Mexico and Central America Ride Planning and Road Wisdom

Well, I've met the man. Here he is standing in my kitchen drinking all my beer a few years ago.

Should I ask what's the joke with Pirate John? Just asking...
Did I detect some cabin fever in recent posts? :huh

I'm curious too!

you kind of had to be there. I was late to the party but I got enough. Anyway, Schizz owns this story.

Entiendo! Perdun!

Guys,i'm from Brasil,south of it,and i'm planning a ride to the Mexican desert. Portuguese and Spanish are similar languages,i have friends who speak Spanish and we understand each other fine so language is not much of an issue,anyway,the ride is just TOO long,i can't find no one to go with me. i plan on spending 2 weeks in Mexico,i will alternate trough camping and hostels. i need someone to go with me. I'm in Curitiba-Parana,but we can meet anywhere North of here. is there some kind of thread for finding riding buddies???? please any help on this would be apreciated. i will have time from July to December,so the planning is flexible. thanks for the help

Just go solo, you'll have fun and meet people along the way.

+1 to riding solo. Unless you're planning on technical off-road riding where a buddy is a good thing.

well,i'm planning to ride and camp in the desert,but the trip is more than 20.000kms and some poorly maintained roads.. i can get by own my on but it would be cool to have someone with. but yeah i guess i can get company along the way.

Hey, if you go further north you will find more travellers. At least in Colombia you will find the guys using the boat to Panama. And before you will meet maybe nice folks on the road, hostel etc. Don't worry. And the mainroads from Brazil to Mexico are not bad. If you are looking for bad roads - that's a different business. Do you want to go via Venezuela or the west coast?

And visit us in Mexico when you are around one day.

I love Brazil. My favorite country in Southamerica

Saludos Jürgen

When traveling deep into Mexico, do you take your original bike title or will a copy suffice?

Leaving from the upper Midwest for a month long vacation. Wait to purchase insurance until getting close to the border ( best to estimate arrival date) or just go with a best guess online?

When stopped on the highway by a policeman, in addition to your international driver's license, what do you hand over?

Does every market in a town have an estacamiento or is there someone usually 'standing by' to watch.?
How much would you tip a vigilar-ante?

DR650 with new tires...... pump,tubes, patch, Slime necessary? travelling ultra-lite, hopefully. (2+ weeks).

Last chance stateside gas stations usually located near the border? IMS tank will take me 220 miles before reserve.

Sorry if these questions have been answered elsewhere. Three & a half weeks to blast off and the heebeejeebies of the trip's reality are setting in.

"Last chance stateside gas stations usually located near the border? IMS tank will take me 220 miles before reserve.

Yes. Sort of an odd question. I'm starting to think you don't get out much! "

Not often enough......... :)
the reason for the question is that I want to get the hell out of a border town zone. Not the place to be looking to gas up, change money, etc.
Experience has taught me that border towns-worldwide are best seen in rear view mirrors. I want to be able to make Saltillo or Monterrey before running on fumes.

Also, regarding driver's license, some people have suggested getting a good color copy (two-sided) of your current license and then laminating it---to anyone not from your state, they probably wouldn't know the difference. Give that one to the cops if you are stopped because sometimes they hold a license hostage for a bribe. If it's not original you can leave without it.

This is info I've gathered from ADV and plan to use on my trip, but not something I've yet done, so take it with a grain of salt. Still, sounds like good advice to me.

Call it like you see it but some of us stay overnight just inside Mexico with no troubles at all. A great many of us get gas, food, drinks & cash just inside
Mexico fairly routinely with no troubles. Re: gas, I prefer to wait and fill up in Mexico because my bikes seem to prefer Mexican Premium. It costs a bit more.
Don't burn too many Mexico riding days stressing over non issues. Stay calm and attentive and use good judgment. You'll have a great time.

Do you know your route yet?

Personally I wouldn't care to present a false DL to a LEO only to get called on it. Could take the game to a whole 'nother level. Simple enough to visit your DMV
and request they reissue your license so you have a legal DL to drop.

Agree with that
The thing is to not just hand over the license right away without question . And you really do not need to go to the trouble of buying an International Drivers Permit - not at all needed in Mexico and Central America.
When stopped determine in your own mind if it is a legitimate stop for a driving error you made.
Keep your licences tucked away until
asked to show one but only SHOW IT , hang on to it as long as possible, ask questions as to why you are required to hand it over, don't meekly give it away. You may be able to waste enough time that the cop, if on the take , gives up on you.
And the colour copy of your actual licence is readily identifiable as such to any experienced officer. Real card licenses are not laminated in a plastic cover . On fakes the magnetic data encoding strip will not be such and will not work in the card reader in the cruiser. Your'e it!
However I have found that a copy of a license comes in real handy for serving as a photo ID when checking in at hotels in Mexico , USA , Canada
anywhere , as it is not really an "official "use. I carry one in my pocket where it is easily accessed without bothering the other documents- less handling ergo less probable to get lost.

As for markets having parking areas, well sure there are parking spaces and areas to serve the merchant stalls and the odd folk who drive a car there, but these parking areas are usually cram full ,crowded among the neighbourhood as they usually are so it is not the sort of " secure parking" you may be after.
If you are in town for the night leave the bike parked in the secure hotel parking garage,walk to the mercado and explore at leisure. If you must park on street you can use several tactics- arrange for a kid to watch the bike (which you lock up) and agree on a small hourly fee which you will pay when you get back. If the kid is not around keeping an eye open when you return he was not doing his job, no pay. Or you could park in front of a snack shop and buy something and maybe arrange with the staff that they keep an eye on the bike too for bit of a bonus when you return.
Or pick a LEGAL parking spot in an open high traffic area , lock up all loose items and walk the market for a reasonable time and get back to the bike.
Always be sure that parking is allowed in the place you select or you may come back and find the license plate gone, taken by the parking patrol.
There are usually pay -parking garages scattered about most town centers for your use, they keep your bike watched, most of the time.
Big cities may have metered street parking .

Solid advice there, SB. Never considered a DL copy for nonofficial use.

"When stopped on the highway by a policeman, in addition to your international driver's license, what do you hand over?"

Relax and let the policeman talk...after saying he's going to confiscate your license, follow him to the station, etc. He'll come around to the "la mordida". Usually around 20 to 40 dollars. Always keep some cash handy and anticipate this.