# Do you have motorcycle MX trip experience?



## mxfan (Jun 7, 2014)

I am planning a ride from Tijuana to Puerto Vallarta in October. Down Baja and crossing on a ferry to Jalisco. Any experience, advice or thoughts to add to my plan thoughts? 

I have a Kawasaki Vulcan 1600, riding solo, no time limits, camping, hostels, hotels and an open mind. I have a garmen car gps which means it's not so visible while riding in the sunlight. saddle bags and backpack. 60 years old, very experienced rider and I normally only ride 5 hours a day.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

mxfan said:


> I am planning a ride from Tijuana to Puerto Vallarta in October. Down Baja and crossing on a ferry to Jalisco. Any experience, advice or thoughts to add to my plan thoughts?
> 
> I have a Kawasaki Vulcan 1600, riding solo, no time limits, camping, hostels, hotels and an open mind. I have a garmen car gps which means it's not so visible while riding in the sunlight. saddle bags and backpack. 60 years old, very experienced rider and I normally only ride 5 hours a day.


I have done lots of long motorcycles rides but not in Mexico. I have been from California to Maine and back several times and parts of it lots more times. I have never done any long rides in Mexico, but I would not hesitate. Just watch out for the topes (speed bumps). They are everywhere except on the freeways and they are inconsistently marked or not at all. It sounds like a great trip. Incidentally, the ferry goes to either Los Mochis (Topolobampo) or Mazatlán. Neither is in Jalisco, but you probably know that and just mean you will end up in Jalisco.

If you come over the hill from Puerto Vallarta to Guadalajara look me up. I can show you pictures of my BMW R1100RT. Pictures are all that is left. I sold it before coming to Mexico.


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## mxfan (Jun 7, 2014)

Wow you have logged many trip miles. I've lived in Tijuana for 3 years so I am familiar with the topes but I didn't know the ferry landings. I haven't got to the fine details yet, I am at the macro planning session. My bike, like yours, is liquid cooled and a shaft drive. I've ridden many years but only city and metro riding. This will be my first longer trip. I'm retired and single so I have the luxury of time and a check in the bank every first of the month. 

Thanks and keep the ideas coming, I am making my list for my micro planning.


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

The ferry from Baja ( Cabo) to Jalisco (Puerto Vallarta) stopped running I believe in the 90's, there is one from La Paz to Mazatlan, Sinaloa.......Highway 1 is only 18' wide with no shoulder and 18 wheelers and buses usually cut the corners...no Baja night driving, watch for livestock on the road and be fully insured...the only hostels are around Ensenada and La Paz........good luck


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

mxfan said:


> Wow you have logged many trip miles. I've lived in Tijuana for 3 years so I am familiar with the topes but I didn't know the ferry landings. I haven't got to the fine details yet, I am at the macro planning session. My bike, like yours, is liquid cooled and a shaft drive. I've ridden many years but only city and metro riding. This will be my first longer trip. I'm retired and single so I have the luxury of time and a check in the bank every first of the month.
> 
> Thanks and keep the ideas coming, I am making my list for my micro planning.


Mine was air cooled, the classic Boxer engine. The K bikes from BMW are water cooled. The ferries leave from La Paz. If you feel like a side trip on the way down, ride over to Bahia Tortuga. It is a nice little town. Probably not worth the trip, but nice anyway. The road was unpaved when I took it a few years ago, but that might have just been road work. The only time there is a lot going on there is in October when the Baja Haha boats stop there.


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## Meritorious-MasoMenos (Apr 17, 2014)

This guy, an experienced motorcyclist and international traveler, would've had great input for you. Alas, he didn't make it:

"July 21 2014 (CNN) -- Human remains found in two plastic bags near a beach in southwestern Mexico have been identified as those of Harry Devert, a New Yorker who left his job as a trader in finance for a transcontinental motorcycle journey from the United States to Latin America, Mexican authorities said.
Devert, 32, vanished six months ago after sending his girlfriend an ominous text message from a troubled region in Mexico, describing how he was being escorted from 'an area too dangerous for me to be.'"

Remains identified as American missing in Mexico - CNN.com


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## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

If you do it in the summer there will be nobody else camping on beaches. I'd stick to hotels rather than camp solo.

