With 3 weeks available should I buy a motorcycle or be part of a tourist pack?
 

Hi everyone, as it is getting colder here in this part of the UK (London), I was thinking about riding in some warmer country like Mexico, for instance.
I was granted 3 weeks off work from the very end of this month till 19.02.2012 and my first thought was towards buying a motorcycle in the USA, not far from Mexico, so I would get the bike sorted and ride down as far as it is time for me to go back or do something with the machine.

Somebody from this site offered to help me with almost everything but in the end he thought he would not have time to deal with the different aspects so...I came back to the beginning of the dilemma : It is worth the pain of looking for a motorcycle, seeing if someone can help to title and register it before I get there? or should I sadly give up the riding idea and buy an organised tour pack in an agency rather than staying at home drinking coffee for 3 weeks trying to warm up a bit?

The problem for me would be trying to get the paperwork done so I don't have to get there and start from zero risking to get stuck and not enjoying my time. Also storing or selling may be a problem unless it is done by the same person who sells at the beginning of the trip and buys back at the end.
Europe must be cold in most places now otherwise I would go for a European tour.

Any thoughts, tips, suggestions??

Thanks.

Marco

With three weeks you'll do better renting, for all the reasons listed plus a few more. Unfortunately, renting is expensive, particularly if you want a bike that's up to European standards for power, reliability, safety, etc.

Whether that means you need to take a tour or not is up to you to decide. I've never taken a tour, but I've rented from time to time.

There's always the option of renting a local-standard bike, probably Chinese and badly maintained. This has the advantage of being cheaper and less conspicuous. In a lot of places you can just put out the word at your hotel and maybe the local repair shop, then wait for the offers to come flooding in. Of course, there are a few disadvantages as well: a clear case of "you gets what you paid for."

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

Any riding option has to be better than an organised tour!

For the sake of 3 weeks, which is pretty short for a trans-Atlantic trip, I would be inclined to follow this guy south:

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...d-europe-61328

To avoid the worst of the cold weather the ferry from Portsmouth to Spain is an option. Then keep an eye on the local weather forecasts; it should be better on the Med coast compared with the Atlantic side. You could go as far as Morocco in 3 weeks, but that does not guarantee there will be no cold weather at all - still be warmer than the UK though!

It's hard to answer that question for someone else. Picture yourself as part of an organized tour, with predetermined itineraries. Does that seem appealing? To me it doesn't.

I second Mark's suggestion of renting. It is more expensive than buying and reselling but you're dealing with limited time and some of that time will have to be used to find, purchase and then sell the bike.

Since you've mentioned a tour you should look into the rental option since you seem to be willing to spend relatively larger sums on a tour anyway. In Mexico I know you can rent bikes in Cancun (Harley) and Cabo San Lucas (Harley and BMW). Those are geared towards Gringos. There are probably others catering to local folks. Just do some Google searches and you should come up with a few options. Try "Renta de motos Mexico", "renta de motocicletas Mexico", "alquila de motos Mexico" or "alquila de motocicletas Mexico".

Then you can concentrate on riding further south since northern Mexico can be quite chilly at this time of the year. In Creel I had ice on my tent two nights in a row in early March, 2010.


...Michelle
www.scrabblebiker.com

+1 on (searching) rental options.
AND/ or
If time/ budget allow, these folks offer a couple of southern Mexico tours in your timeframe:
Mexico Motorcycle Tour Schedule - MotoDiscovery.
Rental included, they're a well-regarded tour operator, and you have relative freedom to ride on your own within the daily itinerary.

That's a bit harsh.... I have been on organised tours and have found them to be great fun, admittedly the tours gave some element of being able to do your own thing along the way. I have also done loads more without the benefit of an organised tour including a RTW last year.

Travel has to be an adventure and in my humble opinion you can achieve this on your own or as part of a group/tour, it matters not which option you take, just that your experience will be different whichever way you choose.

