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REAL Adventure Riding in Mexico
- Thread starter ScottBrownAdventurer
- Start date
Oh, i thought this one was forgotton... I'll finish this up whenever I finish this 30 page paper I'm writing so that I can graduate next week. 
You do not need a dual sport bike to ride in Mexico. Get yourself a trip in on whatever bike you have, NOW. But if you do not have a bike, by all means, get out there, buy one and enjoy.
Tomcat
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- Jun 2, 2008
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- Location
- San Antonio
- First Name
- Tom
- Last Name
- Phillips
AWESOME adventure. Kep it coming. That's on next years trip list so I'm paying very close attention.
neoxaero
0
touring on my R1 doesn't sound like a good time to me.. I have a heavy.. uh.. right hand 
the off-road/camping portion of the ride reports i see are what make me want dual sport bike
Plus they'll throw me in the pokey.. or make me go broke from bribes on my bike
the off-road/camping portion of the ride reports i see are what make me want dual sport bike
Plus they'll throw me in the pokey.. or make me go broke from bribes on my bike
GOOOOOOOOOD MORNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Campsite number two in Mexico. Between the Coyote yelping in the distance, good food for dinner, and a good days ride... I say it was a great campsite.
We figured it would be a half day's navigation back to Galeana. Our campsite though, was in the "town" of La Rucia. La Rucia, is however, one seldom used ranchito and then a couple ruined buildings a few hundred yards from the ranchito. The track after the second set of buildings looked like this.
This track went on for about 15 miles getting narrower and less distinct, several washes, lots of cactus, plenty of thorns.
And then suddenly, right smack in the middle of nowhere, was this little rancho.
I stopped to take this picture, and looked around to find the owners... I did not get a picture, but I made sure to wave whenever I saw them, in the little corral out side of their compound. Definately indians, dark skinned and wearing more traditional clothing. But hey, they had a solar panel and a 4x4.
I tell you what. This track was awesome. Stand up, crank your wrist back to 50mph. Dodge the cactus balls. Stop, take a picture, repeat.
Holy cactus balls batman! These things would pop up in the middle of the road....
Did I mention how much I liked this track? At one point it was so fun I was yelping like the coyote last night.
Banked curves with slightly loose surface sand, 4th gear madness!
Campsite number two in Mexico. Between the Coyote yelping in the distance, good food for dinner, and a good days ride... I say it was a great campsite.
We figured it would be a half day's navigation back to Galeana. Our campsite though, was in the "town" of La Rucia. La Rucia, is however, one seldom used ranchito and then a couple ruined buildings a few hundred yards from the ranchito. The track after the second set of buildings looked like this.
This track went on for about 15 miles getting narrower and less distinct, several washes, lots of cactus, plenty of thorns.
And then suddenly, right smack in the middle of nowhere, was this little rancho.
I stopped to take this picture, and looked around to find the owners... I did not get a picture, but I made sure to wave whenever I saw them, in the little corral out side of their compound. Definately indians, dark skinned and wearing more traditional clothing. But hey, they had a solar panel and a 4x4.
I tell you what. This track was awesome. Stand up, crank your wrist back to 50mph. Dodge the cactus balls. Stop, take a picture, repeat.
Holy cactus balls batman! These things would pop up in the middle of the road....
Did I mention how much I liked this track? At one point it was so fun I was yelping like the coyote last night.
Banked curves with slightly loose surface sand, 4th gear madness!
Not far from this location, we got a good glimpse of Cerro Potosi. Getting closer to Galeana.
Lots of this.
Boys will be boys, right?
Ehhh, yep. While turning around to jump, again, I decided to go down into the ditch.... Let it be known that only 99% of the large stones that line ditches in Mexico are cemented in with dirt.... I found one of those in the 1%... and fell over.
And just for the record, this was the second time I picked the bike up for this fall, the first time, I was too fast and they didnt get a picture.
I was amazed with the technology found in rural Mexico.
This is a Mexican CD player.
Lots of this.
Boys will be boys, right?
Ehhh, yep. While turning around to jump, again, I decided to go down into the ditch.... Let it be known that only 99% of the large stones that line ditches in Mexico are cemented in with dirt.... I found one of those in the 1%... and fell over.
And just for the record, this was the second time I picked the bike up for this fall, the first time, I was too fast and they didnt get a picture.