Yep ... 2 different ferries from La Paz to the mainland. No more to Jalisco


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

Meritorious-MasoMenos said:


> This guy, an experienced motorcyclist and international traveler, would've had great input for you. Alas, he didn't make it:
> 
> "July 21 2014 (CNN) -- Human remains found in two plastic bags near a beach in southwestern Mexico have been identified as those of Harry Devert, a New Yorker who left his job as a trader in finance for a transcontinental motorcycle journey from the United States to Latin America, Mexican authorities said.
> Devert, 32, vanished six months ago after sending his girlfriend an ominous text message from a troubled region in Mexico, describing how he was being escorted from 'an area too dangerous for me to be.'"
> ...


The person mentioned in the article was not an experienced biker, I'm sorry for what happened to him, sometimes we are looking for too much adrenalin


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## mxfan (Jun 7, 2014)

I won't do it in the summer because of the heat and monsoons. I've studied the climate stats and I chose October mainly due to the weather. 

I wonder what caused Harry Devert to get killed? I am guessing he made someone mad. It's always a beneficial reminder to hear of those things. I tend to avoid unhealthy situations and I will think about Harry many times on this trip. Thanks. I want to buy a go pro to film my travels.

So it looks like Mazatlan is the only ferry port on the mainland now. Than that will be where I am going. I have driven through Sinaloa and Jalisco in cars.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

mxfan said:


> I won't do it in the summer because of the heat and monsoons. I've studied the climate stats and I chose October mainly due to the weather.
> 
> I wonder what caused Harry Devert to get killed? I am guessing he made someone mad. It's always a beneficial reminder to hear of those things. I tend to avoid unhealthy situations and I will think about Harry many times on this trip. Thanks. I want to buy a go pro to film my travels.
> 
> So it looks like Mazatlan is the only ferry port on the mainland now. Than that will be where I am going. I have driven through Sinaloa and Jalisco in cars.


According to the web site, they still run a ferry to Topolobampo as well.

October is near the end of the rainy season. If you go a month or two later, you are less likely to encounter rain.


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

Actually there are 3 ferries from Baja to the mainland:
Santa Rosalia- Guaymas
La Paz- Topolobampo
La Paz - Mazatlan


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## Meritorious-MasoMenos (Apr 17, 2014)

GARYJ65 said:


> The person mentioned in the article was not an experienced biker, I'm sorry for what happened to him, sometimes we are looking for too much adrenalin


Yes, you're right there. Sorry. When I first read about the case (he had hoped to finish his trip at the World Cup), I knew he was a very experienced traveler, and I thought I recalled he had been a biker too.

"I've been chased with a gun in Colombia, chipped my tooth on a gun that was shoved in my mouth in Venezuela and shot everything from a bazooka to a machine gun, an M16 to a Colt .45," Devert wrote in his travel blog, A New Yorker Travels. "I've been in some of the poorest and some of the most dangerous parts of the world and to many of the finest, and I still can't tell which I liked more. I think that life is a pilgrimage."


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## coondawg (May 1, 2014)

mxfan said:


> I wonder what caused Harry Devert to get killed? I am guessing he made someone mad. It's always a beneficial reminder to hear of those things. I tend to avoid unhealthy situations and I will think about Harry many times on this trip. Thanks. I want to buy a go pro to film my travels.


Maybe he was taking pictures of things he should not have filmed, or people. Maybe he asked about someone or thing that he should have not. Maybe he took a "shortcut" that he should not have taken. Maybe he passed someone on the highway that he should have not passed. Maybe he was talking on the phone and someone thought he was police or worked for a rival gang and was reporting "stuff". Maybe he opened his mouth when he should have kept it closed. Maybe he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Anything is possible. We will never know, but I think he knew just before it all happened, but could do nothing about it.  You are much better off, IMHO, if you can get 2-3 buddies to go along. Good luck.


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## mxfan (Jun 7, 2014)

TundraGreen said:


> According to the web site, they still run a ferry to Topolobampo as well.
> 
> October is near the end of the rainy season. If you go a month or two later, you are less likely to encounter rain.


Thx, I will look more at the weather stats. I can easily adjust the departure time. 

The ferry to Mazatlan will be more in my route but thx for the info. I really appreciate the input. Your knowledge helps me greatly.


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## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

Hurricane season is until the end of November and we've had some serious ones in October .... like *Jova*


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

mxfan said:


> I wonder what caused Harry Devert to get killed? I am guessing he made someone mad. It's always a beneficial reminder to hear of those things. I tend to avoid unhealthy situations and I will think about Harry many times on this trip. Thanks. I want to buy a go pro to film my travels.


