Canada to Cancun on the 250$ Venture - The full ride report

[bongobobny]

OK I'll make it four...

[Flyinfool]

I'll make it officially a bunch of us are waiting with baited breath.

[Road_couch]

More! More!

[IH Truck Guy]

Scooter Bob,is this you running an alias? lol

 

Nice trip so far...Awesome write-up.

[jfman]

Got a new update coming once I reach a real computer

[Flyinfool]

Looking forward to it.

[DarrinGT]

Great write up so far, Looking forward to the next installment!

[jfman]

Day 6,7 and 8 - Texas with Skizzman

 

 

Let me just start by saying that Skizzman is a great host and an awesome dude. Skizzman knows Mexico pretty well and since he had seen that I had done it so wrong on my 2014/2015 trip, I think he felt he owed it to himself to take me under his wing(and his roof) to teach me a few things about Mexico before allowing me to enter this amazing country once again.

 

 

My last trip to Mexico went not without a hitch: Broken down 10,000$ bike, riding at night in areas where I am clearly not supposed to and with the consequences we all know. As a Mexico newbie with a pretty horrendus knowledge to guts ratio I could not miss this opportunity to pick his brain. This time I am going to do it right. This time I am riding this 31 year old bike and I am going to avoid dirt roads at all cost(yeah right!).

 

 

Lets hope I can learn a few things from Skizzman.

 

 

I headed to Austin and picked up these very essential clutch springs at the local Cyclegear. These bring a promise to stop slippage and allow me to experience the full grunt of the 1200cc V4 motor.

 

 

35$ very well spent

 

 

 

 

After this errand I meet Skizzman at..... Wholefoods?!? I am at first a little skeptical and slightly concerned about meeting a strange man in a grocery store. It almost felt to me like I was walking into the scene of a Cohen Brothers movie. However the worrying quickly faded when I noticed that the Wholefoods has a craft beer pub right between the cereal and the canned food aisles.

 

 

Gotta love grocery shopping in Texas.

 

 

 

 

We down some pretty darn good beers (on tap) and we get to know each other a little bit. Of course I had to kiss a little bit of his behind to make sure I was not going to spend the night stealthcamped in the middle of a hipster fest(South by Southwest is going on in Austin) My strategy worked flawlessly and Skizzman took me home after we ate some pretty good Mexican food.

 

 

After this, the drinking continued at Skizzman's house. I fell asleep and then I forgot what happened.(I may have the order wrong here)

 

 

Anyway the next morning I was feeling fresh and while Skizzman was getting up and ready I popped the clutch cover from my steed.

 

 

 

 

I slapped these new springs over the bikes clutch basket. Just by looking at the photo, you can see why they will do a lot better job than the old ones. I then put the cover back on but not before applying a generous amount of RTV on the cover's mating surface.

 

 

 

 

While the RTV was curing we went to eat a hearty breakfast at 1431 cafe.

 

 

Then it was time to test the low budget machine against Skizzman's R1200GSAW. I will take an an old man's bike on a trip I said. There will be no spirited riding I said. Old, flexy and comfy bike will force me to ride sensibly I said. It will be a safer trip with this bike I said. Of course with all of the vintage ponies now on tap(there's a few on this bike) and a GSW leading the way at a sporty pace, all common sense is flying right out of the window. Common sense on two wheels is not my forte. We are having a lot of fun, a lot more fun than I should be having on this bike. Everytime I am passing a car or correcting lean angles, the whole bike flexes and dances side to side. It is a little nerve-racking but still manageable. When looking forward I see Skizzman in front of me on his rock solid Bavarian machine. He and his bike are perfectly planted and looking so good that it almost looks slow. I, on the other hand, look like a crash waiting to happen, but I am loving every second of it. This bikes engine is writing checks the chassis can barely cash. It's controlably out of control at all times and as the handlebars dance side to side while I try to manage ground clearance I have moment of epiphany: This bike is awesome!

 

 

During our two days of riding, not many photos were taken because we were simply were too busy having fun and going around cars and cruisers.

 

 

We did stop for a drink at this nice restaurant overlooking a river.

 

 

 

 

Here we are at a creek crossing.

 

 

 

 

Skizzman's R1200GSAW makes even my hunk of vintage tourer look a bit small... or normal.

 

 

 

 

Another shot of the same area.

 

 

 

 

This is us in Oatmeal, Texas

 

 

 

 

We ride some hill country roads until dark then we hit Hopdoddy's in Austin where they serve amazing burgers.

