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With 3 weeks available should I buy a motorcycle or be part of a tourist pack? With 3 weeks available should I buy a motorcycle or be part of a tourist pack?
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Photo by Lois Pryce, schoolkids in Algeria

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  #1  
Old 17 Jan 2012
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Any riding option has to be better than an organised tour!

For the sake of 3 weeks, which is pretty short for a trans-Atlantic trip, I would be inclined to follow this guy south:

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...d-europe-61328

To avoid the worst of the cold weather the ferry from Portsmouth to Spain is an option. Then keep an eye on the local weather forecasts; it should be better on the Med coast compared with the Atlantic side. You could go as far as Morocco in 3 weeks, but that does not guarantee there will be no cold weather at all - still be warmer than the UK though!
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Old 17 Jan 2012
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It's hard to answer that question for someone else. Picture yourself as part of an organized tour, with predetermined itineraries. Does that seem appealing? To me it doesn't.

I second Mark's suggestion of renting. It is more expensive than buying and reselling but you're dealing with limited time and some of that time will have to be used to find, purchase and then sell the bike.

Since you've mentioned a tour you should look into the rental option since you seem to be willing to spend relatively larger sums on a tour anyway. In Mexico I know you can rent bikes in Cancun (Harley) and Cabo San Lucas (Harley and BMW). Those are geared towards Gringos. There are probably others catering to local folks. Just do some Google searches and you should come up with a few options. Try "Renta de motos Mexico", "renta de motocicletas Mexico", "alquila de motos Mexico" or "alquila de motocicletas Mexico".

Then you can concentrate on riding further south since northern Mexico can be quite chilly at this time of the year. In Creel I had ice on my tent two nights in a row in early March, 2010.


...Michelle
www.scrabblebiker.com
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Old 17 Jan 2012
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Scrabblebiker View Post
It's hard to answer that question for someone else. Picture yourself as part of an organized tour, with predetermined itineraries. Does that seem appealing? To me it doesn't.

I second Mark's suggestion of renting. It is more expensive than buying and reselling but you're dealing with limited time and some of that time will have to be used to find, purchase and then sell the bike.

Since you've mentioned a tour you should look into the rental option since you seem to be willing to spend relatively larger sums on a tour anyway. In Mexico I know you can rent bikes in Cancun (Harley) and Cabo San Lucas (Harley and BMW). Those are geared towards Gringos. There are probably others catering to local folks. Just do some Google searches and you should come up with a few options. Try "Renta de motos Mexico", "renta de motocicletas Mexico", "alquila de motos Mexico" or "alquila de motocicletas Mexico".

Then you can concentrate on riding further south since northern Mexico can be quite chilly at this time of the year. In Creel I had ice on my tent two nights in a row in early March, 2010.


...Michelle
www.scrabblebiker.com
+1 on (searching) rental options.
AND/ or
If time/ budget allow, these folks offer a couple of southern Mexico tours in your timeframe:
Mexico Motorcycle Tour Schedule - MotoDiscovery.
Rental included, they're a well-regarded tour operator, and you have relative freedom to ride on your own within the daily itinerary.
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Old 17 Jan 2012
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Originally Posted by Walkabout View Post
Any riding option has to be better than an organised tour!
That's a bit harsh.... I have been on organised tours and have found them to be great fun, admittedly the tours gave some element of being able to do your own thing along the way. I have also done loads more without the benefit of an organised tour including a RTW last year.

Travel has to be an adventure and in my humble opinion you can achieve this on your own or as part of a group/tour, it matters not which option you take, just that your experience will be different whichever way you choose.
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