Motorcycling In Mexico
Motorcycling In Mexico
DON KOCH
ARE YOU LOOKING for a motorcycle vacationland which is inexpensive, exotic and relatively accessible? Try Mexico. Forget the myths that you have heard; if they are true at all they probably apply only to the border towns anyway. Venture south into the interior or along the sea coast. Your expenses will be low, and the prospects for adventure are high. Before you depart, however, whether for a week or for a few months, think through carefully what you want to do and where you want to go, and plan accordingly.
For many people, planning to gel there is hardly half the fun of going, but it will help prevent the confusion and inconveniences that so often accompany traveling. And it may enable you to avoid a major calamity such as the sort that arises when you discover at the border that proof of citizenship-which you forgot to bring-is required to enter Mexico.
There are four major border crossings among the numerous points of entry into Mexico. From west to east, they are located at San Diego, Calif., Nogales, Ariz., El Paso, Texas and Laredo, Texas. The most advantageous point at which to enter Mexico depends upon where you are coming from and where you will travel in Mexico. Travelers starting out in the Pacific or mountain travel zones will probably cross the border at Nogales or El Paso, while a tourist who begins further to the east would usually enter Mexico at El Paso or Laredo.
Tijuana serves as a port of entry for the intrepid cyclist intending to travel along the often primitive but challenging road to La Paz (Mexico Highway 1 ). From La Paz, it is possible to take the ferry to Mazatlan, on the mainland.
The route a rider takes into Mexico will depend substantially on his travel preference. If you desire a relatively uneventful and quick route at least one way and would like to return by a different road, take the highway south from El Paso and Ciudad Juarez (Mexico Highway 45). This road passes through a number of large provincial towns that have been almost totally unexplored by American tourists.
For a more interesting and scenic route, try Mexico Highway 14 from Nogales south through Guaymos, with its beautiful harbor and beaches surrounded by rough foothills. Then drive to Los Mochis and the lovely fishing
village of Topolobampo, and on to Mazatlan, a tropical Pacific port ringed by miles of beaches, caves and rock formations. You pass through Guadalajara. one of the most urbane yet traditional cities in Mexico, and finally end up in Mexico City.
An adventure-seeking motorcyclist would be hard pressed to find a more exciting trip than a tour from San Diego down the Lower California peninsula to La Paz, across to Mazatlan by ferry (departing Thursday and Sunday at 5 p.m. with a fare from $4 for a reclining seat to $50 for a deluxe cabin suite), then up the coast to Nogales and Tucson. This route permits a side journey from Mazatlan to Durango, along one of the most spectacular highways in North America.
Mile after mile of winding mountain road carries the rider through semi-tropical rain forests, high mountain passes with cliffs stretching far up from the edge of the road, and across vast gorges and onto a rolling arid plateau.
A less demanding journey takes a rider south from Nogales through Mazatlan and across to Durango, then a return through Ciudad Juarez. With three or four additional days, a rider could continue south from Mazatlan to Guadalajara, and on to Leon and Aguascalientes. Heading north, he would go through Durango and up to El Paso. More time, on the order of a week or so, permits touring deep into the Mexican interior, either in the exotic and astonishingly inexpensive areas south of Mexico City or into the fabled Yucatan Peninsula.
CROSSING THE BORDER
But whatever route you take and no matter how far south you travel, it is first necessary to cross the border. The Mexican government neither requires a passport nor subjects prospective tourists to the lengthy, hostile border procedures that were previously so common in many parts of Europe. For entrance into Mexico beyond the border areas, a prospective tourist needs only proof of nationality (as a birth or baptismal certificate or armed services discharge) to receive a tourist card. This permits the holder to remain in Mexico up to 180 days, at which time the card can be renewed by returning to the border.
There is no charge for this tourist card, which can also be obtained at Mexican Consulates and Mexican Tourist Bureau offices located in various
major cities throughout the United States. But, if you elect to obtain the card at a border crossing, you may find that a tip of five pesos or so will serve to expedite the process. The tourist card, like a draft card, must be carried at all times under penalty of a fine of up to 200 pesos (about $16), and loss of the card will require its replacement for a charge of approximately $2.50.
