New Petrolhead in Dubai
Discussion
Hi all,
I'd like to introduce myself as new to the UAE and specifically Dubai.
Moving in from Singapore and looking to make the most of the petrolhead-friendly environment in the UAE.
I have 2 priorities:
1 - find a suitable 4x4 with bike rack at the back, so looking at a G-wagen (I know, but where else in the world will I ever have the chance to own one, albeit used?)
2 - find a KTM 450 or something like that to thrash around in the dunes and so on.
Keen to hear your perspective on the do's and don't and look forward to the move.
Thanks for reading.
I'd like to introduce myself as new to the UAE and specifically Dubai.
Moving in from Singapore and looking to make the most of the petrolhead-friendly environment in the UAE.
I have 2 priorities:
1 - find a suitable 4x4 with bike rack at the back, so looking at a G-wagen (I know, but where else in the world will I ever have the chance to own one, albeit used?)
2 - find a KTM 450 or something like that to thrash around in the dunes and so on.
Keen to hear your perspective on the do's and don't and look forward to the move.
Thanks for reading.
Welcome. 
You might not afford a G Wagon here either. Even 2nd hand they are silly expensive. The lower price ones usually have a lot of kms on the clock. Have a look through Dubizzle to try and find what you are after. Just make sure if you go 2nd hand that you buy something with a history that stacks up and has been regularly serviced. The first owner will mostly likely have been a local driving it like his hair is on fire, so it will almost certainly have had a hard life.
Alternatives that can be had for less cash and have equally as much road presence are Raptors, Cayennes and X5s or you could try to blend in with a Landcruiser or Pajero.
You might not afford a G Wagon here either. Even 2nd hand they are silly expensive. The lower price ones usually have a lot of kms on the clock. Have a look through Dubizzle to try and find what you are after. Just make sure if you go 2nd hand that you buy something with a history that stacks up and has been regularly serviced. The first owner will mostly likely have been a local driving it like his hair is on fire, so it will almost certainly have had a hard life.
Alternatives that can be had for less cash and have equally as much road presence are Raptors, Cayennes and X5s or you could try to blend in with a Landcruiser or Pajero.
Welcome, based on the experiences of fellow ph'ers, avoid X5s like the plague unless they have a bumper to bumper AGMC warranty!
KTM have (or at least used to) a space out in the desert where you can keep your bike and I think lease from them, it's out past Al Awir somewhere I think.
Sure the dealer will be able to give you the details.
KTM have (or at least used to) a space out in the desert where you can keep your bike and I think lease from them, it's out past Al Awir somewhere I think.
Sure the dealer will be able to give you the details.
I visited Dubai several times and for the dunes the most widespread choice seems the Land Cruiser, I also drove one on the dunes, a manual version with V6 petol engine, quite good! There a lot of Gs but usually with the silly AMG engines. There are also a lot of US cars, Camaro and Mustangs quite common.
It's not KTM who have a compound in the desert, it's a company called Just Gas It. They used to be at the hobbies club, now they have moved to Big Red.
You can store your bike with them though and are a good reputable company. Great for renting too as they have the full KTM lineup and all the kit. If you're unsure at all on what bike to go for, you can go and rent a few of the different current models and try before you buy.
A 450sxf is a good choice though!
The riding out here is great, and buy now rather than wait as the weather is now getting good to ride again - had my bike out a few times in the last couple weeks.
You can store your bike with them though and are a good reputable company. Great for renting too as they have the full KTM lineup and all the kit. If you're unsure at all on what bike to go for, you can go and rent a few of the different current models and try before you buy.
A 450sxf is a good choice though!
The riding out here is great, and buy now rather than wait as the weather is now getting good to ride again - had my bike out a few times in the last couple weeks.
Wow,
thanks for all the great feedback.
I'm there next week and will have a sniff around cars etc.
Not keen on bubbly SUVs like X5, Cayenne or ML. I am (for now) planning to have 1 car only so was looking at the G as I thought it to to be fairly bulletproof and there seem to be hundreds around Dubai.
is something like this a stupid idea?
https://dubai.dubizzle.com/motors/used-cars/merced...
I like the Raptor - who doesn't? - but I have to have a proper look.
Rich_AR, do you have a photo of the bike rack? That's the solution I am looking for (unless "Raptor", of course)
Thanks again
thanks for all the great feedback.
I'm there next week and will have a sniff around cars etc.
