Parque Iztaccihuatl popocatepetl (mexico city)

[dlmurre]

Was wondering if the road going through the park is worth taking. Would like to go all the way through to Puebla. We'll be on little KLR250's and making our way slowly to Honduras. Thanks Dan

[Mike Stone]

DL -

I don´t know the answer to your question about the road through the parque, but I have a couple of other pointers for you in that area.

The area around Puebla is heavy traffic with lots of trucks and topes (speed bumps). However, if you want to ride the mountains in the middle of Mexico on your way to Guatemala, you don't have much choice but to ride through there - just be prepared, it is slow going and requires a lot of concentration.

Hopefully you are planning to ride south of Puebla on Rt 190 past Oaxaca to Tehuantepec or beyond to San Cristobal del la Casas.
Awesome twisty mountain road for hundreds of miles. Your six speeds will be getting a workout!

Mind that there are no gas stations after Tlacolula de Matamoros until you reach Tehuantepec 130 miles later, and it is easy to run out of fuel on this twisty, mountainous stretch.

The Killer 250 was a bike way ahead of its time. A watercooled DOHC 4 valve four-stroke, the same format that Yamaha, Suzuki, and GasGas have used so successfully for their dirtbikes and dual sports since the YZF´s debut over a decade after Kawasaki introduced the KLR 250. And Husky is now using the same format, as well as KTM with their 250 four-stroke.

[dlmurre]

Thanks for the info, we're going to try and take alot of the yellow roads from the guia roji.Heading south of Ciudad Victoria on 85, getting of on the dirt road that runs through biosphere el cielo and then south to Xilitla to see las pozas.Then heading down towards pachuca and apan, any other suggestions are definitly welcome. Not sure if I'm going through the parque yet, but it's been calling my name for a couple of years now.I will do the 190 route if I go through the parque, if not I'll work my way east and head to the coast on 135. I've run both coasts and the northern central parts of mexico,so I'm going to stay in the mountains and cloud forests this trip. That is if the guys I'm taking can take it. They're first timers and not overly experienced riders. I'm leading them to a mission in honduras. This is my first experience with the KLR250, normally travel on an ATK605.I bought it used real reasonable, chose them because of the lack of experience of the other 2 riders, who also bought KLR's and we are donating them to a couple of missions in honduras, if all the paper work gets done. I think the KLR's will do fine, because we won't be in a hurry. Any must see's are appreciated. Thanks

[Mike Stone]

DL -

I am currently in Honduras and I am moving here permanently. I bought property at El Tomate which is between Talanga and Guaimaca, fifty miles northeast of Tegucigalpa. There are a lot of missionaries in Guaimaca, perhaps that is where you are going? I actually bought the property from a missionary who had bought it about 30 years ago.

In the northeastern U.S., I have been very active in the rather frustrating - although sometimes successful - fight to improve or maintain ORV trail access. My plan for the property here is to create a Moto Parque Honduras with a natural terrain MX course and about 30 miles of trails on the property, and attract riders and families frustrated by the lack of trail access in many parts of the U.S., as well as attracting local riders. This will be several years of work to set up, but I am feeling very confident about it right now.

The people here are so awesome. Tonight I played soccer with them (mostly kids) till it was dark. Most Americans would look at them and see poverty, because they live in small shacks and don´t have cars. But in so many ways they are richer than Americans - in terms of their attitudes and enthusiasm, real family values (not the kind that are a euphemism for intolerance), and physical condition. Everybody is active, out and about, and god forbid that you should pass someone in the street and not say¨"buenas" or "olah."

When I go back to the U.S., I am going to go for a ride and see all these beautiful suburban homes... but not one person outside.

Have a great ride down to the real world -

Mike

[Sjoerd Bakker]

A route suggestion if you haven´t already done this one and are not set on doing Mex 190 all the way.Go to Tehuacan and then Mex 130 south to Teotitlan,OAX and there get on the cross mountain road east to Tuxtepec. I got on this one at 2pm today and the locals said it would take me about three hours to get to Tuxtepec. Wrong, and wonderfully so . The road climbs up steeply and then winds around all over the place.Mountainside farming and villages at spots you wouldn´t believe.Shades of Guatemala. Good thing there are a few potholes to make it an easy choice to go slow on the R1100GS and enjoy the fantastic scenery . About 4pm I looked at my map and nooo way was I going to make Tuxtepec , making the 12km side trip to the end of zigzag pavement and the coffee town Chilcotlan ( dirt road continues north to Orizaba ,VER) a nice fit before stopping back on the main road in Huautla, OAX at Hotel Posada San Antonio ,120 peso and secure bike parking in the heart of town a nice stopover . Tomorrow ( -someday-) I´ll get to Tuxtepec and from there the route to Oaxca Mex 175 is another fantastic bike road , with Ixtlan de Juarez a good overnight in Casa de Huespedes Soledad less than $10
Be careful east of La Ventosa, Ive hit some incredible crosswinds from the north there , can flip trucks or blow you off the road.Just look for a bank of cloud rolling off the Sierra Atravesada as a warning. One fellow I know said he had to lay his bike down in the low shoulder for a few hours before the wind abated.

[dlmurre]

Hey guys ,
Thanks for the info. Mike, I agree with you 100% on the quality of family life. I'm going to work at a mission in Tegus for a week with the other two guys then head to diffrent mission in flores to donate my bike, the other mission is already getting 2 bikes from the other guys. I'd like to meet up with you for a day, if your still going to be around in early march, I like the idea of a moto parque alot. Sjoerd, I had that road to Tuxtepec on my list, I wanted to go to the little town Otatilan, Veracuz . Its just up river from Tuxtepec. Thanks for the thumbs up ride report. Its either that one or the one through the Parque I&P, I can't do both this trip. I just have to see which way the wind blows. Appreciate the wind warnings and other info also. Dan