Strimstrum,
My comment was made in the context of the OP, particularly the part that is underlined above.
Certainly, it was not aimed at riding tour operators and their trips, whatever the nature.

Nice an helpful posts
 

Thanks everyone of you guys for the input. Some valuable opinions, ideas and links flowing here.
Just one thing I need to clarify is about the "organised tour" I referred to since I was thinking about a fixed holiday to some beach, resort, city or country where the use of a motrocycle would not be necessary anymore BUT this would have been done as a last resort, when the idea of touring on a motorcycle would have been given up.
I did not mean that I was thinking equally about one and the other option.
I don't have anything against organised mortorcycle tours although they wouldn't come to mind in first place for many reasons, money and own time management being two of them.
I checked the links, I respect the motivation and the decision of the young fellow rider, very interesting adventure at this time of the year, but I am not inclined to be the next to be heating my gloves every 15 minutes along the way because that it's what I already do almost everyday at work, riding in cold weather. The Morocco option is more appealing and I am considering it.
Also, the motorcycle tours in Mexico just seem out of my pocket budged since that would be part of my expenses and not all of them in that case buying and disposing/throwing a motorcycle away would be more economical although I am sure in one of those tours you would be properly guided and who knows it would be a wonderful experience.
I thought about Mexico because I enjoyed the culture, people, food, etc, last time I rode along there, unfortunately my bike is in South America and I wouldn't be able to use it this time.
I am still thinking about what to do but I really appreciate the previous posts and eventually those to come.
Thanks again for your time guys.

Well here's another idea :cool4:

Fly to Cuba and enjoy a country without any multinational chain restaurants, stores, crass consumerism. I was there 5 years ago and did some bicycling. Then I rented a 49cc Yamaha scooter and blissfully got lost on the dirt roads in the mountains outside of Trinidad.


...Michelle
www.scrabblebiker.com

Thanks for the suggestion Michelle, I am looking closely into the Cuba option, although I would have to give up the motorcycle trip adventure side and try to adapt to a rented scooter :scooter: it might be fun anyway.

Cheers.

Marco

If you want to rent in Mexico Oscar Calderon is the guy to contact, mailto:oscar@mxmotoadv.com He is the best and worst option because he is the only option.You will pay US prices but the bikes will not quite be up to US standards.
Another option would be to spend about $1,000 US dlls and buy a new Honda 125. You might also find a used one but the prie advantage wouldn't be that high and you get a warranty with a new bike.
If you need any help with either of these options just post here and we can set it up.
We can also put you up in Mex City and show you around.

Garry

Cgl 125 tool
 

Hi Garry, following your post I was having a look at the new motorcycles for sale in Mexico. Is the 125 cc you suggest the CGL 125 TOOL at 14,900 pesos?? What about the paperwork, is it simple and fast? Also we would be 2 up, I'm thinking about how to set the basic luggage on one of those.

Thanks for posting.

Marco

2 up it will be a little challenged especially with luggage. It is slow at the best of times. What about gettiong 2 of them?
I can check if they have them in stock. Paperwork should be fairly easy but I will also check as sometimes they have problems getting the plates for them.
If you trust me, I don't know why you should, I can fix everything up for you before you arrive. This means you would need to send me or the shop the money before you get here and the bike/bikes would be waiting for you when you arrive.
When do you plan to travel.

Garry

Hi Garry, I really appreciate your willingness to help other bikers and I truly thank you for your kind offers but after all the advice and opinions received regarding the short period of time available for me to get prepared and on the way then having worries about what to do with the bike, I think I would take the option given above about going to Cuba, surely it would not be a holiday or trip of the same nature but I'll try to enjoy it as much as I can anyway.

Getting two bikes was not an option as my partner does not ride.

I really hope to go back to Mexico on a motorcycle for sure (or to get one there) so when that happens I will get in touch with you even for a beer.

Thanks everyone.

