Keep your speed up and your OK, don't brush those cactus!

Sand is something many have to work at to master. For me its about focus and riding technique. Vision is key: Where you lookk matters. Look down in front of the bike and you're going down. Look well ahead, way ahead, and you should be OK. Stay balanced on the bike, grabbing tank with knees.

Stand up of course. Although some can ride sand seated ... I cannot. Light grip on bars, elbows up, steer with your feet and knees. And the scariest part of all....go fast, real fast. Problem is the whoop de doos, sharp corners through wash outs mixed with deep sand.

I found my XR250 does not work so great here. My buddies 450's are much better. Light and lots of torque. Hardly a wiggle. My XR did well almost everywhere else.


They are always there waiting...they can smell road kill from 20 miles away.

On day two we left Mike's about 9am for an easy ride over to Valle de Trinidad, a nice dirt road through the mountains to Mex Highway 1, and then south a bit on pavement to Colonet. Here we rode beach south to Punta Camalu to a place called Pirates Cove, very near the town of Camalu.

We found some nice dunes along the way.


Then rode along the beach and on cliffs above the beach for a while.


Riding the beach is great fun in Baja. Observe and respect private property, camper, fisherman and farmers. Also be aware of the tides. We nearly got trapped against a cliff. Radical tides can make some places impassable . Wash bikes well in fresh water after! Ignore this at your peril.



Day three took us back into the interior, heading south east. Bit of sand on the these two tracks through the cacutus forests. Stunning.



Big groups are NOT a great idea in Baja. Slows things way down. We started out big but paired down quickly. We started with nine riders, after day one, down to seven riders. two days later the a CRF450X blew up and one of our WR450's was acting up. Both hitched a ride with a Canadian couple towing a trailer who offered a ride! This is common and easy in Baja. Hundreds of tourists up and down the road
daily.

IMO, Spring is the best time to see Baja. The desert in bloom is not to be missed. Temps are moderate. High winds can be the one gotcha. We had none on this ride but just two days before we arrived the wind blew like Hell. Early Spring (mid March to May 1st) is sort of Off Season....a good thing).



More later,

Patrick

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

Patrick,
Lovely photos.

What caused the CRF to blow up? I'm still prepping mine for its overland trip so any breakdown feedback is useful.
Thanks,
Stephan

Patrick,

Great post and pics! Looking forward to more.

Jeff

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www.Jeffs9thSemester.com

No worries Stephan, the CRF450X in question had been making some very funky noises long before this Baja trip. Instead of fixing it, he ignored it ....

The Yamaha ran OK but the trans may have had probs.

With the CRF it was a little bearing up in the top end...something to do with the cam follower for the exhaust valves. Sorry I can't be more specific. Its a bit complex to look at and understand compared to the more ancient set up of my XR250.

Unfortuneately, bits and pieces seemed to have dropped into the bottom end. Judging from the noises ....some may have been there for a while.

Check valve clearance regularly, change oil and you should be all good!

Good luck, safe riding!

Patrick

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

The sand tracks got worse but the trade off was incredible Boojum cactus forests made up for the suffering. The rock pile climbs and rocky deep sand sections kicked my butt but with help from the younger, fitter guys, I made it.
At 59 it's nice to have the 40 year old "kids" to help out. I am internally grateful. (or is that "Eternally")

A few more random pics of Baja:


Nopales


My undoing .... this hill is MUCH steeper than it appears in pic!


Rocks get easier here, but torque is your friend. Here my buddy Kai rides my bike up, I took his WR450.


The group


Sandy two track best taken with speed. A steering damper really helps too!


Still alive at Bay of Los Angeles.


La Pinta in Catavina. Expensive but pretty nice. Eat across the highway.


The cactus forests have never looked better. Check out the way gear is being carried. This was only a ten day ride and we had everything we needed
including plenty of ! All stuffed into back packs!






More later,

Patrick

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

Thanks for the inspirational pics. This place is on my destination list for sure!

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Calamujue canyon

Calamujue canyon goes from the desert to the sea, for about ten miles, through deep cuts in the rock cliffs. The canyon floor is a natural wet land feed by Springs that keeps it wet nearly year round. This is in deep contrast to the surrounding desert. The plume behind the bike is Water, not dust. The going is easy with only short stretches of deep sand, a few rocks but even an "average" rider can make this on a bigger bike.

Heading north now from Bahia de Los Angeles. Through Calamujue canyon,
to Coco's, Puertocitos and San Felipe.

More pics to come.

Patrick

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

Thanks for the bike feedback, Pat, and again for the fantastic photos.

For those interested, I'll update my overlanding CRF450 thread soon because things are moving along...

Re: the damper. I absolutely agree they are worth the money if you're going to spend a lot of time riding in soft or rutted sand. I had a Scott damper on my XR400 and my CRF has a GPR.
Stephan

I think it is safe to say to ride with others as much as possible in Baja for safety sakes. Especially in the remote parts. It is awfully dry, and can get hot out there during the late spring and summer, into fall. Not a place to get stranded on your own.

Good advice Simon. The buddy system is best. Even in a larger group. Pick a buddy. Stay together. A SAT phone is not a bad idea either. Believe or not its not that hard to get help in Baja. If you can get word to Ensenada they WILL send an Ambulance. Not expensive either. There are other methods for rescue as well.

Thankfully it was not hot on this ride. But in November it was 100F. I was alone on my over loaded DR650. But the Baja 1000 guys were pre-running, so I knew every five or ten minutes somebody would likely come by.

Still, riding alone is not a great idea. Shit can and does happen. Best advice is to get a guide, a good one.

Stephan,
I'd love to see your CRF! Post some pics or start a thread somewhere.
Where are you planning to go?

I've heard a lot of good things about the GPR damper too. I'm looking for a used damper at the moment. Trying save a few bucks!

Good luck with the CRF and keep us posted!

Patrick

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!