Anyone have recient experience crossing into US from Tijuana? I plan on crossing tomorrow evening and am not sure if I should travel the extra miles to Tecate. I've been riding in the Bafa for the last 3 weeks so no biggy on any visa or importation papers. I'm looking for a swift crossing without hassels. I think I've already answered my own question. Tecate right? Thanks for any imput. Cheers
My experience is that it does not matter. Both are usually a slog-fest. Tecate can be 1.5-2 hours easily. If you are on a bike then you can wind yourself to the front of the line in either place. People are OK with that. Tecate closes at 10pm. DD
A guy from the AZBeemers club (go visit their website as they go in there often & ask questions or read about their Baja trip coming up) says after 45 years of riding Mexico he will not cross @ Tijuana as he had stuff stolen there doing TVIP,etc.. His info is on the BMWMOA website forum under "Riding Reports".(in my Mexico ride partner thread)
Things get stolen off of bikes anywhere in the world....just don`t leave removable items on your bike when you leave it alone. The last time I did TJ it took me all of 30 minutes. Always best to do it ONLINE!
Thanks for the advice. I crossed in at Tecate with no problems. The line of cars must have been 3 hours! Thanks to you I cut in front of them all and didn't get one dirty look. Of course I never looked back!
I once cut in front of 99% of the cars waiting at one crossing--might have been the Mexicali truck crossing. I jumped into the line about three cars from the US booth. The border guard looked at me like I was crazy and asked why I hadn't bothered to cut off the last three as well--"That's the best thing about riding a bike." The line behind me was several miles long--at least a couple of hours, maybe half a day. At home this would probably get me shot. Elsewhere in the world, people grin and smile and give thumbs up because they're overjoyed to see how easy it is for motorcyclists. Mark
We crossed at Tecate as well this April, coming back from Baja, rode past about 2 miles of cars. Came to the end with a Mexican soldier with an M-16 and a line of cones. I was thinking, we are all done now, when he moved the cones, signaled the cars to wait and waved us by.
Next time ask the guy with the gun "wheelie OK?" He will give you a strange look followed by "Si!" Then I ask "pico, medio, or grande wheelie?" It is always "grande!" Not much room for this at Tecate, but it is payback for their good attitude towards motos.
I cross yesterday at San Ysidro on the bike and went all the way to the front, they are doing a big remodelation of the border to enter the USA so from 24 lines they are down to like half so waiting times are BIG, but it is normal to go to the front for bikes and normally nobody cares, at then end I just ask permission to enter the line (as a courtesy) and I am always allow. Otay? it is the same thing as San Ysidro, just fewer boots, but can also take 2-4 hrs to cross (depending the time of day or night) Good thing your crossing went ok! Damasovi
