Hello,
In the spring of 2018, a few of us in our riding group started grumbling about going to Mexico in March of 2019. We just got back from the most epic trip I have ever done on a motorcycle. Having traveled most of the United States, including Alaska, I can say the Copper Canyon area is hands down, the best dual sport riding I have ever done. I will continue to expand my riding horizons to other parts of the world and I do not deny that there may be better places. Mexico is an area that is close and obtainable to most of us that live in the United States. I will do my best to write an organized trip report that may be helpful to others who my want to travel the area. I will also allow the others who went on the ride some time to chime in between my posts.
This first post is going to be very wordy and long, I promise more photos and videos in later posts.
First, let's introduce the 3 bad hombres.
All 3 of us will be riding mostly stock Yamaha WR250Rs.
Danny (@LtCrashDan) on the left and Ron (@racerron) on the right.
Danny is a newer rider but a strong guy. What he lacks in skill, he makes up for in pure strength and determination. Danny had been to Mexico a few weeks before the trip for business and learned a good bit of Spanish. Danny is from the Pittsburgh area. Ron is a seasoned rider and knows when and where he can ride fast. He never looks like he is going fast but he will leave you wondering how he just passed you as he floats past as if he is riding on top of a cloud. Ron had never been to Mexico before and did not even know what Cerveza meant. Ron is from the Buffalo NY area but is newly retired and spending winters in Arizona.
Myself (Jason)
I have been riding for 20+ years but I am always looking to learn more. At 41 years young, I don't bounce as well as I used to, so learning little skills techniques that keep me from hitting the ground is my priority. At this point, slowing down is not on my radar. I have never been to Mexico but did a little studying during the weeks leading up to the trip. It was not really enough and Danny acted as our main translator.
At this point, you may be asking, "Why are you talking about skills?" Well, Mexico will test them. It is relentless, even if you take the easier routes. The paved roads are sketchy, everything and anything will be trying to take you off the bike. Every little town will have aggressive speed bumps that are not marked. The corners of the asphalt roads will have rocks (sometimes cinder block sized) and gravel in them. Dogs will come out of nowhere and chase you, even in very remote areas. Cattle, horses, goats, pigs, chickens, and any other mammal will be in the road at anytime. At one point, we ride into a town, on their concrete main street. I was looking at my surroundings and not paying attention to the road. When I looked back, I was about to ride off a 3' loading dock. Instead of panicking, I just blipped the throttle and jumped off. The others followed me. Many people will complain about the traffic in Mexico, I can understand their point, if they expect the others to follow traffic laws. Even in the United States, I never assume someone sees me or that they are going to obey a law, I felt comfortable on the roads of Mexico. I know my handlebar width well from riding tight woods around home, I always found a line around other vehicles. Sometimes it was on the other side of the road when the oncoming vehicle was on my side of the road, in the ditch of the road, or on the sidewalk in a town.
Our plan was to take the harder routes and go to the more remote areas. Danny did a lot of research of the routes ahead of time but as our departure date closed in and I started to study the maps, it became apparent that there was going to be a lot of asphalt. In the trip reports here on ADV, there is very little info for people looking for the rougher rides. Danny had started a planning thread (Link here) and with only a little time left @stormdog suggested getting the E32 maps. That tip took our trip to the level we wanted. That is an excellent product. We found routes on there that do no show up on any other map. With that map in our GPS' we felt confident to ride roads that were not on the map.
Below is a rough overview of our planned route. It is just a spiderweb of tracks and we were just going to use it as a suggestion for our ride. Top right is Ojinaga Mexico and bottom left is El Fuerte Mexico.
In the past, on off road rides, like the MABDR, SEAT, CDR, to the TAT, I could easily do a 300 mile day and would often hit 400. We knew Mexico would be slower so we laid this route out for 200mi days. In the end, I think we averaged 160mi/day. We would go long stretches with average speeds knocking on single digits. The turns in the road require 1st gear and just as I clicked into 3rd, I would have to start braking again.
Day 0:
Danny and I loaded up the truck in Pittsburgh in the morning and hit the road. It was going to be a 27 hour straight through drive. With an 8am departure, I believe we pulled into Presidio TX around Noon the next day. One person would sleep while the other drove. Danny had a couple places he though we might leave the truck. One was a city storage yard that he had permission to use but we could not find anyone on a Saturday. The other was the 3 Palms Hotel, they were supposed to be $2 but when we asked, they wanted $5/day. I suggested that we go over to the Loma Paloma RV park. I stayed there a couple years prior and the people were very friendly. They ended up letting us leave the truck in the back corner for free. I said I would bring them some souvenirs back.
Ron had his wife drop him off in El Paso TX and was riding down, he was due in around 3pm. Danny and I unloaded the bikes and rode across the border. No real paperwork is required to cross the border. They never even checked my passport. All they checked was that my PA vehicle registration matched my VIN number. Then we rode into Ojinaga for a little exploring. We hit a money exchange and I traded $500 dollars for Pesos. That was almost enough for the entire trip. I only required an additional 1000 Pesos on the last day. Hotels, gas and food for 13 days of riding for about $550.