In order to take your motorcycle into Mexico, it is necessary to obtain a motor vehicle permit. Like the tourist card, it is issued at the border without cost and remains valid for 180 days. To obtain the permit, it is necessary to present a valid driver’s license, the current registration certificate and a title or other proof of ownership. If the title shows a current lien on the cycle, a notarized authorization from the lien holder is also required. On presentation of these documents, the Mexican border authorities will afix a brown tourist permit to the cycle. Often the customs official will want to place the sticker across the side of the gas tank. But a bit of careful persuasion, accompanied by looks of great spiritual pain, may prove sufficient to convince him to put it in a more convenient location, as on a windshield, oil tank or side panel.
MEXICAN INSURANCE
Finally, motorcycle insurance is advisable before you ride beyond the immediate border area. The insurance policies issued by American insurance companies are usually invalid in Mexico. Check with the agent who presently writes your policy. It is customary to obtain insurance from an underwriter at the border.
At most locations, more than one firm specializes in the sale of Mexican insurance policies, which aie available on a daily, monthly and 90-day basis. Even the daily rate policies are relatively inexpensive, since Mexican courts are limited by law to awards not exceeding approximately $4000 per person and $8000 for total liability damages to people.
But the lower cost of court awarded damages should not in any way suggest that you try to waive insurance coverage. Uninsured drivers who are parties to an accident invariably find that they are involved in a criminal case. And in the event of personal injury, they will usually go directly to jail. In accidents involving motor vehicles and domestic animals of any consequence (i.e., cows, mules, etc.), the vehicle operator often
receives harsh treatment by our standards. A Mexican insurance agent from the company which issued your policy is probably the best possible insurance, short of diplomatic immunity, you will have against languishing needlessly in jail or suffering unjustly the consequences of complex legal proceedings transacted in an entirely foreign language.
LEGAL COMPLICATIONS
In the event of grave legal complications. such as may arise from the theft of your cycle or inflicting serious injury to a Mexican citizen, you should immediately contact the U.S. Consulate, which maintains offices in the larger border towns. Guadalajara, Guaymos, Mazatlan, Merida. Mexico City, Monterrey, San Luis Potosi. Tampico and Vera Cruz. Consulate offices serve a number of purposes, one of which is providing, free of charge, assistance to visiting American tourists who have managed to involve themselves in a variety of difficult or embarrassing situations.
No health certificates, inoculations or vaccinations are necessary in order to enter Mexico or return to the United States, provided that you do not travel to a foreign country other than Mexico in the two weeks before your return to the U.S. border. However, tourists are well advised to obtain inoculations for smallpox, typhoid and tetanus before leaving home. The probability of contracting such diseases is minimal, but the consequence of not doing so would prove sufficiently grave to warrant the preventative shots.
Contrary to popular belief, your chances of exposure to amoebic dysentery are quite low in Mexico. But it is entirely probable that you will be afflicted for a few days with an internal disorder that appears to be dysentery. So, some pills to suppress the symptoms (pills that have quick effect are obtainable only by prescription from your doctor) are well worth the cost. From sad experience I can say that motorcycle touring, especially along rough roads, does nothing to make diarrhea an enjoyable experience.
Once past a point of entry and the accompanying border town (which will have little to offer beyond the usual charms of women, drink and drugs with an associated probability of violence to a motorcyclist or his machine) you can begin to navigate the Mexican highways.
Contrary to legend, the roads are generally paved and in an acceptable
state of repair: chuckholes and gravel are no more common than on many federal and state highways throughout the United States. However, road routes are not well marked and signs indicating either nearby or distant cities are few and far between. A rider must watch carefully for those road signs which do exist, and carry a road map. Many of the older Triumphs, and some other motorcycles, have gas tank-mounted parcel grids that make excellent map holders. Another satisfactory system is merely taping the appropriate map face-up to the top of the gas tank. When in doubt, however, be certain to ask a local resident for directions.
