Adventurers Took A Zero Motorcycle 9300 Miles Across Africa

If you were questioning whether the Zero DSR Black Forest Edition lives up to its ADV looks, we have some news for you. Turns out, it’s tougher than at least one car. Adventurers Thomas Jakel and Dulcie Mativo successfully rode from Morocco to Cape Town, South Africa—a distance of 15,000km (or 9300 miles), on a DSR. The duo completed their journey in December 2019.

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Watch This Guy Unbox His New Zero DSR Black Forest Edition

Since the two wanted to document the whole thing, and since ready sources of electricity might have been difficult to find in some spots, they had a chase vehicle. It carried things like camera and recording equipment, as well as power packs and additional luggage. However, the car broke down somewhere in Cameroon and was unable to be repaired, according to Zero. They finished their journey solely on board the Zero after selling their equipment so they could continue on and finish as scheduled. 

Gallery: AfricaX Zero DSR Black Forest Edition Journey

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We don’t know what kind of car the DSR outlasted—nor whether it had considerable mileage on it before it started. What we do know is that the DSR BFE is clearly a pretty tough machine. Planning ahead, the duo charged it overnight at their hotels as they crossed the country, and reported that they weren’t charged any additional fees to use hotel electricity along the way. 

This wasn’t just a journey on a Zero for fun—the duo’s AfricaX project was meant to raise awareness as they spoke to over 100 entrepreneurs across various fields, throughout the continent. Those are the parts they wanted to document, to inspire innovators and tell their stories via a travel documentary series. 

“We want to inspire as many people as possible to become change makers and help develop solutions for upcoming challenges, whether in Africa, Europe or anywhere else,” Jakel said afterward. 

Jackel and Mativo’s documentary efforts should be available for us all to enjoy some time in early 2020 if all goes as planned. Check out their website for more, and to keep up to date on the latest developments.

Photos via AfricaX on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook

Sources: YouTube, Zero Motorcycles