Is Mexico Safe?

WeazyBuddha · Aug 30, 2011

Seems like we've had some dissatisfied customers here lately. I have an idea.

Trice, Schizzman and MikeMike have articulated the essence of this thread very well so perhaps Arte could edit his first post with these thoughts. Since I'm a guy and thus am opinionated I'm a 'gonna try to capture the points and send them to you, Arte, in an email for your consideration to possibly append to the first post.

going south · Aug 30, 2011

By the way, those new style topes that look like female action hero chest protectors are very dangerous when wet, moist, or damp, or slick with lubricant from the heavy ones who have passed over them. No wonder the locals try to remove enough of them to get a tire or two through.
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And some times there is the odd nail or bolt sticking up between them that leaves a nice hole or gash in the tire....

I like this thread, bout once a week I spit coffee all over the puter outa my nose!!!!

MikeMike · Aug 30, 2011

Yep, those things are becoming the norm in many areas and are a pain.
I look for ones missing, or go around on the shoulder, or hit them as square on as possible.
In that order.
Sometimes, especially down here where it gets hot enough, a few weeks of overloaded truck traffic just squashes them into the pavement and they more or less disappear.
I wonder if they can do that with politicians?

Tricepilot · Aug 30, 2011

going south said: ↑

I like this thread, bout once a week I spit coffee all over the puter outa my nose!!!!
Click to expand...

The kind of clientele we like around here

cdavisrosco · Aug 30, 2011

Hi everybody,

My wife and I are taking two bikes through Mexico starting next month. We are leaving from our house in New Orleans, so I had planned to cross at Brownsville. Does anyone have any advice for a recommended route south from Brownsville? We're heading to Peru on a BMW 650X Country (mine) and a Yamaha XT250 (wife's). We have plenty of time for the trip as we're flying the bikes back from Peru in March and we don't need to arrive in Northern Peru until mid to late January.

Is Brownsville a good place to cross? What towns and cities would you recommend we try to pass through? And places to avoid?

Thanks!

Chris Davis
New Orleans, LA

acejones · Aug 30, 2011

Chris,
I'll leave it to others for specific recommendations as I haven't gone down that way in a couple of years, but I really hope you'll post a RR about your trip. I am particularly interested in how the XT250 does. I have had 3 XT225's and have always thought the smaller bikes might be really good on the libre roads.

cdavisrosco · Aug 30, 2011

acejones said: ↑

Chris,
I'll leave it to others for specific recommendations as I haven't gone down that way in a couple of years, but I really hope you'll post a RR about your trip. I am particularly interested in how the XT250 does. I have had 3 XT225's and have always thought the smaller bikes might be really good on the libre roads.
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Yeah, I really like my wife's bike. It's got a windscreen, 16 tooth front sprocket and mt90 tires (actually just posted a pic on the 'shortypants' thread under thumpers) and it cruises pretty well on most roads. Max speed so far is about 72 mph on the GPS but I wouldn't want to do it for hours on end.

Animo · Aug 30, 2011

The XT250 will do fine in Mexico, I have the 250 Lander which is the "Brazilian built" equivalent of the XT250 in Mexico. If you are planning to ride on the free highways you will not exceed 100kmph due to all the towns and topes. It is a very common bike, you will see many being ridden around.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>

MikeMike · Aug 30, 2011

Cross at Brownsville only if you are sure you can make Tampico in one day and in daylight.
Give yourself time for the border and banks and bureaucracy.
Slow and easy on the entry into Tampico and don't put up with any BS from the traffic cops there.

If you want you can PM me, I live in Veracruz.

SkizzMan · Aug 30, 2011

MikeMike said: ↑

Cross at Brownsville only if you are sure you can make Tampico in one day and in daylight.
Give yourself time for the border and banks and bureaucracy.
Slow and easy on the entry into Tampico and don't put up with any BS from the traffic cops there.

If you want you can PM me, I live in Veracruz.
Click to expand...

Last word on the problematic Tampico transitos is that they've all been replaced with military personnel.

Bato??

cdavisrosco · Aug 30, 2011

Since Tampico is 400 miles in and you recommend only crossing at Brownsville if we intend to make Tampico in a day, what other route would you recommend instead?

Would it be a better idea to cross at Reynosa? Is it best to skip through the Reynosa-Monterrey area pretty quickly?

Thanks for the helpful replies.

crashmaster · Aug 30, 2011

SchizzMan said: ↑

Last word on the problematic Tampico transitos is that they've all been replaced with military personnel.

Bato??
Click to expand...

That's too bad. I had some fun with those guys in the past.

SkizzMan · Aug 30, 2011

crashmaster said: ↑

that's too bad. I had some fun with those guys in the past.
Click to expand...

:d

Tricepilot · Aug 30, 2011

cdavisrosco said: ↑

My wife and I are taking two bikes through Mexico starting next month. We are leaving from our house in New Orleans, so I had planned to cross at Brownsville. Does anyone have any advice for a recommended route south from Brownsville? We're heading to Peru on a BMW 650X Country (mine) and a Yamaha XT250 (wife's). We have plenty of time for the trip as we're flying the bikes back from Peru in March and we don't need to arrive in Northern Peru until mid to late January.
Click to expand...

