To prepare you for what is ahead, I want to discuss a few things we learnt on our journey to Baja California. The following are 11 Things to Consider Before Taking a Baja Motorcycle Tour:
Temporary Insurance
Now let’s get started. It is advisable to obtain the insurance for the car you want to use before departing the United States if you are heading to Baja California. Generally speaking no matter where you are from your home country’s insurance will not apply if you drive your own motorbike in Mexico. So, you’re going to need special Mexican insurance.
You can do a quick search online, find it, and have it printed out and ready in advance. Around the borders, you can typically find shops offering such insurance for Mexico too, but it’s good to take care of that in advance so you don’t have one more thing to do at the border.
Border Papers
Going into Baja is slightly different from Mainland Mexico. In Mainland Mexico, you have to leave a bond, some sort of deposit, which you only get back when you leave Mexico with that vehicle. They’re trying to stop the importation of too many vehicles. But Baja is different—we don’t have to deal with that. We basically just ride through the border and don’t have to do bonds on the vehicles.
There is the opportunity to stop right there and get your tourist visa. It’s a good idea to get that because you never know; as you go from Baja North down into Baja South, kind of at the Midway point and at other checkpoints, they could ask for a tourist visa. So, grab it while you’re there at the border before going further south.
Topes
So, you’ve made it across the border, and hopefully, you’ll remember, like I did my first time, Officer Antonio saying, “Welcome to Mexico!” That feeling is there, but watch out right away because topes are ahead. If you Google it, it actually translates into bumpers, but topes are basically speed bumps.
Just like anywhere in the world, they’re meant to moderate speed and keep people under control with how fast they’re going. But in Mexico, they can be very serious in size and abruptness, so always be monitoring your speed. This isn’t a place to go fast. Watch for those signs and do not go too fast into one of these possibly trip-ending topes that lie ahead.
Remote Territory
Those topes I was talking about are generally found around the cities and municipalities to keep speeds down, but not all of Baja is like that. You can get into some very remote territories, and if you’re not prepared for such, well, let’s think about it. What if you don’t have fuel available or medical services if something goes wrong, or even just food?
A lot of very remote territories are out there in Baja. The essential items you should have as a solo adventure motorcycle traveler—if you’re going off pavement and getting away from society and all these support services—could be the difference between getting out of a situation or not because you just never know when a bike is going to fail. Electronics or whatever—maybe your gas reading was wrong. So yeah, a lot of things can go wrong in remote territories, especially if you’re alone, so think about that in advance when preparing and pack accordingly.
Unimproved Roads
Those remote spaces sometimes come with unimproved or neglected roads. Road debris and things like that just don’t get taken care of on seldomly traveled gravel, pavement, dirt roads, and sand sections. Crash avoidance techniques and tips that you can consider include avoiding target fixation.
When you’ve got that pothole or rock or whatever it is in the road, don’t allow yourself to get fixed on it by staring at it because you could strike something you’d prefer not to. So again, just think about unimproved roads and keep your eyes open at all times.
Wildlife on the Road
And again, on such remote, unused roads comes the possibility of wildlife and livestock. Cows, donkeys, and things like that might have the freedom to roam across the road when you’re least expecting it. It’s kind of an open range situation like we have here in the Pacific Northwest—animals can cross the road anytime, popping out of the bushes.
Be ready for that. Also, because you’re on such rarely used and quiet roads, sometimes the driving behaviors of others may not anticipate that you will be there around the corner. So, treat every curve like it’s a blind curve—you never know what’s going to happen around the next turn. Be ready for a lot of different things that can happen even though it seems like nothing’s going on around.
Best Bikes for Baja
As I’ve explained, there’s a lot of variety possible in Baja. Again, you’ve got the pavement, the dirt, the sand, the gravel—you’ve got pretty much every type of terrain you would want to ride down there. As such, how are you going to pick the right bike? It’s kind of the truth that lies anywhere in the world that you can be riding.
If you’re going to be in the dirt, the single track, and the deep sand—the stuff where you don’t want a heavy bike—you probably want a single-cylinder dirt bike with enough fuel capacity to keep you going through those remote territories. But if you’re just going to be on pavement or simple gravel roads, a twin-cylinder adventure-type bike or just a road bike with two, three, or four cylinders can be really nice and a lot of fun down in Baja.
Prepare for Cold
Don’t just assume that Baja, Mexico will always be warm based on its location on a map instead, consider your packing strategy and the riding gear you will carry. It’s not. Up in the northern mountains at higher altitudes, on El Compadre Trail, and if you go to Mike’s Sky Ranch, you’re actually kind of at altitude there. Especially in the January, February, and March months, it can get quite cold, so pack accordingly. You can get a lot of nice weather too—along the coast, it can be very comfortable, and you won’t even need a jacket. But in those higher altitudes, get ready for some possible cold. Snow and ice are even possible too.
Drive Defensively
Just like anywhere else in the world, people do tend to signal and use their flashers and indicators to let you know what’s going on ahead, whether it’s okay to pass them or not. Just keep in mind that, again, like anywhere else in the world, different signals from different drivers might mean different things. In other words don’t assume that it’s the same as where you usually ride. Proceed with caution and base your choices on what you can do and what you see.
Avoid Driving at Night
While we, of course, strive not to ride at night, typically for obvious safety reasons, keep in mind that in Mexico, you can find a lot of cars driving without either headlight working. So be very cautious, in particular, if you do get stuck riding in a dark situation.
Lateral Crudo
My last suggestion, possibly the most important one for you, is don’t leave San Jose del Cabo without getting the tacos. Those Camerones are here at the restaurant called Lateral Crudo. It’s kind of right in the main shopping district.
We will return to Baja for those alone, aside from all the great riding and fun you’ll have. If there’s anything I forgot to mention, things that will help other riders make their Baja trip a success, or if there’s a better taco place than the one I’m mentioning, please let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading.
