A Closer Look at Steve Lemmer’s Journey

Before telling us about your plan to ride to Africa, can you tell us how long you’ve been a motorcyclist?

Oh, officially or unofficially? (Laughs). Unofficially, I’ve been riding since I was very young. My father was also a biker and a mechanic, and I spent my entire childhood in his workshop. That’s how motorcycles and mechanics became my passions. One day, when I was ten, my father sat me on my mother’s 50cc bike and said, “You’re not getting off this bike until you know how to ride it.” Officially, I got my license at sixteen on a 125cc motorcycle.

Which motorcycle do you plan to use for this journey?

My bike is a 2009 BMW 1200 GS Adventure. I call her Betty (laughs). She’s been my loyal companion since 2018, and we’ve traveled 62,000 km together. Since I’ve been very satisfied with this model, I even bought another one of the same kind. I plan to take apart some parts from the second bike to bring along as spares in case of a breakdown.

What will your itinerary be?

I’m setting off on the morning of March 14. My first stop will be at ACL to say goodbye before the big departure. Then, I’ll head to a small village in Burgundy, where a friend owns a lovely little inn. After that, I’ll try to reach Algeciras in southern Spain within four days, covering around 2,400 km. I hope to arrive in Morocco by March 18 or 19 at the latest.

Once in Morocco, I plan to ride down to Fez, explore the Atlas Mountains—mainly the Rif Mountains in the north—then head toward Merzouga in the desert. After that, I’ll ride back north through the Atlas Mountains, crossing passes as high as 3,000 meters. I expect to cover around 2,000 km, mostly on dirt tracks and desert roads. In total, I anticipate riding about 6,000 km.

Next, I’d like to venture further south to Tata, Assa, and El Aaiun, and possibly even reach Dakhla in Western Sahara. Once I get there, I’ll begin my journey back north toward Guelmim, where I hope to be from April 8 to 10. These dates are important to me because I want to join the Rallye du Cœur, which will be passing through the city for three days. I participated in this rally last year, and I’d like to take a moment to thank my friend Mohamed for making that experience possible. It was an extraordinary and meaningful adventure.

My goal is to follow the Rallye du Cœur for three days as they travel north through Morocco. However, I haven’t planned my return trip in detail yet. The only fixed point in my schedule is that I need to be in Malmedy between April 25 and 27 to attend the Bernd Tesch Treffen, a gathering of motorcyclists who embark on long-distance journeys like mine. It will be a great opportunity to exchange experiences and gain valuable insights.

What is your main motivation?

It’s to discover new things and take on a new challenge. With my master’s degree, I had reached a kind of “peak” in my career. That’s when I decided to seek out a new challenge. On top of that, I come from a family where we traveled a lot. My childhood was defined by travel, and that desire has never left me. That said, I haven’t had many opportunities to travel in recent years, as my focus was primarily on my work and building my family life. But after all these years of work and family life, I felt it was time to refocus on my passions: travel and motorcycling.

What is your budget for this motorcycle adventure?

The cost of acquiring equipment is quite high. For example, I bought a motorcycle tent. It’s large and relatively expensive, but it’s a necessary expense. If I break down in the middle of the desert, it will protect me from the heat, the sun, or even the snow when I’m at 3,000 meters in altitude. My overall budget is around 5,000-6,000 euros, which may seem like a lot, but keep in mind that this equipment can be used for future trips. Additionally, I need to account for fuel costs, which will be the biggest expense. Just for fuel, I expect to spend between 1,500 and 2,000 euros.

What will be the main challenges you’ll face once you’re on the road?

I’ve only planned my route, not where I’ll be staying, so that will be my main constraint. Technically, I’m not worried. I’m bringing the necessary spare parts with me, and even a solar power system with a battery in case something goes wrong during the night. I also have a first aid kit. My sister is a nurse, and she’ll provide me with all the necessary advice, along with essential medications I might need. She’ll also teach me how to stitch a wound or apply a splint. I’m aware that all of this might seem excessive, but I’ll be alone on this trip, and it’s better to be over-prepared than to regret it later. This also forms part of my mental preparation: I envision all possible scenarios so I’m ready to handle whatever comes my way.

How can people support you?

I’m not asking for any financial support. I’m not undertaking this project for financial reasons, and I plan to fund it on my own. However, I would be thrilled if people followed my journey on Instagram. I’ll be posting videos, and I’d love to receive feedback from those following along.

Additionally, this journey is actually a preparation for another, much longer and more adventurous trip I’d like to organize. My future project is to ride a motorcycle from Luxembourg to Mongolia. This road trip will be twice as long as the one in Morocco, both in terms of distance and duration. But my ultimate dream remains to ride around the world on a motorcycle.

Follow all the updates on Steve’s journey directly on his Instagram page: https://tinyurl.com/Insta-SteveLemmer