Remember, don’t ask for your final destination but the following town or city along the route, since some residents of smaller towns have not visited the capital of the state they live in. much less a large city in a neighboring state.
METRIC MEASUREMENT
Distance and speed in Mexico are measured in kilometers (units ot 1000 meters, or approximately 3200 It.), but it is quite simple to translate these units into miles. Simply multiply by six, and mentally move the decimal point one place to the left. Thus, the maximum highway speed limit of 100 kph becomes about 60 (actually closer to 62) mph. The 30 to 40 kph limits that prevail in towns and villages figures out to 18-24 mph.
Similarly, Mexican highway signs are different from those in the United States, but the shapes are usually identical and the meanings are often self-explanatory. It is important to know, however, that a green arrow accompanied by the word Transito marks a one-way street, and the word Preferencia carries the same meaning as “Stop” in this country.
Occasionally, traffic signals in the larger cities flash red and green at the same time. This means that you can make a left turn only.
'1 he extraordinary scenery in Mexico should prove sufficiently compelling to prevent one from speeding along, entirely heedless of the posted speed limits. But in the event that these joys are not sufficient, it is important to remember that Mexican highways are often filled with all types of non-motorized transportation. Animals, domestic or otherwise, bicyclists and men, women and children on foot compete with stalled vehicles as obstacles that may be
encountered along any given highway.
And there is no guarantee that either the people or the animals will move aside promptly, so caution is advised at all times. Moreover, at bridges and other points where the roadway narrows, commercial vehicles and cars that flash their lights will assume the right-of-way.
MEXICAN GASOLINE
Mexican gasoline is suitable for most motorcycles, except those operating with unusually high compression ratios.
The three grades of gas common to Mexico are Supermexolina (dispensed from a red and white pump). Gasolmex (from the green and white pump) and Permex Cien (sold from yellow pumps). Only Permex Cien, with an octane rating of nearly 100 and a price equivalent to 40-45 cents per gal., should go into your gas tank. The 80-octane Supermexolina and Gasolmex. with an octane rating of approximately 40, are not ideal for most machines. Most larger gas stations sell major brand American oils, but in the event that it is necessary to use a Mexican oil, Pemex Sol Special and Pemex Sol Dorado are probably the two best grades for motorcycle use. The rider who is devoted to a particular brand, such as Castrol SAE 20-50, will have to carry his own oil with him.
Because Mexico adheres to the European system of weights and measures, gasoline is sold by the liter. If you remember that a liter is approximately equal to one quart (actually 1.06 quarts) then this system of measurement becomes simple to work with.
Similarly, air pressure is measured on the metric scale of kilograms per square centimeter, which is not easily converted to our pounds per square inch scale. The solution is to carry your own tire gauge, or check the equivalent metric inflation pressure in an owner’s handbook, or remember that 26 psi (which is a common inflation pressure for motorcycle tires) equals 1.83 kilograms per square centimeter.
Engine clearances are also measured by the metric system, and Mexican gauges operate on that scale. It is therefore important either to learn the metric equivalent of commonly used measurements (the standard contact breaker point gap of 0.014 in. to 0.016 in. equals 0.35 to 0.40mm), or bring along your own tools.
STRANDED: NOT LIKELY
Although gas stations exist throughout Mexico, the distance between them —»
is long. Many stations close early, and a surprising number are sold out of one or more grades of gasoline. It is important to fill your tank at every opportunity. Whenever in doubt about stopping for gas or riding on to the next town, stop, rather than risk the consequence of many miles to go and no gasoline to get there.
Also remember that the gasoline sold at a number of Mexican service stations contains a relatively high level of solid impurities, which will collect in the wire mesh gas tap filters and/or the small filters at the bottom of the carburetor float bowls. So, clean these filters before setting out, and at the first sign of fuel starvation, check the filters before bothering to strip down the carburetors to explore other more obscure possibilities.
