MEX 1 at 45 mph

[jcbrandon]

I just got home last night from a drive to the tip of Baja and back. The odometer shows 3,250 miles from Northern Nevada to Cabo San Lucas, round trip. We did 2,200 miles in Baja in nine days.

The purpose of the trip was to test some motorcycles. The bikes are retro-styled cruisers made by the California Scooter Company and modeled after the Mustang that was built from the late 1940s to the early 1960s. They have 150cc thumper engines and cruise pretty comfortably at about 45 miles an hour. Top speed is about 60 or so and very dependent on the size of the rider.

One of the riders on the trip was Simon Gandolfi who wrote "Old Man on a Bike," his tale of riding from Mexico to the tip of South America on a 125cc pizza delivery bike when he was 76 years old.

I was invited to join the trip and provide a support truck. So I had the tough job of hauling cold drinks, adjusting the air conditioning, and listening to satellite radio. It was big fun.

So the bikes aren't dual sports and the only time I engaged four wheel drive on the truck was to climb a gravel shoulder back onto the pavement. The trip wasn't an expedition, we weren't really in the backcountry, and we slept in hotels. But it was huge fun and I would definitely call it adventure travel.

You can read a bit about it and see some videos on the California Scooter Company blog at:
http://californiascooterco.com/blog/?p=2497

I've got a whole bunch of photos and videos to sort through.

If you would like to read more, let me know. With the moderators' permission, I would be happy to put together a little trip report.

 

[DarinM]

I would definitely love to read more. I'm trying to get a trip planned that will take me all the way down the peninsula for early next year.
I have an uncle living in Pescadero (just south of Todos Santos) and I'm really wanting to go see him, and have a great road trip along the way.

 

[flywgn]

What great fun! Thanks for posting, JC.

Memories flood back. The very first "powered vehicle" I owned all by myself (a friend and I jointly owned a Model A) was a Cushman Eagle. It served me well during high school ('51-'55), except when taking a date to the drive-in.

Traveling at 45mph was almost maxed-out on that little 8hp motor, although I recall being "clocked" at 52mph once.

Traveling the length of the Mex 1 at 45mph is definitely the way to see the country.

I hope you do post more about this trip.

Allen R

 

[goodtimes]

If you would like to read more, let me know. With the moderators' permission, I would be happy to put together a little trip report.

Just because a trip doesn't involve a bunch of crazy off road obstacles, perilous river crossings, or endless and unmapped sand dunes, doesn't mean it won't make a good story. Good stories are about the trip, not the terrain. By all means, put a trip report together. Share some of the cool memories and photos. That is what it is all about.

 

[93BLAZER]

One of the riders on the trip was Simon Gandolfi who wrote "Old Man on a Bike," his tale of riding from Mexico to the tip of South America on a 125cc pizza delivery bike when he was 76 years old.

Wow. What a treat. I read his blog religiously every day. I met several people in Colombia who met this man.

 

[flyingwil]

Cool! J, you always have something up your sleeve.

 

[Wander]

When I saw the title I immediatly thought the trip was in a series Land Rover as that is as slow.

Neat trip, did you have a chance to ride one of the scooters for a leg? They look like fun.

 

[jcbrandon]

Thanks for the kind words, all. And for your patience.

Yup, the trip was a hoot. And like all good adventures, it was much more about the experience than the equipment. My traveling companions were very entertaining and each brought a unique perspective and skills to the team.

Yes, Simon Gandolfi is a pretty amazing guy. I hope to be half as active as he is when I am in my 70s. Here's a link to some of his thoughts on the Dodge Power Wagon on his blog.

And sadly, I did not get any seat time on the bikes on this trip. I hope to fix that problem in the near future.




The view through my windshield as we entered Mexico at Tijuana. The Mexican border officials just waved the bikes through, no questions, no inspections.

I got waved into the inspection line. The truck was loaded with luggage, fuel cans, water cans, tools, spare parts, engine oil, and an extra bike. And mi español no es muy buena. I spent some time demonstrating that my red jerry cans were empty and the blue ones contained water. Then the nice border lady asked me about ownership papers for the moto.

The bike belongs to the factory and has never been registered. The only paperwork we had on it is a letter from the factory saying we had permission to use it. She said I could not bring it into Mexico. So she stepped out into the road, blocked several lanes of traffic, opened a special gate in the border fence, and escorted me to near the head of the line of cars that had been waiting for some time to leave Mexico and enter the US.

