Join Me: W. Canada to S. America late Summer start
 

I'm comfortable traveling alone, but for this trip I think company would be nice, particularly as concerns safety and breakdowns. Anyone interested in joining me for part or all of this trip let me know.

About me: I'm a 32 year old Canadian male. I've done long backpacking trips in Africa and Asia, and have traveled a bit in Central America (I don't speak Spanish, but have started learning). My only motorcycle trip experience was a tour around Southeast Asia (which was great, so I'm following it up with this trip). I like to travel slowly, cheaply, and without too much planning ahead. No real goal except to see / eat / do / meet new things / places / people.

I'm currently working in Asia, and will be back in Canada mid-July. I have a '99 DR350 waiting there, which will be fitted with all the usual bits for lightweight long distance travel. I'm definitely up for trail riding although I'm far from experienced at it. I'll have unlimited time for this trip (but plan to keep moving pretty steadily), and no worries about running out of money.

The trip: I'm headed out from Calgary late this summer (likely mid-August). A good friend on a KLR will join through the Western US and perhaps Baja; he's not really my style of traveler (a bit uptight, paranoid, spendy) but that part of the trip will be more about miles interspaced with trail riding. No particular route in mind: just keep heading South until I can't anymore. I plan to camp as much as possible (I'm a pretty experienced hiker/camper), but particularly in Central America and Northern South America I figure hostels and cheap hotels will make the most sense most of the time.

What I have in mind is basically what these girls are doing; maybe a bit faster paced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_v3eOB_S8uA

If you think you might be interested leave a message. We can Skype or whatever if you want to really talk it over.

Hola,

I might be up for joining you. I have to see about a few things before totally committing at this point but the seed has been planted and timing could work possibly. I would be leaving from BC interior located near the HU CanWest Meetup in Nakusp (which would be great send off if it could work for you).

I will send you a PM with my email / skype.

When is this meetup in Nakusp?

I'm quite flexible about the time I leave: I'll have no job and will be enjoying the Summer in Canada, and my friend who's coming was just laid off - :nuke:Alberta:nuke: - and is content to chill on unemployment until we go.

late august (25 - 28)
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/events/canwest-2016

lots of really amazing things to check out in that area we you have time to test the fully loaded rides on some sweet single track and check out some stunning kootenay mountain vistas and vibes. worthy of a trip (or lifetime) in itself, pure gold

Thanks for the heads up. That makes a good target for a start date.

I would like to go end of september
 

Hi there
My name is Olaf, 57 and from Penticton in the Okanagan.
I got two bikes ready for the trip, depend on what the weather and road will be.
My plan is to leaf late September for Ushuaia .I would like to be there before December the 10.
I only would go back to Brazil and send the bike of from a friends place and fly out.
Right now I,m by my self on this trip. I can change time and route if we go together.
Olaf

Heading south too...
 

I too shall be departing central Alberta this summer. Was hoping to leave July, but may end up later. Will continue to monitor your thread, see where we all end up. Happy travels!

Sent this to someone who asked for a bit more detail re: plans:

I don’t like to plan much ahead when I travel. Better to figure out along the way. Overall I plan to take things pretty slowly with a lot of down-time to explore and relax. I have only a rough idea about timeline and route (if something/someplace is fun spend more time, if something isn’t keep going). Something along the lines of...

- 2-3 weeks in the US, going south down through Montana, Idaho, and Utah quite quickly (since it’s pretty similar to Alberta/BC), then more slowly SW through Arizona, NM, and California ultimately crossing into Mexico at Tijuana. I plan to camp most of the time, with some couch-surfing interspersed. This part of the trip will be all about taking in nature and riding scenic trails. I really need to start researching must-ride trails, and the possibility of doing through-trail riding in sections. All I know at this point is that I want to do a lot of riding and camping in various types of deserts, and maybe spend a week in LA taking in the sights.

[edit - originally thought more than a month in the US, but on reflection even 2-3 weeks might get tiresome camping most every day, and bleeding money when staying in cities.]

Budget for this portion I’d estimate ~$40 a day, largely gas and food, mostly depending on how often we eat restaurant food. Will be on the bikes almost every day I figure.

- At least 1 month really taking my time going down through Baja, taking advantage of the endless beaches and the endless trails, and the ability to camp with ease. Then taking the ferry from Cabo to Mazatalan. Budget should drop to perhaps $20-$30 a day due to cheaper food.

