Goodbye banking, hello riding. Mexico tu Ushuaia

<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <wunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <wontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id=ieooui></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tabla normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> Hello Guys,

My name is Jonas and along with my friend Hector, we are planning a trip from Mexico to Ushuaia and beyond. We live in Mexico city and work in the banking industry, long story short we are fed up with office life and living in such a big city (we are originally from the northern state of Durango) so we are gonna quit our jobs and go for it!

We started thinking about it about a year ago, and we have spent that time preparing and travelling around Mexico to get some experience. My friend Hector has been riding mx, sports and enduro bikes for about 10 years, but Im a total noob. I started riding about 18 months ago when I bought a 2008 Honda NX4 Falcon, since then I have done about 10,000kms. Hector used to ride a 2010 Kawasaki xr 600r but a few months ago he got a BMW F800GS for this trip. These last few months I have learned a lot about riding (falling and crashing in the process) and travelling on a bike but although I feel more confident, I know nothing can prepare me for this kind of trip. All I can do is to do research, plan, ride and hope for the best.

The Bikes:

Mine: The NX4 is my first bike and I love it, its been a good companion for the last months and Im quite attached to it as I learned to ride on it. However Hector and some other friends tell me that 400cc is not enough for this trip. Although I like to say that isn’t true I have to admit the NX4 lacks power at high altitude, and when loaded up it feels slow and even unstable. Also it isn’t the most comfortable bike and learning to ride on it has taken its toll on it both visually and mechanically. That is why I am thinking about buying a new bike for the trip. I would love to buy a triumph tiger xc but I don’t have that much cash! So I think my options have to be in the 650cc branch. My options are 2013 Suzuki DR650, 2013 Kawasaki KLR650 and BMW GS650 (pre-owned). Right now my favorite is the DR as it is reliable, light, simple and as it is the cheapest with the extra cash I would be able to buy loads of equipment Also I have browsed the forum and from what I can tell there aren’t many drawbacks for this bike, perhaps that the seat is uncomfortable and the tank is small?? The KLR is my second choice, it is about 30% more expensive than the DR but still within budget, has a bigger tank, and is supposed to be more comfortable. Problem is it feels a little bit high for me (Im 1.70m high) I know I could lower the ride has anyone done this? Also it is heavier. The BMW is the third choice, to buy one brand one would be a little bit too expensive, or at least it would leave me with very little cash to buy accessories, so I would have to go for a pre owned model, I have been looking at a 2010 GS with 10,000kms on it. I would appreciate any comments on this as I have to choose one soon, any feedback is welcome!

Hector´s: as I said before he owns a 2013 BMW F800GS, nothing wrong with that one, great on and off the road and also very good looking. It just need some saddle bags and a windscreen and it should be ready to go. (He might swap it with his dad for a KTM Adventure but don’t know if that’s gonna happen)

When: We are planning to depart on mid august 2013. As it seems the best time weather wise. Any thoughts on this?

How long: we are not sure, I’ve done some research and I think it should take us about 3 months to reach Ushuaia

The route: starting in Mexico city we are planning to go east to Veracruz, then south to Tabasco and Chiapas and cross into Guatemala. This is the shortest way our of Mexico I think, but an alternative and more scenic route would be to keep on going to the Yucatan peninsula and then cross to Belize (I’ve heard its amazing) and down to Guatemala. Has anyone gone this way? I don’t know how good the road links are between Belize and Guatemala. After that is Honduras as we want to avoid San Salvador. Then Nicaragua and its awesome lake and then Costa Rica, where we want to spend a few days with some friends in San José. After that would be Panama and onto the Stahlratte. I’ve heard great reviews about it, has anyone tried it out? After that it is Colombia, Ecuador (Long stop in Quito with family) and into Peru and Machu Pichu (I know it can be a pain in the ass!). We don’t have to go into Bolivia per se, but we want to see lake Titicaca and of course the salt flats in the Uyuni desert, has anyone done the trip from La paz to the flats? Then it will be chile, and more chile and more chile until we leave the desert behind and then into Argentina. We want to camp most of the time but also from now and then crash in a Hotel, especially in central America. On the way back we are thinking about going to Buenos Aires and perhaps Uruguay. I am still undecided about how we will return, as Hector wants to do it overland and I was thinking about doing it by air. I guess time and budget will tell. Any ideas on how expensive is to fly a bike back to Mexico?

