Road tours in Mexico

Any suggestions on Tour companies for a road trip into Mexico? Planning my first trip. Riding a R1200ST so not really looking for hard core off road stuff.

You seem to implying that you want to ride your own bike? If not, I highly recommend these guys: http://www.ridethesierra.com/ The area is safe, the riding is great, they provide BMW's (I had the GS) and it's easy to fly to Guadalajara. John and Lynn (the couple that run it) have been doing it for many years and are wonderful hosts.

Check out Moto Discovery http://www.motodiscovery.com/ . They have been doing tours in Mexico for many, many years and they do have a couple of road only tours.

Talk to the folks at Moto Discovery. I made a trip with them last New Years riding my own bike across the border - very professional and took care of the many details!

Definitely find a guide, my experience with Mexican roads tells me a road bike like my RT would NOT be a good fit. Besides the poor quality of the roads they seem to place speed bumps in the middle of the highways far to often.

YMMV,
Ski

robertsonbmw said:

Any suggestions on Tour companies for a road trip into Mexico? Planning my first trip. Riding a R1200ST so not really looking for hard core off road stuff.

Click to expand...

You're keeping up with the news, right?

skibumwi said:

Definitely find a guide, my experience with Mexican roads tells me a road bike like my RT would NOT be a good fit. Besides the poor quality of the roads they seem to place speed bumps in the middle of the highways far to often.

YMMV,
Ski

Click to expand...

I probably have a different perspective, since I live in Mexico. It is a wonderful place for motorcycling. There are lots of winding mountain roads and two lane country roads with minimal traffic. You do have to watch for topes (speed bumps). They are ubiquitous on all but the cuotas (toll roads). However, they are pretty predictable. Any time you pass through a populated area there will be some. Between towns, you don't have to worry about them much. Another hazard on many highways are potholes and missing chunks of pavement. Many roads are in good condition, but not all of them, and some can be so bad that the potholes turn the road into a slalom course. Drivers are courteous and keep to the right except to pass. Note, that only applies to highways, driving in cities is a whole different ball game. One precaution to note on the highways: a left turn signal can mean either the driver is planning to turn left, or they are telling you it is safe to pass. Speaking of passing, there are often two lane highways with wide shoulders where it is the custom to drive half on the shoulder to let following traffic pass. People do this in both directions so the middle of the road is essentially a passing lane. You have to be careful with oncoming traffic that may be halfway over in your lane.

I am not sure why an RT would be a problem. As far as a guide goes, I guess that is a matter of personal preference. I prefer to explore on my own. GPS maps are good and the highways are pretty well marked. You can get rooms in no-name motels for 500 pesos or less ($27 US at current exchange rates). They don't add ethanol to the gasoline. Stations are pretty widespread but there can be long stretches between them occasionally.

greenwald said:

You're keeping up with the news, right?

Click to expand...

What has Charlottesville got to do with Mexico?

Cute, but sarcastic, not helpful nor informative.

Tainted alcohol leading to rape, robbery, physical injuries and other mayhem is national news too.

USA TODAY just did an extensive expose on the issue, and most of the victims had prior 'experience' with travel or vacationing in "top shelf" resort areas, and admit being unsuspecting of any danger. Ergo, the "I've been visiting Mexico for years and can assure you that there is no danger" rationale doesn't hold up.

Even the United States State Department recognizes the extent of this issue and has started an official investigation.

Travel Mexico on a motorcycle if that's your desire, but to pretend there is no criminal risk is "head in the sand" thinking.

greenwald said:

Cute, but sarcastic, not helpful nor informative.

Tainted alcohol leading to rape, robbery, physical injuries and other mayhem is national news too.

USA TODAY just did an extensive expose on the issue, and most of the victims had prior 'experience' with travel or vacationing in "top shelf" resort areas, and admit being unsuspecting of any danger. Ergo, the "I've been visiting Mexico for years and can assure you that there is no danger" rationale doesn't hold up.