I was amazed with the technology found in rural Mexico.
This is a Mexican CD player.
Drumboy
0
From my experience riding around 50+ kph above the limit in Mexico and passing multiple cars at a time while going over topas (speed bumps) the cops don't harass bikes nearly as much as they do here.touring on my R1 doesn't sound like a good time to me.. I have a heavy.. uh.. right hand
the off-road/camping portion of the ride reports i see are what make me want dual sport bike
Plus they'll throw me in the pokey.. or make me go broke from bribes on my bike
If you are speeding reasonably, i dont think they mind as much. In Cedral, SLP, Mexico we followed a cop as he sped around cars over the topas.
I guess I could finish this off here.... Its only been 7 months now.
The road and ride was too fun to take pictures of, but from what I understand, it looks a lot like Utah. See, you follow this nice little canyon from the top to the bottom. Canyons are twisty. Canyons are fun.
Now, I'd like to introduce you to my two new friends. Well, one friend.
Meet Carlos (right) and his brother.
They spoke to me in English, I spoke back in Spanish. Their uncle owned the little shop across the way. Check out the arcade games.
Back on a familiar road.
Back to Galeana. Hamburgers and pepsi.
This is definately the better route to Real de Catorce.
North to Santiago.
The road and ride was too fun to take pictures of, but from what I understand, it looks a lot like Utah. See, you follow this nice little canyon from the top to the bottom. Canyons are twisty. Canyons are fun.
Now, I'd like to introduce you to my two new friends. Well, one friend.
Meet Carlos (right) and his brother.
They spoke to me in English, I spoke back in Spanish. Their uncle owned the little shop across the way. Check out the arcade games.
Back on a familiar road.
Back to Galeana. Hamburgers and pepsi.
This is definately the better route to Real de Catorce.
North to Santiago.
Where was I? Oh yes, back at Galeana. We circled the square in Galeana to find a decent place for lunch. Namely, one where we could keep an eye on our bikes, not that our bikes were unsafe in Galeana.
We at lunch at a roadside hamburger joint. Ever put avacado on your hamburgesa?
Leaving out of Galeana we headed towards Mimbres again. Passing Cerro Potosi and hitting the Dualsport Double Dragon. If only the cliff wasn't as much of a drop off and there werent so many blind curves..... it'd be a hoot to go really fast on!
But here we are again. Outside of Galeana, funny, Jim and I both took the same picture... here is mine.
And here is Jim on the DSDD
Back in Mimbres, we buy three cokes and two bags of 'tater chips. 23pesos. 13 pesos on the dollar.
Here is Kevin. You really can learn a lot of Spanish from youngsters.
Like this. These are patos.
This is Kevin's sister, she's eleven.... boy does she look rough already...
Jim entertaining Kevin and his friends.
Mimbres to Cienga del Toro is a great run. Great run indeed. Here's a peak.
We at lunch at a roadside hamburger joint. Ever put avacado on your hamburgesa?
Leaving out of Galeana we headed towards Mimbres again. Passing Cerro Potosi and hitting the Dualsport Double Dragon. If only the cliff wasn't as much of a drop off and there werent so many blind curves..... it'd be a hoot to go really fast on!
But here we are again. Outside of Galeana, funny, Jim and I both took the same picture... here is mine.
And here is Jim on the DSDD
Back in Mimbres, we buy three cokes and two bags of 'tater chips. 23pesos. 13 pesos on the dollar.
Here is Kevin. You really can learn a lot of Spanish from youngsters.
Like this. These are patos.
This is Kevin's sister, she's eleven.... boy does she look rough already...
Jim entertaining Kevin and his friends.
Mimbres to Cienga del Toro is a great run. Great run indeed. Here's a peak.
Our flag being put to good use in Mexico......
..... but atleast its an important job.... Richard decides to stop (guess why) and this is where the one 18wheeler we see in the middle of nowhere passes us.... covering us in even MORE dust.
The camera didnt do this valley any justice.
What??? What the **** is this???????
Again, no justice.
This fellow was in the middle of nowhere. He approached us during a break and asked us where we were from, going, and have been. He recommended a restaurant in a town that was about 15 miles away!!! The town he was walking towards was at least 5 miles...
Hi. Me again!
Getting gas Coahuila style.
Manzana orchards.
This is the point where my camera battery dies. Did you notice how many photos were taken for this one day???