Not keen on bubbly SUVs like X5, Cayenne or ML. I am (for now) planning to have 1 car only so was looking at the G as I thought it to to be fairly bulletproof and there seem to be hundreds around Dubai.
is something like this a stupid idea?
https://dubai.dubizzle.com/motors/used-cars/merced...
I like the Raptor - who doesn't? - but I have to have a proper look.
Rich_AR, do you have a photo of the bike rack? That's the solution I am looking for (unless "Raptor", of course)
Thanks again
Wellcome to the mad house
The Raptor is perfect for moving bikes in the desert!! cant imagin a better solution.....But I may be biased
Mine is for sale here:
http://tnydu.biz/DOsGUa
The Raptor is perfect for moving bikes in the desert!! cant imagin a better solution.....But I may be biased
Mine is for sale here:
http://tnydu.biz/DOsGUa
Firstly another biased report from another Raptor owner. They are not silly - they are just about the most perfect car you can have here. No issues with parking in all malls and hotels, and if you arrive somewhere and there is just a dusty car park, you have no issues. However I won't be selling mine soon!
Sam - why you selling yours? Been meaning to drop you a note for a while now, as I am going to be needing tyres soon, and I am guessing you may have already sniffed out the best place to buy from?
With regards to the KTM - I bought my Raptor as I wanted to get an off-road bike, and track bike etc, but in the year and a bit I have been here, I have not had time, or it has been too hot. Now it is cooling down I am going to book a day at Just Gas It to give it a go and see if I like it (am used to mud, and cold in the UK rather than sand and heat we have here!). So give me a shout when you get here, and we can give it a go.
I have a few people from here that also fancy Just Gas It, but they have never ridden off road before and will need to do the beginners course first, and I don't think I can stomach that, and they are not that keen that they have bothered to book themselves.
Sam - why you selling yours? Been meaning to drop you a note for a while now, as I am going to be needing tyres soon, and I am guessing you may have already sniffed out the best place to buy from?
With regards to the KTM - I bought my Raptor as I wanted to get an off-road bike, and track bike etc, but in the year and a bit I have been here, I have not had time, or it has been too hot. Now it is cooling down I am going to book a day at Just Gas It to give it a go and see if I like it (am used to mud, and cold in the UK rather than sand and heat we have here!). So give me a shout when you get here, and we can give it a go.
I have a few people from here that also fancy Just Gas It, but they have never ridden off road before and will need to do the beginners course first, and I don't think I can stomach that, and they are not that keen that they have bothered to book themselves.
I've stored my bike at Crazy Camel Racing for the last 2 months, it's run by a Geordie chap called James West. He stores about 50+ bikes. Various packages, from basic storage, to full on storage, servicing. Turn up, bikes ready, ride, leave it and go home kinda thing. It's here, next to Dubai Plant Souk: http://tinyurl.com/q9tsh3p
Just Gas It recently moved and were in a temporary area, I didn't use them as it seems they were too far from where the group of guys ride from.
I however like to tinker with my bikes and now I've got something to pull it I'll be keeping it at home as of next week. I'll ping you a picture of the carrier shortly.
Pics from yesterday, we rode over towards Sky Dive Dubai.
EDIT: Here's the carrier, crappy pics as half of the lights are off in the carpark. The little ramp is held on with wig nuts, very simple to use (bungie cord is just to stop it rattling for now). The front wheel drops into the lager gap. It's a Rage Power Sports AMC-400. I brought it in from the US and I did look at having one made here, but it was faster to buy a proper one (and alloy = light) and ship it in, though shipping was $$$. It takes 2 minutes to fit the carrier with 4 bolts for the anti-tilt bracket. My tow hitch is also a quick release one, so I can remove it all with ease and waft along to the office in reasonable style.
Just Gas It recently moved and were in a temporary area, I didn't use them as it seems they were too far from where the group of guys ride from.
I however like to tinker with my bikes and now I've got something to pull it I'll be keeping it at home as of next week. I'll ping you a picture of the carrier shortly.
Pics from yesterday, we rode over towards Sky Dive Dubai.
EDIT: Here's the carrier, crappy pics as half of the lights are off in the carpark. The little ramp is held on with wig nuts, very simple to use (bungie cord is just to stop it rattling for now). The front wheel drops into the lager gap. It's a Rage Power Sports AMC-400. I brought it in from the US and I did look at having one made here, but it was faster to buy a proper one (and alloy = light) and ship it in, though shipping was $$$. It takes 2 minutes to fit the carrier with 4 bolts for the anti-tilt bracket. My tow hitch is also a quick release one, so I can remove it all with ease and waft along to the office in reasonable style.
