The latest online blurb from 400 magazine (Mexican bike mag) has the details on reporting corruption by police or authorities that is directed against motorcyclists. Don't pay bribes!

Great to see that, hopefully it will make a difference.

Having said that the Police went out of their way to help us time and again and not once did we ever got pulled up, I guess we were lucky

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Three extended trips throughout Mexico and no hassles whatsoever from police. That's not luck; that's the norm.

Maybe the flier in post 1 should be printed out and kept with your driving licence. LOL

In fact, maybe we should translate it to various languages and do a mock up for each country.

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"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)

Tim, for now, I am just hoping it will catch on state by state here in Mexico!

May 22, 2013, my last full riding in Mexico, I got my first flat tire in 8 months and the first attempted shake down/bribe in 21 counties.

I was a little distracted going into Tampico as we got a little confused getting through this town in 2009 and I didn't have a GPS this time. Add to the above mix, I had lost 2 hours to a tire change and really wanted to get as close to the Texas border as possible. Dunno know exactly if it was changing lanes without signaling riding too close behind a truck, either way, Trafico cops pulled me over. Polite as can be I present passport and drivers license, offer to pull out my importation papers, the cops decline. Stating I was distracted as I just lost a few hours to a tire change, I ask if they can make this a warning and promise to drive more carefully. The cops shift the conversation into the difficulties they face filling out a ticket for me because I don't have an address in Mexico. My motorcycle is legal in Mexico, I have all the papers, I calmly reply. You will have to come to the office, which is closed at this time. So, you will have to spend the night in Tampico, the cop explain. Ok, I reply.

It is late in the afternoon and it could be the case that what ever office the cops are talking about might actually be closed. For once I could stop early instead of riding deep onto the night. Spending the night in Tampico is not the worst thing that could happen. But escorting me to a hotel, picking me up in the morning, then taking me to some office is not what these cops really want to do.

The cop asked, "Do you have $100 dollars?"

Really? That is way too much to ask for at best a minor lapse in good driving form. I had advice from another rider that never paid a bribe. How did he do it? He just said no. I was calm and not in a rush, two key states.

"Sorry, I just don't take care of thing like this on the side of the road". I replied.

The cop knew he didn't have an easy bribe coming his way. He gazed off into the horizon for a moment, a small smile crossed his face and he handed me my drivers license back. I mumbled something about riding carefully as I put on my helmet and rode away.

Final thought - always have your paperwork organized. I use a presentation book that has plastic sleeves to keep my importation papers, copies and original documents sorted out. I wish I had a copy of the anti-bribe advertisement in my paperwork, displayed on the page next to my importation documents! I would recommend making this ad casually visible in your paperwork to customs or law enforcement officer anyway in Latin America.

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Peter B
2008/09 - NJ to Costa Rica and back to NJ
2012/13 - NJ to Northern Argentina, Jamaica, Cuba and back to NJ
2023 - Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia...back to Peru.

Blogs: Peter's Ride