Any comments or advice on this trip will be appreciated, especially about border crossings, costs, routes, etc.

Also if anyone lives in any of the countries above and can offer us some advise or perhaps a place to set a tent, I would love to hear from you!

Well that’s about it right now, we are still a few months away from our departure but I will try to keep you posted on our progress and on the preliminary trips we do around Mexico.

In the mean time here are a few pics from our trips around mexico and Also I want to say I can offer a bed, a hot meal, a beer and a place to store a bike safely to any riders going through Mexico city from now until our departure!





Nevado de Toluca natioanl park






La mancha, state of Veracruz






Cofre de Perote, State of Veracruz






Somewhere in the state of Puebla






World Rally Championship, Leon, Guanajuato






Benito Juarez National Park

Hi Jonas,

I am also saying goodbye to work (in Hi-Tec industry) and have started to plan a trip same dates and routes as you are :)
I am inexperienced and still looking for a partner but i have the will so guess the rest will sort out.

What do you plan to do with your bikes when you reach ushuaia if you go back by plane?

I am thinking on what would be the best way for me:

1. either to buy a bike in mexico and then sell it when i finish - i guess i have to sell it back in mexico which will be difficult as i do not plan a round trip.
2. Buy a motorcycle in Israel and ship it to mexico and back from Ushuaia (not sure how hard this is)
3. Buy a motorcycle in mexico and then import it back to israel - i guess this would have to be done from mexico as well.

Would appreciate any information you have or tips you gathers concerning the trip.

Cheers,
Nir

Honda 400 will be fine, even better on dirt tracks. Will suffer on Autopista but who cares, that's not fun anyway. Saludos, Jim

<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <wunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <wontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id=ieooui></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tabla normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> Hello Nir,

Once we reach Ushuaia we will turn back and head to Buenos Aires, once there we will have to decide what we are going to do. Hector will return overland almost for sure, but I don’t know what I will do. If budget is healthy and time is ok, I think I will follow Hector’s path, if not I will hop on a plane and return to Mexico. About the bike, I will have to ship it back by plane, Im not sure the cost of this but I think it is around $1,500 USD (+your own ticket of course). I need to check with Girag or LanCargo for the price.

About your options:

1- Once I thought about doing this, but selling a foreign bike in Argentina and Chile is forbidden, Uruguay could be another option but I don’t know if its legal there. I have read in other threads stories about people selling their bikes in SA, but as it is illegal the prices drop dramatically. I think the only viable way of doing this is buying a cheap bike which you can “dispose” once you reach your destination and return by plane. (with dispose I mean selling it for a very low price) Doing this with my NX4 has crossed my mind a few times…
2- I think is possible, however it will be very expensive as your bike would have to travel to Europe first and then Mexico, and the same on the way back…
3- Sounds possible, but again I don’t know how expensive it will be. Buying a bike in Mexico, do the trip, ship it back and then selling it in Mexico sounds like the best way of minimizing your costs.


Lest me know how your planning is going, would be cool to see you over here.

Hi Jonas,

Thanks alot, sounds great!
Will update you once i get more detailed plans.

Nir

I live in Mexico City and will do a similar trip with my wife hopefully starting in September. I have ridden bikes for a long time and have hosted a lot of travellers over the years. If you want to talk about the trip send me a PM or call me at 50052090 from 6am to 2:30pm.
You said you work in the banking area and I have some questions about how to handle my money while travelling

Hello Gary
It would be great to talk to you about the trip with you, I'll give you a call tomorrrow if you dont mind. I do work in banking, but mostly with stocks so Im not very into account services... but I will help you out with whatever I can.

I´m not working on Saturday please gime me a call on Monday.