 

 

After our ride, Skizzman offers I park my bike in his garage for the night. I decide against it simply because I know the bike has zero chance of being messed with.

 

 

This decision was a blessing because the next morning I woke up to this:

 

 

 

 

A massive coolant leak. This time the leak does not come from a bad o-ring. It is much more serious; the impeler shaft seal is failing (probably from the stress of the spirited riding.) I crank the bike up and I notice the leaking stops as soon as the bike gets warm. I make the decision that I will try to find a seal tomorrow as today is the lords day and were headed to church: we are going to ride the 3 Twisted Sisters in the Texas Hill Country.

 

 

 

 

We ride just like we did the day before. It is a lot of fun and these roads are sublime for our large steeds.

 

 

 

 

There are very little safe spots to stop on these roads so I kept the photos to a minimum.

 

 

 

 

We stopped to eat lunch at the Frio Canyon Motorcycle stop.

 

 

 

 

It is cruiser heaven up there and our two missmatched bikes do look slightly out of place.

 

 

 

 

After lunch, we hit the road and we end up coming op on this guy riding a forty-eight Harley at a spirited pace. He's actualy the only guy we run into for that whole weekend that is riding at a pace worth following or leading.

 

 

His name is George and he was a good guy. We chatted with him for a little bit and told him he liked speed way to much to be riding that particular bike. I also gave a little bit of crap for not wearing a helmet. I did get his email address and sent him a quick email a few days later but never heard back from him.

 

 

Anyway George if you read this, join the board and let us know how you are doing.

 

 

 

 

A last shot from our ride in the Texas Hill country.

 

 

 

 

After the ride we head back to Austin and we grab some food at a local restaurant. After going home, we drink and we chat about the meaning of life and even more important things like bikes and logistics in Mexico.

 

 

Overall this weekend was a pretty successful bromance story. (Yes I used that word)

 

 

Tomorrow I make a run for the border.

 

 

That is, if I can find a water pump shaft seal and a rear tire.

 

 

You see when I arrived at Skizzman's place I had a rear tire, with actual threads on it. After our two days in the Texas Hill Country with Skizzman, I had a bald tire.

 

 

Damn you JD!

[Dragonslayer]

Great read. I had similar rear tire experience riding New Mexico to Amarillo. Must be those rough southwestern roads.

[gaj1917]

Keep it coming you crazy Canuck!

[DarrinGT]

Awesome, Cant wait till the next installment! Love the look of Georges Harley Very cool!

[Gary N.]

And that my friends is why I spend the winter in Hill Country!

[jfman]

Day 9 and 10 - Entering Mexico

 

 

I wake up at Skizzman's place in Austin. It's now Monday so JD has to go to work and I have to get on the road and head South, Pronto! Of course the bike is still leaking coolant from the water pump impeller seal. Predictably as soon as I warm the bike up, it quits leaking.

 

 

I ride a little past Austin and pull into a Dunkin' Donuts for some food and to have a cool place to make some phone calls in the hop of finding a seal and a rear tire.

 

 

It turns out many of the local dealerships are closed on Mondays in The Austin and in also in the San Antonio area. I manage to get a Yamaha dealer on the phone but the parts counter claims there is a 3 business day wait for the seal I need.

 

 

They also dont have my tire size in stock. I call Harley and they have plenty of Harley branded tires that are compatible with my bike but they also want 250$ for just the tire.

 

 

I scour the Craiglists ads and I find a slightly used Harley tire for 60$ near McAllen, TX.

 

 

I also seek advice here on advrider to see if I can source a seal while in Mexico. I am basically told that I am better off getting a seal before leaving the US because parts are very hard and slow to get in Mexico. Against all advice from the Mexico veterans, and more importantly not wanting to spend 4 days in Texas waiting on a 20$ seal that only leaks only when cold, I decide to ignore the repair and enter Mexico with the leaky bike. Afterall this bike is expendable and I only have two weeks left before I have to fly out of Cancun. My reasoning is that if the bike gives in, I will just take a bus to Cancun and sip margaritas until I have to leave.

 

 

I ride from Austin to McAllen. It's a 5 hour ride only but today is the first day of the trip where the heat is significant, well at least for this Canadian.

 

 

I ride to small neighborhood off I-2 to pick up my ''nearly new'' but sadly ten year old Craigslist Harley tire from the seller. The same guy that claims there is nothing wrong with listing 10 year old tire as nearly new, warns me not to travel to Mexico unless I want to be ''cut in pieces and buried'' in the Mexican backcountry.

