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[Fired00d]

As usual I over prepared and over packed for the trip. For everyones peace of mind the "Spot" personal tracking device worked out great. Everyone at home (as well as on this board) always knew where I was, and have been. My travel buddy spoke fairly good Spanish which is always helpful. The only extra things that I took and needed was extra gas and a spare kickstand spring. The only HD Dealer in Baja is in Cabo and does not do HD warranty work. He does have a fairly good parts inventory and a good mechanic, the local HD riders I met swear that he takes good care of their bikes. Yes I know their is a little unrest and nasty drug lords down there however from what I read the problems are mostly in mainland Mexico. I met many tourists who have been visiting Baja for many years who feel that with a couple precautions you are safer than in any big American city. The statistics say that their are more Americans that cross the border in 1 month than visit England in a year. That is a lot of Americans, so an isolated incident or 2 can probably be expected.

Their advice:
Don't even think of driving at night.
Stop early and get settled in your hotel, preferably one with a restaurant and bar.
Don't be wandering around at night. Cabo and La Paz are ok in the tourist areas.
Don't argue with the police or officials. If stopped for a minor traffic infraction $20 US usually gets you on your way.
Don't keep all your money in one place. Keep $20 or 40 in your wallet and no more.
Try not to travel alone, their is safety in numbers.
Make sure your bike is in top condition with good tires.
Their are several on-line American tourist sites and blogs you can check out to get up to the minute road conditions and criminal activity if any.
I would make the trip again without hesitation.

Check out my blogs and photo's in ride reports.
Duke

Duke thanks.... I have been following the ride report/pics.

 
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
 

[VANAMAL]

duke-youve got to have a couple of tope stories to tell! di you use any of those kickstand springs?

[sanjoseduke]

duke-youve got to have a couple of tope stories to tell! di you use any of those kickstand springs?

I thought I'd mentioned it earlier but here goes it is an interesting story.

On this thread I asked "what you would take" with you on a trip to Cabo.
I received several interesting suggestions. Van suggested I bring some extra kick stand springs and someone else suggested wire. One needs to understand that entering and leaving even the smallest towns the government puts some mean rumble strips on the road followed by a big, did I say big Topas (speed bump). If one is not careful hitting one of these at any rate of speed it will launch you and the bike into the air.
We were out in the middle of no-where and I had to pull off the road in this small town for something and was traveling along parallel to the paved road on a dirt road towards a Pemex (Gas) station when I hit one of these nasty Topas. As soon as I hit it I knew why he suggested bringing a spare spring. When I hit it I thought I just took out my oil pan and transmission case. As luck would have it the only damage was the kick stand spring broke. I stopped got out my tools but could not budge the nut that holds the kickstand on so I could replace the spring.  Have you ever tried to stretch this spring? I tried to grab the spring with a vice grip and tried to pull it enough to get it on the kickstand with zero luck. Let me tell you it is almost impossible. About this time a Frenchman from Seattle comes by on an old 1980's Honda and asks if he can help. It turns out he is an engineer from Bowing in Seattle. Our only chance to get the spring on is to stretch it on.The engineer looks over the problem and asks if I have any wire. I produced a roll of wire and he proceeds to make several loops in the wire, hooks the loops over the end of the spring and puts a wrench on the other end of the loop. With Fred and I holding the bike up, he sat on the dirt, put one foot against the front tire, the other against the frame The wrench acted like a handle and after several attempts he was able to stretch the spring enough to hook it on to the kick stand. Once completed he dusted himself off and said he was in a hurry as he had to catch the ferry in La Paz and left. Needless to say I was very amazed and thankful.

[sadunbar]

I was great fun watching your progress with the Spot tracking device, viewing the pictures and reading of your travels...  thanks!