- From Mazatalan the security situation I think dictates heading inland toward Mexico City at a fast clip. Under two weeks to Mexico City, then at least a week exploring the city. Sometimes around now it should be “the Day of the Dead” which should be something to behold. Maybe $30-$40 a day staying mostly in cheap motels/hostels.

- Oaxaca and Chiapas I expect to be real highlights of the trip. Tonnes to take in as far as culture, and the riding should be scenic. Budget should be ~$30 a day including motel/hostel most of the time. I figure a bit more than a month to do Southern Mexico justice. What I’m unsure about it whether to take a detour through Yucatan and/or Belize. Belize might be a nice break from Spanish / Latino culture at this point.

- Somewhere in Guatemala/Honduras/Nicaragua I think it’d be nice to really linger and maybe take Spanish lessons, learn to scuba dive (something I regret giving up on before), do some fishing... Particularly when not burning gas the cost-per-day should drop to practically nothing. I’d say at least 2 months to pass through here, very likely more.

- Travel quickly through Costa Rica and Panama (due to much higher costs). See some jungle. I figure it’ll take a couple frustrating weeks in Panama to figure out how to get the bikes to Colombia (will be working on leads ahead of time of course). I think the most interesting route would be small boats along the Pacific side.

- Once in South America I really don’t know. Explore Colombia as the security situation allows. Really relax and soak in Ecuador… see the Amazon and Andes and deserts and all that… Might be interesting, at the end of the trip, to ride through Southern Brazil and Uruguay, since it seems few overland bikers do that (stopping/starting instead in Chile or Argentina). But this is so far out into the future...

In the end I don’t have any intention of shipping the bike back home. It’ll be lucky if it makes it all the way in one piece or isn’t stolen (buying a local bike is the solution if it comes to that). Bringing a bike you can’t comfortably walk away from on a trip like this would seem incredibly foolish to me. But if you wanna’ try it, then budget in shipping.

For budgeting of course you need to add in parts and repair on the bike (I’d expect parts to cost several times what they would in the US/Canada), visas, the odd toll/ferry, bike insurance in some places, and activities. The cost of getting the bikes from Panama to Colombia could be significant. Plus a flight home in the end.

This may sound like a very long time to get from Canada to South America, but I think it’s realistic. You could do it comfortably in half the time, but you’d be flying by everything at 80km/h with hardly a chance to step off the bike: what’s the point of that? Especially when you’re not moving, you won’t be burning through much money, so you should enjoy your ‘entry pass’ to these exotic places.

Hey Gents,

I'm looking at heading 'South' around the same time frame.
Not sure how many borders that will involve but at this point but I am open to all options.

I've recently picked up a 701 and am busy modding her up with travel accessories.

I'll be in Nakusp in Aug and could discuss further at that point or before.

Olaf, I live in Vernon and will be visiting Penticton in the next week or two.
Let me know if you are interested in meeting up for lunch to meet and connect.

Cheers

Sounds like an awesome trip.

I would not worry too much about security. I am currently in Peru and have ridden all over from Mexico to Peru with no issues. With normal safety precautions your chances of a problem are slim. At any given moment there are millions of backpackers/tourists in the Americas with few problems. The only area I did avoid was Acapulco but this was in the beginning when the internet tried to scare me.

All countries were excellent and I didn't find that Costa Rica or Panama were any more exp if you stayed away from the obvious "gringo" rest and hostals. You can easily stay in hostels and hotels from 8-15 per night from Mexico through Peru.

Colombia is amazing due to the services, roads, costs and friendly people.

Buen viaje!!

Thanks for sharing your insights John,

If I may ask, what is your choice of ride for your trip?

Riel

Baja-Mexico-Cent. Am-South Am.
 

Hey all, Name's Noah. I'm 24 and been riding/living off my KLR-650 since i was 19. Currently working in Northern California doing a wildland fire gig until approximately beginning of october, then i plan to bomb south to Baja, intentions to mosey around mexico and central america two months or so before catching a sail from panama to Ecuador or Columbia.... Ideally would be camping as much as possible, and couchsurfing/blending/hosteling up when necessary or when the fancy so strikes. A little about me: Wildland Firefighter, Wilderness EMT, Licensed Boat Captain, experienced Backpacker, Backcountry hiker, and am pretty handy with troubleshooting mechanical issues on motorcycles, as i have done most of the work on my own klr over the years (still getting my tube/tire changing skills down to a science, damn you snake bite!!!) I'm an amateur spanish speaker but working on it in advance of the trip, hoping to be conversational in the following months. While it sounds like your timeline is a bit ahead of mine lets stay in touch and play it by ear to see if we can RZ somewhere along the way.

bier

Baja-Mexico-Cent. Am-South Am.
 

