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Anyone have experience riding in Mexico?

netizen

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Ever since the HU meet in Appomattox I have been working towards a Central America trip in 4 or 5 years. But I was thinking it would be a good idea to at least do a shorter trip to Mexico first to get a little bit of foreign riding experience.
Has anyone ridden in Mexico? Any suggestions, tips, ideas? I've been working on learning Spanish since the HU meet also. Duo Lingo is a really good app for learning any language.
I've ordered a couple of the Lonely Planet guides so I can get familiar with using them and get some ideas about where to go and what to expect along the way.

I am thinking the earliest I would go would be next year. I need more time to learn some Spanish and save some $$. Hoping I can budget for about $60 a day. I don't think I can get more than 3 weeks off work at a time, so that would probably be my round trip time (Probably 2 weeks riding in Mexico).

If anyone has done a trip like this what are your thoughts?
 
You may benefit from a shake down tour of the Baja. English is widely spoken and i believe you may find it caters to us gringo's.
My first trip down there was with a fellow rider that had extensive riding experience there. We were treated like, excuse the expression, kings. The hospitality displayed by the locals was heart-warming and we usually were asked to park our bikes either in the hotel lobby, or in an adjacent room. We never lacked for company, as folks were fairly constantly approaching and asking if we were from Columbia….our license plates read: British Columbia.

A couple things about crossing the border. Walk to the border and do the paperwork, which you may find extensive. Carry copies of your registration, insurance, passport and driver's license, as you'll be asked to provide those to complete the entrance paperwork. You are actually (in a way) importing your motorcycle into the country, so when you leave you *must* go to Mexican customs and complete the paperwork to export/leave. Not a big deal, and relatively easy to do, but it's important to the Mexican government. Not paying attention to these things may make your next visit somewhat….tricky.

I was initially daunted by the Federal Police and their roadblocks. The army also conducts roadblocks, complete with some heavy (to me) firepower, spike belts and stern looks. Frankly, we all know that motorcycles are not an ideal transport for drugs, especially going south. That is deeper into the country. They may ask for your passport, and perhaps they'll point at a saddlebag to look inside. Daunting at first, routine after a couple of trips through.

I'd ride back there in an instant. Motorists treat motorcyclists with respect, and so do the truckers. They'll operate their left turn signal to tell you when to pass. And they're never wrong. An interesting habit, one that requires a thought process that I'm not familiar with..

Go. Enjoy it. Great food. Hospitable folks. Great roads.
 
Let me know when, I Love riding in Mexico.

[video=youtube;jC4VSkMUa6s]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC4VSkMUa6s[/video]

Have to get windshield sticker from Bank of Mexico. This sticker is the prepaid taxes in case you sell your bike in Mexico. Have to stop at the border when returning to the USA to show you are returning with the bike to the USA. This one little sticker is your passport for the motorcycle.
Bank of Mexico does background check on you, before they will issue the sticker. About $300, but about $250 mailed back once you show vehicle at border returned to USA.

Have to stop at the border to get 7 or 30 day permit, so best to cross in small city. About $50.

Have to have passport and vehicle title on your person.

Lots of folks from Germany living and vacationing in Mexico. Lots of folks speak english, so need to know spanish is helpful, but not required.

Have to purchase Mexico vehicle insurance. Can be bought through Sanbornes, or Bank of Mexico. About $150.

Also, good idea to get health insurance before entering into Mexico. That way if something goes wrong, it pays to fly you home. About $50.

This is a Feb to April trip, way to hot in the summer months.

If you are going to ride the ferry across the Sea of Cortez it is $95 for your bike and another $95 for you. About a 9 hour ferry ride.

If you are going to pet the whales, cost $80 for the boat ride.

Hotel rooms from $20 to $80 per night. So split by two not bad.
 
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I haven't ridden to Mexico before, but I do go there regularly. Mainly Sonora, Baja Norte, and the like. I'll echo the sentiments about hospitality of the people there.

There are areas in MX where you probably don't want to be, or dont want to be at certain times, motorcycle or not. The US State Department has information on that issue, if you care to look.

I hope you get to go, and have a great time!
 
I speak Spanish and have been to Mexico and CA a number of times. I love it and always return wanting more. On one trip I helped drive an old school bus from Seattle to San Salvador.

I've never ridden a motorcycle south of the border. Don't mean to discourage you, but did they ever find the gringo guy who went missing on his bike down there a year or two ago?
 
OCR, I'll definitely let you know when I'm going. Anybody else who wants to venture into Mexico is welcome as well. It might not be for a couple years yet... I'm just starting to figure out when I will be able to go.

Thanks for all the input everybody. Always can use more info!
 
I just came back from Monterrey and there is no way in hell I would ride a motorcycle there. Stay away from large towns would be my advice. I thought Chicago was bad. Riding around Little Rock is calm compared to what I saw during my visit.

I doubt you plan to go into any large cities but figured I'd advise against it anyway.

The mountinas on either side of Monterrey. Now that is a different story. I would love to ride up there. It was beautiful.
 
