t match a dedicated race machine is some consolation but the key element missing may be in my nether regions. I wait for the others under a tree, humbled, when a text arrives from Chris asking where I am.

Given that I am in the middle of what most would call a very deserted desert surrounded by mountains, this is one of the great reassurances of riding here: you’re almost always in touch. It appears my enthusiasm has fired me 20km in the wrong direction, so I head back contemplating the surroundings rather than generating a brown streak across the chott (tellingly also pronounced ‘shatt’). It turns out that riding the terrain is the pleasure – reading river beds, wind-blown sand, clay, gravel… it’s so engaging. It ties into the geography around you, and nowhere is this subject quite so in your goggles.

Our speedy rally route turns into a stony cruncher of a trail pretty much at the point Chris suggests it might. He uses the term ‘beyond the last village’ in _Morocco Overland_, which suggests any further exploration involves following the footsteps of lost Roman legions. More prosaically it indicates a track to said village is properly maintained and those onwards are probably an old shortcut that’s been rendered irrelevant by the ongoing tarmacification of the south. This is one of these. Again, the Ducati steals a march, but then so it should – it costs four times as much as the CFMoto, which resolutely arrives intact. The GS simply gets there, as per usual. Our suspension, luggage mountings, tyres and internal organs are given a vigorous working over but there are no casualties. We later hear our Belgian chums snapped off a top box on the same trail.

On to stage Y of the TMT. Very near the end. We’ve had the Anti-Atlas to our North and the River Draa to our south for the past 150km; now we wind back over them where there’s around 50km of trail before hitting the N1. On this penultimate trail Henry’s rear tyre picks up a proper cut a couple of klicks short of the road. We wedge in three gummy strings and manage to hold a few psi in the tyre to creep up to the tarmac. We’re now losing light and I head off to the hotel to check the path.

The Ksar Tafnidilt self-describes as a ‘4x4 hotel’ and they aren’t kidding. In the dusk it’s clear there is a very stony track with long patches of deep sand and the odd camel to pick my way through. I plough on and spot a slightly less formidable route to try on the return. By the time we meet up it’s dark, but our lights are bright enough to safely chug along, with the GS’s flat at least giving Henry traction in the sand. We arrive through the gate to find a large group of French riders on a guided tour are sitting down for supper. We hastily dump clobber in rooms to join them. They have ridden down the Plage Blanche, a famous beach ride to the north, and are taking our route tomorrow, in reverse.

They set off before us in the morning and take the sandy side of the old Ksar, making a spectacular meal of it and tumbling off with disconcerting abandon. We go the other way and miss the fun. By the time we get into Tan-Tan the Mitas has run for over 60km with no air, including 15km of off-road. If you’re going to get a puncture, it may as well be in a tyre that can get you out of trouble. Meanwhile, I’m on fumes and run out 200m from the fuel station. I’ll take that bit of luck. A tyre shop is a little further into town and I’m not saying GSs get everywhere but the guy has the Torx sockets in his hand before Henry’s switched off the engine. It’s a big split but the carcass hasn’t degraded and the repair is sound – there’s a big difference between what’s legal in northern Europe and what works in the rest of the world.

The final haul to the end of the TMT is on the road to Cap Draa because the ford across the river is impassable. Seeing the Atlantic opening up in front of us, complete with breakers rolling up the estuary, is quite strange. The past 10 days have been rocky, vertiginous and arid. A big wide blue ocean is at odds with what we’ve acclimatised to, but it certainly feels good to jump into.

Celebratory pics happily snapped, it’s four hours up to Agadir then three hours on the motorway back to Marrakesh. Henry has added another couple of countries to his list, Chris has revisited the mouth of the Draa and I have given the Rally a proper deserting. We’ve checked out a chunk of the TMT and agree the balance between road, trail, exploring, experience and challenge is indeed sweet. What a complete motorcycling experience.

Well, nearly. With all this riding down and around, we don’t actually have enough time to get back. Yes, it could be done in four long days, straight into European winter. Or we could park the bikes in Marrakesh, fly home and recover them in the spring at a more genteel pace. Perhaps via the northern end of the TMT. Or the Portuguese ACT. Or the Spanish TET. Or a bit of all three…

#### **How to ride to Marrakesh in four days**

What’s the point in having a fab adventure bike and not having adventures on it? If you want dirt and heat, Spain and Portugal have thousands of kilometres of long desert-like trails. Add in an extra ferry and Morocco is the closest place to feel totally foreign, and it’s warmer in winter. So that’s where we went.

