William, the first thing about Mexico is that the international news that covers Mexico is mostly overhyped and total BS.
I have ridden here since 1978, lived here permanently since 1993 and ridden hundreds of thousands of trouble free kms both on and off road. The people giving you advice are spoiling your trip. How? Because these people have never been to Mexico or ridden a bike in Mexico, if they had they would be saying the exact same thing I am telling you.
Yes, there is narco violence here. Within a 1.5 kilometer radius of my house there have been 4 shootouts and one body dump of 35 corpses in front of a shopping mall. I feel totally safe because I am not a criminal and am not involved with narcos. Simple as that.
Ask the gringo "experts" who are giving you advice how do Mexican motorcyclists ride? Are we supposed to stay in our homes and cower in fear of what is reported on CNN, MSNBC, BBC, et al?
The good thing is you still want to ride Mexico, the Baja is beautiful and you will find to your own satisfaction and knowledge, that Mexico is safe and you will find it a place you will want to return to and will likely laugh at the bandito BS offered to you by people who have no clue about Mexico.
PM me and I will send you a ride guide for one particular section of the east coast that most people have never ridden and you could find very worthwhile to ride. Trust me, I think you'll at least find reading about and looking at the photos to be worthwhile.
Don't listen to what people are telling you, it is like getting advice about Ireland from someone in England in the 1970's and early '80's.

+1 to al Mike Mike just said.

You can indeed do all the paperwork for Mexico at any of the major border crossings from the USA.
I do not know if you can do all such things as may required for you as an Ulsterman to checkingOUT of the USA, if such is needed on the USA side..

At a number of crossings into Mexico you do not even need to do these migratory formalities at the border itself but you can do them at a special terminal located at a distance into the country far away from the city where you crossed , for example south of Nogales, south of Cd Juarez and south of Cd Acuna and Piedras Negras . At other large crossings such as Tijuana,Douglas ( well ,sort of large that one) Laredo,Reynosa and Matamoros the customs f acilities you will seek are right at the border crossing in the city.
I too have travelled the length and breadth of Mexico for over thirty years , doing trips of up to 7 weeks at a time . In that time I have never experienced actual narco violence.Although there were two roadside incidents of, in retrospect,interesting nature, I remain of the opinion that travel in Mexico as a tourist is safe and worthwhile .As long as you keep in mind the potential risks and behave in a manner to limit them , ride only during daylight, stay sober, avoid illegal activities and shady persons ,... you have little to fear.
Pick your border crossing town and I can probably give you a name of a good place to stay the first night. Hotels on the Mexican side of the border are hurting for clients since all the gringos are so paranoid they refuse to cross the line.Meanwhile the American side hotels are charging double to host the trembling hordes of snow chickens.... er.. snowbirds who want to see Mexico only on a 2 hour walk across the border to view the chintzy displays they have read about in the brochures.
The real, the friendly Mexico awaits , but you must travel beyond the frontier zone.

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http://advrider.com/index.php?thread....207964/page-5 then scroll down to post #93

Hey man. Let me help you out. Listen to none of the bullshit from the US about Mexico.

I landed in Houston at the beginnng of November and crossed into Mex a few weeks ago at McAllen/Reynosa Andalzuas Bridge. I drove to Monterray, Saltillo, Zacatecas and then Guadalajara lastnight, alone. From what I was listening to from everyone and i mean everyone (cops, waitresses, military, bikers, mex americans etc etc etc) i thought that i would be gunned down before i crossed the bridge.

If you keep your wits about you, leave the bling in the USA, know some Spanish and show common courtesy and decency, perhaps more than you would at home, keep a smile on and stay away from dark neighbourhoods and strip joints/brothels etc you wont have a problem.

You need your reg docs for the bike and licence, passport etc at the customs and you will pay a tourist visa fee and a deposit on your bike for when you leave the country.

Thats it!

Besides Mexico is extremely beautiful, 99% of people are nice but you must be proactively nice to them first (esp if they look at u funny u are a novelty here) roads are both good and very bad and driving style reminds me of when i was a kid in Ireland. I love it.

Rock on bro.

Great stuff!
Though I have often thought the driving was more Montreal style

For the original poster, check your email for the info I sent.

Well, thanks one and all; this reminds me of all the horror stories that were circulating when I grew up in Northern Ireland.
I am in Van Horn now, so it looks like I will keep going and go down the Baja to start with.
This is really good news, as it means I will be able to see some of the winter away without burning visa time.
Thanks so much time.
However, it is a lesson I must learn; be wary of too much advice from folks who do not know whet they are talking about.
Yippee.

William.

I am looking for some advice about the ferry from La Paz to the mainland. I have ridden Baja 3 times and when entering from Arizona, there is no vehicle fee. I would like to ride to La Paz then take the ferry to ?Mazatlan? then ride east to Copper Canyon and north to Arizona.

Can I get reservations for specific dates or is it better to arrive then schedule the crossing? Will I have to pay a vehicle fee? What total cost should I be prepared to pay?

Thanks for any directions, first post on this forum.

Sweet water If you enter Mexico at a large crossing with he plan
offloatIng from Baja the mainland then get the tourist card and TVIP
( what you call the vehicle fee) looked after .Remember the cost of both is
an actual outlay and then there is a REFUNDABLE SECURITY DEPOSIT in addition ,all to be paid by creditcard
You need to find the Migracion and Banjerciti offices at the border inside
Mexico.
You can indeed get the TVIP once you get to La Paz , you must have it
before they let you On the ferry .
I say do Not try to make reservations . They suck the fun out of any trip
as you will fe el trapped and constricted , limited in time to wander.
Find the ferry sailing times and just mosey on down then book a place
on the next available sailing once you get to La Paz
Choose between the 6 hour crossing to Topolobampo or
the overnight run to Mazatlan . Prices between the two vary figure e on
around $180. US max for simple passage . My figures are several years old
Price is higher if you take an over night cabin

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http://advrider.com/index.php?thread....207964/page-5 then scroll down to post #93

Ditto on the BS from Canada and USA news channels. It's safer in Mexico than both the USA and Canada. Check the stats on a per capita basis, you will see.