Northern Mexico - the Lost Links

[andyc740]

I started making motorcycle trips to Mexico in 2007. The first two are posted here on TWT, but my initial ride reports were posted to TriumphRAT.net. Given the interest shown in the ride reports, I'll post the links for those reports here, along with a summary and few teaser pictures, letting you pick and choose any that may appeal to you. I probably won't do all this at one time, but they'll all be in this thread.

Hope you enjoy the rides.

 

[andyc740]

Citrusbike 2008 - Solo to Montemorelos

When Lefty and I began making bike trips to Mexico, one of our hopes was to get to know some Mexican bikers and make some friends. We didn't know anything about the bike culture in Mexico or that Mexico had bike rallies. When we did find out, it seemed obvious a good way to meet some Mexican bikers was to go to some Mexican bike rallies.

I found a website, amoden.com, that listed upcoming rallies and it included Citrusbike 2008 in May, the first bike rally held in Montemorelos. I couldn't find anyone with the time or inclination to go with me, but since it was only about two hours from the border, I decided to go by myself. The ride there was blistering with temps above 110 F, but once I was there, things cooled down.

Back home, I wrote my first ride report ever with pictures. The pictures were scans of photos shot with a disposable camera. This ride report has more views than any other report I've written. I have no idea why, maybe the search engines like it.

Here's the link: http://www.triumphrat.net/ride-trip-reports/86237-montemorelos-n-l-mexico-bike-rally.html

The photos are on Picasa: https://picasaweb.google.com/andyc740/Montemorelos0508

 

[andyc740]

A Rainy Ride to Matehuala, Mexico

When I returned from Montemorelos, alive and unscathed, with some pictures and stories, interest in going to Mexico picked up in our chapter. Five people made our next trip in July 2008 to Matehuala to a bike rally there.

This was the first time I'd led a group ride in Mexico. Returning from Matehuala, we encountered the infamous mudhole. Created by a road construction detour and several days of rain, this was a two-mile long mudpit and all of us dropped our bikes before making it out.

It turned out my bike was totalled, but rideable. I had the Mexican collision insurance and after a month or two, the claim was paid and the insurance people weren't interested in the bike. Unfortunately, before I could start getting the bike fixed back up, the engine seized in my wife's car and I spent the money replacing the engine. So, Rocinante's been in rough shape ever since.

In spite of the problems, everybody enjoyed themselves thoroughly and have been back to Mexico with me since.

The link: http://www.triumphrat.net/ride-trip-reports/91010-rainy-ride-to-matehuala-mexico.html

The pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/andyc740/MatehualaBikeRally0708#

 

[andyc740]

Mary's Mexican Birthday Safari - Sept 2008

For Mary's birthday in September, I took her to see Cola de Caballo, or Horsetail Falls, in the mountains a bit south of Monterrey. We stayed in Montemorelos and spent a day at the falls and at a nearby wild animal park, Bioparque Estrella. It turned out to be great timing, recent rains meant a lot of water was going over the falls.

This is one of my favorite trips and one of my favorite ride reports. Dale and Sandi were along with us again and a friend, Steve, came along. In 2007, when I started talking about riding in Mexico, Sandi took me aside and said, "Andy, that's not a good idea. I don't think you should be doing that." After riding to Matehuala with us, we couldn't keep her away. She goes along every chance she gets. Luckily, her husband Dale also comes whenever he can.

The link: http://www.triumphrat.net/ride-trip-reports/96118-marys-mexican-birthday-safari.html

The pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/andyc740/MaryBirthdayTripMontemorelos092008# https://picasaweb.google.com/andyc740/StevesMontemorelosPictures0908#

 

[andyc740]

Debacle in the Desert - Ruta del Desierto Monclova, Mexico

Two months later, we were headed for Mexico again, this time to a bike rally in Monclova. Rick was along for the first time. Several people had paperwork problems at the border, making the group a bit smaller, but we wound up enjoying the rally anyway.

The link: http://www.triumphrat.net/ride-trip-reports/99310-debacle-in-the-desert-ruta-del-desierto-monclova-mexico.html

The pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/andyc740/RutaDelDesiertoMonclova1108#

 

[cweaver61]

Very interesting. I ride often in Mexico and would like someone to go with me. Let me know if you are interested.

 

[andyc740]

Grumpy goes to Huatusco, Mexico - January 2009

When we started making bike trips in Mexico and attending bike rallies, I was asked to keep the appropriate CMA people posted on what we were up to. That resulted in getting to know Manolo Ameca, president of CMA Mexico and his family. They are wonderful people. Sometimes you meet someone and after spending a brief amount of time with them, you feel like you've known them for years. That's the Amecas.