 

 

I crash at a Motel 6 and I purchase some liability insurance for Mexico before going to sleep.

 

 

The next morning, on Skizzman's tip, I ride a little bit west to Los Ebanos to take a hand ferry into Mexico.

 

 

It's a little bit of a detour but a very cool way to enter Mexico. The cost is only a few dollars and there is virtualy no wait.

 

 

 

 

As I pull up to the border station, on the US side I see a car with blown out tires, two police cars and a guy getting handcuffed.

 

 

I ride past the scene and I ride down the hill to reach the ferry.

 

 

 

 

In my rudimentary Spanish I ask the folks on the ferry ''Que pasa con el hombre'' pointing at the US side.

 

 

My understanding of their explanation is that he was actualy on the US side trying to escape to Mexico.

 

 

Getting pulled across the Rio Grande.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once into Mexico I ride back east to the aduana station to get my paperwork taken care of. There was little to no wait at the station and the process was quick and smooth.

 

 

I then ride on the 40 to General Bravo where I get some Mexican Pesos out of the ATM. It's a pretty flat and quiet ride. Then I ride the 35 to General Téran.

 

 

What is nice about this stretch of road is that you get to ride thru orange groves. This time of the year is orange picking season for the region and as you follow dump trucks filled with them, you get that nice wiff of oranges in the air. Also, everytime a dump truck rolls over a topes, a few oranges spill out onto the street. I did grab a few. They are smaller than Navel oranges and have a smooth skin. They still taste very sweet but are a little thougher to peel and eat. I have never seen those in Canadian grocery stores so I can only guess that these oranges get turned into juice or are just sold in Mexico.

 

 

 

 

I finally turned right on 85. There is a pretty darn sweet road that snakes up and down the mountain range you see in the far distance. This is where I am headed.

 

 

 

 

I then turned left on 20 and start riding right up the mountain.

 

 

 

 

Nice curves but the pavement quality is not the best.

 

 

 

 

Maybe I am just getting picky.

 

 

 

 

I could be stuck in the Canadian snow right now: life is good.

 

 

 

 

This road delivers

 

 

 

 

As I near the top of the mountain, the road enters a gorge and follows a dry creek.

 

 

 

 

I love stuff like this

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's getting dark as I reach my destination for the day: La Cienaga de Gonzales.

 

 

 

 

When I got there it seemed deserted. Most of the Cabanas were closed but as I got to the edge of town, one hotel was opened. I got a room for about 400 or 500 pesos. The hotel had about 30 rooms but I was the only one there which seems to be typical in rural Mexico.

 

 

After I got settled into my room I got to work on the bike to swap the rear tire. It was my first time pulling the back wheel from this bike so it took a little bit of headscratching at first but I got the wheel off without problems.

 

 

 

 

I then took advantage of the well lit (and deserted) lobby to get to work on the tire.

 

 

 

 

It looks like I squeezed the most I could out of that old tire.

 

 

 

 

With the new tire on, all I had left to do was put some air in it.

 

 

 

 

That proved to be a difficult task. I tried it all, motopump compressor, ratchet straps, bouncing the tire, CO2 cartridges, wd40 shot then hit it with a a lighter then tried the same technique with a little gas as well. I was just unable to set the bead on this tire. Big fail on my part. As I was struggling with this problem, a van pulled up. Two Mexican ladies, in their mid forties, came out and got a room right next to mine. I messed with the tire a little bit more but since I kept failing and was getting tired, I decided to put the wheel back onto the bike and just wait until the morning to get it filled up with air at the local tienda.

 

 

I went back to my room, got into the shower and as I got out and slipped into my bed, it started: Insane, wild and very loud sex. To paint an auditory picture for you, this hotel is all on the same floor, all concrete with steel doors, wide halls and high ceilings in the middle of a secluded mountain. The furniture and beds are made from logs, cabin style.

 

 

The screams echoed throughout the hotel like the end of a murder scene in a slasher movie. Except the banging and the screaming lasted for over 30 minutes. Then it stopped, at first I thought for good but after a few minutes it got going again. The screams were now almost just as loud but different. I realized at this point that this couple probably traded positions and I can only guess... equipment. Part of me was curious, aroused and yes even jealous that I was not a lesbian that night. (Did I just write this?)

 

 

The first night in Mexico as a cultural experience: It delivered, but not in a way I expected.

[Flyinfool]

Woo Hoo

Glad you are back to this story.

I was missing getting to read it.

[Dragonslayer]

I too had to settle for a HD Dunlap III in New Mexico. I hated to put HD tire on my Yamaha but I figured being the rear tire behind the saddle bags no one would notice. And since I had no choice that used HD Dunlap was my only option in Tucumcari, NM on a weekend. Actually I could have ordered a tire of my choice online and waited until Thursday when UPS would be coming thru. BUT tx2sturgis and silver bullet were waiting for me in Amarillo. Silver bullet did offer to bring me a tire from Amarillo but by the time I got that call I already had the HDD III mounted. Thanks to a trick wild hair 69 gave me over the phone on how to get the rear tire off without removing the saddlebags. The trick was to take the front wheel off which allow you to Jack the rear end up high enough for the rear wheel to come out from the bottom.

 

Looking back I got more mileage on that used HDD III then I have ever gotten on any new tire I have ever bought.

[jfman]

Day 11 - Crisscrossing the Sierra Madre Oriental

 

 

I woke up at around 8:30. The "arguing" ladies were already gone. I got on my bike and with a flat rear tire and I managed to ride thru town (at less than 5 miles an hour.) When I reached the local tienda they had a small compressor that they were using for a construction job that was going on. There were three guys working on the roof of the building and two at the bottom who were busy drinking cervesas. I tried to set the bead with the small roofing compressor but there was not enough pressure in the tank to get the job done. On customer told me he has got a big compressor at his house that I am welcomed to use. Still with a flat tire, I follow him to his house where he proceeds to show me his compressor. We plugged the compressor to the wall but the electrical power was so weak at his place that the compressor did not want to get going. We had to let the air out of it and then the motor got going. The pressure started to build but he could not find the adapter that goes on the end of the hose. With the everflat tire, I rode back to the tienda, borrowed their adapter, rode back to his place and then I was able to put air in the tire and set the bead. It goes to show that sometimes it takes a village (and over an hour) to put air in a tire. However I am not complaining because in true Mexican fashion, everyone was helpful towards this struggling gringo.

 

 

I left a little bit of money on the compressor to thank the customer who had let me use his tools then I rode back to the tienda to bring back the adaptor I had borrowed.

 

 

At this point it was about 10am and the two guys you see in the photos below had quite a few to drink; they were in a festive mood. I started chatting with them and we all had a few laughs, including the guys working on the roof of the tienda. Quite drunk, the guy in the red shirt asked me where I was going after this. I told him "Quiero ir a San Miguel de Allende" He tells me he wants me to take him there. I tell him "es possible... pero, necessitas uno casco!"

 

 

The bull****ting has begun:

 

 

Stumbling around, he says he can get one from his house. In my spectacular Spanish I tell him "necessito ir a mi hotel, depues regressar aqui... trente minutos" We are having a good time and everybody is laughing at the situation. I get to my room to collect my things and I pack in manner that leaves the backseat free for someone to sit on. I get back to the tienda and as I dismount, I yell out "donde es tu casco!!?!".... "tiempo de ir a San Miguel!! Andale!!" Everyone is laughing their asses off.

 

 

I hung out for a bit and it turns out that like me, a few of the guys there had lived in Atlanta so we talked about that for a while. I bought soda from the tienda and hit the road.

 

 

 

 

"Puedo manejar?!?" NO!!!!

 

 

 

 

"Donde es tu casco!!!!"

 

 

 

 

Ok... back on 20.

 

 

 

 

The part West of La Ciénega is even nicer than the part I rode the evening before.

 

 

 

 

Artsy shot

 

 

 

 

Looking back East

 

 

 

 

Saw a few trees that reminded me of Louisiana.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just plain sweet this road.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And riding between these massive natural walls is blissful.

 

 

 

 

I started heading down the mountain.

 

 

 

 

Due to varying pavement conditions, a few curves had to be taken at a slow pace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think this is San Jose de la Boquillas.

 

 

 

 

Wide open spaces

 

 

 

 

I rode 20 all the way to 57D, the Cuota...

 

 

 

 

Cuota gonna do what cuota gonna do! On the northbound side, the semis were stuck in a crawling traffic jam that was over 30 miles long. I was just so grateful to be headed South because it's gonna take all day for these trucks to get thru.

 

 

 

 

I got off at 58 and started to ride East towards Iturbide.

 

 

 

 

Flatlandia at first.

 

 

 

 

Then it gets more interesting.

 

 

 

 

Amazing pavement conditions.

 

 

 

 

So much fun to ride on this road.

 

 

 

 

There was less elevation changes than on 20 but the curves were just superb.

 

 

 

 

58 looking east

 

 

 

 

 

 

East of Iturbide

 

 

 

 

58: Another Mexican gem

 

 

 

 

Now back on the flat east of the mountains: Some sort of orchard? near Linares

 

 

 

 

Crossing into Tamaulipas.

 

 

 

 

Heading south on 85

 

 

 

 

On Skizzman's advice, in Hidalgo I took a right on 30 and I rode to Hacienda de la Mesa. However when I got there they wanted over 1000 pesos for a room. It looked like a pretty cool place but since I travel on a budget and I had many hours of riding left in me, I left and made progress towards San Miguel.

 

 

I rode to Ciudad Victoria, then got on the 101, then on 75D.

 

 

I got a room in a "love motel" just South of Rio Verde - Cost of 150/180 pesos for the night.

 

 

It even had AC! (photo taken in the morning)

 

 

[leo3wheel]

Wow! So cool! Wish I had the nerve to attempt such a trip! Thanks so much for sharing!

[jfman]

Day 12 - Wandering around the Mexican Backcountry

 

Still at the hotel, while I fiddle with my phone I spot some backroads going across the mountains between Rio Verde and San Miguel de Allende. At this point I am wanting to explore off the main roads to check things out.

 

I ride down 69 for about 10 km's then I make a right when I spot this nicely paved road leading to the hills.

 

 

After a few kms, pavement quality decreases but it is still pretty decent at this point.

 

 

Nice straight and flat. I don't really know where this is going to lead but I like it so far.

 

 

After just a few more km's, the road turns to dirt. Now I don't have the right bike for the dirt but these roads look to be in good condition and the landscape is too good.

 

 

I just can't pass this up.

 

 

It's pretty smooth at this point and the road is manageable.

 

 

I realize that I may be headed towards rougher roads but I don't care. If it gets too bad I'll just turn around.

 

 

Besides, that morning view heading towards those hills just makes me weak inside.

 

 

The landscape reminds me a little bit of the area around Tubares near Copper Canyon.

 

 

Relatively easy dirt with hills that can done on pretty much any bike. It was my first time riding this beast on the dirt. It's actually easier that it looks to ride one of these mammoths on dirt roads.

 

 

However the bike was not liking the ride as much as I was. The suspension was not designed to soak up these Mexican dirt roads. The whole bike was in in a constant state of bottoming out and rattling. If I dared look at the massive fairings as I was riding, I could clearly see the plastics moving up and down with the bumps independently from the rest of the bike... very much like the breasts of a curvy woman that is running. I started to wonder if this was not too much or too rough for this bike.

 

But I kept going.

 

 

No ride thru the Mexican back country is complete without a stray cattle or some burros here and ther.

 

 

At this fork I turn left purely on instinct. Maybe this is a good time to tell you guys that my GPS has none of these roads mapped in it and of course my cell phone has no reception here.

 

 

Then I ran into my first cattle gate.

 

 

Fun stuff - but this one I was able to ride around.

 

 

Of course I run into another fork in the road.

 

 

Now this other cattle gate, I had to dismount and walk the bike across.

 

 

I finally arrived in town.

 

 

A tiny little town called Agua Fria.

 

I rode passed the town but then I turned around because I got a feeling the road may get worse from there on out.

 

 

I turned around and stopped at this tiny school to ask for directions.

 

 

There was a teacher with about 8 kids in the school. She stopped teaching for a few minutes and we started to chat. After she found out I had made it down there from Canada, she explained it to the kids on a map that was hanging on the wall. Then a man in his 40's arrived. I told him I was wanting to get to San Miguel de Allende thru these back-roads. He explained that the roads were getting worse from this point on and that I should backtrack a little and catch the new paved road at the "Presa" He said the word "Presa" many times but I could not figure out the meaning of the word. He drew a map on a piece of paper to get me there. One thing he mentioned is that if I made it to a town called Pueblo Viejo, I was on the wrong path and had to turn around.

 

In my limited experience in rural Mexico, the locals had always been great at helping out and this time was no different.

 

So after some chit chat, I turned around and headed back to the first fork in the road where I had made a wrong turn.

 

I reached this bridge.

 

 

Not sure if lost again or on the right track.

 

 

Bulky steed obliges, at a slow pace, I kept riding this road for about 10 km's.

 

 

I then reached a tiny town and stopped at this little tienda. I bought some cheese and some fizzy drinks. As I was chatting with the owner, his wife brought me some food she was cooking for the family. As I ate, I talked a little bit with the cutest little Mexican girl I had ever seen. I gave her some Canadian coins as a souvenir and headed out on the road again.

 

 

I ride for about 15 minutes and I reach an area with a few homes. I spot a sign and it reads "Rancho Viejo" Awe crap... I had made it exactly where the man in Agua Fria had told me not to go. I was puzzled because in the previous town was a sign that was telling me the way to the San Luis de La Paz, where I needed to get to. I stopped at a home where some folks were hanging out. I explain to them that I do not understand how I got here since I followed the sign to San Luis de la Paz from the previous town. They proceed to tell me that this is the old road to there but now there is a new road at the "Presa" (still don't know what Presa means at this point)

 

As I am chatting with these folks, a 14ish year old girl with a very short skirt emerges from the house, suitcase in hand. She tells me she needs to make it to Victoria, and that it's on my way to the "Presa" she wants me to give her a ride there. Everyone at the home agrees. I get a really bad feeling at this situation. Carrying a scantily clad minor on the back of my bike in the middle of the Mexican backcountry is a recipe for disaster. So I politely tell the whole family that I cant give the teenager a ride because "la calle es muy mal" y "no tengo otro casco, es muy peligroso"

 

As I ride back to where I came from, I am wondering as to how a family would allow a such a young girl dressed this way to get on a motorcycle with a complete stranger from another country.

 

 

Well at least these roads are fun to ride, but not so much on the bike I am on.

 

 

I pulled over at these switchback for some photos.

 

 

Another reason I had pulled over was to mess with my speedometer that had quit working.

 

 

I fiddled with it a little but there was no easy fix for this deal. And that was the end of the speedometer for the rest of this trip.

 

 

So I kept riding on this nice road.

 

 

And reached this water break.

 

 

Water breaks like this are mandatory spots to stop for photos.

 

 

This time I think I am on the correct path.

 

 

Well this sure explains a lot.

 

 

And this is where I learned the meaning of the word "Presa"

 

 

Here's a shot of the Dam's reservoir.

 

 

After many hours in the back country, I had reached that sweet pavement again.

 

 

And sweet that road was.

 

 

Brand new black top.

 

 

Perfect curves

 

 

This is "progress" I can live with.

 

 

And the view here is amazing.

 

 

If you like good pavement this one is for the books. Just off 57D, it connects Doctor Mora to Presa El Realito.

 

 

After a relaxed ride on 57d I reached my hang out spot for the the next couple of days.

 

 

Time for some R&R in San Miguel de Allende.

 

 

But that is for the next installment.

[bongobobny]

Man!! You had an adventure most of us could only dream of!!! The Mexico of today is a lot more dangerous than the Mexico of my day, back in the late 60's...

[cowpuc]

Cowpuc: You are the smilie king! Next time I head west and roll thru your area on a bike I will bug you and invite you out for a cup of coffee or beer wichever you prefer.

 

I am thinking "I gotta meet this guy" ha ha!

 

JF,,,, ANYTIME MY FRIEND,, absolutely ANYTIME = DOOR IS ALWAYS OPEN!!!:thumbsup: Matter of fact,,, make it some time when we are holding one of our Meet/Greets and Eat Meats and I will personally buy you as many of our 1/4 pound all beef Hot Dogs your Mexican touring belly can hold - also you would probably get to meet some of Michigans FINEST lop eared varmints known to man!! If ya let me know your coming I will post it up here on the site and give you star billing = wayyyyy above even Elvis who comes and plays for us sometimes !! Don't have to though,, just "ding dong" our door bell if your in the area and we can go from there! If you go to our club's "Member Map" you will find our place right on the Lake Michigan shoreline. Click on my balloon and BINGO - instant Puc..

 

About your adventure = now THAT is what I am talking about = WOWZZZzzz WOW WOW WOW brother - wowzy wow wow wow = JUST AMAZING:scared:!!!

Been a good long while since I have read stories and seen pics like that:thumbsup: = MOTORCYCLE TOURING AT ITS FINEST,, all on the seat of a $250 Venture - OUTSTANDING JF!!