There are conflict/war zones in Mexico and informing yourself as best you can as to historical (recent past) and current events/conflicts and staying out of these areas, or traveling through the areas with others who are familiar with them, will be important to your having a good trip. Mr. Devert appears to have ignored the warnings which are widely publicized. If you're moving along the coasts on the mainland, Hwy. 200 along the Pacific Coast has some stretches which are high-risk. If you stop to sleep or pass time in beach areas, do so next to one of the enramada style (palm frond/thatched roofs) restaurants where a family lives and ask their permission to camp, buy your beer/food from them ... get to know them and the families ... and you'll be safer. Camping alone in isolated areas and/or wandering too far off the beaten path is an invitation to trouble, IMO. I read reports from cyclists from time to time who've traversed Mexico and they all seem (with the exception of Mr. Devert) to have had great trips. I hope you do too!


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## mxfan (Jun 7, 2014)

Longford said:


> There are conflict/war zones in Mexico and informing yourself as best you can as to historical (recent past) and current events/conflicts and staying out of these areas, or traveling through the areas with others who are familiar with them, will be important to your having a good trip. Mr. Devert appears to have ignored the warnings which are widely publicized. If you're moving along the coasts on the mainland, Hwy. 200 along the Pacific Coast has some stretches which are high-risk. If you stop to sleep or pass time in beach areas, do so next to one of the enramada style (palm frond/thatched roofs) restaurants where a family lives and ask their permission to camp, buy your beer/food from them ... get to know them and the families ... and you'll be safer. Camping alone in isolated areas and/or wandering too far off the beaten path is an invitation to trouble, IMO. I read reports from cyclists from time to time who've traversed Mexico and they all seem (with the exception of Mr. Devert) to have had great trips. I hope you do too!


You advice is well received and understood. I am not naïve or stupid and I not undertaking this trip flippantly. Thus my reason to pick the brains of this forum (and other sources). I think conversation and honesty are great tools to live by. I do, however, take advice and form my plan and actions based on my abilities. 

So thank you for your advice which I think is very sound and I intend to have a fun, interesting, learned, safe trip while humbly sharing myself with the people I encounter.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

Longford said:


> …
> Mr. Devert appears to have ignored the warnings which are widely publicized.
> …


Or he just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. There are no guarantees in life.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

well th way he was found, I would say he bought or sold drugs from or to the wrong guy, If they had wanted to rob him and kill him they did not have to reburry him with his bike and drugs, that was a message. The cartel do not carve up people for no reason. Could have been a mistake or could have thought he was someone else but people do not get cut up and put in bags for no reasons.. Since he was not from that aea he must have done the wrong thing in the wrong place.
The place is lonely enough that you could shoot someone and let them be without having to cover up the body..


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## baja Dean (Jul 30, 2014)

I live in baja sur. You are welcome to drop down and visit. 

depending on how long you want to be in baja end of october is fine weather. baja is ridable year round if you know how to ride in hot weather for a few of the months. We get an average of 3 days of real rain a year. Sometime we will go without for 3-5 year stretches. 

There are open ranges with cows but these are not bad vs deer country in the USA. Generally the closer you are to a city the worse the cows are. The worse area by far is south of LaPaz on any two lane road, I advise never driving on a two lane road south of lapaz at night. In my 15 years living south of lapaz on a 2 lane road I have only had to do it a handful of times. 

I have driven not only the entire baja several times by motorcycle but have taken the ferry several times to Nogales several times. And have just a few years ago driven MCallen, TX to Mazatlan by motorcycle. 

IMHO via motorcycle is so much nicer than by car specially in baja with narrow winding roads. I ride year round when I was in the US as well as here, so may be a bit biassed. probably at about 300k life miles by motorcycle to date. 

As far as the person recently killed, well I live in probably the safest place in Mexico one can, baja Sur, In fact just a few years back LaPaz the town near me was in the top 5 safest cities in ALL north America for serious crime. 

I hear americans live in other areas of Mexico that are considered high cartel risk and are just fine with using common sense. If you are in TJ I can not imagine any other place has more or less cartel action. I was just visiting GDL (not by motorcycle) and again made sure I was in areas that are not high risk sections /areas. 

When I was over in Durango on my bike I knew not to take side roads as grow ups are out there. I was in MTY same trip for about 2 weeks and loved it there too. I will say other than Los Mochis I have found the police encounters to be much more accommodating on the mainland than here in baja from TJ to Cabo the police are more hand out-ish. Maybe because at least down here there are no serious issues. Motorcycle do seem to get pulled over more in baja than US plated vehicles with 4 tires. 