Marco

Myownway: I'm curious to know if you ever did the rental in Cuba or Mexico...

I ask because I have 3 weeks vacation later this year and want to go riding in Mexico. I tend to ride in a legal-limit, sane manner and just don't need a 1000cc+ motorcycle to plod along the bumpy back roads. Frankly, I think if one is riding solo on Mexican roads anything bigger than 400cc is overkill.

I wrote to a highly recommended motorcycle hire company, and told them I wanted to rent a smaller motorbike for 18-20 days. They offered to rent me a Honda 250 dual-purpose for $45US per day or a 400cc dualie for $55/day. This would include hard bags and insurance. Considering that most other rental agencies in Mexico want $100+ a day to rent a large BMW or Harley, I think it's a very decent price.

In the end, I went to Mexico and became a normal tourist taking organised tours, booking hotels, waiting at bus stations and getting used to all the occasional sellers in the capital's tube.
Although I enjoyed my days in that country, I would have been really happy to have a motorcycle available, it would have saved me time, given me the chance to go anywhere and organise my own breaks, timing etc.

I tried to get in touch with the recommended guy in Mexico City to hire a bike but I was not lucky.

I would have also considered buying a 125 cc but we were 2 people and it would have been unconfortable and slow together with luggage.

$45 usd per day sounds very reasonable, I would have gone for it unless you bought a 125 cc "together" with another traveller who would get it off you at the end of your trip but I don't know how easy it would be to arrange this or to sell the bike at the end of the adventure.

It sounds more feasable the rental option, whatever you decide I wish you good luck and also some feedback would be nice :thumbup1:.

Marco

As long as this thread has been bumped to the top, I'll offer another option. Go to the Dominican Republic (easy and fairly cheap from USA or Europe) to rent a bike. In Cabarete and Las Terranas 150-250 cc enduro-style bikes, Japanese or Chinese, rent for US$25-40 per day. Bring some straps and a waterproof duffel and, if you're picky, a helmet.

I'm no expert, but I've seen some fun riding, not too much traffic, minimal security concerns, nice scenery and very friendly people. Prices are low for the Caribbean, high compared to Central America. Landscapes are similar, and there's enough to stay busy riding around for a couple of weeks--longer if you stop long enough to tan something besides face, neck and hands.

This was my backup trip to the hoped-for-but-never-achieved Cuba trip. If I don't get sucked into the work vortex too quickly I'll write a separate report.

Hope that's helpful to someone.

Mark

I followed your suggestion and did a little Googling. Looks like you can rent a Yamaha DT125 dualie for as low as $25/day here:
Easy Rider - Cabarete, Dominican Republic

No idea if that is a reputable rental shop, but it looks like renting a small bike for a few days is quite doable.

There are at least a half-dozen rental shops in each of the two towns. I don't like tiny bikes and I don't like 2-cycle engines, so I went for a Honda 200cc dual sport---was supposed to be a 250 ("It's my own personal bike. I used to race motocross. Everything works perfectly. Just got a new battery two days ago." etc. etc. etc.).

I don't think I'd take one of those DT's for a thousand km all over the island, but they'd be fine for buzzing around town. Should be able to get it a bit cheaper unless right in the middle of spring break. All prices are at least somewhat negotiable if you rent for longer than a few days.

Mark

(from wherever I got to on the Autopista Duarte when it started to rain late this afternoon: headed back to Cabarete to return the bike and think about flying home)

Hi All,
I would go for the 250-400 cc rental in mexico por 45 dlls.. Can you give me more information about where did you find this deal ? i might go there in summer.

thanks,

If you are asking me, I rented in the Dominican Republic, not Mexico. If you're asking someone else, maybe they'll respond. I was responding to someone looking for a cheap, short riding holiday coming from Europe.

Whenever I've ridden in Mexico I've brought my own bike from that large, ungainly country to the north.

Mark

I was the one who posted about the $45/day offer. I'll send you a PM.