Hltoppr
El Gringo Spectacular!
I'm at t-minus one week until I get to follow in the footsteps of ExpeditionsWest and BajaTaco, and head South to Mexico...
So, I thought I'd do a bit of a thread on the bike prep and gear, so that ya'll might see what I've found has worked for me over the past several years of Mexican moto travels. I'm heading down with a good friend, whose easy going spirit mellows my tendency to overplan...
The Trip:
March 13-23, 2008, Flagstaff, Arizona to .....Copper Canyon Area....with lots of room for variations. We'll cross at Douglas/Agua Prieta. We plan to camp, use cheap hotels, crash at folks places we meet...whatever...so we have to be prepared for all conditions.
However, a main goal is to find an off tarmac route from the ruins of Paquime to the town of Madera...last year an attempt was made, and I ended up "lost" in the Chihuahua high desert for three days...ran out of food...treating water with iodine from the medical kit....FUN!
Paquime:
We'll likely head down to Batopilas, outside of Creel, time permitting...
El calle a Batopilas:
The Bike:
2003 BMW R1150GS Adventure, w/approx. 29K on the odo.
TKC 80 Tires front and rear, Jesse Luggage panniers, Touratech farkles....
Spares/Fix-it stuff:
Front/Rear Tubes (Just in case...the BMW tires are tubeless....)
Manual Air Pump
Spare Spark Plugs
(3) 40g CO2 canisters/Patch Kit/Tire Irons
Spare fork seal
10' camlock tiedown strap (for securing center stand during tire changes)
1 Quart Oil
Spare headlight/taillight/turn signal bulbs
Alternator belt
(Gorilla Tape) aka Strong Duct Tape
Electrical Tape
Zip Ties
Tool Kit (stock)
Small Adjustable Crescent Wrench
Small WD40 can
Fuses/Small Electrical Connectors and hose clamps
JB Weld
Personal Items:
First Aid Kit, Adventure Medical Kit Fundamentals/AMK Suture/Syringe kit
Adjustable Cervical Collar
Heavyweight Space Blanket
Vehicle Docs(Original title/Registration/Insurance/Passport (3 copies of each document)
Small Toiletry Kit
MSR Packtowell
Wet Wipes/Purell Wipes
1 long sleeved supplex shirt (Columbia)
1 short sleeved polypro shirt
2 pair bike shorts (Spandex w/padding)
2 pair Underarmour poly boxers
1 cotton t-shirt (Sierra Expeditions!)
1 pair canvas cargo shorts
2 pair bike socks (ankle length, lightweight)
2 pair riding socks (calf length)
running tights
Lightweight Balaclava
Lightweight glove liners
Cotton Ballcap (Overland Journal, of course....)
Teva Sandals
Smith Slider Sunglasses (with amber and clear lenses)
Suunto Vector Watch
Petzel Myo 5 headlamp
Petzel Zipka headlamp (In riding jacket)
Shield wipe/small bottle of cleaner (In riding jacket)
Spare AA/AAA and Watch batteries
Thermarest Guidelight sleeping pad
_he No___ _ace 0 Degree down sleeping bag
MSR Hubba Hubba Tent
MSR Dromedary Bag (4L)
MSR 1 qt. Saucepan w/lid
MSR PocketRocket stove;
32 oz. Mug/Coffee press
MSR Titan Spoon
SPOT locator beacon (In riding jacket)
Small survival kit (In riding jacket)
-compass, led light, lighter, light space blanket, ibuprophen, duct tape, iodine tablets, gerber multi tool, foodbars (2).
Garmin V GPS (On Touratech mount, hardwired to bike.)
Guiija Roja Road Map (Relatively accurate...but take it with a grain of salt.)
Lonely Planet Mexican Spanish phrasebook
Riding Gear....I'm an ATGATT guy...(All the gear, all the time.)
BMW Rally Jacket w/armor
BMW GoreTex liner
Aerostich heated vest
BMW Summer Pants
Sidi Discovery Boots
Arai XD Helmet
BMW Rally gloves
Smith motorcycle goggles (light sensitive).
25db earplugs (make highway riding much more comfy)
Entymonic ER6i earspeakers/Ipod (with 12V charger for the bike)
...This list makes me think I take too much stuff....really, it all fits in the panniers! :yikes:
More to come....