I consider October the prime month in all the year to visit Mexico. With that, you may find interesting the following climate chart which will give you a general idea of her temperate zones:

You didn't mention a timeline, but if I were you I'd skip Reynosa/Brownsville unless I needed to make haste. I would cross at Nuevo Laredo and make for the highlands. You can do this by running west out of N'Orleans on I-10 and then catch I-35 S to Laredo in San Antonio.

This is a classic route that slices through the central avenue of the country:

Real de Catorce
Zacatecas
San Miguel
Guanajuato
Cuernavaca
Taxco
Oaxaca
San Cristóbal

These are 8 of the most beautiful cities not just in all of Mexico but in the world. A little reading up ahead of time on what each has to offer and you'll be more than absorbed.

I've been to Honduras in May and Peru in June of this year. While I love Central and South America, I think any time you spend lingering in Mexico will pay you grand dividends.

PS When you get to Peru, have a beer in Norton Rat's in Cusco, and put it on my tab.

acejones · Aug 30, 2011

Regarding the advice to get all the way to Tampico; that might be a haul with the smaller bike unless you cross the border real early, and it'll still be a haul. You could leave later and stop in Soto La Marina for the night. IIRC it's about 4 hours from Reynosa. That way you won't be rushed on you first day in Mexico.

WeazyBuddha · Aug 30, 2011

WeazyBuddha said: ↑

Seems like we've had some dissatisfied customers here lately. I have an idea. Trice, Schizzman and MikeMike have articulated the essence of this thread very well so perhaps Arte could edit his first post with these thoughts. Since I'm a guy and thus am opinionated I'm a 'gonna try to capture the points and send them to you, Arte, in an email for your consideration to possibly append to the first post.
Click to expand...

Ok, I'm posting what I came up with here for the collective to edit and if Arte sees fit, he can paste it into the first post.


(1) Mexico is dearly loved by the regulars on this thread. It is a country of breathtaking beauty and friendly people who will enrich your life for having met them. There are, however, some bad hombres and mujeres in the mix and, obviously, only you can decide whether a trip into Mexico is right for you.
(2) Basic advice? Avoid riding at night and don't wander around in places your mom would not want you to be in, especially at night. Be respectful; dont be a douche with an attitude. Watch out for loose livestock and topes.
(3) Although there is much to gain from going through the entire thread you may want to consider posting your question at the tail end to get up-to-date perspectives from the regulars here.
(4) Many of the regulars on this thread live in Mexico, have lived in Mexico or have crisscrossed Mexico from one end to the other and the thread also serves as a chat room of sorts while waiting for customers to drop by with questions. If you find this annoying, kindly go elsewhere. There are scads of sources on the web to find information on the Mexico situation.
(5) All are warmly welcomed to influence the direction of the thread so constructive comments and suggestions are appreciated. However, if you come here to complain or just kick dust in peoples face, kindly go elsewhere; not every thread on ADV will please everyone so go find one that pleases you.
(6) For best results, view this thread as you would a small town newspaper; some good stuff, some filler, some gossip, some trivia with a pretty darn good ask the experts column. There are semi-regular columns on motorcycles, Mexico roads & traffic norms, border crossing procedures, cigars, bbq, beer, and the appreciation of beauty, both natural and surgically enhanced.

Bienvenido!

cdavisrosco · Aug 30, 2011

Thank you tricepilot! That is exactly the kind of advice I was hoping for. Can't wait.

JettPilot · Aug 30, 2011

I have lived and ridden in South America, visited Columbia several times durring the dangerous years ( 2002 ), I am not one to be fearful and am willing to take some risks. I speak fluent spanish, and have always kept myself out of trouble by talking to locals getting good advice from them. I currently travel to Mexico a lot, the tourists cities inside the country, and find the mexican people to be very nice and friendly, much warmer than most people I meet here in the USA and have a great time ! I am a huge fan of the spanish culture and wonderful people.

That being said, I would NOT ride anywhere along the Mexican / US border. The Mexican government has lost control there, so much so that being a police cheif in many of the boarder towns is a death scentence. Imagine a country where unemployment is so high that any job is sought after, and yet they can hardly find anyone willing to take the relitively high paying job of Police Cheif. The amount of killings along the border makes this a more dangerous place than Iraq or Afghanistan ( Verified Statistics ). Bottom line, if someone, even one of the low level enforcers from one of the Drug Cartels want your bike, they will have no hesitation to kill you and take it. If they even suspect you are some kind of agent or law enforcement, they will kill you as a preventitive measure. They have no qualms about killing people in broad daylight in busy areas. This is the current situation, if someone rode there 5 or more years ago, its not the same place anymore... Old information on safety is worthless, everything has changed in the last 5 years. For those that have traveled by air to Cancun or other turists cities and say its safe, that is very true. The tourist cities is an entire world away from the border area, again totally worthless information.

