Central America Bound from BC
 

Hello,

A friend and I are heading out on route to Panama at the end of December from Central BC. The plan is to pack the bikes to southern California and head out. We have till April to ride and explore.

No particular route planned but hope to get advise from folks on this site as we go.

So if anyone is interest in tagging along let me know and we can try and make something work. Short notice but there maybe someone out there geared to go.

What kind of motorcycles will you be riding.
bill

Hi Bill,

I guess I should have mentioned that originally. He will be riding KLR650s.

look me up in southern baja
 

Free camping at my place south of Todos Santos if I am there. Let me know if your doing the Baja.

Guys,
What route more or less?
bill

Thanks for the offer Fastfreddy. Yes, we will be heading through the Baja and will see if the route we pick gets us your way. Any good exploring around your way?

Hey Bill,

We are heading down the Baja and crossing over on the ferry at La Paz. After at that point we will pick a route based on recommended things to see and border crossings. We are pretty easy on a route but will try to minimize any tracking back on the same route.

Thanks for the reply, I will be coming in from the east headed for Chiapas and then GT/BZ but I am flexible. If you stick to the Pacific coast once you cross to the mainland of MX when I traveled it 4-5 ears ago I could only recommend Puerto Angel or Puerto Arista for beach towns.

The rest were heavily tourista influenced.

Hope we meet up on the road, I will hang out in the ruins area until I see them all. I will be riding a KTM 640 Adventure.
bill

Hey Bill, I will posting here along the ride to see who might be around so we might just run into each other.

Thanks for the advice and have a good trip. Only 2 weeks to go and we are hitting the road. Hippee!!

Hello Guys,

I am in Cancun right now and would like to meet other riders for going tru Central America. I want to spend Christmax with people... It's almost end of December already, almost. where are you guys? and let me know if anyone nearby would want to ride with me!

Cheers,

Simon
Tour des Ameriques

oh by the way, I drove here from Calgary.

many Mexican highlights
 

There are dozens of small beautiful beaches between Mazatlan and Acapulco, and further south. Most little ones are sand roads and are marked by some kind of "playa" sign. Usually at the water there will be a little hotel, maybe an open palapa restaurant and not much else. Very few actually are heavily touristed, except by Mexican tourists during Christmas and Easter. Really except for a few really popular places too many tourists is not a problem.

Think about doing the interior away from the coast too. Guanajuato, Patsquaro, Durango, Zacatecas, Taxco, Oaxaca, San Cristobal,even Guadalajara (a bit big, but wonderful old section)...cheap, good food, great history, fantastic roads. Everyone will suggest the "Devils Backbone" which is a great bike road, maybe hit it on the way back on an inland route.

By the way
 

By the way with regard to meeting up...my bike is in Tucson since Sept. and I will be picking it up mid Jan, crossing at Nogales and beating it to Mazatlan (enroute to South America) maybe see you when you come off the Baja later in January.

Thanks for the advice. Much appreciated. I hope to meet up and chat over a cold one.

By the way, any recommendations on where a guy can store a truck in either Arizona or California? Somewhere close to a reasonable border crossing so we can get an early start? I would rather cross where I can get all the paperwork required versus dealing with it in La Paz.

Recent thread on ADVrider suggests that waiting until La Paz will earn you a hefty, but legitimate, fine. Do it at first opportunity.

Last year at this time I was in Colombia or Ecuador, heading south with 35,000 miles to go. This year I'm sitting at home thinking about how nice it will be to go skiing tomorrow. On the other hand, I'm also looking for a job. What the hell did you guys do to the economy while I was away?

Safe journeys.

Mark

suggestions re: border crossing
 

Thats right, get your paperwork at the border or you will have problems en route or at the La Paz ferry. Since the Baja is a free zone you won't get stopped for it when you leave the US, but go to the border on the Mexican side and ask to get your vehicle permit and visa. Be sure and take all your ORIGINAL paperwork, not copies. Going down the Baja, Tecate is a good crossing spot.

When I have taken a truck I have always left it at a storage place in the US. For a short trip (a few months) they are plentiful, cheap and secure, maybe $35-50/month.