I have been to Monterrey a few times over the years on a motorcycle. The first time me and my wife went was in 1969, then there was not a toll road. In those days all you needed to cross the Mexico boarder was your drivers licence and your birth certificate. They would except your military ID instead of your birth certificate, also. NO fees, passports, or insurance requirements in those days. You had to go over those mountains to get to Monterrey. We were two up on a Honda CB750. Not all the mountain roads were paved in 1969, so it was a real experenience. Back in those days Mexico did not own all the gas stations, as they do today. So, we also had to deal with watered down gas. An speaking of water, drinking water was no where near the quality it is today in Mexico.

That 1969 trip to Monterrey was one of the my best motorcycle rides ever!
 
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I'm _not_ trying to be a downer, nor an alarmist. Posting this for reference, in case it's of interest to anyone. Again, I find the hospitality of people in Mexico generally to be terrific. Too, the Mexican government seems to me to be working hard toward improving the security situation there. Still, it seems prudent to me to have all available information if a person is considering significant overland travel in Mexico.
This is the information from the State Department that I referred to, above. This page is specific to Mexico. A person can sign up for email updates if they choose.
Mexico Travel Warning
 
Caterpillar was blowing up my email with the same type documents prior to my trip. I felt is was a little extreme to be escorted in an armored Tahoe but this is obviously done for a reason. I was there during the elections and we made sure to steer clear of any demonstrations. It's really about staying out of areas you shouldn't go anyway but tourists will be the first one targeted. I felt safe during my stay and the people I encountered were very friendly but you still need to be smart.

OCR, Monterrey has a population of 4 Million and just about every large American company you can think of has a plant in that city. I imagine it has grown quite a bit since 1969. It is organized chaos. The locals understand the rules of the road but I don't. I saw very few motorcycles during the weeks stay and I can't say I am shocked. Craziest driving I have ever witnessed and I have driven in France and Iraq.
 
I vacation in Puerto Vallarta area all the time, rent a car and drive all over too. I see all sorts of motorcycles everywhere, touring groups on Beemers, if you go just take some Canadian maple leaf stickers and paste them everywhere, they love Canadians.
 
OCR, Monterrey has a population of 4 Million and just about every large American company you can think of has a plant in that city. I imagine it has grown quite a bit since 1969. It is organized chaos. The locals understand the rules of the road but I don't. I saw very few motorcycles during the weeks stay and I can't say I am shocked. Craziest driving I have ever witnessed and I have driven in France and Iraq.

I have been to Monterrey a few times sence 1969. I always stay at the Ramada Inn on top to the mountain overlooking the city. As for driving in Monterrey, at the mad man circle downtown, "Alto" means floor it or someone will run plum up your tail end. Also if there is any water in the ditch, plan on some kid washing your bike with it by the time you return to your bike.

Also, sence the so called Free Trade agreement, almost all US auto makers are building their vehicles in Mexico. The first time you see all the US auto company factories in Mexico you know where all the Detroit jobs went.

So many US manufactures in Mexico because of the Free Trade Agreement, I believe that is why our government is trying to keep us out of Mexico from seeing. Lots of USA jobs lost to Mexico!
 
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So many US manufactures in Mexico because of the Free Trade Agreement, I believe that is why our government is trying to keep us out of Mexico from seeing. Lots of USA jobs lost to Mexico!

2 of our guys were attempted to be stopped at a roadblock not all that long ago. They chose to not stop, but run around it as fast as they could, narrowly avoiding a major crash. That roadblock was _not_ a genuine government/police/army roadblock. I do not agree that jobs issues are why we are cautioned about some areas of MX.

That said, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO RUN AN ARMY ROADBLOCK. THEY _WILL_ SHOOT YOU IF YOU DO, regardless what your license plates or stickers say.

Looking forward to a fun and happy trip report once you are able to go, netizen!
 
I only rode down Baja from Tecate as far as Loreto in February 2014. Deliberately avoided the Tijuana crossing either way. At the Tecate crossing there was a 30 second wait southbound and northbound motorcycles skip the car line and go to the front. Have your Tourist Card and Mexico Insurance done before you arrive at the border. Passport absolutely required. Weather was good all the way. Ignacio Springs Bed and Breakfast is great. Reserve...
Save your Spanish for pleasantries. I speak it and don't use it when talking to the soldiers at the checkpoints. No fuel stations between El Rosario and Guerrero Negro except for people selling suspect gasoline out of rusty drums at Catavina.
$60 per day will have you camping I presume...Food at taco stands is reasonable. Lodging is not. Unfortunately, inexpensive quality lodging is hard to find.
I have not ridden in mainland Mexico otherwise. If I did I would have to go through the Import Permit protocol which is not required in Baja. No trouble with the traffic police that I could see but stories abound. Reasonably good fun. Lots of depressing rubbish lining the highway north of El Rosario. Not just a paper cup or two but wholesale dumping of garbage alongside the road.
 
I just got back from Monterrey Mexico late last week. I wish I could take my bike but I go there on business. I took some photos this week and I'll share them just to give an idea of what you'd see around the Monterrey area. This is the toll road (Federal HWY 400) on the south side of town. Most roads are not in the same condition as you'll see in these photos. The photo are more to show how beatiful some parts of the country can be. Much of it is in a state of dispare. My opinion.

Monerrey 1.jpg

Monerrey 2.jpg

Monerrey 3.jpg

Monerrey 4.jpg

Monerrey 5.jpg
 
I just spent the last 2 and half months riding around Mexico ,top to bottom ,coast to coast
Never once did I feel unsafe

Some video and photos of my trip
YouTube
 
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