Well, I did get some video of the curvy roads heading towards Santiago.
Hi. Me again!
Getting gas Coahuila style.
Manzana orchards.
This is the point where my camera battery dies. Did you notice how many photos were taken for this one day???
Well, I did get some video of the curvy roads heading towards Santiago.
More from Richard
PigTrail said:
Richard was a bit out of order. The smoking brake truck was on the downside from the hotel. The mean moo cow was infact on the upside of the road... which by the way, reminds me that I still havent cleaned the crap stain out of the riding pants.
Our plan was to head due north out of Santiago, but we missed the turn. Our reroute brough us on the outskirts of Monterrey. No me gusto.
But the scenary was kind of nice
(all chicas, by the way... except the two with the red white and blue jersey)
I hate big cities. I dont like big Mexican cities. I hate traffic. This sign put a knot in my stomache.
And then I saw this... eh.
And then I saw this.... yum.
After we turned here, we went through the suburbs of Houston... well, it looked like it anyways.... then we got on another hwy and while Richard was playing with his GPS (in traffic) he didnt realize just how close he came to being rearended by a speeding veedub (VW) Golf. Then we almost missed a turn, Jim had to improvise. I should be a bloody fighter pilot with my reaction skills after following Richard around. Then there is the traffic. And then a toll. I was freaking out, thinkink the toll was the one on to get on Mex 40 back to Reynosa, which was 183 pesos. Nope, this one was 10pesos. We get going some more and we do find the entrance to the cuota... we take the libre.
If you are still reading this, cool. At one point, I got up to about 90mph, then I slow down.
We all pass an 18wheeler at about 70mph and top a hill. Two federales with radar.....
Where was I? Federales? Scary stuff.
Like I said in my last segment, we were cruising down a straight road. Imagine crossing a bit of a valley, a nice 'U' shaped valley. This is where I bump it up to about 90. I'm following this Ford pickup that just happens to be doing the same speed. Jim and Richard are on the bottom of the valley when I get stuck behind an 18wheeler. Jim and Rich catch back up to me and we pass the truck. We top the hill at about 70mph... in a 80kph zone. Thats kilometers, about 50mph. Atop the hill was a federale car and two federales. CHOP the throttle brake hard.....
They were facing the other way. By the time they turned around, we were doing about 60. First cops we saw on the whole trip (in this situation anyways)
Something else we noticed. No military checkpoints, only the checkpoint about 20 miles in, they only asked for our vehicle permits. I was first and they only checked mine (again on the way into Mexico), i showed him my permit, he asked if we all had it. "Bye bye" he said.
Oh we are on our way back, why am I talking about day one???
Its odd, 940 miles total trip. Mile 870, my butt starts hurting. Mile 923 is where the federals sat on the hill. Amazingly enough, the butt clenching that was involved seriously relieved monkey butt. I highly recommend it.
______________________________________________________________
Now, a concern we had for the entire trip was upon us. What do we do to get back across the border? Well, this may only apply to the Reynosa Crossing, but here it goes.
Of course you must return your vehicle permit. Be careful. You DO NOT go into the lanes going towards the "puente internacional" No, go one block north of this and follow these signs.
Unfortunately, you'll be faced with this....
And you have to participate in this....
When we got to the window, I scared the tendant.... she turned around and saw this...
My best 'Gaspipe' impression... I was only missing the altoids...
No problems. You give them your permit, they check your VIN and give you a receipt.
And then the fun part... (left part of picture)
Like I said in my last segment, we were cruising down a straight road. Imagine crossing a bit of a valley, a nice 'U' shaped valley. This is where I bump it up to about 90. I'm following this Ford pickup that just happens to be doing the same speed. Jim and Richard are on the bottom of the valley when I get stuck behind an 18wheeler. Jim and Rich catch back up to me and we pass the truck. We top the hill at about 70mph... in a 80kph zone. Thats kilometers, about 50mph. Atop the hill was a federale car and two federales. CHOP the throttle brake hard.....
They were facing the other way. By the time they turned around, we were doing about 60. First cops we saw on the whole trip (in this situation anyways)
Something else we noticed. No military checkpoints, only the checkpoint about 20 miles in, they only asked for our vehicle permits. I was first and they only checked mine (again on the way into Mexico), i showed him my permit, he asked if we all had it. "Bye bye" he said.
Oh we are on our way back, why am I talking about day one???
