Motorcyclists' roads in Egypt
Where you actually go when you set out from the city, and what you need to be wearing on each of these roads.
Riding in Egypt means two very different things: the traffic of the capital, and the emptiness that begins the moment you leave it. They are two worlds that call for different gear, and almost every buying mistake comes from buying with only the first one in mind.
In the city, every day
In the city you move at low speed, you stand still a lot, and everything heats up: the engine, the asphalt, the rider. Here ventilation matters more than wind protection, and visibility matters: among the vans a light-coloured helmet and a jacket with reflective inserts are seen, a black one is not.
Dust matters too. Washable helmet liners and a scratch-resistant visor are not a luxury: fine sand settles everywhere, and micro-scratches on the visor become a serious problem against the low evening sun.
Towards Ain Sokhna, the short escape
It is the classic Friday trip: a little over an hour of fast road to reach the Red Sea. The stretch is straight and flowing, which means sustained speeds and constant wind. Here a perforated city jacket is no longer enough: you need something that holds up to the airflow without ballooning, and a helmet that does not turn noisy at a hundred and twenty.
The desert road to Alexandria
Long, monotonous, windy. The enemy is not the corner but fatigue: two hours in the same position with a crosswind pushing. On this kind of route a light, well-balanced helmet makes a real physical difference to the neck, and the intercom stops being a toy.
In winter, at dawn, the desert is genuinely cold: the same road that calls for perforated fabric at noon calls for a thermal liner at dawn. Three-layer jackets exist for this.
Sinai and the Red Sea, the long trip
Here you enter the territory of real travel: serious distances, sparse fuel stops, a wide temperature swing. The logic of the gear changes — no longer «how much does it protect me» but «how long can I stand wearing it for eight hours». Tall boots, gloves that do not make you sweat, and a jacket with pockets you can reach without stopping.
- Always check road conditions and any required permits before setting off for Sinai: the rules change over time and must be verified.
- On long and isolated routes, travelling with two vehicles is safer than with one.
- More water than you think you need, always.
What to buy first
If you ride only in the city: a well-ventilated helmet, short summer gloves, a mesh jacket with protectors. If you leave the city even once a month, the jacket becomes the purchase that changes the most — because it is the only one that has to work at forty degrees standing still and at a hundred and twenty an hour.