About six years ago, I did an off-road trip to Mashirah Island (Oman) on my Honda 450. It was the highlight of my riding at the time and something I would like to repeat before leaving the UAE. What I do recall from this ride was the beauty of the route, especially day one. This was a section that ran from the Hafeet border crossing in Al Ain to Ibri and then turns southbound towards a town called “Nati.” Strangely, neither the town nor the guest house can be found on Google! (I will talk a bit more regarding Google Earth images later in the article.)
I called my friend Bradley from Just Gas It, to discuss the possibility of them joining me on this adventure. The problem we (might) have is that virtually no one’s off-road bikes are registered or insured. As it is not yet a “legal” requirement in the UAE, nobody bothers the effort or cost. Six years ago, at the border crossings, they certainly asked for all paperwork and without “legal” proof of ownership, not just an invoice, Oman custom officials would not let you enter with a non-registered bike, even on a trailer. It seems these regulations are either no longer in place, or we were just lucky as this time neither countries official asked us for any papers. Both Kevin and my bikes are registered, so it would not have been a problem.
Whilst discussing this issue with Bradley, he asked me why we don’t do the trip on our BMWs. These bikes are all registered and, depending on the terrain, might just be perfectly suited for this adventure. The more I thought about it the more I realised that the BMWs might just be the answer and with slight adjustments to the route we can plan an excellent trip. There was only one problem. I could not recall the type of terrain on the second section of Day One. I remembered that there were no major difficulties, but I could not remember if there were any sandy patches or not. One can still attempt slightly technical terrain on a GS, but a 300kg bike, with “semi” off-road tyres does not go anywhere in soft sand. (Only in YouTube videos, but not in reality).
The only way to be sure that this route would be achievable on a GS was to scout it first with our Honda 450 bikes. I immediately started my planning and went on Google Earth to find a route that at least looked “doable”. I did the exact planning, using maps and Google Earth six years ago. I clearly remember a small town, with a fuel station, on the Google map. I think the name of the town was “Nati”. Also on the first evening we stayed in a guest house that was also depicted on Google Earth. However, both town and guest house are no more visible on Google. They are there, but not on Google. This obviously caused some uncertainty and made me question my aging memories.
With our bikes loaded, Google maps printed and my GPS programmed, Kevin and I left Al Ain early morning on the last Friday in January. As we had to scout the route, and still come back the same day, we drove the pickup and trailer all the way to Ibri, 120km into Oman. At Ibri we off-loaded and took the bikes. I knew the off-road section from Al Ain to Ibri was suitable for the BMWs as we did that route in October last year.
I plotted the route to pass through several small “villages” and also pass through the mountains rather than just straight down between the two mountain ranges. The route turned out to be one of the best I had ever ridden. Both Kevin and I were again overwhelmed by the beauty of Oman. The crisp and clear winter skis, combined with zero wind the whole day, only made things more impressive! This route would probably not stimulate someone that is looking for an adrenaline overdose, but if “adventure riding/touring” is what you love, then this is a must. By the end of the day, whilst driving back in the pick-up, I realised that instead of trying to plan a three to four day ride, that often complicates things and limits many people from partaking, this ride/route is probably one of the best one day rides any GS rider can ask for.
If one enters Oman by 6:00 a.m. you should reach the guest house by around 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. for lunch. The lunch is cheap and “very acceptable” for the location. After lunch and a short rest, the bikes can head back to Al Ain riding tar all the way. This “one day ride” will allow you to ride 250km of tracks and gravel roads with truly amazing views, and then, after lunch 250km on road, all in one day. Something not possible on a GS anywhere in the UAE.
By the time this article is printed and published I would have already done “trip one” of many to come on the GS and will just add a small comment on the ride in the April issue. For now, all I can say is that those who are interested must hurry up as by end of March it will be too hot for the average GS rider to do this trip. Remember that our speed off-road is a lot slower and some sections are very slow due to terrain. These low speeds and all our fancy “touring outfits” tends to cause the riders to overheat.
Ride safe and go for gold.
Regards,
John Basson
