Grab your Mexico map and draw an imaginary box around the mountains south of Ciudad Victoria. Be sure your box includes the cities of Ciudad Mante, Queretaro, and Tamazunchale. Within that area are some of the finest paved motorcycling paved roads in all of Mexico. In particular, Highways 120, 85, and 105 are widely claimed to be amongst Mexico’s Top 10 paved roads. Roads so good they are worth taking a trip there just to ride them. Ride reports from those who have ridden them will confirm just how spectacular they really are.
However, Google search all you want and you will find almost no ride reports on the dirt roads in your imaginary box. Despite the number of adventure riders that have ridden the pavement there, few appear to have ridden much, if any, of the dirt. What’s up with that? My Mexican topographic maps of that area show it to be full of dirt roads tortuously twisting and snaking through the mountains.
Surely those dirt roads must rival the pavement in the area – they are in the same mountains so how could they not? Heck, look at the map - it shows the dirt roads to be both twistier and more undulating than the paved roads. This area was just begging to be explored so in late May 2015 a team of six of us set out to do just that. This is our story.
We call ourselves the Wild Bunch, but really we are just a bunch of aging guys who never outgrew a childhood love of riding dirt bikes or the desire for adventure. Here's the team:
JT - riding a street legal DR-Z400E. Everybody on the team had a particular responsibility. JT was the primary navigator for the team.
Stingray Scott - riding a KTM 690. Scott was the Muscle - nobody wants to screw with the giant.
Tricepilot Bob - riding a KTM 500. Bob was the plucky comic relief (a beer to the first person who correctly identifies the reference).
CeeBee Chuck - riding a Honda XR650R. Chuck was the head mechanic. By the way, the Honda is for sale...
Milton - riding a DR-Z400s. Milton is the World's Foremost Adventure Dentist and served as the Wild Card. When Milton's around you don't know what might happen (which is a good thing if you are seeking adventure).
Me - riding an adventurized Honda XR650L. I organized this shindig and appointed myself the head photographer. (that's me on the right)
Here's a picture of Big Red (my modified XR650L), packed and ready to go. (It's okay to say it, no one will laugh at you -"Wow, she's a beauty".)
Let's get the party started - it's time for some adventure.