I pictured most of the drivers cursing at me behind their windshields. And I wondered what sort of hassles I would have at the US border inspection. That turned out to be no problem at all and I was quickly back in the US. While my friends were somewhere in Mexico.

We had trailered the bikes from Los Angeles to San Ysidro. After a few phone calls I was able to arrange for someone to meet me, offload the bike, and make another attempt on the border.

About 90 minutes later I was back in the inspection line, rapping on empty jerry cans, and talking to the same nice Mexican border lady from earlier in the day. She remembered me and asked what had happened to my moto. I said I took it back to the US.
"No moto?" she asked again.
"No moto," I answered.
"The gasolina is for the motos, yes?"
"The cans are for the gasolina for the motos. But the cans are empty."
"What about the spare tires? They are for the motos, yes?"

I wondered about the Mexican laws for importing spare tires to fit motorcycles you don't own.
"No. The spare tires are for a wheelbarrow," I said, making a gesture with my hands at my side, pushing an imaginary handcart.
She looked at the tires mounted on custom aluminum wheels.
"For a wheelbarrow?" she asked, smiling.
"Yes, for a wheelbarrow."
"Enjoy your visit to Mexico."

I caught up to my friends at the Rosarito Beach Hotel, we blew through Ensenada, and headed southward.




We spent our first night in San Vincente, in a hotel with a courtyard where we could park the bikes and enjoy a cold beer under a palapa made from an old television satellite dish.



We strolled the dirt streets, chatted with the locals and ate dinner from a roadside stand. I had cabeza tacos. They were delicious.

 

[jcbrandon]

We hit fog the next morning, making the ride a bit interesting.




...





This is my friend Arlene Battishill. Her company makes protective riding gear that doesn't look like riding gear. That's one of her jackets and she has stopped on the roadside to send a cell phone picture to her Twitter followers.



The speed limit of 80 kilometers per hour converts to just under 50 mph. That was just a little higher than the 45 mph cruising speed that these bikes like. And most of the other traffic seemed to ignore the signs anyway. Thankfully, the speed limit on most of our journey was a more comfortable 60 kph or 37 mph, and that suited our style just fine.

 

[Mr. Leary]

:lurk:

Looking forward to more. From what you told me a Hollister, this was quite a trip.

 

[jcbrandon]

"That's a pretty nice looking police station."



Actually, that's the Desert Inn Hotel in Catavina. There is a police station just up the road and the officers stop in occasionally.

The Desert Inn is a chain of several hotels between Ensenda and Loreto. We stayed here and in the hotel in San Ignacio. Both are built to nearly the same floor plan, the staff speaks English, the signage is bilingual, the food is good, the bar is impressive, and the pool is refreshing.

 

[jcbrandon]

My traveling companions

A few pictures from the dining room of the Catavina Desert Inn:



Simon Gandolfi, the "Old Man on a Bike." He had just returned from six months in India on a 125cc Honda. He's 77 years old.




My good pal, Joe Berk. Less than a year ago, Joe was hit by a car while commuting on his big Triumph. He broke his back and pelvis. He writes the California Scooter Company blog and organized this trip.




John Welker, Joe's Baja riding buddy of nearly 20 years. John is a flight test engineer at Edwards Air Force Base. And a really good guy to travel with.




Arlene Battishill, who I introduced in an earlier post. Sorry about the blurred image. Arlene exudes more energy than the four men on the trip combined. She rarely sits still enough for a photo.

 

[jcbrandon]

The ride south from Catavina was spectacular.



We stopped in a little roadside loncheria in El Crucero for a leisurely breakfast.



Simon kept us entertained with his tales of life on the road.

 

[jcbrandon]

Mission San Ignacio Kadakaaman was founded in 1728. The surviving church was built in 1786 and is still in use today.


Simon and I strolled the sleepy town square and enjoyed breakfast quesadillas from a sidewalk café.

 

[jcbrandon]

After a very comfortable night at the Desert Inn in San Ignacio, including free wi-fi, we headed for Santa Rosalia and the Sea of Cortez.



That's Joe getting a picture of Arlene. And here's the result, as published in his blog.