Biscay was benign and reintroduced us to the idea that the further south we go, the warmer it gets. Brittany Ferries’ Thursday night to Saturday morning crossing from Portsmouth is super-efficient and gets us to Santander by 8am.

Spain can be dispatched in a day – bigger adventure bikes make chugging along at 75mph bearable, though the Ducati is not the greatest travel bike as it arrives stock. The GS just got there, shrugging off 660 miles as if it was on a warm down from riding to Tibet. Through Picos mizzle, the weather eases onto the Meseta Central. We stop the night in Seville and hit a brutal headwind on the final few miles in the morning. Ferry tickets to Tangier Med are sold at service stations as we near. We buy one for the next crossing and follow the signs. It’s all straightforward. Spain, we shall give you more attention on the way back.

The Strait of Gibraltar appear to operate the same rules as Moroccan city traffic, and our bold but underpowered ferry is nearly punted into the Atlantic by a tanker that enforces its right of way by steering straight for us and being much bigger. Suitably reminded of what’s waiting for us, we clear customs with a few questions, get the tiny white imported vehicle card, grab a local SIM card, buy 10 days’ third-party insurance at a rather fruity 50 Euros, and press on.

Tangier Med, east of Tangiers, is clear of much population. Within minutes we’re twisting up through a lush valley on tiny roads. It’s greener than we were expecting, and the ridges and peaks reach up over 2000ft. This is the far end of the Rif (rhymes with spliff). The villages are a fair distance apart and we can keep moving well at a pace suiting the bikes and the scenery.

We skirt Tetouan, aiming for a first night south of Chefchaouen. The less said about carting luggage up and down this bonkers blue city’s microscopic streets, the better. You can get to Marrakesh in six hours by jumping on the motorway at the port. But we had time to spare so poked around the north for a couple of days. It slowly turns more orange as you get out of the mountains below Meknes, then once past the phosphate mining centre of Khouribga it’s irrigated all the way to Marrakesh.

Mountain goats are a byword for sure-footedness, but goats in trees? As the hardened bikers of this organ are so keen to remind me, my family business sells haircare products. One of the more successful of these lines is an oil that originally came from the partially digested fruit of the argan tree. This tree is a marvel, growing in almost barren ground and helping as a barrier to desertification, its fruit giving an incredibly versatile oil. Argan trees are very evident along the coast road, but could I find one covered in goats? I finally struck the required goat/tree interface just north of Agadir. It really is the least likely sight watching these creatures nimbly nibbling among the branches. Family connection or not, I didn’t feel the urge to scoop any of their golden poop.

Your GPS probably won’t have a Morocco map installed and using data for phone mapping could get very expensive – though buying a local SIM card is worthwhile to avoid epic roaming charges and can get around this issue. You can also download apps such as OsmAnd that work offline using the phone’s GPS.

I spent a lot of time prior to the trip messing around with phones, Garmin and the Ducati’s onboard system, with the result that we are standing on the shore of a very large lake that shouldn’t be here. We take a moment to assess why Henry’s identical satnav, a Garmin Zumo XT, is showing a road around this lake and why mine suggests we might get across.

There’s a crucial difference between ‘tracks’ and ‘routes’ when importing info into a Garmin, because one follows points on the map, and the other locks to roads. Since we are planning to ride off-road I tend to use tracks to allow us to aim at points and pick the best way there. If you’re an IT cheapskate and grab free maps, many won’t have ‘routable’ roads when imported into a Garmin, so even though the machine will find a road they won’t necessarily add in lots of other functionality like re-routing, distance countdowns or indeed noticing lakes. Henry bought the Garmin Africa pack, so has routable maps which misses out my watery interlude.

I graciously allow him to go in front to give us a fighting chance of not falling into another reservoir before we get there. We use tracks once we hit the south to avoid being rerouted back onto tarmac.

**At 19 grand, you’d hope most of the bike is sorted. But there are key bits to make it bearable over longer distances…**

Luggage is Kriega’s OS system which has a soft rack with a couple of 18-litre panniers – the whole lot detaches when parked up for the night and is juggled into the hotel room along with a tank bag, camera bag and rucksack. I never make the process look elegant.