If you do run out of gas, or spark, or oil or any of the other ingredients necessary to propel a motorcycle, there is little cause for alarm. If you are stranded on a major highway and are lucky enough, one of Mexico’s widely advertised and brightly colored Tourist Patrol trucks will roll by. These vehicles are equipped with a two-way radio, gas, a mechanic and some spare parts. There is no charge for the service, other than the cost of gas and spares.
But if no Tourist Patrol truck appears, do not despair. Mexican cars, trucks and motorcycles are of much greater age than the vehicles traveling American highways. This means that, you can expect sympathetic and expert assistance in the event of mechanical problems
In the United States, a stranded motorcyclist and his machine will be passed by a surprising number of motorists. Drivers not only do not stop to help, but seem to take a perverse pleasure in observing a motorcyclist’s plight.
This is not so in Mexico, where a mechanical breakdown can, and often does, provide the opportunity for an enjoyable, but unplanned, and relatively inexpensive series of adventures. Mexican drivers will quickly and willingly stop to render assistance which, given the high proportion of trucks on the road, often allows you and your machine to ride together to the nearest town or city. Only rarely will a passing driver charge you for this service, though it is often considered polite to offer a tip even if it is refused.
FACTORY DEALERS RARE
Arrival in a major town or even a large city does not guarantee that a motorcyclist will soon find himself in a clean, well-lighted dealership which markets the brand of motorcycle the cyclist
is riding. The U.S. distributor will provide information on the location of dealers or distributors in Mexico with a franchise to sell that company’s products. But outside of Mexico City, the chances are slim that you will find a dealer who sells the same make and model of motorcycle that you own (although there are an increasing number of Honda outlets in Mexico).
Instead you will probably come upon, or be directed to, a small dingy shop filled with seemingly hundreds of battered, rusted cycles and impotent looking scooters—many of which are partly or totally dismantled and obviously suffering from fatal or near fatal disorders. The shop will probably be infested by a swarm of children who are speaking a language that you do not understand (working class Mexican children did not learn Spanish from your high school or college grammar books).
You will be delighted to learn that these children, who may appear too young to ride a bicycle successfully, are the mechanics and mechanics’ helpers. Finally you may discover that nowhere in this mechanical graveyard does there exist a shop manual or any spare parts for your motorcycle, and nobody speaks any English anyway.
But do not give up hope. Even if you encounter a repair shop as exotic-or primitive-as the one described above, the probability of emerging with a motorcycle in running condition is quite good. Mexican mechanics are models of ingenuity. Years of experience in repairing machinery without access to a full inventory of spares and the factory approved tools have taught them to improvise effectively in a multitude of ways.
Cables, footpegs, control levers, lights, coils, points and often more crucial parts, such as pushrods, valve springs and chains borrowed from very
different makes of machinery, may be effectively adapted to your motorcycle. And when a suitable part simply is not available, custom machine work with a lathe, drill press and hand tools can often improvise or modify an existing part for a cost far below the prevailing rates north of the border.
Certain forms of damage, such as a smashed engine case or a severely damaged crankshaft, are usually beyond being salvaged by even the most creative mechanic. But barring disasters of this magnitude, you can reasonably expect prompt and effective, if somewhat unconventional, repair service.
However, a rider who plans carefully can substantially reduce his chances of having to depend upon his own or a Mexican mechanic’s ingenuity by carrying along the proper equipment and parts. The more fanatical long distance touring enthusiasts seem to compute the maximum load of parts and repair equipment they can carry, then select equipment until they have reached the upper limits permitted by space and weight.
Cans of gas, spare tires and an extra set of rods might prove valuable, but you probably do not want your motorcycle to disappear under an awesome burden of spare parts. Thus you can elect to carry along only those spares which you think will most likely be needed, and pack them as inconspicuously as possible. In order to make adjustments and repairs, you will probably want to carry along the following equipment:
SPARE PARTS ADVISABLE
1. The owner’s manual and the basic tool kit that came with the motorcycle.
2. A pair of vise-grip pliers.
3. A medium sized open-end wrench, 6 to 8 in.
4. A wire cutter and stripper with
spare bell wire.
