Is Mexico Safe?

[Digiamo]

I'm in agreement with SR about the ride down the West Coast. I've riden down that coast twice and LUST for a third. Nothing but talk about violence...never saw or heard from an actual witness. I did have to ride through (around) Acapulco two days after a massacre 2 years ago, but the folks I met and had lunch with blew it off as hyped up tabloid news. It did happen because the military stops were MUCH more thorough. It was the first time in three Mexican rides that I got a full pat down.

Mexican Day of the Dead in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, México is fantastic. You'll be riding over streets strewn with Marigolds and you'll feel like you are in a parade as a celebrity. There was a Latin American Motorcycle Ass. (LAMA) rally there too. They didn't let me pay for my lunch.

It was the trip of a lifetime! (one of many)

[Bato]

[PirateJohn]

Originally Posted by SR

Sportbike riding is very popular in Mexico and there are probably more sportbikes in Mexico than cruisers and DS bikes combined. Slaming into a tope at full speed on a Hayabusa would suck, but there are some epic long curvy roads for sport bike riding in Mexico. Bring her down!

JD will testify that I ride the toll road between Progreso and Reynosa pretty quickly, but I got passed by two Mexican-plated Hayabusas one day that must have been running near top speed. There was an easy 60 mph difference between them and me.

[PirateJohn]

Pheebs, I am with everyone else here. We follow the tales pretty closely and that piles of decapitated tourists stuff is pretty off the wall. Never heard that one and it's safe to say it didn't happen. I can think of precisely one murder of a gringo on the beach in Baja in the last 5 years or so and that was a robbery of a guy that had been living by himself in isolation for years.

Where to avoid? I would not cross at El Paso/Juarez. And there has been a group holding up people on the little road between Alamos and El Fuerte off and on for over a decade and they recently took a shot at a rider that ran the road block (first mistake right there).

Otherwise it's been awhile but I have ridden down Mexican Rt. 15 to Mazatlan and had a great time.

Where to go? San Carlos is a gringo sailing community and quite nice. Mazatlan is a really touristy city with plenty of beach resorts. El Fuerte is a dusty little town but holds good memories for me. Alamos is a small town with an artist's colony and several US celebrities used to have houses there - didn't do much for me but many people like that town.

Have fun!

[miguelito]

Originally Posted by Pheebs

Hello guys and girls!

Been having a bit of a mooch through this thread with much interest as we have a rtw trip coming up (advrider chasing horizons thread http://www.chasinghorizons.co.uk) which will eventually be taking us through the wonderful world of Mexico!

Granted, Mexico is a long way off as of yet ( so we will need to keep reviewing the situation as we rock on through but to date have been given a pick and mix of responses on routes. Originally we were planning to keep it on the West coast line, having heard it is stunning and also to avoid major cities and areas. We were then told that there's been a fair few kidnapping incidents and even decapitated tourists found in piles on the beach so avoid that route altogether and blast through on the toll roads, booking in advance.

Naturally we're wanting to be safe and this option has been top of our choice since various other horror stories but we've also spoken to many others who have shared a completely different opinion and have said stick to our original route and go on instinct / the general feel when we're there. We're kind of sad to have to blast through as it all sounds so beautiful... it would be a shame to miss it all.

So... our question to all would be what areas (if any) would you consider to be real no go's and any which are must go's! Are there any favourite routes or suggestions of? We'll be entering and riding North to South!

Also... there's a slight potential we may arrive during the Day of the Dead celebrations. This excites me beyond belief but once again... what are peoples experiences of this? No go's / do's and don'ts?

Thanks people, really look forward to reading your thoughts :)

Agree with all that's been said so far. SR's advice is particularly apt IMO. I personally like smaller border crossings, in particular Columbia,TX, Presidio, TX, Columbus, NM, and Douglas, AZ. I usually try to cross relatively early in the day, and get a couple of hundred miles into the interior by the first night. I don't ride after dark. That said, I've ridden, (over 40k miles), through every Mexican state, with the exception of the Yucatan's three estados, solo, with my blonde girlfriend on pillion, and with small groups of riders with nothing but good stories of Mexican generosity to tell. You will meet some scam artists in the touristy towns who might con you into buying them a beer or a meal, but even then, you'll likely get your money's worth in future stories to tell.

