I'm planning on riding my motorcycle thru baja and over to the mainland-hwy 200 from mazatlan to acapulco. My bike is built for paved roads only. I
have a few questions that the internet doesn't answer for me. 1) long term parking ( 4months ) near calexico. Where and how much I can expect to pay
2) motorcycle repairs along this route 3) condition of hwy 200. It's a lot to ask- appreciate any feedback.BigBearRider - 4-14-2016 at 09:20 AM
There is a thread here identifying motorcycle shops in Baja. If you use search, you'll find it.
As to 200, I rode it all the way a few years ago. It was just fine then, but things may have changed. What kind of a bike do you ride?
motoged - 4-14-2016 at 10:26 AM
Beo,
Larger cities (mainland....Baja places identified in thread above w/ link) will have bike shops....oil and tires/chains are the usual
culprits....other stuff can be ordered if you wait a few days.
A few years ago I rented a KLR and rode from Mexico city to Colima and south to Zihuatanejo, and back to Mexico city...all I needed was oil for a oil
change....and chain lube as the rental guy only provided a small can of 3-in-1 oil !!!
Do a good pre-trip bike prep and enjoy your adventure....chances are you won't need a shop.
200 is a great two-lane coastal route....careful with diesel spills and people taking WIDE corners as it is often a twisty ride.
[Edited on 4-14-2016 by motoged]AKgringo - 4-14-2016 at 10:47 AM
There was a thread posted a while back by some northern bikers that used a secure storage in Yuma to do a similar trip. I did a quick search for the
post, but did not find it, maybe some one else here knows more about it.
If Yuma would work for you, both Algodones, and San Luis are not bad places to cross into Mexico.motoged - 4-14-2016 at 10:57 AM
My first moto trip to Baja was a month-long ride on a 1981 R80G/S....trailered it to Palm Springs where I parked the car in a storeage lot that I
found in their yellow pages.....reasonable fee if I remember.
A few trips after that, I parked my truck at places offered by fellow riders on an internet forum (BMW Airheads) around San Diego.
Maybe a Nomad will step forward and let you park at their home off the street....Fatboy - 4-14-2016 at 11:32 AM
Things have changed a lot since I did it almost 25 years ago so no road conditions from me.
Couple of thoughts though...
Are you riding 'down' Baja and taking the ferry across?
If so remember it is a ship that tends to roll and when we did it we had to figure a way to tie our bikes to a wall in the hold.
If things are still the same maybe give some thought on how you might keep your bike from falling over. If you have a center stand should be fairly
straight forward. Place bike against wall so it can't fall that way. Then tie it off so it can not fall away from the wall and also tie it off so it
can not roll forward or backwards.
Road conditions where good way back when but the maps were not so accurate, should not really be an issue in todays world but be flexible. We ended up
being stopped by locals and turned around one time. Another time we ended up riding across peoples porches in the dark.
As far as repairs... Basic non specialized repairs and parts should not be an issue in any major town. Would it be any different in remote, small town
America such as in Nevada, Utah or even Texas? If you breakdown in Reno or Salt Lake city it is way different experience then breaking down in Jackpot
or Wells.
Parking? Most any self storage place can solve that problem easy enough if no one lets you park at their house.
We had one breakdown that was beyond what we could do properly on our trip but was handled just fine down there. Just know your bike.
I am sure you know of ADVRIDER? Lots of people do that trip.
Enjoy and post here with a trip report....I would like to see it!
long term parking
beowulf - 4-16-2016 at 04:35 PM
thx for the feedback. A lot us useful advice, challenges to overcome ( eg. making sure bike is secure on ferry ) Couldn't find the mc repair shops on
search, will try again. I'm riding a honda silverwing maxi scooter. Feel comfortable on it at hwy speeds, it was built for this. Purchased a spanish
language course and working my way thru that. Still unresolved issue of parking- expect to pay, just a tad concerned about a huge, possible expense
that might be resolved in a more economical fashion. G.d, I'm looking forward to this, one of the benefits of being older and not so work motivated.
I'd like to say a trip report will be forthcoming, but... not a pict
ure taker and usually just end up being my memory. We'll see. Again, thx. I like to have all my bases covered.
long term parking
beowulf - 5-22-2016 at 06:22 PM
Still looking for ideas about parking for 3-4 months near calexico. I want to enter mexico here to avoid the tijuana nightmare. I' m 69 yrs old- not
looking to "jerk" anyone around and, of course, am amendable to paying. Planning on arriving first week of jan. Can't find very much info with a web
search. Thx for listening garyBajaBlanca - 5-23-2016 at 01:58 PM
maybe place an ad asking for parking and offering to pay on craigs listbajaguy - 5-23-2016 at 02:48 PM
If you breakdown in Reno or Salt Lake city it is way different experience then breaking down in Jackpot or Wells. it!
Yeah, but there are various types of entertainment in Jackpot and Wells. AKgringo - 5-23-2016 at 03:12 PM
Beowulf, what is your starting point for this adventure? Since I travel down from the north, Yuma is not really that far out of the way if I was on a
trip like you plan.
Just personal preference, but I like Yuma more than Calexico, and it may be an option for you. Even if you are in southern CA, it is only about 50
miles farther down the road.