-H-
So, I thought I'd do a bit of a thread on the bike prep and gear, so that ya'll might see what I've found has worked for me over the past several years of Mexican moto travels. I'm heading down with a good friend, whose easy going spirit mellows my tendency to overplan...
The Trip:
March 13-23, 2008, Flagstaff, Arizona to .....Copper Canyon Area....with lots of room for variations. We'll cross at Douglas/Agua Prieta. We plan to camp, use cheap hotels, crash at folks places we meet...whatever...so we have to be prepared for all conditions.
However, a main goal is to find an off tarmac route from the ruins of Paquime to the town of Madera...last year an attempt was made, and I ended up "lost" in the Chihuahua high desert for three days...ran out of food...treating water with iodine from the medical kit....FUN!
Paquime:
We'll likely head down to Batopilas, outside of Creel, time permitting...
El calle a Batopilas:
The Bike:
2003 BMW R1150GS Adventure, w/approx. 29K on the odo.
TKC 80 Tires front and rear, Jesse Luggage panniers, Touratech farkles....
Spares/Fix-it stuff:
Front/Rear Tubes (Just in case...the BMW tires are tubeless....)
Manual Air Pump
Spare Spark Plugs
(3) 40g CO2 canisters/Patch Kit/Tire Irons
Spare fork seal
10' camlock tiedown strap (for securing center stand during tire changes)
1 Quart Oil
Spare headlight/taillight/turn signal bulbs
Alternator belt
(Gorilla Tape) aka Strong Duct Tape
Electrical Tape
Zip Ties
Tool Kit (stock)
Small Adjustable Crescent Wrench
Small WD40 can
Fuses/Small Electrical Connectors and hose clamps
JB Weld
Personal Items:
First Aid Kit, Adventure Medical Kit Fundamentals/AMK Suture/Syringe kit
Adjustable Cervical Collar
Heavyweight Space Blanket
Vehicle Docs(Original title/Registration/Insurance/Passport (3 copies of each document)
Small Toiletry Kit
MSR Packtowell
Wet Wipes/Purell Wipes
1 long sleeved supplex shirt (Columbia)
1 short sleeved polypro shirt
2 pair bike shorts (Spandex w/padding)
2 pair Underarmour poly boxers
1 cotton t-shirt (Sierra Expeditions!)
1 pair canvas cargo shorts
2 pair bike socks (ankle length, lightweight)
2 pair riding socks (calf length)
running tights
Lightweight Balaclava
Lightweight glove liners
Cotton Ballcap (Overland Journal, of course....)
Teva Sandals
Smith Slider Sunglasses (with amber and clear lenses)
Suunto Vector Watch
Petzel Myo 5 headlamp
Petzel Zipka headlamp (In riding jacket)
Shield wipe/small bottle of cleaner (In riding jacket)
Spare AA/AAA and Watch batteries
Thermarest Guidelight sleeping pad
_he No___ _ace 0 Degree down sleeping bag
MSR Hubba Hubba Tent
MSR Dromedary Bag (4L)
MSR 1 qt. Saucepan w/lid
MSR PocketRocket stove;
32 oz. Mug/Coffee press
MSR Titan Spoon
SPOT locator beacon (In riding jacket)
Small survival kit (In riding jacket)
-compass, led light, lighter, light space blanket, ibuprophen, duct tape, iodine tablets, gerber multi tool, foodbars (2).
Garmin V GPS (On Touratech mount, hardwired to bike.)
Guiija Roja Road Map (Relatively accurate...but take it with a grain of salt.)
Lonely Planet Mexican Spanish phrasebook
Riding Gear....I'm an ATGATT guy...(All the gear, all the time.)
BMW Rally Jacket w/armor
BMW GoreTex liner
Aerostich heated vest
BMW Summer Pants
Sidi Discovery Boots
Arai XD Helmet
BMW Rally gloves
Smith motorcycle goggles (light sensitive).
25db earplugs (make highway riding much more comfy)
Entymonic ER6i earspeakers/Ipod (with 12V charger for the bike)
...This list makes me think I take too much stuff....really, it all fits in the panniers! :yikes:
More to come....
-H-
Last edited:
