<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-31781" title="desert_car_05" src="http://www.zerotohundred.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/desert_car_05.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" />
If you were stranded in the desert with your car broken down beyond repair, what is the most possible action that you would take? Seek shelter from it, sit back and wait for a rescue party to come pick you up? Or maybe try your luck in walking out of the desert? Those two were apparently not in Emile’s mind as from his broken down Citroën, he managed to get creative and build himself a desert-getaway vehicle; a motorcycle.
<a href="http://www.zerotohundred.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/desert_car_01.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-31777" title="desert_car_01" src="http://www.zerotohundred.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/desert_car_01.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="351" /></a>
Emile was travelling in the Western Sahara when he was denied by the military over in the area to travel further as his destination, Tilemsem, was becoming a hotspot due to the conflict between Morroco and Western Sahara. But in determination to get there, he went off-track to bypass the roadblock and continue his journey to the destination. Off-track in the desert does not just mean by just encountering sand all over; there were also rocky terrains and uneven grounds. And while negotiating this harsh terrain is where Emile’s Citroën 2CV hit a rock, damaging a frame rail and a suspension swingarm.
<a href="http://www.zerotohundred.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/desert_car_02.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-31778" title="desert_car_02" src="http://www.zerotohundred.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/desert_car_02.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="405" /></a>
Assessing the situation, he decided to salvage whatever he could get from the immobilized Citroën and make a two-wheeler out of it. And by using some tools that he had brought with him, the motorcycle took shape in no time.
<a href="http://www.zerotohundred.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/desert_car_04.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-31780" title="desert_car_04" src="http://www.zerotohundred.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/desert_car_04.jpg" alt="" width="556" height="500" /></a>
Of course, the motorcycle does not even look like one that could travel in a long distance, but it sure does beat walking. The exhaust screams like a banshee, it has no brakes, and it is hard for him to even stabilize the machine, but those are just the start of it. The clutch and accelerator were a menace to set up, where it requires a lot of adjustments to have it working properly.
<a href="http://www.zerotohundred.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/desert_car_06.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-31782" title="desert_car_06" src="http://www.zerotohundred.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/desert_car_06.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="399" /></a>
But Emile managed to overcome all those obstacles and equipped with some supplies like food, water maps and compass, he then travelled down to the nearest road, where he was later on saved by the military. While the veracity of this story is still being questioned as Emile was alone during this amazing invention took shape, this still could be considered as one of those MacGyver moments where with ingenuity and a set of skillful hands creates a surprising invention that none could think of it as being even remotely possible.
Sources:
<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2012/05/23/man-stranded-in-desert-builds-motorcycle-out-of-his-broken-car/">http://www.autoblog.com/2012/05/23/man-stranded-in-desert-builds-motorcycle-out-of-his-broken-car/</a>
<a href="http://au-bout-de-la-route.blogspot.com/2012/05/bricolo-genial-en-mode-survival.html">http://au-bout-de-la-route.blogspot.com/2012/05/bricolo-genial-en-mode-survival.html</a>
If you were stranded in the desert with your car broken down beyond repair, what is the most possible action that you would take? Seek shelter from it, sit back and wait for a rescue party to come pick you up? Or maybe try your luck in walking out of the desert? Those two were apparently not in Emile’s mind as from his broken down Citroën, he managed to get creative and build himself a desert-getaway vehicle; a motorcycle.
<a href="http://www.zerotohundred.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/desert_car_01.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-31777" title="desert_car_01" src="http://www.zerotohundred.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/desert_car_01.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="351" /></a>
Emile was travelling in the Western Sahara when he was denied by the military over in the area to travel further as his destination, Tilemsem, was becoming a hotspot due to the conflict between Morroco and Western Sahara. But in determination to get there, he went off-track to bypass the roadblock and continue his journey to the destination. Off-track in the desert does not just mean by just encountering sand all over; there were also rocky terrains and uneven grounds. And while negotiating this harsh terrain is where Emile’s Citroën 2CV hit a rock, damaging a frame rail and a suspension swingarm.
<a href="http://www.zerotohundred.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/desert_car_02.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-31778" title="desert_car_02" src="http://www.zerotohundred.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/desert_car_02.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="405" /></a>
Assessing the situation, he decided to salvage whatever he could get from the immobilized Citroën and make a two-wheeler out of it. And by using some tools that he had brought with him, the motorcycle took shape in no time.
<a href="http://www.zerotohundred.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/desert_car_04.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-31780" title="desert_car_04" src="http://www.zerotohundred.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/desert_car_04.jpg" alt="" width="556" height="500" /></a>
Of course, the motorcycle does not even look like one that could travel in a long distance, but it sure does beat walking. The exhaust screams like a banshee, it has no brakes, and it is hard for him to even stabilize the machine, but those are just the start of it. The clutch and accelerator were a menace to set up, where it requires a lot of adjustments to have it working properly.
<a href="http://www.zerotohundred.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/desert_car_06.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-31782" title="desert_car_06" src="http://www.zerotohundred.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/desert_car_06.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="399" /></a>
But Emile managed to overcome all those obstacles and equipped with some supplies like food, water maps and compass, he then travelled down to the nearest road, where he was later on saved by the military. While the veracity of this story is still being questioned as Emile was alone during this amazing invention took shape, this still could be considered as one of those MacGyver moments where with ingenuity and a set of skillful hands creates a surprising invention that none could think of it as being even remotely possible.
Sources:
<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2012/05/23/man-stranded-in-desert-builds-motorcycle-out-of-his-broken-car/">http://www.autoblog.com/2012/05/23/man-stranded-in-desert-builds-motorcycle-out-of-his-broken-car/</a>
<a href="http://au-bout-de-la-route.blogspot.com/2012/05/bricolo-genial-en-mode-survival.html">http://au-bout-de-la-route.blogspot.com/2012/05/bricolo-genial-en-mode-survival.html</a>
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