hi guys, all packed up and ready for this years european cannonball bike run starting on monday 20th! 2 other bikes going with me, an 08 R1 and 09 HRC fireblade. we're signed up as 'Team Ireland'
we were loaded up in a van for transport to the starting point, Malaga in southern Spain. the destination is Morocco but the exact route is secret, the days section only being revealed that morning!

* Last updated by: jafo on 8/28/2011 @ 3:50 AM *

that sounds like it is going to be an amazing adventure jafo.

LOTS OF PICS....BE CAREFUL!!!(wouldn't want those other two to try TOO hard to keep up...you know...)

Have a great run jafo lookout fer ride hard/safe mate ! please post ya photo's after ya fantastic run cobbar.

Sounds Awesome Jafo, have a great time!! and stay upright.

Hell yea have fun and watch out for the cops.

sweet!

Let's see a pic inside that van with all the bike in. It's gotta be a puzzle.

A-W-E-S-O-M-E !!!

Good luck Mike. One of the craziest races on the planet. Smart move to take it to Morocco after the last run in open Euro continent in 2007 with many arrest. Enjoy the safe haven of Morocco.

For anybody who wishes to follow:
http://www.cannonballbikerun.com

* Last updated by: Steven14 on 6/14/2011 @ 11:52 PM *

Hi, JAFO, how did it go?

hi guys,
well just back last night after an unbelievable week! it feels like 'cold turkey' today coming down from such an andrenalin rush that is the cannonball bike run!
it is safe to say that it was some of the hardest biking i have ever done! a combination of heat, slippy roads, navigation, long days and going constantly balls out on the bike makes for a real endurance test of man and bike!
i hit an actual 165mph on some straights heading for the sahara! not easy on a road of choppy surfaces and drifting sand!
theres was a total of 17 bikes, including fireblades, R1s, R6s, GSXRs a triumph daytona, a streetfightered X11 and my zx14. there were a couple of offs but nothing serious and a mishap in the carpark when a car reversed into one of the older blades and cranked the engine casing!
entries from UK, Norway, Ireland, germany and USA
dont have all the pics but heres a taster...
team Ireland ready to leave Spain!

heading to Tarifa port for the ferry to Morocco..

temp started at high 20s(centigrade) so took some getting used to but we all had camelpacks! first lunch stop!

on the way to our first overnight in Meknes..
we all 'stickered up' for the cannonball!

the inevitable wheelie..

team Ireland stopping to a break..


very fast streetfightered X11

somewhere in morocco...

as the temp rose to high 30s, any shade was precious...

crossing the Atlas mountains..

at the top of Col Du Tichka..

dont put your earplugs down, the ants will steal them...

hotel in Tombuoctou at the Sahara desert..

easily mistaken for a local tuereg! :)

view from the back of the hotel...

taking a break from being a hooligan on a bike....to be a hooligan on a quad!!

leaving the Sahara (temp was 43.5c!!)...


back on tar...

last overnight in Tangiers..

entering the port of Tangiers for the ferry back to Spain!

last day was spent riding the spectacular roads around ronda..


finally finishing up in Banus near Marbella!

Fantastic trip! Good for you, those are true adventures.

BG should move this to Ride Reports, it doesn't belong in General. It will "last longer" in Rides too. :)

great pics, good to see you gave the M C T set up a good thrash,
B-A

@privateer, ooops sorry, didnt think! please feel free to move this thread!
@battleaxe, the whole bike got a good thrashing. leaving the desert behind on that dirt road i actually felt sorry for my bike for the first time ever! off course an hour later we were on mountain twists doing 120mph in second gear!!

Fantastic! Thanks

I wish I had more money and time to do something like that its my dream.

@cooter, 3 american guys flew their bikes in from california to do the cannonball! it may not be a cheap holiday but if you like riding literally with no limits, it is worth every penny! for the 6 days, it cost me roughly similar to my usual 2 week riding holiday around europe!
the moroccan police are very tolerant of the bikes and once your stickered up they accept youre part of the 'rally' and wave you through the checkpoints!
the roads around morocco are usually well surfaced but are very slippy so take alot of getting used to. i struggled to get the power down without spinning up the rear tyre and found myself riding in a higher gear than i normally do just to stop sliding everywhere! the upside was my fuel consumption was almost the same as the litre bikes.
we did have short stretches of dirt near the sahara and there was a mountain stage which was plagued with road works, that was 'fun' on a 184bhp bike!
the zx performed very well, with my recent suspension set up it was better on the tight twisty stages, i was able to make up ground on the open roads to keep with the litre/750 bikes on the overall stages!

this is the hardest riding ive ever done and is the closest to road racing i will get! if this is what ticks your box then i suggest you start saving your money and sign up for Cannonball 2012!
id also say that the other guys i met on the event were outstanding and i think we made some life long friends in the group!

i'll post more pics when my other camera gets home with the bike!
thanks for looking!
mike

* Last updated by: jafo on 6/29/2011 @ 7:52 AM *

Great report, jafo. Really enjoyed reading/looking at it, not as much as you enjoyed doing it, that's for sure. I read about another run when the ZX14 first came out. It was a silver ZZR ridden by a guy from England, I think, and he got chased in France by the police. Also a very interesting article. I think it was in the UK Superbike magazine. Anyway, you have done something I would like to do, but my poor bike on the gravel roads!!! Ouch! I have travelled a bit in Morroco in Casablanca and Marrakech in 2002. It is rather warm, to say the least!

you're right harleyzx, he managed to run off the road into a field as far as i remember, got back on and continued the cannonball too!!
this is the main reason why they moved the main stages to morocco, the police there are more tolerant of the 'rally'!
we had a couple of really hot days (+40c) but this is exceptional apparently! i was drinking over 6 litres of water from my camelpack plus a couple more during fueling stops just to keep hydrated! dive bombing into a swimming pool at the end of the day never felt better!!

Awesome Jafo!Thanks man for the pics and all.....glad yer safe and sound with all that riding.Looks WONDERFUL!!!!

i suggest you start saving your money and sign up for Cannonball 2012!