I've been to Mexico on all three motos in my signature. All three I've ridden to Batopilas. The lighter it is, the more fun it is on the rougher stuff. Gas & tires cost less with a smaller moto, so your travel money goes farther. Exploring the back roads is easier on a lighter moto. Pack light and ride what you got!
If anyone is interested, I posted this yesterday: Hi! Ana and I will be on the road the next few weeks touring the five southeastern states of Mexico, plus make a dash across Belize and tour around Guatemala for a while. The Ride Report will start here: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=980143&page=74 SPOT was on today, it is here: http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=08YfgyM3oIdvUmMIJWYP8AtBSgg9Y4CkA We left Escuintla this morning and rode 200 miles to Tuxtla Gutierrez. I didn't take a picture all day, but I will get around to it. lol Donnie
I have interest and will follow along again. Thanks for posting as you go. I thought your last report worked very well. Perfect timing too.
+1 I have done Mexico on three different sized bikes. DL1000, DL650 and a DR650. As size and weight went down pleasure went up. TravelGuy
This thread seems to be getting a little stale I think it needs a troll like Chango aka James to stir things up....
I agree, ride what you have.. My first ride to explore Mexico was on my brand new 1962 Ducati Monza 250cc (in 1962), at the time it was a 'BIG' bike....I had a great time.. Ride safe..
First things first. This is not a political post. It is a heads up to what you'll see here in some urban and rural areas, and it isn't going away anytime soon. It's surprising there has been so little in the international press about the 43 students that are missing here and presumed dead. Possibly burned alive and buried in mass graves. The result has been that the governor of Guerrero has finally resigned. The federal government is desperate to stem the rising tide of indignation over what happened. You'll be seeing more and more protests which look like this: That sign, for those who don't read Spanish, says, "What does a country harvest that sows bodies?" This one reads, "So much has been taken from us the fear has been taken from us". Both photos are from photo agencies here in Mexico. Powerful stuff. So what do you do if you encounter one of these protests, maybe they are blocking your route, the only one you know, it's hot or raining or you're tired or it is getting dark, and you really want to get some place? Well, first, don't go antagonizing anyone. Trying to push your way through, insisting on them giving you passage, anything like that is just plain dumb and, not to mention, ignorant. Especially if you don't know or understand what is happening and you don't understand just how much it takes to get people to get out in the streets at a very great risk to themselves to protest something. It might be campesinos without water or services in the sierra. It might be students facing down a murderous political oligarchy, it might be mothers wanting what was promised for their kid's school. If you can't read the signs, if you can't speak the language, you are at a disadvantage. Perhaps someone will be patient and take the time to explain to you what is happening, maybe a cop or federale who is observing things speaks enough English to fill you in. Maybe not. It's common sense to be patient, sure, but that gets tough to practice at the end of a long day. But it will pay off in the end. People will give you an alternate route, listen to them and take it. Don't get yourself involved. Even if you find yourself really believing in the cause behind the protest, like the 43 missing students incident, or potholes on the highways, or whatever, stay out of things. Under Mexican federal law, foreigners are strictly prohibited from getting involved in what can be considered political causes. This might be starting to change, however, when the Greenpeace protestors mocked EPN (Enrique Peña Nieto get to know the abbreviations that are used in reporting in the Mexican media) by putting up a giant picture of him on the Pemex tower here in Veracruz, they were charged by the authorities. This was overturned a couple of days ago by a judge who stated it was freedom of speech. But it isn't carved in stone or legalese completely. Anyhow, hang back, get alternate routing and move on. But it is worthwhile staying aware, culturally, of what is going on where you are turning your wheels. Locals will always fill you in, they will know what is happening and why.
Great Post MikeMike and good advice. We have had several road blocks along the Rio Sonora with people angry with the government over the response to the mine spill and the broken promises. I try to report on the blockades when I hear about them. But there has been a lot of US press on the missing students. WaPO, The LA Times and the NYT. Reports that the E.U. has talked about postponing several trade deals. With Social Media (I include this forum) nothing goes away and governments and big companies can't hide.