Your Honda will be cheaper and easier to fix, if you have problems, compared to an F800.
Does your Honda run on Magna or do you need premium?
Was your Honda sold in a number of Latin American countries with at least a few Honda dealers in each one?
Do you need a computer interface to diagnose difficult problems with the Honda?
Are you comfortable on the bike?
How fast is anyone really going to ride when you get into Central and South America?
Chances are you will be towing the F800 at some time along the trip.

By the way, did you summit el Cofre on that bike or just ride through the town of Perote?

Hello Mike, thanks for your support for my dear old NX4!
Yes it is cheap to fix, yes it runs on Magna (although I usually use premium), yes it is sold all over latin america, No it doesnt need a computer to diagnose problems, and yes I am comfortable on it.

On that topic, on saturday I went to the Suzuki dealer to check out the DR650 and I have to say it feels very similar to my Honda, Im still undecided about buying it, but it felt good...

About Perote, No we didnt get to the summit we just passed by on our way to the coast, but it is an astonishing place, very dangerous fog though! where do you live btw, veracruz?

I am in Veracruz, Boca del Rio to be exact.
DR650 is a good bike, but on the tall side.
Nice that they are selling it here, now.
Have you thought about a clean used KLR?

The DR650 is nice but you´ll need to sell the Honda and put quite a bit of money on the table to ride away on the DR650.
Keep the Honda save money and then spend it on the trip.

Orale +1

Your trip looks awesome. I'm interested to see how comfortable the bike proves to be.

I'm planning on doing the same trip in 2014, though I'll be starting in Philly. Could you be a little more specific about your route?

Hi, thanks!

Well I've been on the Honda for trips of 500-600kms and it feels fine. However Im about to swap it for a DR650 and I hear the seat on the Suzuki is worse so I might change it.

Here is a very simplistic overview of our planned route, Im missing the saltflats in Bolivia but that would take us from la paz, to potosi, then Uyuni, Avaroa and San Pedro.

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height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Tapachula</td> <td class="xl22">Antigua Guatemala</td> <td align="right">263</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Antigua</td> <td>Chiquimula</td> <td align="right">211</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Chiquimula </td> <td class="xl22">Tegucigalpa Honduras</td> <td align="right">442</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Tegucigalpa</td> <td class="xl22">Managua Nicaragua</td> <td align="right">350</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Managua</td> <td class="xl22">San Jose, Costa Rica</td> <td align="right">424</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">San Jose</td> <td>Golfito</td> <td align="right">291</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Golfito</td> <td class="xl22">Santiago, Panama</td> <td align="right">300</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Santiago</td> <td>Panama</td> <td align="right">250</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td class="xl22" style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Panama</td> <td class="xl22">San Blas</td> <td class="xl22" align="right">150</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td class="xl23" style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Stahratte</td> <td class="xl23"> </td> <td class="xl23"> </td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Cartagena</td> <td>Monteria</td> <td align="right">300</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Monteria</td> <td>Medellin</td> <td align="right">406</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Medellin</td> <td>Bogota (Honda)</td> <td align="right">444</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Bogota</td> <td>Neiva</td> <td align="right">292</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Neiva</td> <td>Pasto</td> <td align="right">431</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Pasto </td> <td class="xl22">Quito, Ecuador</td> <td align="right">321</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Quito</td> <td>Guayaquil</td> <td align="right">386</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Guayaquil</td> <td class="xl22">Punta Sal, Peru</td> <td align="right">360</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Punta Sal</td> <td>Chiclayo</td> <td align="right">420</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Chiclayo</td> <td>Chimbote</td> <td align="right">342</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Chimbote</td> <td>Lima</td> <td align="right">420</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Lima</td> <td>Ayacucho</td> <td align="right">519</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Ayacucho</td> <td>Cuzco</td> <td align="right">419</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Cuzco</td> <td>Ollantaytambo</td> <td align="right">89.2</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td class="xl24" colspan="2" style="height:12.75pt;mso-ignore:colspan" height="17">Tren a Machu Pichu</td> <td class="xl24"> </td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Cuzco </td> <td>Juliaca</td> <td align="right">407</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Juliaca</td> <td class="xl25">La paz, se puede pasar por copa cabana</td> <td align="right">295</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">La Paz</td> <td class="xl22">Putre, Chile</td> <td align="right">344</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Putre</td> <td>Iquique</td> <td align="right">354</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Iquique</td> <td>Antofagasta</td> <td align="right">419</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Antofagasta</td> <td>Chanaral</td> <td align="right">359</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Chanaral</td> <td>Vallenar</td> <td align="right">306</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Vallenar</td> <td>La Serena</td> <td align="right">200</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">La Serena</td> <td>Los Vilos</td> <td align="right">393</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Los vilos</td> <td>Vina del Mar</td> <td align="right">280</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Vina del Mar</td> <td>Santiago de Chile</td> <td align="right">160</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Santiago de Chile</td> <td>Curico</td> <td align="right">249</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Curico</td> <td>Concepcion</td> <td align="right">324</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Concepcion</td> <td>Temuco</td> <td align="right">282</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Temuco</td> <td class="xl22">San Carlos Bariloche, Argentina</td> <td align="right">466</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">San Carlos Bariloche</td> <td>Esquel</td> <td align="right">285</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Esquel</td> <td>Alto Rio Senguer</td> <td align="right">323</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Alto Rio Senguer</td> <td>Comodoro Rivadavia</td> <td align="right">347</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Comodoro Rivadavia</td> <td>Puerto Deseado</td> <td align="right">297</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Puerto Deseado</td> <td>puerto San julian</td> <td align="right">360</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Puerto San Julian</td> <td>Rio gallegos</td> <td align="right">360</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Rio Gallegos</td> <td class="xl22">Primavera, Chile</td> <td align="right">160</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Primavera</td> <td class="xl22">Rio Grande, Argentina</td> <td align="right">190</td> </tr> <tr style="height:12.75pt" height="17"> <td style="height:12.75pt" height="17">Rio Grande</td> <td>Ushuaia</td> <td align="right">212</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
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Let me know when you are coming over to Veracruz.