Even the United States State Department recognizes the extent of this issue and has started an official investigation.

Travel Mexico on a motorcycle if that's your desire, but to pretend there is no criminal risk is "head in the sand" thinking.

Click to expand...

Granted my comment was sarcastic. However, I think it is misleading to judge Mexico by the news stories which universally cover only the problems. Is the entire US an unsafe place to visit because there was an outbreak of food poisoning in Chipotle restaurants a couple years ago. If all one knew about the US was the murders in the news, it would appear to be very unsafe.

I have lived here for 10 years, traveled all over the country, including some areas that the news would suggest are "unsafe" like Ciudad Juarez, the Golden Triangle etc. I have hitch-hiked, walked, taken buses, as well as traveling by truck and motorcycle. The only problem I have encountered is that our truck was broken into once when parked in a remote area in the Barranca del Cobre area.

Certainly, bad stuff happens in Mexico. It can happen anywhere. But to write off an entire country based on random news stories is limiting your experiences.

PS. While I don't think the big tourist beaches like Puerto Vallarta and Cancun are particularly dangerous, they are nothing like the rest of Mexico and not a place I would have any interest in spending time, particularly if I only had a short time to visit Mexico.

State Department releases additional warnings today, covering many areas of Mexico.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/us-expands-mexico-travel-advisory-crime-killings-n795211

Reporter under government protection slain in Veracruz yesterday (the ninth so far this year). Mexico is now officially the deadliest country for journalists, and may very well be for tourists.

How you ride a motorcycle has always been a 'risk vs benefit' decision.

So is where.

greenwald said:

You're keeping up with the news, right?

Click to expand...

Yes. Thanks to all!

greenwald said:

State Department releases additional warnings today, covering many areas of Mexico.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/us-expands-mexico-travel-advisory-crime-killings-n795211

Reporter under government protection slain in Veracruz yesterday (the ninth so far this year). Mexico is now officially the deadliest country for journalists, and may very well be for tourists.

How you ride a motorcycle has always been a 'risk vs benefit' decision.

So is where.

Click to expand...

I get the State Department STEP (Smart Traveler Enrollment Program) emails that that story is based on. Those State Department warnings are extremely conservative. Far be it from me to encourage anyone to do anything that seems risky to them. But I have to say that riding a motorcycle is far riskier behavior than visiting Mexico.

Danger in Mexico

If the State Department were to concern themselves with cities in the USA no one would go to Disney Land, the World Series, the Super Bowl etc. Reading the news in Mexico is very misleading and for a selfish purpose. The media employs a "if it bleeds, it reads" method of selling their wares. The last time an American was killed in Mexico is so long ago that I can't remember the details. The last time an American was killed in Phoenix was right after breakfast this morning. Where would you rather be.

As far as riding an RT in Mexico, I do it 6 trips a year. I have been to Barrancas del Cobre (Copper Canyon) many times, Zacatecas, Mazatlan etc all on an RT. Yes, you must be aware at all times of defects in the road but then I am from Montana and we have frost heaves and potholes as well. The topes (speed bumps) in Mexico are predictable. The cage drivers on the road are way more polite that here in the USA.

If you believe what you read, don't go. It's as simple as that.

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/local/mexicomap/


I'll take Phoenix.

Passing off Mexico (right now) as safe is going to get a naïve person killed - sooner than later.

While I admire the cultural depth of its history, and even learned to speak the language, Mexico is not what it used to be, and putting more' lipstick on the pig' is deceptive.

Well, punching in Phoenix or Houston on the site below and using pinch-zoom to see the entire metro area doesn't leave me reassured that either is markedly safer than MX or any number of other countries. And that's just two metropolitan areas here in the US:
https://www.thetrace.org/2015/12/gun-deaths-interactive-map-2015/

There isn't much room for those of us in the US to point fingers at other countries on a number of subjects; this is likely one of them. Like Mexico, ours is a country of multiple states and metropolitan areas and one needs to be cautious about travel in certain areas. I'd expect few people from this venue would really be naive about travel in MX but would be more likely to base their travel decisions upon a combination of first-hand experience, in-country contacts and references, and relevant State Department data. Although, given the current state of affairs in that agency I'd be cross-checking their advice against in-country resources.