IF I were going just accept the risks and to do a trip like this, I would cross the border at sunup, and get as far into mexico, and as far away from the volitile border area as I could get in one day. I would stay in tourists areas, or well traveled highways. Do research on places to avoid, certain areas of the border are much more dangerous than others. I beleive Baja to be one of the better places that I would probably go, but I would even research that before going. Also do your research once deep inside mexico to avoid Cartel controlled growing and production areas. Also read the article below.

http://www.carolenash.com/insidebikes/bike-news/bandits-attack-nick-sanders-expedition.htm

Just be smart, manage the risks the best you can, and have fun !

Mike

SkizzMan · Aug 30, 2011

JettPilot said: ↑

I have lived and ridden in South America, visited Columbia several times durring the dangerous years ( 2002 ), I am not one to be fearful and am willing to take some risks. I speak fluent spanish, and have always kept myself out of trouble by talking to locals getting good advice from them. I currently travel to Mexico a lot, the tourists cities inside the country, and find the mexican people to be very nice and friendly, much warmer than most people I meet here in the USA and have a great time ! I am a huge fan of the spanish culture and wonderful people.

That being said, I would NOT ride anywhere along the Mexican / US border. The Mexican government has lost control there, so much so that being a police cheif in many of the boarder towns is a death scentence. Imagine a country where unemployment is so high that any job is sought after, and yet they can hardly find anyone willing to take the relitively high paying job of Police Cheif. The amount of killings along the border makes this a more dangerous place than Iraq or Afghanistan ( Verified Statistics ). Bottom line, if someone, even one of the low level enforcers from one of the Drug Cartels want your bike, they will have no hesitation to kill you and take it. If they even suspect you are some kind of agent or law enforcement, they will kill you as a preventitive measure. They have no qualms about killing people in broad daylight in busy areas. This is the current situation, if someone rode there 5 or more years ago, its not the same place anymore... Old information on safety is worthless, everything has changed in the last 5 years. For those that have traveled by air to Cancun or other turists cities and say its safe, that is very true. The tourist cities is an entire world away from the border area, again totally worthless information.

IF I were going just accept the risks and to do a trip like this, I would cross the border at sunup, and get as far into mexico, and as far away from the volitile border area as I could get in one day. I would stay in tourists areas, or well traveled highways. Do research on places to avoid, certain areas of the border are much more dangerous than others. I beleive Baja to be one of the better places that I would probably go, but I would even research that before going. Also do your research once deep inside mexico to avoid Cartel controlled growing and production areas. Also read the article below.

http://www.carolenash.com/insidebikes/bike-news/bandits-attack-nick-sanders-expedition.htm

Just be smart, manage the risks the best you can, and have fun !

Mike
Click to expand...

Hi Mike,

There's a lot of experience and sound advice in your post and the border is certainly a region to clear without lingering along with hot spots to avoid entirely.

So far I've ridden about 4000 miles over 4 weeks (2 trips) this year with several trips last year and have found the risk factors to be completely manageable following your advice. This includes solo riding in known drug areas well inside the border region. Clearly there is crime of the kinds you describe in your post but I have yet to see any evidence of motorcycle travelers being targeted in any way. Somewhat the opposite, actually. Still, the diligence you describe in your post is well advised for all to follow.

The Nick Sanders expedition incident is one I've looked into extensively and concluded that it doesn't correspond to the risk profile of any other riders I know of. The bad guys appear to have targeted the support vehicle only and were able to monitor the group's progress via a well-publicized Spot site.

Thanks again for sharing your travel experience and wisdom.

Tricepilot · Aug 30, 2011

cdavisrosco said: ↑

Thank you tricepilot! That is exactly the kind of advice I was hoping for. Can't wait.
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In addition, I invite you to stop and visit overnight at Casa Tricepilot to sit and sip and discuss all things Mexico and riding South. Many, many riders have stayed here and done this exact same thing.

We are perfecting the BBQ thing here: you have your choice of ribs, brisket, pulled pork, and sausage or any combo. Just let us know and we'll have a spread ready. You might want to get a relaxed start in New Orleans and make San Antonio an early evening stop for visiting, dining on BBQ, and discussing your trip. Then, you can leave in the am for Laredo, cross at the Colombia Bridge, and make Saltillo in the afternoon. On your second day in Mexico, you'll be easily in Real de Catorce and you might as well be in another world.

You can have a private room. Nellie is no longer around to greet Mexico riders, but we now have Jack, a Labradoodle.

Although, don't wait too long in October for I too am leaving for Mexico near the end of that month I am headed back to Durango and Mazatlán, both places I have been to several times before.

I find it very interesting that Peru is your turn-around point. I have been to South America before, but I find Peru to be of special interest. My time there a few months ago was very special. Chew the coca leaves there, with a touch of charcoal as the locals do. Failure to do so will mean the altitude will kick your butt. Coca leaves are legal in Peru, Bolivia, and Chile.

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Is Mexico Safe?

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