Hey all, Name's Noah. I'm 24 and been riding/living off my KLR-650 since i was 19. Currently working in Northern California doing a wildland fire gig until approximately beginning of october, then i plan to bomb south to Baja, intentions to mosey around mexico and central america two months or so before catching a sail from panama to Ecuador or Columbia.... Ideally would be camping as much as possible, and couchsurfing/blending/hosteling up when necessary or when the fancy so strikes. A little about me: Wildland Firefighter, Wilderness EMT, Licensed Boat Captain, experienced Backpacker, Backcountry hiker, and am pretty handy with troubleshooting mechanical issues on motorcycles, as i have done most of the work on my own klr over the years (still getting my tube/tire changing skills down to a science, damn you snake bite!!!) I'm an amateur spanish speaker but working on it in advance of the trip, hoping to be conversational in the following months. While it sounds like your timeline is a bit ahead of mine lets stay in touch and play it by ear to see if we can RZ somewhere along the way.

bier

I am riding a 2014 f800gs.

Also, you can get parts (Brakes, filters) etc fairly easy in your travels so you don't need too many supplies with you, and yes, most parts are more expensive than purchasing in the USA. I carry an extra oil filter (because they might not have in a small town) and rear brakes when the gap between replacement parts might be a little far. Then, buy your oil from a shop and the oil change is free. No appointments, and you feel you just got a bump to first class.
:-)

Hoping for safety in numbers.
 

Hi. I'm Andrew. Living in Edmonton. I'm interested in leaving around the end of August beginning of Sept. I'm hoping to be in cancun by Sept 20. I ride a Suzuki c50t 800cc v twin.

I'll be going quite a bit slower (although I'll probably ultimately go through Cancun to visit people). We could meet up for a section.

E. Canada to Panama
 

Hi,
I expect to leave from Montreal in mid september then go down to Panama on my Dr650.
3,4,5,6 months ?
I am 28yo, with a few experience in motorcyle adventure in Bolivia, Asia, Canada.
I would really prefer to join someone for that trip, i enjoyed lonely trip, but 9 months was enough!
Cheers,
Charles

Canada to Central America
 

Hey there

Name is Matt. Leaving Vancouver November 1st for central america. Have a sailing January 31ist from Panama to Cartegena. Would be able to link up at some point . Lets talk more

Ciao

Hi just PM you. It is great to read this!

Hi guys,

Heading down to Mexico ( aiming Cancun on August 20th ) from Bryce Canyon today on a GS 1200. :-)
Extremely flexible on the route.

Anybody in the area going in the same direction?

Cheers.....

Traveling south...would like a travel companion
 

Hey Stewacide,

I don't know if you have been routinely reviewing your post, but I thought I would give it a try.
I am a single lady, hoping to meet up with others traveling south.
This is my first motorcycle trip and was hoping to not have to do it entirely solo. I noticed there were several riders expressing an interest and wanting to travel in the same general direction around the same time frame, was hoping I may be able to connect up with atleast one of you to see if we may be a good fit.
About me: I'm a novice rider on a dr650.
Would like to leave October ...primarily for weather concerns...I live in Tucson...and right now it's HOT! October the weather is much more comfortable.
I don't have an exact route, or timeframe...and I am extremely flexible.
I would like to travel comfortably...taking it a bit slow as to enjoy the sights. Don't mind camping or hostels or hotels. I tend to travel a bit conservatively.
If it doesn't strike fear in you to travel with a novice female...send me a text and maybe we could chat further.

Cynthia

Been moving around a lot the last two weeks (Korea to Ontario to Alberta) so haven't been keeping up, sorry.

I think my timeline here is slipping. Fingers-crossed should be ready to head out end of August. Even accounting for time to travel through the states, I should be ahead of you at least into Mexico.

Maybe the best thing is to start a "North-to-South Pan-American" super-thread for people to find each other? Maybe someone with the savvy could set up a map to show where people are so help them find each other? (maybe this already exists somewhere on the internet?)

Wrap up !
 

