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dizzyspots
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Registered: 9-22-2008
Location: Mescal AZ
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Mood: rather be on the beach at Gonzaga
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Touring motorcycle in Baja?
NOT dual purpose bikes, but rather touring bikes ...Like HD or Goldwing...we used to go to Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco) foe an annual bike
ride...parked the bikes at a secure hotel parking area then went around town via feet or taxi.....what about Baja?
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BigBearRider
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At this time, it's fine. There isn't much road construction going on at the moment. I saw a few Harleys in December.
([Flame on] If they weren't such sissy bikes, and I'm be embarrassed to be seen (or heard) on one, I'd ride one of my Harleys in Baja... [Flame off])
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mcnut
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Any road bike with even a hint of ground clearance should be fine. Bikes with extremely low ground clearance could have some issues with the speed
bumps often used in towns/villages and tranzitions between dirt and pavement.
Bruce
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BajaTed
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Put some lights down low on your mirrors like the baja 18 wheelers and you'll fit right in.
Es Todo Bueno
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KurtG
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I have done many rides on street bikes as well as dual sport. In November I rode to Loreto on my '92 GSX1100g. Just need to dodge a few potholes but
no problems. Use Premium gas which is generally available, my carbs didn't like Magna. I would also suggest carrying a good fuel additive like
Startron or Seafoam, both have worked for me. After 40+ years of Hwy 1 I have never tired of the ride.
Bikes I have used over the years:
CB750
GS850G
XS1100
V65 Sabre
R80GS
KLR 650
GSX1100g
650 V-Strom
Obviously I have no brand loyalty!
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advrider
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Should be fine, just slow down and avoid the pot holes and big speed bumps. We are putting a scooter ride together from Nor cal to Cabo, they don't
have much suspension travel either!
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AKgringo
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Can Am Spyder
Does anyone on this board have any feedback on touring Baja on three wheels? I still have a motorcycle endorsement on my drivers license, but have
not owned one for years. That Spyder looks like it would be a fun way to tour.
https://can-am.brp.com/spyder/2018-models/sport-cruising.htm...
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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KasloKid
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I've heard there's a section of highway just north of Guerrero Negro that has crater sized potholes.. a few bikes have screwed their rims royally,
another rider wound up in hospital after hitting one of them and crashed.
Other riders say the holes are easy to spot and avoid if you're not ripping along at 80 mph......
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BigBearRider
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Quote: Originally posted by KasloKid  | I've heard there's a section of highway just north of Guerrero Negro that has crater sized potholes.. a few bikes have screwed their rims royally,
another rider wound up in hospital after hitting one of them and crashed.
Other riders say the holes are easy to spot and avoid if you're not ripping along at 80 mph......
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This is correct. There is a large section from Guerrero Negro to Cataviña that is littered with giant potholes. It's tough to avoid them all.
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KurtG
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| Quote: Originally posted by BigBearRider | | Quote: Originally posted by KasloKid | I've heard there's a section of highway just north of Guerrero Negro that has crater sized potholes.. a few bikes have screwed their rims royally,
another rider wound up in hospital after hitting one of them and crashed.
Other riders say the holes are easy to spot and avoid if you're not ripping along at 80 mph......
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This is correct. There is a large section from Guerrero Negro to Cataviña that is littered with giant potholes. It's tough to avoid them all.
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Rode it in November on my 1100g, no problems avoiding potholes. Just pay attention and it helps if the bike is not overloaded. Some BMW's are known
to have easily bent rims so they may require more caution and slower speeds. They also seem to be the bikes that are most heavily loaded.
I see quite a few Harleys in Baja these days, mostly organized tour groups. Many Europeans, especially Germans.
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KurtG
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| Quote: Originally posted by advrider | | Should be fine, just slow down and avoid the pot holes and big speed bumps. We are putting a scooter ride together from Nor cal to Cabo, they don't
have much suspension travel either! |
Now that sounds fun. What kind of scooters? I suspect that one of the larger scooters will keep me on two wheels as I age. But not quite yet, maybe
when I turn 80.
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mtgoat666
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Some of the potholes are substantial. Will be more so after rain.
