UAE ADVriders unite !!!

Hi !
I live in Sharjah. Let me know when you are in town ...

Hey guys, I'm Ad from Amsterdam, I live in Dubai and work offshore Abu Dhabi (drilling). Planning on buying a bike for some adventuring. Hope to meet some of you guys :)

I came already, nowadays I am looking enduro bike.

Heyas. Just found this threat. 690 rider in Dubai here!
http://onforeigntrails.com for some inspiration of my recent ventures around UAE

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Hey Kolf, nice site, just got meself a 690 here in Dubai, ride sometime?

Hi guys, been in AD now for 3 weeks. Here as a emt (english medium teacher). I need a bike to commute (34km, about 22 miles) but would love to be able to use it in the dunes as well. I'm thinking ktm 690, but I have found the second hand bike market in the UAE really small. Autotrader has like 20 bikes in the UAE... dubizzle is better, but not finding what I am looking for. Also, cars second hand is really cheap, but not so with bikes.. anybody knows why?

Hello Chris

Generally speaking, you can expect to drop dubizzle prices by 10-15%.

secondhand bike prices don't drop as much as car prices because , generally speaking, bikes are luxury items and owners don't tend to be that desperate to sell off.

A 690 (with applicable tires) is certainly more dunes-capable than an r1200gs but not as comfortable on 100km+ trips.
I am certain the 690 with a windshield is comfortable for up to 50 km commutes.

Also, used bikes flood the market by April/May. When the riding season is over. By August, most used bikes are bought already.
You'll see plenty of used jet skis in October
Hang in there. Something is bound to pop up.

You may want to consider a 500 exc that is street legal and registerable (did you just cringe as an emt? ) out the showroom.

But then again, although the 500exc is a beast off road, it's not very commute-friendly.

Thanks. I have been reading and I'm put off. The new road laws here, you can't even lane split to the front at an intersection, your bike will be impounded! And you basically keep to the speed limit if you don't have money to burn. If it's not that, then alamost everyone says you WILL die by SUV. And then there is the heat, going to school won't allow me to take a shower when I get there.. I might just ease up on wanting to buy soon

Lane splitting isn't a new law. It's been there for decades.
And no, your bike will not be impounded. You may be fined. I don't know anyone who's gotten a fine lane splitting. I think they mostly enforce it on delivery bikes. Because there are many cases of delivery bikes scratching cars while lane splitting and then fleeing.

The bike awareness culture is growing year by year. But yes, if you're commuting to work on a daily basis, you will be in traffic.
You won't be sweating 6 months of the year.
In fact, since you teach in a school, the majority of the school year is rideable. October to April'ish is fine.

Send me a message, I'll put you in touch with the Dubai ktm sales manager.
He may know people wanting to sell their 690s.

The heat goes down end of September / Mid-October. The SUVs won't kill you but your chances greatly depend on what kind of traffic you are used to riding in. I got to UAE having earned my wings in Athens center crazy Greek traffic, so it was kind of easier to adjust, but then Greek drivers are used to having bikes around them, to the UAE drivers you really are invisible even if you're driving a Fiesta or Yaris...

Oh, splitting lanes will get you a fine only if someone complains, I recon. And some speed cameras face the front where there is no license plate on bikes...

I commuted all year round on a motorcycle. During the hotter months I just left really early to avoid traffic and the heat. A few weeks in and you get used to the heat and sweat less.

Splitting lanes.. I did it all the time and was never stopped even once. You should also check with the touratech shop in Motor city for used dirt/ADV bikes.

Thanks guys, I don't think I will make 3 years without a bike, but I will give it some time to figure out what I need. If it's mainly commuting, then I might look at a Honda ST1100... ok, if I'm honest it's only because they are relatively cheap being old. If I can find a good one, commuting might put smile on my face.

The KTM 690 would hopefully give me the option of riding the dunes... I mean learning to ride sand. My previous bike in South Africa is a R1150GS. Not so sand friendly. The KTM would be more expensive, and not sure if you can do basic maintenance (and if they might be unreliable), but I'm very sure it would put a smile on my face.

I'll see what happens

For commuting in the UAE, you Need a bike that doesn't kick out a lot if heat. Research carefully before deciding on what you want

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Thanks for that, I reckoned as much, that is why I sidestepped a first gen FJR. Here is the link for a new law that might get your bike impounded for riding to the front at a traffic light: http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/new-ab...who-wrongly-overtake-other-vehicles-1.1197448

Though I hear this kind of thing quite a lot, that thought there's a heap of rules, they are not always applied, or put differently, quite a lot of guys get away not keeping to every road law.

How far are the dunes from central Abu Dhabi? Like the shortest route?

Hi Ugur, are you still in UAE???

Yes Aybars

Abi Abu Dhabi'deyim. Yakınsan karşılaşalım, Dubai'ye ara sıra gidiyorum.

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Hi Chris,

I'm in Abu Dhabi, been here two years but haven't bought a bike yet. I see people go to the front at a signal all the time, they must not have a way to enforce it as most of the traffic enforecment is done using camera here.

THe nearest dunes are near Al Whathba cycling track about 45 minutes from Abu Dhabi.

hello out there... my name is Alejo and I am from Costa Rica.... I am going to move to RAK (ras al khaima) in a week. I have a husqvarna 701 RR and I am so interested on riding the desert or any rocky trail available, I know there is a lot to ride there but coming from a country without desert it is kind of sketchy to go by myself.... It's going to take like a month or so for me to get my bike there but I would like to start to do some mates here.... I have "lost" all my riders friends since they can't come with me LOL.... on this new job adventure in this part of the planet....
By the way.... I am the operations CEO at the Jebel Jais flight, the longest zip line in the world, so everyone of you out there will be more than welcome if you want to give it a try.....
Hope to find some folks out there to ride with......

Hi Alejo, welcome to the UAE! I live in Dubai, sold my KTM a couple of months ago, but if I get something else we should definitely ride together :) Never go out into the desert or do serious off roading on your own here. I will go to JJF at some point this year, so I will let you know if I come, would be nice to meet up.

Cheers!
Ad