5. Baling or repair wire.
6. A can of compressed air for tire inflation.
7. A valve stem puller, tire pressure gauge and tube repair kit.
8. Tubes of permatex (preferably No. 2) and epoxy glue.
9. An emery file and feeler gauges for plugs, points and tappets.
10. An extra ignition key.
The number of spare parts that you could carry is endless. But the following spares, which can usually be purchased for S20 or less, will allow you to repair well over 90 percent of all equipment failures to which motorcycles are prone:
1. A set of spark plugs.
2. A set of points and a condenser.
3. A spare master link for the drive chain.
4. A headlamp and a taillight bulb.
5. Two fuses.
6. A few spare nuts and bolts, 1/2 in. to 3/8 in.
7. A throttle and a clutch cable.
8. An inner tube.
Most, if not all, of the first five items are easily wrapped in plagie tape and stored securely inside the headlight housing, where they will be protected from the elements, but ready for immediate use when necessary. Extra cables can be taped to the existing control cables in the style of an ISDT or enduro rider, which will facilitate a quick switchover if a cable snaps. Or the cables can be stored inconspicuously by wrapping them in a long loop, then taping the loop to the underside of the
A set of spare cables will fit conveniently, yet unobtrusively, beneath most motorcycle seats. Remember to lubricate the cables before taping them in place.
seat or the upper frame rails beneath the seat.
Given the relatively low price of the above spare parts and the advantage of having them along when the need arises, it is foolish not to carry spare parts whenever you are traveling far from home or a factory authorized repair shop.
In the way of mechanical preparation for any long distance traveling, it is crucial to tighten, adjust, lubricate and check everything possible before starting out to ride anywhere, whether it be Mexico or the other end of your state. When you anticipate mountain driving, which is so common in Mexico, special precautions are necessary.
Conditions that would cause brake failure or overheating (such as frayed cables or improper ignition timing) should be checked with special care. And you must know how to rejet the carburetor. Except for a few of the newer carbs, which automatically compensate for changes of altitude, most motorcycle carburetors will not function properly at altitudes above 5000 feet.
Although the factory will suggest readjusting the entire carburetor from low speed air bleed to the main jet, in practice it is usually sufficient to adjust only the needle jet, lowering it one position, thereby reducing the fuel flow to compensate for the reduced oxygen available at higher altitudes. This is easily done by placing the retainer clip up one notch on the needle. If you do not know how to perform this relatively simple operation, learn to do so before departing, since the needle should not be adjusted until necessary. A fuel mixture that is optimal for higher alti-
tudes will prove lean at sea level or lower altitudes. And almost nothing will stop a motorcycle engine more effectively than the overheating and melted piston crowns that result from a lean air/fuel mixture.
TRAVEL EXPERIENCES ABOUND
Similarly, mountain driving may require a lower gear ratio, especially if your engine has a capacity of less than 500cc. Generally, the changeover to a rear wheel sprocket with two or three more teeth or a transmission sprocket with one or two less teeth will provide a sufficient reduction in drive ratio without significantly reducing top cruising speed or gas mileage. Since a number of motorcycles come from the factory a bit overgeared anyway, lowering the overall drive ratio slightly, that is. going to a numerically larger ratio, can prove generally beneficial.
This information is the most important for you to have before motorcycling in Mexico. The possibility of legal or mechanical problems does exist. But these difficulties are by no means insurmountable.
Indeed, it has been the purpose of this guide to suggest that a bit of advance planning and information will help you avoid or reduce the magnitude of such problems, allowing you to enjoy the low costs, magnificent scenery, interesting food and varied travel experiences that abound in Mexico.
To the extent that your mind is free from bureaucratic and mechanical bothers, you can roll back the throttle to a comfortable cruising speed, and let the bike wheel along the curving Mexican highways. Just watch that beautiful countryside slide by ! [o]