Hi guys, I made a quick wrap up of this thread, putting in all available infos of each riders. Here we go :

:scooter: Stewacide 32 yo DR350 Leave from Calgary End of August No time frame, no planning
:scooter: koots_root Leave from BC End of August
:scooter: Olaf Heinecke 57 yo Late september Ushuaia on Dec. 10th.
:scooter: Gordito Canadian Leave from Alberta July
:scooter: Riel Husky 701 !!! (i am jealous) Leave from Nakusp End of August
:scooter: noahknowsbest 24 yo KLR Leave from Northern California October
:scooter: Nanoo790 C50T 800cc Leave from Edmonton End of August Want to reach Cancun on Sept. 20th.
:scooter: Bonus125 28 yo DR650 Leave from Montreal Mid/end september No time frame, no planning
:scooter: mattsproule Leave from Vancouver November Want to be in Panama on Jan 31st
:scooter: vicreuter GS1200 Leave from Bryce Canyon NOW Want to reach Cancun on August. 20th.
:scooter: AZBarnacle DR650 Leave from Tucson October No time frame, no planning


I hope it helps each of us to meet anyone on the road.
Cheers.

I too am headed south to Baja around second week of October for 5 weeks of meandering about. KTM 640 Adventure and I am in my late 50's and have been riding forever. First trip to Baja, but been to Mexico many times.

I to will be leaving nov 1 there about from texas or cali looking for travelers no set plans open on time frame

I will be at the North Carolina meeting in October, then I will go down to Panama. I expect to cross the border at Matamoros, then no fixed plan. I hope to find one other rider to share this experience! Contact me if it can fits.

Charles!

Added myself to the growing list.

Update on departure...still in Canada for now.
 

Through no fault of my own.... life happened again! I now have tentative departure date of Sept6/16. May turn out to be Oct.6/16 if i can rely on Murphys law:)
For any possible travel companions- I am 40, ride a KTM 950 Adventure ( beautiful orange) nicknamed "Dream Liner". I am an experienced rider, partial mechanic and chronically happy. I have travelled a fair amount, but my spanish is only marginal.. I intend to travel as spirit inspires. Love to see historic sites, relax on beaches, eat anything, drink and be merry! Thinking Panama in 6-8 weeks, should be a fairly casual pace. After that, life is yet to be decided.

Safe and happy travels to all!

Hi everyone!

I hope I'm not too late (or early) on this one. I'm Sam, 29 from the UK, I'm currently in LA staying with friends and am looking to head to the Baja and beyond in a couple of weeks.

I"m very flexible with time, my savings are my only constraint. I'm riding solo on a '96 DR650 SE and started my trip in Vancouver BC. I'd really like to meet up with people heading the same way so hopefully someone is down this way already too!

Cheers Sam

Taken me longer than expected to get through licensing here in Alberta. Every step I've had to wait two weeks to get new license in the mail before I can do the next step!!

Finally got to do final test yesterday. So I don't have to wait any more I'm gonna have the hard copy license mailed to me in the US when it arrives (temp paper license should be fine to get into the US). Will be taking off south (from Calgary) this coming weekend.

Drop me a line if timelines match up.

Panama to Bolivia
 

Hi Guys
I'm not getting a lot of info regards shipping me and the bike from Panama to Bolivia. I'd appreciate any advice. I'm planning for a years time. Alaska to Sth America..Other tips or locations / routes would be appreciated.

Cheers

Steve

in Mexico heading south
 

Hi
Im in Mexico at the moment and like you have no set plan but to finish up in Buenos Aires in late December. I would like to travel with others at some time but like all travellers who are independent like to go and do own thing. I like the idea of a fluid caravanserai
Currently in Saltillo for a few days and be in Guadalajara on 21st September. Let me know your thoughts ann anyone else out there travelling south

Getting on the road tomorrow in NJ heading south. Should be in Austin Oct 2 and Mexico Oct 5.

If anyone is along that route and wants to meet up and ride, PM me.

Currently in Moab figure I'll be crossing into Baja in about 2 weeks. This work for anyone?

p.s. Woke up covered in snow after thunderstorms last night, then hail on the ride here, currently in the sunny desert.

Updating to say that I am near Copper Canyon. Would be nice to ride the canyon with another rider(s), while adding a bit of safety. If anyone is in the region let me know and we figure out a meet up.

Crossing for Mexico around October 31st
 

Hi HHers,
I am currently in New Orleans and plan to cross for Mexico really soon.
Maybe on October 31st if everything is good.
Anyone else so close ?
Cheers,
Charles