Your "book" (you REALLY should write one), with pictures should be submitted to Mom Yam - maybe submit it - maybe they would hire you as a new bike test pilot and supply you with a new bike to take out and run the socks off from every year = never know:guitarist 2:..

Problem with reading amazing stories from a fellow who shares in most of our passion for riding is it inspires (AND THIS STORY IS EXTREMELY INSPIRATIONAL) lots of questions. Mind answering a few?

- have problems finding fuel in Mex?

- over all, did you feel welcomed by the general public down there, get chased by any Bandito's or have any LEO issues?

- they have posted speed limits or can ya let er buck if ya want?

- any special insurance requirements?

- can a person pull over and tent camp on those open lands down there?

- was a "pass port" all that is required to pass thru customs, any time limit on your stay (if you wanted to stay all winter could you)?

- any sign of motorcycle shops (places to buy tires or other parts)?

- did find the language barrier difficult or was there ample English speakers around?

- about how many Peso's for

 

JF,, THANK YOU for including us on this epic adventure. It is an HONOR to follow this and my wife (Tip), our bike (Tweeksis) and I are completely hooked and eagerly await your next installment.

 

 

PS - those canyon walls are gonna make for some GREAT dreams tonight!! Kinda reminded me of Needles Highway in South Dakota that I HAVE to visit at least once a year - BEAUTIFUL JFMAN, JUST BEAUTIFUL!!!

 

you da man JF,,,,,, YOU DA MAN

Puc

[snyper316]

Very Very Beautiful, I love those shots you got of canyons, hills, mountains I don't know if you have made it back, But Would sure love to see a back drop of a waterfall.

[jfman]

JF,,,, ANYTIME MY FRIEND,, absolutely ANYTIME = DOOR IS ALWAYS OPEN!!!:thumbsup: Matter of fact,,, make it some time when we are holding one of our Meet/Greets and Eat Meats and I will personally buy you as many of our 1/4 pound all beef Hot Dogs your Mexican touring belly can hold - also you would probably get to meet some of Michigans FINEST lop eared varmints known to man!! If ya let me know your coming I will post it up here on the site and give you star billing = wayyyyy above even Elvis who comes and plays for us sometimes !! Don't have to though,, just "ding dong" our door bell if your in the area and we can go from there! If you go to our club's "Member Map" you will find our place right on the Lake Michigan shoreline. Click on my balloon and BINGO - instant Puc..

 

About your adventure = now THAT is what I am talking about = WOWZZZzzz WOW WOW WOW brother - wowzy wow wow wow = JUST AMAZING:scared:!!!

Been a good long while since I have read stories and seen pics like that:thumbsup: = MOTORCYCLE TOURING AT ITS FINEST,, all on the seat of a $250 Venture - OUTSTANDING JF!!

Your "book" (you REALLY should write one), with pictures should be submitted to Mom Yam - maybe submit it - maybe they would hire you as a new bike test pilot and supply you with a new bike to take out and run the socks off from every year = never know:guitarist 2:..

Problem with reading amazing stories from a fellow who shares in most of our passion for riding is it inspires (AND THIS STORY IS EXTREMELY INSPIRATIONAL) lots of questions. Mind answering a few?

- have problems finding fuel in Mex?

- over all, did you feel welcomed by the general public down there, get chased by any Bandito's or have any LEO issues?

- they have posted speed limits or can ya let er buck if ya want?

- any special insurance requirements?

- can a person pull over and tent camp on those open lands down there?

- was a "pass port" all that is required to pass thru customs, any time limit on your stay (if you wanted to stay all winter could you)?

- any sign of motorcycle shops (places to buy tires or other parts)?

- did find the language barrier difficult or was there ample English speakers around?

- about how many Peso's for

 

JF,, THANK YOU for including us on this epic adventure. It is an HONOR to follow this and my wife (Tip), our bike (Tweeksis) and I are completely hooked and eagerly await your next installment.

 

 

PS - those canyon walls are gonna make for some GREAT dreams tonight!! Kinda reminded me of Needles Highway in South Dakota that I HAVE to visit at least once a year - BEAUTIFUL JFMAN, JUST BEAUTIFUL!!!

 

you da man JF,,,,,, YOU DA MAN

Puc

 

Thanks a lot Puc!!!

 

 

I look forward to meeting you.

