Is Mexico Safe?

[rockymountainoyster]

Great ride. No fotos. Was booking it. Hwy. 180 has some great twisty bits but with a fearsomely uneven surface in places. There was a a pizza delivery guy on some kind of Chinese 125 down in one of the potholes. The only thing that kept him from falling all the way back to China was that box on the back of the scoot. I slowed down enough that he could grab my crash bar and come flying out of there... good thing because there was a doble remolque loaded with more Chinese shit bearing down on us.

I again salute you iron butts who pound out 500 miles in a day. In this heat and humidity 300 miles was plenty for this old boy.

Don't wear shorts and sandals when you go out for dinner at night here. My legs have been devoured my no see'ems while I was writing this...

[dwj - Donnie]

I am in Panama City and have a few questions???

How do you find the location where you can watch the ships pass through the canal? I have Panama Maps in my GPS, so an address would be great!

From where do the sail boats depart that carry the motos to Columbia? Not heading further south this trip, but will be in the future.

In following CA1 to its end at the Darien Straight, how is the availability of fuel and motels after leaving Panama?

Thanks!

[miguelito]

I guess you're never really safe on a motorcycle. I stopped for a break in Jalpan today, and met three guys on their sport bikes and full racing leathers. They took off first. I finished my break, then left Restaurante Karina's wondering how fast and how far they had gone.



Above Pinal de Amoles, I saw them with two other riders parked by the side of the road, helmets off. I gave them the *thumbs up* and they returned it, so I rode on, enjoying getting my chicken strips disappeared on the new bike. About 15 minutes later I heard the high pitched whine of their motors behind me, and waved them around. They were flying, and as much as the Oyster thinks I'm fast, these guys were tearing it up, using both lanes, and simulating a track day on one of the greatest motorcycling roads in Mexico. I soon lost sight of them, and about 5 minutes later, I came around a curve below the village of Camargo, to find two of them in the road, waving me to slow down.

I immediately saw why. One of the riders who had joined them when I passed them, apparently had a head-on with a car coming the other way. I am not sure if the error was hers or the driver of the car, but his car was a a standstill in his own lane. I think the rider was a girl, but never saw her with her helmet off. Her friends and some other by-standers were fishing her out of some brush about 15 feet below the roadbed. She had a leather jacket and full face helmet, but just jeans on her legs. I helped the other two drag her bike off the road, then we all gathered sand and dust to throw over the oil spill area. They got her into a car to drive her the 70 miles or so to a hospital in Queretaro.

It was a sobering moment, and I left after most of it was under control. I found myself riding with a heightened sense of caution and the tenuousness of being after that. Say some prayers for a fellow biker tonight inmates. I hope she will recover fully.


Her bike after we dragged it to the inside of the curve.


Her tank was over the guardrail on the outside of the curve.

Ride wrecklessly amigos.

[SchizzMan]

Originally Posted by mark883

I heard Baldy got one of those super-secret DHS / FBI non-subpoena subpoenas regarding this photo.

Allahu Akbar!!

[SchizzMan]

Originally Posted by mark883

Great pics RMO.

I'd like to get to that part of Mexico sometime.

October, Amigo.

October.

Still owe you a Oaxaca trip.

[mark883]

So far my schedule is open!

(subject to change without notice.)

[slowoldguy]

Miguelito. Sad scene. Hope the rider is OK. "Using both lanes" will get you an ass chewing if I'm around. I ride pretty fast but dang. If ya can't stay in your own lane, slow the fuck down. "Maintain lane discipline." I preach it often.

[tricepilot]

Originally Posted by miguelito

One of the riders who had joined them when I passed them, apparently had a head-on with a car coming the other way.

Prayers for this rider.

Your photo of her broken bike is indeed sobering for all of us

[airdale7]

Originally Posted by dwj - Donnie

I am in Panama City and have a few questions???

How do you find the location where you can watch the ships pass through the canal? I have Panama Maps in my GPS, so an address would be great!

From where do the sail boats depart that carry the motos to Columbia? Not heading further south this trip, but will be in the future.

In following CA1 to its end at the Darien Straight, how is the availability of fuel and motels after leaving Panama?

Thanks!

I will be watching for your RR on this stretch Donnie. Hope you remember to charge your camera batteries.
Looks like the pavement ends in Yaviza at a river. I'm scanning Panaramio but not finding a bridge except a very narrow foot bridge. Might have to take a (water) taxi across. I see pickup trucks and buses, there must be fuel somewhere.

GOOD Luck

[Jick Magger]

Originally Posted by miguelito

using both lanes, and simulating a track day on one of the greatest motorcycling roads in Mexico.

Sad scene Miguelito. Its all about arriving at your destination in one piece so we get to do it again. Hope she survives without any serious injuries.

[miguelito]

Originally Posted by slowoldguy

Miguelito. Sad scene. Hope the rider is OK. "Using both lanes" will get you an ass chewing if I'm around. I ride pretty fast but dang. If ya can't stay in your own lane, slow the fuck down. "Maintain lane discipline." I preach it often.

I'm on the same page as you on this one buddy. As JicK said:

Originally Posted by Jick Magger

Its all about arriving at your destination in one piece so we get to do it again.

[Craneguy]

Since you can find yourself in a head-on situation in your own lane, going into the other is not a smart move.

I hope she's OK and her buddies learned a valuable lesson.

I met a taxi in my lane in a blind corner a few weeks ago. I jinked over and just missed him. The look on his face was priceless... wide open mouth and eyes as big as saucers. I was fine...it was my third near-miss of the day and I guess I was used to it. For the record all three involved taxis, although in one the taxi only played a supporting role to a U turning concrete truck. Happy days...

[SchizzMan]

Had a fellow rider blow a few turns like that down in Mexico on the Espinazo del Diablo. When he failed to understand my concern I explained that I was at risk at least as much as he was since an oncoming driver will be trying to miss him while heading directly into me following behind. Been there, done that.

If you find yourself riding with someone who doesn't practice good "lane discipline", as SOG put it, you need to solve for that straight away. Life is short enough as it is.

Hope this rider gets the chance to learn and get back on a bike.

[miguelito]

Originally Posted by Craneguy

Since you can find yourself in a head-on situation in your own lane, going into the other is not a smart move.

I hope she's OK and her buddies learned a valuable lesson.

I met a taxi in my lane in a blind corner a few weeks ago. I jinked over and just missed him. The look on his face was priceless... wide open mouth and eyes as big as saucers. I was fine...it was my third near-miss of the day and I guess I was used to it. For the record all three involved taxis, although in one the taxi only played a supporting role to a U turning concrete truck. Happy days...

Hah! Lane-swapping aside, for me it distills down to my very basic sense that they were going way too fast for a public road. I remember after they passed me, I actually rode a bit less aggressively.

[miguelito]

Originally Posted by SchizzMan

Had a fellow rider blow a few turns like that down in Mexico on the Espinazo del Diablo. When he failed to understand my concern I explained that I was at risk at least as much as he was since an oncoming driver will be trying to miss him while heading directly into me following behind. Been there, done that.

If you find yourself riding with someone who doesn't practice good "lane discipline", as SOG put it, you need to solve for that straight away. Life is short enough as it is.

Hope this rider gets the chance to learn and get back on a bike.

Another thing I thought of was: What if I were riding in the opposite direction and we intersected? Chances are even if we missed the head-on there would be a high probability that at least one rider would be thrown far enough off his line that tragedy would be almost inevitable. You can only hope that that someone is not yourself.