I am always surprised that I don’t destroy a tire south of Catavina,... hard to miss all the monster holes when at speed, always hit a couple pretty
hard, but so far pretty lucky....
Woke!
“...ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America
will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
Prefered gender pronoun: the royal we
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dizzyspots
Senior Nomad
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AKgringo Re" Spyder....We bought a 2012 Spyder RT,,,after 2 decades of Goldwings....OK in town and local highways AFTER a proper laser alignment
(dealer alignment was off by over 1/4")...but then we did the Pacific Coast Highway from LA to Eureka...never again, we sold it upon our return. It
was comfortable, but it was like "rowing" a quad for 1000 miles. Certainly wouldnt be trying to dodge Baja potholes on one....just my 2 cents...we
went back to a GL1800...been going to Baja x 10 years, but always in a truck....just dreamin
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AKgringo
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Dizzyspots, thanks for the info and opinion. I suppose it would be more like touring in a sports car than a bike!
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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Sweetwater
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Mood: chilly today hot tomale
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I've been riding Baja annually for the past 10 years.
I'm always on a dual sport with spoked wheels and it is a better approach IMHO.
I've been with folks that have cast wheels and they did not fare well.
That included a GS, Super10, NSX's which all received bent wheels needing repair.
The GS and S10 needed my spare tubes to make it back, the NSX didn't but repair bills were substantial for all the wheels.
YMMV
Keep the rubber side down.
Everbody\'s preachin\' at me that we all wanna git to heaven, trouble is, nobody wants to die to git there.-BB King
Reality is what does not go away when you stop believing in it. -Philip K Dick
Nothing is worse than active ignorance. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe(1749-1832, German writer, artist and politician)
When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one I\'ve never tried before. - Mae West
Experience is what keeps a man who makes the same mistake twice from admitting it the third time around.
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willardguy
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| Quote: Originally posted by AKgringo | | Dizzyspots, thanks for the info and opinion. I suppose it would be more like touring in a sports car than a bike! |
Spyder? so you manage to straddle the pothole with the front wheels....where does that put the back wheel!.
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MulegeAL
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The "pothole zone" south of El Rosario starts after the first couple of climbs/descents and continues to the Baja Sur border. Drove it with single
axle trailer early Nov, then southbound again with a big double axle load. The holes seemed significantly worse in December, maybe all the B1K
traffic. Layers of pavement have broken off.
The biggest ones had us slowing to a crawl and walking the rig through the holes with emergency flashers on, just behind a segunda load doing the same
thing.
Tips if you are riding a moto in this part of hwy 1:
DO NOT ride it at night, not even say the last 10 miles "running to the barn" to Catavina, so to speak.
Fall back from traffic, don't tailgate, so you can see far enough ahead to dodge holes. And watch your 6 o'clock when doing this.
Try to hit the ones you can't miss down the middle, straight up, weight on your feet and off your butt. Moderate throttle, no brake.
Expect oncoming traffic in your lane dodging holes. Expect slow cars in unexpected places.
If the front end starts feeling soft, pull over and check your tires/wheels. Don't try to make it somewhere on a leaky road tire.
It's still fun once you make it to baja sur!
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BigBearRider
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In July, a car immediately ahead of me blew a tire in one of those pot holes.
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advrider
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| Quote: Originally posted by KurtG | | Quote: Originally posted by advrider | | Should be fine, just slow down and avoid the pot holes and big speed bumps. We are putting a scooter ride together from Nor cal to Cabo, they don't
have much suspension travel either! |
Now that sounds fun. What kind of scooters? I suspect that one of the larger scooters will keep me on two wheels as I age. But not quite yet, maybe
when I turn 80. |
We are working out the rules now, nothing over a 250 and can't cost more then $1200, probably something off of craigslist. We figured we would be
forced to slow down and see more, of course we will be in full moto gear. LOL
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basautter
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I go on a week long Baja ride every spring. Granted we are on dual sport bikes, we frequently run into groups of road bikes. As long as you stay on
the pavement (Highway 1 or paved spurs) you will be fine. Even the graded gravel roads can have deep sand, which is not fun on a big bike. Have fun!
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