The original Rally seat is, it turns out, supplied by the Spanish Inquisition’s expedition department. The screen and mirrors that came with the bike also contrived to deliver such a buffeting above 60mph that I thought I was following an invisible jet. After much fiddling I settled on a smaller screen, adjustable mirrors and Wunderlich seat.

The Ducati Garmin Zumo XT, crash bars and their allegedly strengthened hand protectors are ridiculously overpriced but came as a package. I’ll swap the hand guards for something sturdier and eventually switch to phone-based nav using an old phone.

The Rally’s carbon bashplate makes an excellent noise when stones ping off it; much more exuberant than the tinny rattle from a metal one. Its upgraded suspension and wheels seemed to prove their worth in Morocco. I could ride more comfortably (and therefore faster if I wanted) than the other bikes over messy terrain and it just sucked it up. But then it’s a £19k off-road-focused adventure bike, so it jolly well should…

Adventure riders collapse into a quandary over tyres. They must be quiet, grippy on wet roads and not wear out on motorways. They have to be fun on a mountain pass, bite into trails, retain air ridden across jagged rock and fire over dunes. And last 10,000 miles. Can one tyre do all this? Is there a rubbery unicorn?

Perhaps backtrack and pose the question to the riders. Can _we_ do all of this? Do we need to? We discuss seeking out sand and agree we’d rather beat our genitalia with a splintery plank than take a laden adventure bike into soft sand. Chris has routed the TMT to be accessible rather than a trial, and it turns out sand isn’t part of the mix. We are left with the requirement for a durable tyre that works on road, piste and rocky trail. We went for Mitas’ Enduro Trail+, a 60/40 road-biased chevron pattern with deep 11mm lugs on the rear. Surely enough bite and rubber to complete the trip, but would it lose any of the fun? The DXR is famously entertaining on the OE Pirellis. Happily, the canyon-carving is as joyful as any riding I’ve done, the DXR losing none of its poise and control. Add wet grip proven in the UK and Picos, and predictable trail behaviour, and I was happy.

On the GS, Henry thought the Trail+ were noisier over 60mph than the Dunlop Trailmax, but more predictable off-road: ‘They’re a true 60/40 rather than the Dunlops, which are more road-biased. They have plenty of life left after the trip so will be fine for the next one.’

**Chris Scott** could be viewed as the original adventure motorcyclist. There were plenty of adventurous bikers before, but he’s credited as being the first to coin the term and detail not only his experiences but how to replicate them. His _Adventure Motorcycling Handbook_, _Sahara Overland_, _Overlanders’ Handbook_ and _Morocco Overland_ are feted by folk like Michael Palin and Ewan McGregor. The titles suggest that when it comes to travelling over land somewhere hot there isn’t a lot he hasn’t seen and done.

His first passion was climbing, and he used bikes as cheap transport to despatch and get from London to north Wales. Since 1982 he’s travelled with 4x4s, trucks, camels, bicycles and pack rafts.

Now in his 60s and still travelling, guiding and writing, he lapped Morocco by bike and 4x4 for months to update the fourth edition of _Morocco Overland_. Perhaps unsurprisingly given his semi-arid life, Chris can be very dry. It comes across in his writing where you find serious points delivered in a witty, readable style. In person his experience is offered quietly, but thoughts on big adventure bikes take little prompting. He is a confirmed sceptic regarding overloaded overlanding – his view is if you can’t paddle or pick up a bike, it’s a liability.

When assessing a route, Chris’ depth of knowledge is verging on the mystical. He hasn’t been along parts of the TMT for years yet can predict almost to the metre how conditions will change. His vast internal databank and constantly updated notebook is now linked to a two-way feed of TMT social media. It’s like riding with someone who always has a terrain-following drone ahead (unlikely in Morocco – drones are illegal).

When we meet up with the Belgians, they are extremely keen to understand if we’re also following the TMT. As the first group he’s met inspired by his new project, this is Chris’ moment – and he doesn’t disappoint. He looks gravely across at them, exuding four decades of desert travel complete with thousand yard stare, and states: ‘I AM the TMT’. And then he can’t hold the serious face anymore.

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