I do not pay mordita, I will no-comprende them for a half hour if need be before they give up on me. I do it in a very friendly jovial way sometimes patting them on the back, should like they are my drinking buddies. Sometimes I do invite them to my casa for a beer, 30 mile drive. And some have come when off duty to my place even with their families. I can tell you it is cheaper to pay mordita than what some of them can drink. But then they are my fiends and only pull me over to say hi after that. I do not speak spanish but we have a great time. The ones with families I play dominos with them and the kids. 

For the ferry from LaPaz, you must have your own tie downs is the only issue. The owner of Baja Ferries is a motorcyclist himself, i have met him several times because he rides and we have a mutual riding friend, he now lives in the USA for his safety. He is not wealthy enough to own the entire downtown of a major city to keep himself safe. I agree with him legitimate rich Mexican businessmen must take significant precautions. 

If you have any other questions feel free to ask. Hope to see ya soon...


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

bajadean says "I have driven not only the entire baja several times by motorcycle but have taken the ferry several times to Nogales several times."

I have driven to Nogales several times but never took a ferry there, where do they dock? LOL

Just kidding dean, nice post and welcome to the board.......


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## coondawg (May 1, 2014)

Nice post, Dean. Lots of common sense and lots of patience will take you far in Mexico, safely. Welcome to the best Forum in Mexico.


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## baja Dean (Jul 30, 2014)

chicois8 said:


> bajadean says "I have driven not only the entire baja several times by motorcycle but have taken the ferry several times to Nogales several times."
> 
> I have driven to Nogales several times but never took a ferry there, where do they dock? LOL
> 
> Just kidding dean, nice post and welcome to the board.......


ya funny local talk, as you know.... when we say we take the ferry to Nogales that means baja speak we take the ferry to topolobampo and cross at Nogales, vs do the baja drive and across to Nogales. But if you look hard enough you still might find a fairy I left there too.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

coondawg said:


> Nice post, Dean. Lots of common sense and lots of patience will take you far in Mexico, safely. Welcome to the best Forum in Mexico.


I am also happy to welcome Dean to the Forum. And thanks, coondawg, for the compliment!


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## mxfan (Jun 7, 2014)

Thanks Dean and other forum friends for the input and conversation. Dean, I am glad you told me to take tie downs. And I would like to have a way to contact you and share some stories and a beer. I always pay my way. I don't abuse people. 

I am starting my list of do's and some don'ts for my trip. Thanks to yooos guys for the input.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Before the cartels were all over the place, the Guerrero coasr was infamous for its highway bandits so nothing much has changed. People who drive it think it is crazy to fear it because there isnothing happening..it is a lonely road and nothing happens until it does and then it is too late. Going there with several people is a good advice if you are going to go there and also I think that the cuota is a lotsafer than the back roads betwen Uruapan and the coast.


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## baja Dean (Jul 30, 2014)

There is one section coming down the baja where the spacing between gas stations exceeds the gas capacity of most motorcycles, about 225 miles or so. Make sure you fill up at the one at El Rosarito which is about 1 hour south of San Qintin. And do not worry up in Cativina there is not a gas station, but there are several guys selling gas buy the liter from barrels. 

Many people gripe about the cost they charge but who cares when on a motorcycle if you end up buying 20 liters at double the price when we get 30-50 mpg. 

Also at that time you are heading south, there could be heavy fog from near Guerro ***** in the morning that will not burn off till 11am. If heading south I try to skip GN and get to the next town south of there if heading south. in the next town there is a low cost hotel on the left as you get into town across the street from the first Pemex. 

Mulege is worth a day or so. i like Loreto, that would be the next day or longer stop. Do some whale watching but may be to early either San Ignatio or Ciudad Constitucion(mag bay). When you hit lapaz many nice day rides, and specially go to Pichilnge \tecolote and do the swim with the sea lions. LaVentana , well we are the windsurfing kiteboarding place to be in the winter top 3 places or so in the world in the winter. South of here by an hour is Cabo Pulmo, Considered best reef diving snorkeling on the west coast of North America. then you hit lands end Cabo. Cabo is not cheap, but there are a few reasonably prices places and in San Jose has more reasonably priced. Then on the other part of the loop you have Todos Santos.


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