After the money exchange, we hit an ATM for Danny to withdraw. Then a store for me to grab a Mexican SIM card for my phone. The SIM card was $200 (In mexico they use the dollar sign in front of prices and I am going to start doing that for now on in this thread). So about 10 US dollars for the SIM card. For iPhone users, make sure to check all of your settings, I ended up using all my data in a few days because my phone was backing all the photos up via cellular. Turning that feature off may have enabled me to use the card for the whole trip.
It was Friday afternoon and we started searching for hotel for the night. It became apparent that it was the weekend and a lot of places were sold out or were $1400/night. Eventually we were running low on time and needed to meet Ron at the border. We headed back down there and found him. After pissing a few border agents off because were riding in circles around the buildings, we found an agent to point us in the right direction.
To cross the border for an extended time with a vehicle, you need to do a few things. A copy of your title may be needed (as usual with Mexico, there are no strict rules). Don't worry, any additional copies can be made on site for minimal fees. Everything needs to be done in one building. Ride across the bridge into Mexico, then through the gate where they check your vin number and registration. They may ask a few questions and ask for a Passport. Then pull forward and park in the lot near the big exit gate.
From there, walk back toward where the registration was checked and go into the building that was on your left when entering the check area. There, you will go to the migration desk, they will give you a piece of paper and keep your passport. Then go to the cashier who you will pay roughly 50 dollars US. Take the paperwork back to Migration desk where they will stamp your passport and give it back.
Next you will go back to the Cashier for the TVIP (the import paperwork for the bike). You will need to pay roughly 500 US dollars, most of which will be returned when you exit the country. It was a busy Friday night, all of this took almost 2 hours. It was hot and there was a lot of standing. Additionally there are multiple smoke alarms that need that need their batteries changed.
Once we were out, of there, we were free to roam Mexico for up to 180days. It was a good feeling to ride through that gate knowing we will not be back for almost 2 weeks.
We found a hotel real close to the border that had secure parking and was only $750. It had 3 beds. Done deal. The secure parking is back to the right in the photo.
We took Ron around town to get Pesos and a sim card for his phone. Then we hit a restaurant for some chicken burritos. Not exactly sure how to feed ourselves in this country yet, I realize now this was a bad choice but it got the job done. We stopped at the store for some beers to go and went back to the hotel for the evening.
In the spring of 2018, a few of us in our riding group started grumbling about going to Mexico in March of 2019. We just got back from the most epic trip I have ever done on a motorcycle. Having traveled most of the United States, including Alaska, I can say the Copper Canyon area is hands down, the best dual sport riding I have ever done. I will continue to expand my riding horizons to other parts of the world and I do not deny that there may be better places. Mexico is an area that is close and obtainable to most of us that live in the United States. I will do my best to write an organized trip report that may be helpful to others who my want to travel the area. I will also allow the others who went on the ride some time to chime in between my posts.
This first post is going to be very wordy and long, I promise more photos and videos in later posts.
First, let's introduce the 3 bad hombres.
All 3 of us will be riding mostly stock Yamaha WR250Rs.
Danny (@LtCrashDan) on the left and Ron (@racerron) on the right.
Danny is a newer rider but a strong guy. What he lacks in skill, he makes up for in pure strength and determination. Danny had been to Mexico a few weeks before the trip for business and learned a good bit of Spanish. Danny is from the Pittsburgh area. Ron is a seasoned rider and knows when and where he can ride fast. He never looks like he is going fast but he will leave you wondering how he just passed you as he floats past as if he is riding on top of a cloud. Ron had never been to Mexico before and did not even know what Cerveza meant. Ron is from the Buffalo NY area but is newly retired and spending winters in Arizona.
Myself (Jason)
I have been riding for 20+ years but I am always looking to learn more. At 41 years young, I don't bounce as well as I used to, so learning little skills techniques that keep me from hitting the ground is my priority. At this point, slowing down is not on my radar. I have never been to Mexico but did a little studying during the weeks leading up to the trip. It was not really enough and Danny acted as our main translator.
At this point, you may be asking, "Why are you talking about skills?" Well, Mexico will test them. It is relentless, even if you take the easier routes. The paved roads are sketchy, everything and anything will be trying to take you off the bike. Every little town will have aggressive speed bumps that are not marked. The corners of the asphalt roads will have rocks (sometimes cinder block sized) and gravel in them. Dogs will come out of nowhere and chase you, even in very remote areas. Cattle, horses, goats, pigs, chickens, and any other mammal will be in the road at anytime. At one point, we ride into a town, on their concrete main street. I was looking at my surroundings and not paying attention to the road. When I looked back, I was about to ride off a 3' loading dock. Instead of panicking, I just blipped the throttle and jumped off. The others followed me. Many people will complain about the traffic in Mexico, I can understand their point, if they expect the others to follow traffic laws. Even in the United States, I never assume someone sees me or that they are going to obey a law, I felt comfortable on the roads of Mexico. I know my handlebar width well from riding tight woods around home, I always found a line around other vehicles. Sometimes it was on the other side of the road when the oncoming vehicle was on my side of the road, in the ditch of the road, or on the sidewalk in a town.
