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insurance
Not necessarily Frank, the $150 is for a short trip into Mexico but you can get policies from other insurers which will cover you for such liability for multiple countries and for longer periods .Though not cheap it will be less than buying such insurance at each border, Check out the various sources. The $150 does NOT cover the temp import permit which is a totally different department, nor the tourist tax.
And the $150 quoted to strsout is high for the reasons I pointed out in my preceeding post, can do it for less. |
Strsout,
Great thread and a lot of useful info. I'm curious about your ride down baja. I'm planning a trip from Houton to L.A. via Creel, Durango, Mazatlan, ferry, La Paz. Sadly, we're not planning on spending too much time in Baja. What kind of time can I expect to make if we don't mess around too much. We want to keep our day to around 400-500 miles. Can we do it in 3 days? 4 days? |
Insurance for Mexico
I buy insurance on the net at this site.
They sell regular insurance and motorcycle driver's license policies too, so the insurance follows your license and not the bike. Pretty convenient if you own more than one bike cause you dont have to buy two policies! I found them here: Mexican Auto Insurance | Compare Your Choices At The STORE! |
Baja
Rocket , strsout wound up not doing the Baja at all during his trip , details on other threads by him, just check his posts list..
Now as to your question if you can do it in 3 or 4 days please say you do not intend to do the entire Houston -Creel-Durango-Mazatlan-ferry-Baja trip in that time ! The entire trip should take up 10 to 14 days, more if you can afford the time. Assuming you really meant to ask if you could do Baja from La Paz to Tijuana in 3 to 4 days , then yes that is possible, all on pavement and basically a steady ride north. But again if you can swing it and get more free time then you can easily fill a week- plus with the same main plan and you will have a much better chance to explore all the various side excursions e.g the loop around the south end of Baja through Cabo San Lucas via Mex 1 and Mex 19 |
Sjoerd knows what he is talking about. I would heed his advice. I went through Mexico back in August, and entered at Tijuana. The vehicle import office is to the right of the entry point, near the macdonalds arches you can see. I went up the wrong way of the two lane highway just after the checkpoint and it gets you there in seconds.. hear the actualy legit way is a little longer.
But if you are taking the ferry you can get the import document at the ferry terminal, (you will need proof of insurance) I got mine on the web from Baja Bound, proved fine. I think you can buy it by the day if you wish. You will be checked before you get on the boat but that is the only time. As mentioned the checkpoint at Guerra Negro is not checking for bike papers, but they will check for a visa in your passport, remember you will need this stamp if you pass the 30km free trade zone around the border. Hope it helps. Summary: Insurance : - Yes!! (get on web first its cheaper) Permit yes: - Costs about $30 get at Tijuana or at the La Paz Ferry, (you dont need the permit for Baja but you do for the rest of Mexico) and HAVE FUN!! |
Quote:
Sorry everyone. I could PM this info, but I don't have enough posts. |
Baja mileage
Rocket, just to be safe I rechecked my QUIMERA Road Atlas of Mexico distance table and saw that from La Paz BCS to Tijuana is 3293 km. Your musings about doing that section in 2 days are very very optimistic, unless you want to blitz the Baja through the night like the racers of the Baja 1000.Strongly advise against that. Three days of steady riding during daylight only is feasable but you will have not much time to linger very long in any scenic spots or to explore the towns. Basically just ride, stop for food ,feul,potty and snapshot here and there.
When is this ride going to take place? Remember we are now in late November and cold weather is setting in on the high country around Creel. There have already been a few cold alerts issued in Mexico's mountain areas. Snow around Creel in Dec.to Feb is not unheard of and you may get delayed by that if you travel there in the winter which would severely wreck your timetable. As for all the insurance and permits , you will do them when in Texas so no worries about the Baja ferry terminal. Just a few thoughts to mull over, best wishes |
TJ to La Paz is a little over 900 miles and not a problem to run in two days during daylight hours, if you leave early and stay on the bike.
But you missed a bunch of cool stuff in between..... |
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Well, I was ready to respond your first post when I read this one. So yes, you can do from La Paz to Tijuana em 2 full days or 3 lazy days. The roads are good for sure from Guerrero Negro to Tijuana (I did that last Xmas) and you can average 60 to 70mph in many miles. Our total average (with stops) was 48mph from Guerrero Negro to Tecate 440 miles. La Paz is 470 more miles. Tijuana is busy borders but Tecate is much better. Last time I went there they had change the way you get to the border, but did not change the sighs, so we follow the sighs and and up in a dead end road... The road from Tecate to El Cajon (Hwy 94) is very nice and new. You will need insurance that you can buy on the web site supra mention (best price. I checked the prices at the border in Mexicale and Sonoyta and then were slight higher and you still have to talk to then... so Internet was best for me. As well you will need the Temp Import Permit. I bought it over the internet, but buying at the bank on the border is easy and cheaper. Only inconvenient is if you cross when the bank is closed. Beawere of that. Unless you have time, I would not try to avoid the tool roads. I try for once, but I had to go thru many back roads and the time I spend saving $5 was much more then it worth for me. Another thing: the ferry from Topolobanbo to La Paz is a night one... Keep that in mind if you don't sleep well in ferry seats. |
Ooooops !
My booboo there on the distance table - I was reading the wrong column and gave the distance to Xalapa - now that was silly of me and way off :p
I should have known better, read the table more carefully. Lone Rider is right , it is only 1441km La Paz to TJ , and possible in two days of riding hard.The very first time we ever did Baja nearly 30 years ago we took 3 days to get down to Cabo San Lucas and three days and a bit to return to Tecate. The way I like to travel I have never since been able to do it any faster but everybody has their own preferences . |
I just re-read this thread...and hope I'm not too far off base. :)
If you don't know for a fact in your mind that you're comfortable riding off road in remote areas, forget about the Choix/El Fuerte/Alamos dirt routes to Creel. SB's suggested route via Rosario and then to Hwy 16 may really be what you want. That dirt short-cut to San Juanito is in the process of being graded, and will be paved sometime in the future, but it's the type of road that one rider could blow through in an hour and with a different rider spending 4 hrs to finish. If you're tight on time, maybe choose the paved route. We all do trips for our own reasons. I've seen so many posts about and met too many people who seem insistent on carving a notch or more by arriving at certain places - riding to them, but not taking time to see what's really there. Maybe that's a product of our society, I'm not smart enough to know. Creel isn't Copper Canyon, and nor is Hwy 1 Baja. But is this important..... It should always be for you, and not for what others may think. |
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