Best,
DG

If you don't like it there, don't go.

https://www.gob.mx/cofepris/prensa/...juntas-en-quintana-roo-para-proteger-la-salud

This is the official Mexican report -- not printed in the USA. Basically a female tourist overindulged and died of alcohol. Her family pressed charges and government officials with financial interests in rival alcohol distributors jump in and escalated the issue. Yes, corruption in Mexico is common. The US news media followed suit and published without conducting their own investigation -- a very common practice for news anywhere.

Most experts on the problems in Mexico haven't been there in years and haven't experienced any problems of their own. These experts are addicted to the negative news and use that as their only source.

A rough translation follows.

COFEPRIS and SECTUR carry out joint actions in Quintana Roo to protect the health of tourists

Joint communiqué COFEPRIS-SECTUR - The health authority carried out a special operation that included 31 verification visits in shops in Playa del Carmen and Cancún. Activity was suspended in two establishments and 344 liters of alcohol was secured in inadequate sanitary conditions. The objective of the joint work: to ensure the health and integrity of the population and tourists in this important destination. Sectur and Cofepris signed a specific permanent health check in Quintana Roo, in a first stage, in order to replicate it in all tourist destinations in the country.

"I'll take Phoenix.

Passing off Mexico (right now) as safe is going to get a naïve person killed - sooner than later."

I have been going to Mexico for 36 years. Never less than twice a year and often 6 times a year. With the dangers you are apparently aware of I would expect to see at least 2 million bodies piled along the side of the road. (10% of the 20 million Americans that go there every year). I don't know how I missed them. I guess I must be naive.

I do admit that drug cartels kill rival cartel members. Drug cartel members do kill Federales that give them grief also. I am neither. I don't look or act like I am. Actually riding a BMW comes across with much less impact than a leathered up highly tattooed member of a large group.

Mexico was named the best international destination for family Travvy Awards earlier this year, while Puerto Vallarta was named the second-best international destination. Per Fox News http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2017/...million-international-tourists-in-2016.htmlat the 2017

Per USAToday Quintana Roo state, where Cancun is located, recorded 133 murders

Per AZCentral News in Phoenix To date, 262 deaths in Maricopa County in 2016 have been classified as homicides.

Believe what you hear and just don't go.

So I need to decide whether I believe the State Department warnings or the postings of some guys on some forum on the internet. For decades the biggest problems with Mexico have revolved around the fact that local law enforcement is corrupt. That, and the fact that we in the US have an insatiable appetite for Mexican and Columbian drugs. Thus, now their primary crime fighters are the Mexican version of our Navy Seals. We have similar problems among certain bubba Sheriffs in Louisiana too I suppose, but we haven't sent in the Navy as primary law enforcement yet.

And yes indeed we have dangerous cities (actually some dangerous places in most cities) too. But I won't go there either. I agree the Mexican countryside is beautiful and most Mexican people are wonderful. And those US citizens who live there and those who travel there often and know the language and their way around can avoid most really dangerous situations. If they don't get caught in the crossfire.

But I don't know my way around, don't speak the language, wouldn't know the difference between a simple farmer and a cartel grower, and couldn't tell the rare honest cop from the dude in the pockets of the cartels. Not to mention the 18 year old children with fully automatic weapons in a Jeep, under a tree, 25 miles south of the border.

So if you like it, go have fun. If not you can always get your thrills in Baltimore, St. Louis, or south Chicago I suppose.

p.s. I live 30 miles from the border and do go to selected places in northern Mexico a few times a year.

Some of the stories in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel might show how some opinions are formed. Stories like these were also on the television news. https://www.google.com/search?q=jsonline,+mexican+resorts&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8