I like heading down the central/west part of the country at the start. That would be through Douglas, AZ or Columbus, NM to Janos/Nuevo Casas Grandes/Buenaventura. That first part is pretty flat and straight, but it's a shorter run than many of the other routes which take you through flatter, longer runs coupled with X-pensive cuotas. From Buenaventura take Rt. 5 which will take you up through some of the Sierra Madres, and more interesting roads, (curves). You can visit Copper Canyon/Creel or just head south through Hidalgo del Parral/Durango. Here you can make the decision to go down the Espina del Diablo to the coast and the beautiful coastal highway or stay inland and head for the cultural centers of Guanajuato/Queretero/ San Miguel de Allende. For pure riding pleasure, I like the Sierra Gordas to the east of San Miguel. There are other equally wonderful roads, (albeit with more traffic), heading south to Valle de Bravo, Morelia, Patzcuaro. The choices abound regardless of your destination or route from all these locales. For me the real decision you have to make is going to be based on your personal preferences regarding climate. I find the beach areas to be stiflingly hot during much of the year, and so prefer the higher elevations of the interior where you may actually feel the occasional chill when riding.

Most of all use your common sense, be polite, and I think you'll find Mexico a wonderful part of your trip. It would be a shame to just blast through it based on some misleading information you may have heard heretofore.

[jimmex]

Originally Posted by Bato

I know you like menudo

[theshnizzle]

What the hell is a tope?????? Some sort of food......a hairstyle........footwear........??????:

I'm from Canada eh?

[theshnizzle]

Ok, I googled tope. And read a bit online about travelling in mexico. I would be camping and I read that some of the campgrounds would be easier to access in a higher vehicle. The issue is my busa is pretty low. I sometimes bottom out on speedbump up here much less a giant"tope'......thoughts?

[acejones]

Originally Posted by theshnizzle

What the hell is a tope?????? Some sort of food......a hairstyle........footwear........??????:

I'm from Canada eh?

Tope = Speed bump

Commonly found at edges of towns and villages and also throughout towns. Used for controlling speed. They range from low bumps to rediculously high.. can be made from concrete, asphalt, large ropes and even sandbags. Often they are marked, often they are not.

[acejones]

Personally, I wouldn't go to Mexico on a 'busa.

[tricepilot]

Originally Posted by acejones

Personally, I wouldn't go to Mexico on a 'busa.

Really? I find my busa quite comfortable

[Sjoerd Bakker]

Any bike can be used for Mexico ,but low ones will have to take care on topes.
About the decapitated tourists, wasn't this the story about a bunch of bodies including one or two Canadians a month or two ago who were found on the beaches near Pto Vallarta as a result of the drug dealers group clearing out among their own rank s ? Thes Canadians were reported to have been frequent visitor to PV and had business relationships with the drug cartels. Calling them "tourists " is being generous but probably inacurate.
The new Presidente of Mexico could make his major claim for historic place of fame by initiating a program to standardize and civilize the TOPE all over Mexico.
As topes now exists in many forms many horrid oversized examples placed in inappropriate locations.

[tricepilot]

Originally Posted by Sjoerd Bakker

The new Presidente of Mexico could make his major claim for historic place of fame by initiating a program to standardize and civilize the TOPE all over Mexico.
As topes now exists in many forms many horrid oversized examples placed in inappropriate locations.

I am not for this. I say keep the wild and varied, and often unpredictable, fun bumps as they are.

Uncivilized topes - yes, keep them part of the charm.

[C-Stain]

Originally Posted by Slowphil

I most certainly will do that, I'm looking forward to seeing your part of Mexico
Cheers Philip

It'd be nice to see a RR YFF! Ride safe, we're all wondering about you!

[Digiamo]

When discussing the annoying topes with Mexican riders, it was explained in detail and with great patience that the local communities can not afford traffic cops.
Drunk and reckless driving has claimed many family members in these towns, hence they install their idea of what a speed bump is. Even after stopping, some of these barriers touched my bash plate, sometimes hard. You get many opportunities to try different ways to cross them but they vary a lot so you'll need to assess as you arrive at them.

As a side benefit they get the commerce that springs up AT these locations because you have to just about STOP to not cause severe damage to your suspension or underside. You'll find you can buy a wide variety of stuff at the topes. :)

Far as bodily injury goes, nothing hurt me more than a STING RAY sting at Mazunte beach, Oaxaca.