I wanted to go to Huatusco, Veracruz, where they live, and meet them on their own turf, so I decided to make a January trip to see them. Huatusco is about 850 miles from Corpus Christi, 40 miles inland from Veracruz. No one was able to go with me, so I went solo. I had a great time and have been back several times since. I'm hoping to make January trips to Huatusco a tradition.

The link: http://www.triumphrat.net/ride-trip-reports/101959-grumpy-goes-to-huatusco-mexico.html

The pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/andyc740/Huatusco0109#

 

[andyc740]

Grumpy at Ciudad Victoria- March 2009

These days, Mexico has dozens of bike rallies. When I'm looking at what rallies to go to, I tend to go where I've been invited. At the rally in Montemorelos, I was invited to go to the rally in Ciudad Victoria by several members of the hosting chapter, so we decided to go.

We had a great trip, a nice ride through the mountains and the chance to meet a few politicos, including Eugenio Flores, then governor of Tamaulipas. Manolo showed up along with his daughter, Saraí.

The link: http://www.triumphrat.net/ride-trip-reports/105243-grumpy-at-ciudad-victoria-mexico-bike-rally.html

The pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/andyc740/CiudadVictoriaRally0309 https://picasaweb.google.com/andyc740/CiudadVictoriaRallyLeftysPictures https://picasaweb.google.com/andyc740/CiudadVictoriaDalesPictures

 

[andyc740]

Grumpy goes to Tampico - May 2009

The bike rally invitations continued. At Cd. Victoria, Manolo introduced us to Alex Carrasco, organizer of the new Motohermandad rally in Tampico, held on the beach over Memorial Day weekend. Alex seemed like a great guy and the rally sounded like a lot of fun, so we went. Nine people were along for the ride, the biggest group ever for a Mexico trip.

Manolo showed up along with several other CMA Mexico couples so we had a big presence at the rally. Motohermandad has become our favorite rally. We've been there three years running, missing only the first year.

The link: http://www.triumphrat.net/ride-trip-reports/112452-grumpy-goes-to-tampico.html

The pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/andyc740/Tampico0509

 

[andyc740]

CMA Bike Rally - Huatusco, Mexico - July 2009

About a week after the Tampico rally, Manolo and his daughter, Saraí, were in a car wreck near Reynosa, on their way to the border to buy clothing for their store. Manolo was in pretty tough shape, spent a week in the hospital and several more weeks in Reynosa before he was ready to go back home. Our chapter got permission from CMA to do a fundraiser for the Amecas, so we cooked and sold turkey legs at a park in Corpus Christi on the Fourth of July.

Sapo and I then made a quick trip to Huatusco to deliver the money raised to the Amecas, though we just told them we were coming to their annual Mexico CMA get-together in July.

Rocinante almost made it back home under her own power.

The link: http://www.triumphrat.net/ride-trip-reports/118926-cma-bike-rally-huatusco-mexico.html

The pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/andyc740/Huatusco0709#

 

[andyc740]

Moto Fronterizo Nov 2009 - Mexico Border Bike Rally

The last of the Lost Links. When we met Governor Flores at the Victoria rally, he invited us to his rally, Motofronterizo. He started the rally in 2008, which was a ride along the border through the state of Tamaulipas from Nuevo Laredo to Matamoros, spending the night along the way in Reynosa. The rally was free, requiring only registration and ended with a raffle of a bunch of bike equipment, including six or eight new motorcycles.

Rocinante was up and running again after having her oil pump rebuilt. It had been too long since we'd been to Mexico, so we were off. Lefty, Dale, Sandi, Mary and I went and had a ball. I hadn't done a group ride of that length with that many bikes before. Some educated guesses put the number of bikes at about 5,000. There was a LOT of security on hand, with police, swat teams, helicopters, etc., but the second Motofronterizo turned out to be the last one. By 2010, there was just too much lawlessness along the border and the ride never happened again. We were glad we went when we did.

The link: http://www.triumphrat.net/ride-trip-reports/126138-moto-fronterizo-2009-mexico-border-bike-rally.html

The pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/andyc740/MotoRallyFronterizo2009

And that's it for the Lost Links. After this trip, I began posting the ride reports here on Two-Wheeled Texans.

The pace of our trips have slowed somewhat, three or four a year, rather than five or six; less people going along when we do go, but we still enjoy them tremendously. We've met many people in Mexico, seen some of the country and have made some good friends. Now, if things would just settle down a bit, we could really have some good times.

 

[andyc740]

Very interesting. I ride often in Mexico and would like someone to go with me. Let me know if you are interested.

I'm always interested. Now I just need to replace Rocinante...she's ready for some quiet days in the pasture.