 

Problem with reading amazing stories from a fellow who shares in most of our passion for riding is it inspires (AND THIS STORY IS EXTREMELY INSPIRATIONAL) lots of questions. Mind answering a few? not at all!

 

- have problems finding fuel in Mex? For the most part no. All gas stations in Mexico are Pemex and are govt run. They only accept cash however. There's enough of them that finding gas has not yet been a real problem with my spare fuel canister.

 

- over all, did you feel welcomed by the general public down there, get chased by any Bandito's or have any LEO issues? On a previous trip I have ridden thru cartel territory and have had a slight scare with them. However I was never in any real danger and I truly believe the cartel simply does not care about weird guyz riding motorcycles in the back country. They have other stuff to worry about and a business to run. The general public is very nice in Mexico and this is exponentialy true in rural Mexico. Mexicans live in a beautiful country and they are proud as they should be. Show them that you apreciate their country and their culture and you will be rewarded with unprecedented kindness.

 

 

- they have posted speed limits or can ya let er buck if ya want? Only the main roads and the quotas have posted limits... and nobody respects them. on the quotas I have been riding consistently riding a 150kms or more and blowing by the cops with never being pulled over for speeding. The only times I have been checked was at military checkpoints and once by a cop who wanted to see my paperwork. I have never gotten a ticket in Mexico.

 

- any special insurance requirements? In Mexico you need Mexican liability insurance that you can buy from companies like Baja Bound. For the venture, the insurance was around 6$ per day IIRC. You can buy yearly coverage for a better deal than this.

- can a person pull over and tent camp on those open lands down there? Yes and I have done it. Not a problem at all but there are less opportunities to do so. It is not as easy to camp in Mexico as it would be in the western United States.

 

- was a "pass port" all that is required to pass thru customs, any time limit on your stay (if you wanted to stay all winter could you)? You need to stop at the border to get a tourist VISA and you also need a TVIP (temporary importation permit) for the bike. the process is not complex and the maximum amount of time you can travel is 6 months.

 

- any sign of motorcycle shops (places to buy tires or other parts)? It is much harder to find parts and tires in Mexico. The big four dont have many dealers and they cater almost exclusively to little city/pizza delivery bikes. Almost no one has big bike tires in stock and ordering stuff takes a lot more time than in the US.

 

- did find the language barrier difficult or was there ample English speakers around? Virtualy no one speaks English down there. Learn the basic for asking directions, finding gas and learn the name of motorcycle parts in Spanish.

 

- about how many Peso's for ... The exchange rate is 13 to 1 (us to pesos) Gas costs about 35 to 40% more than in the US. If you stay away from Cancun and the other resort towns that cater to tourists, Hotel rooms range from 180 pesos(rare) to about 600 pesos. Food in restaurants is cheap (7-8$ for a meal in a local Mexican restaurant) Beer is the same price as in the US if not a little more. And the Mexican beer is pretty weak an bland. Good coffee is hard to fin down there. Dont be surprised if they bring you hot water and instant coffee for you to mix in a restaurant.

 

[cowpuc]

You betcha JF - your more than welcome and THANK YOU for the info!!! Like those other +3000 viewers following your epic adVenture here = eagerly awaiting your next installment!!!!

[snyper316]

You betcha JF - your more than welcome and THANK YOU for the info!!! Like those other +3000 viewers following your epic adVenture here = eagerly awaiting your next installment!!!!

 

Grrr!!!!! cowpuc Hey Flyinfool Could you turn your machine on him he got me all excited thinking there was more epic adventures only to find he was trolling again!!!@jfman It's been awhile since I actually read word by word and line by line. Wished I could put something together Like this.

[Condor]

Really enjoying your posts, and your FAQ post was spot on. Brings back good memories. We drove down the BAJA to Cabo, and tented on the beach along the way, and the natives are great peeps... One problem we did run into was the availability of diesel. Gas was readily available, but when it came to diesel we had to top off in every major pueblo just to make sure. Once we had to go to the city maintenence yard to find it. We've been to Cancun and PV, and before we went I'd buy peso's either from a money broker, or at an exchange kiosk before crossing the boarder. Once, went we went to PV, it was 360;1. You can become a milionaire really quick. They will take dollar$ but the change gets a little foggy. On the way back to the US we stopped in Encinada for dinner at a Chinese Resturant. Two of us had the seafood gormet meal for three and cost $100P @ 13:1, or about $7.50US. It took two tables to handle all the different courses. With some things I didn't even know what they were, but they tasted great!! Keep those posts coming...