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Photo by Ellen Delis, Lagunas Ojos del Campo, Antofalla, Catamarca

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Ellen Delis,
Lagunas Ojos del Campo,
Antofalla, Catamarca



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  #1  
Old 1 Apr 2004
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copper canyon
I will be visiting the Copper Canyon on April 15-20. Is it possible to take a street bike to La Bufa and Botapilas? I feel I am a competent rider but I will be on a Harley with a foot clutch and hand shift. It looks like it could be quite a fall if it gets away from me!!! I have ridden plenty of dirt roads, some of them very steep and twisty. Any advice would be helpful.

Jack
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  #2  
Old 1 Apr 2004
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Check out the story on our HU Copper Canyon Travellers Meeting last year. Link on left to Meetings. Some pics, including one rider who rode a street bike down to Batopilas.

Generally not recommended for street bikes, but you CAN do it. Personally I wouldn't dream of it with a foot clutch, but I'm no foot clutch expert either.

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Grant Johnson

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  #3  
Old 1 Apr 2004
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My guess is that it is possible, if it is dry and you dont mind laying the bike down once or twice, more especially coming back out.

Don't take it there if it is a minter you want to protect.

2c
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  #4  
Old 3 Apr 2004
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As someone who has ridden the road to Batopilas and once owned a rigid Harley with a suicide clutch, I'll offer my opinion for what it's worth. The road into the canyon is not technically difficult, but is heavily washboarded in places, and in others there are sheer drops of several hundred feet, with no guardrail. I would not hesitate to do it on a street bike, but I think a hardtail would be torture on the washboard. If you go, plan for a long, slow, hard ride. I took me just under 4 hours to get from where you turn off the paved highway to Batopilas, stopping to take pictures, and 2-1/2 hours getting back out, hauling ass to beat nightfall. This was on a KLR 650, so on your Harley, I would figure 50% longer. To me a highlight of this trip is the mission at Satevo, about 6 miles past Batopilas, and that road is much rougher. Lots of loose sand, short but steep hills and loose rock. I would not take a foot clutch bike there, although someone will say it's no problem for them.


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Andy Tiegs
www.tiegs.com

Almost forgot, plenty of places to stay in Batopilas, so stay overnight and walk out to Satevo in the morning.

[This message has been edited by AndyT (edited 03 April 2004).]
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  #5  
Old 4 May 2004
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Just go back from the Copper Canyon area. Had a great time. I took the Harley to Botapilas. No problems except the noise from the pipes caused rocks to fall from some of the verticle cliffs above me. Never got hit but it came close a time or two. A 750 pound jockey shift street bike is not the vehicle of choice for this ride but it can be done with a lot of work.
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