Great advice..even though it comes from a guy who himself cruises on a built up ADV990. Still, awesome advice. Just go. And, I would also say, don't take a bike than no one can work on or has seen where you're going. Simple has more fun. It's maddening with those students..crazy, crazy.
RE: "So what do you do if you encounter one of these protests, maybe they are blocking your route, the only one you know, it's hot or raining or you're tired or it is getting dark, and you really want to get some place?" My QUOTE function isn't working. So much good advice from these forums. Bringing up scenarios like the above helps a lot. Time and again, I've put into practice tips and heads up such as these while traveling at home and abroad, whether it be bike preparedness, routes, how-to's, or things like this: what will you do when you encounter ____? I think I would ask the protesters "What info would you like me to pass along to my circle of friends and family?" Then I might at least ask, "Would it be unreasonable of me to request your permission to pass through?" Of course, it helps if you know the language to politely request something in a difficult situation.
We are currently in Guanajuato having a great time....you post comes as a good guideline for what may come. So far our trip has been very smooth with only a rejected CC charge or two at the Pemex to note. 2up and new to big bike adventure riding we have been taking mostly cuota (toll) roads from Mazatlan down. Couple of observations from 3 weeks of riding in Mexico: The country is more developed than I expected and with the demographics I see...lots of college kids and a young population has a bright future. Law and order rule the day and if you stay in your lane bad things don't happen (often). As the world over...everyone is tring to get thru their day and are willing to help with directions and advice. There are very few adventurous US citizens here...we have yet to see one other adventure bike...we have the place to ourselves. I guess the bad press keeps many away. Mexico is more expensive than expected. Hotels are running 250 to 670 with 500 pesos being the average. There are cheaper but some were so bad we just could not do it. Sjords book is a must but occasionally points us in such a low end place we found better at the same price or by moving on. We may look to rent a apartment in SMA for a month to rest and regroup and work on our pitiful Spanish...any ADV contacts live there care to share local knowledge?
And they have an airport. <iframe width="635" height="383" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/PMWeVvjXytE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> I think if you even proposed anything like this in the USofA, most of the FAA administrators would stroke out. Drones invade DF Aeropuerto
These postings finally led me to look up the term "Third World" in Wikipedia. In the past I have recklessly used the term without really knowing what it meant. Seems it means different things and there is no real set definition. I haven't been to Mexico in a long time, but my recollections were of a place where the country's wealth was not shared with most of it's population. Industrialization and GNP clearly aren't the only factors in defining the term "Third World" IMO.
That will get you in the zone. No harm in asking in a respectful manner, in fact, it is always worth a shot if the protest is obviously peaceful. I would recommend if anyone is wearing something to hide their id like a bandanna pulled up, it isn't worth engaging them in conversation, you are then a target. I've had an exception to this with the auto-defensa guys in the Sierra Fria, they were the ones doing the talking. Those were the auto-defensa guys that didn't exist according to the state government. Then later acknowledged. Which brings up the next point. Silverfin has observed some things which are more illusion than reality. Those young people don't have a bright future. The college kids? Many of them have to bribe professors or administration people for their grades in many schools. Yes, Mexico is getting more expensive and again, inflation and poor economic forecasting is behind it, as usual. The single biggest complaint that you here amongst Mexican people (and those of us that work here) is that there is little money circulating, things are tight these days and have been for awhile and likely will continue for awhile. Don't let regionalism lead you astray, things are not rosy in many parts of the republic. Merlin has it right. 3rd world can be a frame of mind, too. However, the concentration of wealth and power is so far out of whack in Mexico, it gets ignored as the red headed step child of modern life here. But it is also the 900 lb gorilla in the room and it feeds on discontent, sampling from the pot that is simmering on the stove and has been slow cooking for a long time. And that gorilla is getting really hungry. If you want to read about this and update yourself read what Edgardo Buscaglia of Columbia University has been saying lately. His story ran on a local Mexican news service and also internationally. Makes some good points. Mexico has a developing economy but OECD rankings put it last for security, second last for disposable income, low in both education and internet access (though that could be because they use TelMex who don't get too motivated to fix problems). Great place to ride, interesting place to live, the majority of those who are in the 90% outside the wealthy are tremendous people, the ones driving the white Suburbans you have to look out for. 99% of them anyways.