Hope to see you somewhere between Mazatlan and Guatemala.beerchug

Tecate doesn't have an aduana (unless they've added one since I was last there). Cross somewhere which has an aduana so you can do your temporary import doc rather than waiting: Mexicali, Douglas/Agua Prieta, Nogales, etc.

Hey Simon. San Pedro on Lake Atitlan is a fine place to be Xmas time. Let me know if you make it here. zanebeck@gmail.com

Out of Edmonton
 

Hi, I am presently on the west coast of Florida , heading out Sunday to the Copper Canyon area, 2 weeks more or less. than I should be in the Mazatlan-Durango region by the end of Jan, beginning of Feb, riding a Dakar, hope we can meet.
Safe travels

Good plan
 

I just rode down the coast from vancouver bc....I left on dec. 18th. it was rain, sleet, fog, and wind all the way to Santa Rosa California - would have been hard to make it without good rain gear and a heated vest. Then the skies cleared up.

I actually got blown off the road Just on the other side of Port Orford. Turned around and got a cheap motel for the night. the wind and rain the next morning wasn't any better

I'm at Pismo Beach right now...it's sunny and 16 Celsius.

Last night i found a covert spot in Big Sur to camp. The No. 1 pacifico highway is amazing. the whole ride down the 101 and then to the 1 pacifico is really nice.

Trying to figure out what to do about this L. A. thing im going to be bumping into.


Anyway, I'm doing basically the same trip as you guys...i'm on a Black KLR650 with unique front panniers made from ammo boxes. I'll be in Mexico and Guatamalla for the next 3 months doing the spanish thing and hanging out on a few select beaches. Maybe see you around.

Have a great trip guys.

Troy aka wrong way

Hi,

Looks we will be cross at the Mexicalli border crossing around Jan 1. Not long now!!!

I definetly will be looking out for you guys. Once we across over from the Baja, I will post to see who is around.

Merry Christams.

on the beach
 

Hi, Heres my beach lot N23 18.762,W110 09.992 ,SKYPE fred.carpenter2

stop in and say hi or put up a tent or sleep under the stars

Heading south out of Wisconsin in about 3 weeks for Chiapas/Guat/Hon., via Vera Cruz.

Hope to hook up with other riders in southern Mex.

KTM 640 Adventure.
bill

I am now down to less than two weeks before my departure.
I have completed my bike prep, and inventoried my gear.
Come the second week of January I will be trucking my '09 KLR to Abbotsford B.C. (No other way to get the motorcycle across the mountains) Picking up my riding buddy, and loading his BMW onto his trailer, then trailering both bikes to Tumwater Wash.
From Tumwater we will ship our warm riding gear down to San Diago so we will not have to carry it.
We'll leave Tumwater and travel to the west coast, down to Coos Bay Ore. continue travelling south to San Diago. Once there complete tyre changes & servicing of the bikes. Then don our warm weather gear and head into Baja California.
Taking 7 + days riding from coast to coast in Baja. Next take the ferry from La Paz to Topolabampo. Riding the Copper Canyon, and then working south along the coast to Guatemala.

We are currently in Lapaz looking around for a few days and planning to catch the ferry over in the next 3 or 4 days. Let me know if anyone is around.

Hope to stop in and visit Fastfreddy in a day or two. By the way if you are in the area, make sure to check out Coco's Corner and stop for a beer.

Eh cheap tacos and great beach
 

Hi,fastfreddy here ,my skype is fred.carpenter2, mexican cell not long distance from La Paz dial 612 176 5476,got a bunk in the trailer if yoyu want to stay here on the beach.see ya

We will be leaving Abbottsford B.C. on January 10th., with our bikes. Driving to Tumwater Wash. Spending the 11th there visiting friends.
Then on the 12th. begin our southerly journey.
From perusing the enviromental prognosis it appears that the ride south on Interstate #5 will not only be refreshing, but damp.
Our first overnighter is planned for Coos Bay Ore.
Next stop is Rohnert Park Cali.
Next is Grover Beach Cali.
Arriving at SanDiago on January 15.
Then crossing into Baja California at Tecate on January 16th.

Here in Rohnert Park Cali.
We rode through a monsoon combined with typhoon winds down the entire Oregon coast.
Otherwise we are on time, and on budget for Sundays crossing at Tecate

Mexican entry