Our plan was to take the harder routes and go to the more remote areas. Danny did a lot of research of the routes ahead of time but as our departure date closed in and I started to study the maps, it became apparent that there was going to be a lot of asphalt. In the trip reports here on ADV, there is very little info for people looking for the rougher rides. Danny had started a planning thread (Link here) and with only a little time left @stormdog suggested getting the E32 maps. That tip took our trip to the level we wanted. That is an excellent product. We found routes on there that do no show up on any other map. With that map in our GPS' we felt confident to ride roads that were not on the map.
Below is a rough overview of our planned route. It is just a spiderweb of tracks and we were just going to use it as a suggestion for our ride. Top right is Ojinaga Mexico and bottom left is El Fuerte Mexico.
In the past, on off road rides, like the MABDR, SEAT, CDR, to the TAT, I could easily do a 300 mile day and would often hit 400. We knew Mexico would be slower so we laid this route out for 200mi days. In the end, I think we averaged 160mi/day. We would go long stretches with average speeds knocking on single digits. The turns in the road require 1st gear and just as I clicked into 3rd, I would have to start braking again.
Day 0:
Danny and I loaded up the truck in Pittsburgh in the morning and hit the road. It was going to be a 27 hour straight through drive. With an 8am departure, I believe we pulled into Presidio TX around Noon the next day. One person would sleep while the other drove. Danny had a couple places he though we might leave the truck. One was a city storage yard that he had permission to use but we could not find anyone on a Saturday. The other was the 3 Palms Hotel, they were supposed to be $2 but when we asked, they wanted $5/day. I suggested that we go over to the Loma Paloma RV park. I stayed there a couple years prior and the people were very friendly. They ended up letting us leave the truck in the back corner for free. I said I would bring them some souvenirs back.
Ron had his wife drop him off in El Paso TX and was riding down, he was due in around 3pm. Danny and I unloaded the bikes and rode across the border. No real paperwork is required to cross the border. They never even checked my passport. All they checked was that my PA vehicle registration matched my VIN number. Then we rode into Ojinaga for a little exploring. We hit a money exchange and I traded $500 dollars for Pesos. That was almost enough for the entire trip. I only required an additional 1000 Pesos on the last day. Hotels, gas and food for 13 days of riding for about $550.
After the money exchange, we hit an ATM for Danny to withdraw. Then a store for me to grab a Mexican SIM card for my phone. The SIM card was $200 (In mexico they use the dollar sign in front of prices and I am going to start doing that for now on in this thread). So about 10 US dollars for the SIM card. For iPhone users, make sure to check all of your settings, I ended up using all my data in a few days because my phone was backing all the photos up via cellular. Turning that feature off may have enabled me to use the card for the whole trip.
It was Friday afternoon and we started searching for hotel for the night. It became apparent that it was the weekend and a lot of places were sold out or were $1400/night. Eventually we were running low on time and needed to meet Ron at the border. We headed back down there and found him. After pissing a few border agents off because were riding in circles around the buildings, we found an agent to point us in the right direction.
To cross the border for an extended time with a vehicle, you need to do a few things. A copy of your title may be needed (as usual with Mexico, there are no strict rules). Don't worry, any additional copies can be made on site for minimal fees. Everything needs to be done in one building. Ride across the bridge into Mexico, then through the gate where they check your vin number and registration. They may ask a few questions and ask for a Passport. Then pull forward and park in the lot near the big exit gate.
From there, walk back toward where the registration was checked and go into the building that was on your left when entering the check area. There, you will go to the migration desk, they will give you a piece of paper and keep your passport. Then go to the cashier who you will pay roughly 50 dollars US. Take the paperwork back to Migration desk where they will stamp your passport and give it back.
Next you will go back to the Cashier for the TVIP (the import paperwork for the bike). You will need to pay roughly 500 US dollars, most of which will be returned when you exit the country. It was a busy Friday night, all of this took almost 2 hours. It was hot and there was a lot of standing. Additionally there are multiple smoke alarms that need that need their batteries changed.
Once we were out, of there, we were free to roam Mexico for up to 180days. It was a good feeling to ride through that gate knowing we will not be back for almost 2 weeks.
We found a hotel real close to the border that had secure parking and was only $750. It had 3 beds. Done deal. The secure parking is back to the right in the photo.
We took Ron around town to get Pesos and a sim card for his phone. Then we hit a restaurant for some chicken burritos. Not exactly sure how to feed ourselves in this country yet, I realize now this was a bad choice but it got the job done. We stopped at the store for some beers to go and went back to the hotel for the evening.