Its odd, 940 miles total trip. Mile 870, my butt starts hurting. Mile 923 is where the federals sat on the hill. Amazingly enough, the butt clenching that was involved seriously relieved monkey butt. I highly recommend it.
______________________________________________________________
Now, a concern we had for the entire trip was upon us. What do we do to get back across the border? Well, this may only apply to the Reynosa Crossing, but here it goes.
Of course you must return your vehicle permit. Be careful. You DO NOT go into the lanes going towards the "puente internacional" No, go one block north of this and follow these signs.
Unfortunately, you'll be faced with this....
And you have to participate in this....
When we got to the window, I scared the tendant.... she turned around and saw this...
My best 'Gaspipe' impression... I was only missing the altoids...
No problems. You give them your permit, they check your VIN and give you a receipt.
And then the fun part... (left part of picture)
So yeh. The line at the border is exactly how you see it. Atleast this day and the day that I crossed the border in July.
This day was warm... but July was hot. In July, I managed to cross at a time when I had literally half the traffic of this trip...
So yes, we lane split. Most importantly because of my bike being aircooled.
Jim was too wide and being the third bike, everyone we passed decided to cut him off.... At times we double teamed. I would pull out infront of one vehicle, Richard would go. Vice Versa. Left side, right side. Out the curb, over the curb.
We get to the halfway point and I manage to get a pic of Richard with "the sign."
From here.... I lead off, and make it three cars before I become the biggest a-hole on a motorcycle... ever.
This day was warm... but July was hot. In July, I managed to cross at a time when I had literally half the traffic of this trip...
So yes, we lane split. Most importantly because of my bike being aircooled.
Jim was too wide and being the third bike, everyone we passed decided to cut him off.... At times we double teamed. I would pull out infront of one vehicle, Richard would go. Vice Versa. Left side, right side. Out the curb, over the curb.
We get to the halfway point and I manage to get a pic of Richard with "the sign."
From here.... I lead off, and make it three cars before I become the biggest a-hole on a motorcycle... ever.
PigTrail
0
Glad your updating the twt thread! The adv one is linked in my sig. 
Another trip to Real de Catorce in October?
Another trip to Real de Catorce in October?
Glad your updating the twt thread! The adv one is linked in my sig.
A bigger, better, dirtier one sounds like a plan.... after this week, i could leave tomorrow.........
Drumboy
0
So you can split lanes going back across the border? I always wondered about this...
PigTrail
0
If you don't get cut off you physically can, but as to whether it's legal or not..that's another question. We saw 2 pickup trucks bump pretty good and people were screaming at each other and throwing empty plastic bottles. A few lane-splitting moto's are the least of the worries for the authorities.
Drumboy
0
We accidentally took the Sentri lane that goes straight to the toll booth but the guy told us we were in the wrong spot so we just road over the curb and it was really hard to squeeze in. Some guy in a Tundra came 1/2" from running over my foot and we basically had to play chicken with a camry.
Oh thats nothing. When I "became the biggest a-hole ever", now thats a story. Just after I took the last pic of Richard and the Mex/USA plaque in the background we motored off again. Maybe I did one too many wheelies that day... well, I did... but my top bag shifted way over. Unfortunately at this point a big truck with towing mirrors sort of blocked my way, so i was leaning over for that and crack snapple and pop, a mirror exploded shattering in pieces in front of me. I stopped, evaluated the situation... tucked my tail pulled in my elbows and took off.... only to be stopped at the final line crossing the border. The next thing I know, a guy is tapping me on my shoulder. "blah blah blah, yu broka mi espejo! mi espejo! You broka mi espejo!" "Lo siento, que quieras? Tengo seguros, quiera mis papeles?" "No no no, moneda, ahora. Aqui! " "Ehhh, no tengo mucho, cuantas quieras?" "Cien dollares!" "No tengo, solo siesento en pesos." bien.
At this point I wipe my forehead... thanking Dios that the guy didnt beat me down for hit nd run! Although that might have proved interesting for him... trying to beat up someone in full moto gear.
Thats all folks.
Drumboy
0
I've gotten into debates about whether you'd be at a disadvantage or an advantage when fighting with moto gear on. I think the boots might be an advantage if you can land a kick but the jacket is restrictive and I think the helmet would be the achilles heel because someone could grab under the chin and have full control of your balance and position.