Edited by Rich_AR on Saturday 3rd October 07:59
Edited by Rich_AR on Saturday 3rd October 08:01
Edited by Rich_AR on Saturday 3rd October 10:11
Rich_AR said:
Rick - Here's a pic from the weekend. You get the idea. Works pretty well, its stable and you cannot tell it's hanging off the back. When back home I chain the carrier to the bike, just to deter any potential opportunist thief.
Hi Rich, looks great. The bike especially. Can't wait to start looking at stuff like that in the next couple of weeks. 
So, after lots of painful bureaucracy, I finally managed to get myself a car.
Against all common sense and logic I bought a 2008 G55 AMG with 140,000 KM on it. I bargained very hard and got a great price, which means that I have a 10K or so budget to fix any gremlins I find. (Which I can pretty much guarantee I will).
So far, the car works well, it's had the interior redone, a G63 body kit with wheels and all, and seems to have still all the 507hp it came with.
Rich_AR helped me with the hard task of going through car dealers last sunday. We saw a couple of cars and test drove them. The little test track in Ras Al Khor is quite a nice feat.
I did not buy from a dealer as I sensed something was wrong, and later found out one car I looked at had been clocked to ****.
So, here's a few pictures.
First things to do:
-Remove silly spacers and fit more reasonable ones.
-Fix number plate light
-Get the car serviced. In theory it doesn't need it for another 8k km but I'd like to get it in top shape. It's always been my philosophy to buy used cars at the cheaper end of the market and fix all the issues so I know for sure they are fixed indeed.
next, a dirt bike and carrier - after the xmas break.
Thanks for reading
Against all common sense and logic I bought a 2008 G55 AMG with 140,000 KM on it. I bargained very hard and got a great price, which means that I have a 10K or so budget to fix any gremlins I find. (Which I can pretty much guarantee I will).
So far, the car works well, it's had the interior redone, a G63 body kit with wheels and all, and seems to have still all the 507hp it came with.
Rich_AR helped me with the hard task of going through car dealers last sunday. We saw a couple of cars and test drove them. The little test track in Ras Al Khor is quite a nice feat.
I did not buy from a dealer as I sensed something was wrong, and later found out one car I looked at had been clocked to ****.
So, here's a few pictures.
First things to do:
-Remove silly spacers and fit more reasonable ones.
-Fix number plate light
-Get the car serviced. In theory it doesn't need it for another 8k km but I'd like to get it in top shape. It's always been my philosophy to buy used cars at the cheaper end of the market and fix all the issues so I know for sure they are fixed indeed.
next, a dirt bike and carrier - after the xmas break.
Thanks for reading
stuckmojo said:
So, after lots of painful bureaucracy, I finally managed to get myself a car.
Against all common sense and logic I bought a 2008 G55 AMG with 140,000 KM on it.
Wow! That is stunning looking - well done.Against all common sense and logic I bought a 2008 G55 AMG with 140,000 KM on it.
We really do need to organise a PH Saturday Service or a drive while the weather is good.
shirt said:
nice work, would love a g wagen. how does it drive?
i do hope that wood looks better in daylight though otherwise i'd be on ebay looking for something a little less garish.
Thanks. i do hope that wood looks better in daylight though otherwise i'd be on ebay looking for something a little less garish.
It's basically like a big old LWB Defender with 500hp and 700lb/ft torque, so a lot of fun, if a bit of a blunt tool. The spacers do spoil the ride a little. they will be replaced in January with narrower ones.
The noise is amazing. Any tunnel demands a kickdown
The wood is not so bad. This is all how they came unless you specified a darker finish in plastic which is hard to come by. I'll have to think about that. Locals love garish so it's easier to resell when the time comes.
Now the priority is to find a decent car audio shop which can fit a usb port to the MB stereo/nav
Hi mate,
Big G Wagen fan myself,
Maybe try FOS concepts in Ramoul for your USB , i have them do all my stereo work on our sale cars and they are good / friendly / well priced.
Would be good to organise a PH meet, UAE has a great car culture and cool cars but people seem to meet in their own groups / areas so as a newbie it can be hard to find a decent meet up !
J
Big G Wagen fan myself,
Maybe try FOS concepts in Ramoul for your USB , i have them do all my stereo work on our sale cars and they are good / friendly / well priced.
Would be good to organise a PH meet, UAE has a great car culture and cool cars but people seem to meet in their own groups / areas so as a newbie it can be hard to find a decent meet up !
J
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