Anybody who wants to go to Cuba with their own bike?? You can pull off what Greg Frazier and the owner of Touratech and many others have failed to do- Bring your own bike and tour all over a Special Place. It looks like the doorway has begun to open more now. There have just been five more bikes head up on the Stahlratte just recently on the ship's last visit.
The captain of the boat is thinking about taking a trip from Cartagena to Cienfeugos and then over to Cancun, Mexico where you could get off and head home or stay on and go to the nice Colombian island of Providencia and then back to Panama. Here would be the proposed intineary:

leaving cartagena 04.apr12 arriving cienfuegos/cuba 12.apr12
cruising southcoast cuba from 23.apr--02.may
leaving cienfuegos 05.may12 arriving cozumel/mexico 09.may12
leaving cozumel 15.may12 arriving providencia 21.may12
leaving providencia 28.may12 arriving san blas/panama 01.jun12

Fyi: The main reason sailing from East to West over to Mexico is the prevailing winds, it's a real beating leaving from Cancun going East which I know more of us in the States would prefer.
Works well for those traveling Northbound out of SA:deal
If you are serious about riding in Cuba this is one of the very few known ways to get you and your bike into that Special Place. You can always ship your bike on the boat and just fly in if you don't care for sailing experience
A little feeler to see if there is any interest. Post up if your intersted. Good Ron, women, and fine Cohibas await those who make the voyage if your into all that:lol3:freaky
Not selling the tickets yet just gauging interest, move it to vendors if you want but I wouldn't think it needs it as this is just planning at this point. Its hard time getting a bike into Cuba but worth the trip as long as you stay away from Gitmo:wink: btw no GPS allowed

__________________
www.throttlemeister.net

Hey, interesting..... I'm busy trying to rebuild my bank account following last year's moto extravaganza, but I've got a couple of weeks of vacation coming. Would anyone be interested in sharing a bike? Sharing expenses? Sharing ownership? Sharing riding time?

If I could figure out some way of having a bike to ride for a while in Cuba that didn't involve quitting my job, becoming homeless and falling through the great gaping holes in the American social welfare net, I'd leap at the chance. Anyone who's out there wanting to explore possibilities, please answer here, PM me on this site, or email: markharf "at" yahoo "dot" com.

Or just stop by for a . I'm easily found, tucked into the far northwestern corner of the USA.

Mark

Mark I'll be sure to stop by one day, as I've got cousins in the same town, going to be in 2013 probably before I get back there thou.

I think you'd enjoy Cuba on a bike quite a bit, just too bad its not easier sailing from Cancun over, be much easier for those stateside.

John in Oklahoma

__________________
www.throttlemeister.net

Yah, I've been plotting to go there regardless this spring or the next, but assumed I'd have to be satisfied renting a moped and tootling around in an undignified manner. I'm serious about sharing with someone if that can be arranged. Somehow. If Ludvig and the eight-foot-tall-German are involved, all the better.

Got an email recently from a certain Canadian poster, who's in Africa at the moment. He was always plotting to get to Cuba too. Hmmmmm...

Mark

I'm almost betting that big Austrian is one of those 5 that came in next.

Craziest place I've ever rode my bike by far.

__________________
www.throttlemeister.net

Hi John and Mark,

I am the Canadian guy scheming to get to Cuba. I am in Malawi now but want to be in Cuba in 2012 for at least a month. There was an outfit called WowCuba that was consolidating bikes for shipment from Halifax to Havana, with operators flying down couple weeks later for an excorted tour. Not really interested in the tour, but seems they have not got break-even interest yet. I guess I could crate and ship from Montreal too. But riding it to a boat and accompanying the bike are my preferences. Not crazy about going all the way to Colombia to get to Cuba though, but I understand the east to west favourable winds thing.
Anyway I am still researching and considering the options. Must be cargo boats going from Mexico to Cuba, no?

Cheers
Larry

Hey Larry

I know there are cargo boats with Cuba's trade partners but I have heard of no one temporarily importing their motorbike using a regular freighter to bring bikes in. I'm sure it is possible but you would just have to do the leg work.

This is a proposed plan and would only be a couple of weeks long from the date supplied so far. When I was there you can easily cover a lot of the island with 3 weeks time but longer visa for Canadians is easy to get longer and I'm sure would be no problem to get the bike just as long.

This is one of the easiest know ways to get you and your bike into Cuba which in the past has not been an easy thing to do.

Goodluck and have fun in Africa!

John

__________________
www.throttlemeister.net

Put me on your mailing list please, down the bottom at the moment but turning north around xmas. Cuba before the big tourist invasion from the US would be magic. Ride safe.

__________________
Mike
---------
Mike is riding the twisty road in the sky

Will do Mike. Cuba is one of the most unspoiled places to ride a bike in the World. More horse and ox traffic in the countryside that cars or trucks. It's amazing Special Place. I felt like visiting dignitary almost

Your name is noted I will post up more info as the time draws nearer.

John

__________________
www.throttlemeister.net

I would contact the ship's captain Ludwig through the ship's website here:
www.stahlratte.org: Ship's log

Looks like the trip just might happen afterall.

John

__________________
www.throttlemeister.net

Bump for a good chance to bypass many CA borders if you are one your way back home from the South to the States or Canada. I talked to Captain Lulu and he is in the final stages of planning for this trip and needs to know from those who are interested in taking their motorbike to Cuba for a fantastic time.

Contact the captain immediately reguarding the Cuba trip soon at:
info.Steelrat@Les-Raisting.de

One of the most special places I've ever ridden a motorbike by far.

John Martin

__________________
www.throttlemeister.net

Bollocks, I have to make a trip back to Scotland over the dates for the boat trip. I,m leaving the moto in S. America so hopefully next spring could be on. I will watch the HUBB for reports with a bit of envy and a lot of interest. Ride/sail safe.

__________________
Mike
---------
Mike is riding the twisty road in the sky

I had a helluva report in over Cuba in my travel thread over on ADVrider here:
33 1/3 N C S + Cuba - ADVrider It really is a very special place to ride your own motorbike. I loved it, except for one little bit but would still go back.

John in Popayan, Colombia at the moment and heading NE

__________________
www.throttlemeister.net

sound like a trip to put on the bucket list. You all get the bugs worked out and I will be along when I finish Africa and Europe.

Off topic: Larry have they got fuel in Malawi yet, will be headed back that way next November.

Bob

I have booked my spot on for the trip Mexico-Cuba-Mexico, with the hope to exchange the ending leg Cuba-Mexico, for a better one: Cuba- Cartagena, in order to continue my way to Ushuaia.

Yes, The culprit is Mr Throttlemeister! After reading his RR, I decided to follow his path. Thank you man!