Hope to see you in Quito. You can't go wrong with a Suzuki DR650 - just put a bigger tank on it - we use the Acerbis 5.5 gallon and it gives it about the same range as our KLR650s.

Your route through Ecuador is a bit too fast. You're missing the best riding in South America! You plan to ride from Quito to Guayaquil in a day. BIG mistake. Take a few days in Ecuador. You won't regret it.

Oh not to worry, we will stay in Ecuador for a while, my uncle lives in Quito so we will be around for at least a week. The route I posted is just to have a rough idea of distances between cities and is in no way a fixed plan!

What do you suggest we should see/do/ride in Ecuador? from your signature I see you are quite an expert!

Thanks in advance!

We have lots of routes on our web page so please go there and check out what we have. If you're riding a DR you should think about our Offroad ADVenture route or the Amazing Ecuador route which goes to most of the cool things in Ecuador but on back roads...

In any case when you get here, stop in the shop and we can help you find the best places to go

Hi Jonas,

3 of us on 2 GSAs are heading from Victoria BC to Ushuaia in late September (6 months). Hopefully meet up on the road somewhere, although you guys will be ahead of us.

Thanks for posting you projected route, it will give me some ideas. Most of my planning has focused on logistics re. gear and bike prep, with minimal look at route.

How will you be crossing over the Darien, we will likely ship from Panama to Bogota. I got a quote from Girag at approx $900.00.

Xenia de Jurado
Cargo Manager
Tel.(507) 378-5190 / (507) 378-5100 Ext. 112
Cel.(507) 6920-1823
E-mail:xenia.jurado@girag.com

Would be interested on what you find re. shipping the bike from Buenos Aires back North. We are planning to do the same and ship back somewhere to the West Coast of the US.

I am also looking at shipping from Montevideo, unconfirmed rumour indicates that it might be cheaper than from B.A.

Using B.A. as a base (we have a contact) we are planning on doing a Brazilian loop through Uruguay.

I am getting more and more excited as the start date approaches.