Baja Mexico Adventure Ride

Conclusion

This Baja adventure motorcycle ride as organized by GPS Kevin exceeded my expectations. It is the second such ride I have taken through Kevin, and after having a great time with the Continental Divide Ride last summer, I felt energized to do it again, this time exploring the Baja region. Having the hotel arrangements taken care of, along with having a bag of our personal gear shuttled to each place (thanks Greg!), plus the support network of the other riders, makes such travel by motorcycle much easier.

It is interesting to note that when sharing my plans ahead of the ride with various acquaintances, the amount of negative vibes that can get impressed upon you. The stereotypical view is that Baja is a barren wasteland of Mexican banditos, and if they don't kill you, the food or water will. Listening to these opinions can really raise your level of anxiety if you let it. But my experience by off-road motorcycle showed it to be quite the opposite. Being able to explore more of the backcountry with its small mission towns and seaside villages, one finds a number of hidden gems unspoiled by our more more modern materialistic world. The food was great, and I avoided more serious gastro issues by taking appropriate precautions with respect to water and uncooked fruits/vegatables. Despite being a poorer country with less opportunities in comparison to the states, the people have a surprisingly kind and generous attitude. I never felt unwelcome or resented in my travels through Baja, despite the opposite that seems more prevalent these days in our own country. Having said this, the unrefined nature of Baja won't be for everyone. For those more used to their creature comforts with modern anmenities, Baja may not be a good match. But I think that the very nature of this unrefined and unspoiled quality that makes it attractive for those that like to travel by adventure motorcycle.

Part of what makes rides like this fun is the camraderie with the other riders, and the shared experiences, both the good and the bad. You know it was good when the memories for rides like this stick in your head for months afterwards. I can't wait to do the next one. Currently I am signed up for GPS Kevin's Pacific Divide Route, September of 2018, traveling on a route roughly parallel with the Pacific Crest Trail from the border with Canada down to the border with Mexico. I can hardly wait.

My apologies to other riders not pictured, as this capture is of only those who had bunched together during the blue route from Cabo to Buena Vista. Those missing: Bill G., Bob R., Brian S., Tim S., Marco S., Martin A, and off course the support driver Greg M.

Video of the Baja ride

A YouTube video is posted here. This is 24 minutes long, organized by each of the 9 days of riding, and includes a slide show of photos taken along the ride. This should give the viewer a pretty good idea of the type of terrain encountered on this ride, and what other adventure motorcyclists should expect if planning a ride through Baja.

Here is a non-YouTube low bandwidth condensed version accessible only via this website. It skips the slide show, incorporating a different set of music tracks, and about 16 minutes long.

A higher bandwidth HD version of this same non-YouTube video is also available for those with a better internet connection. You can play it through this link.

GPS tracks

In the following list you will find the GPS track files in .gpx format as captured from my GPS for this ride described. To download each track, right-click each link, and select "Save As" to save the file to your local computer.

Note that these are not the tracks provided from GPS Kevin that I paid for as part of this ride, but the ones captured from my bike's GPS, including the detours, a few of the deadends, and wrong turns along the way. You can also purchase the official tracks from GPS Kevin, and in that way get the green, blue, and red options. Kevin's tracks are also more convenient in the terms of how they are embedded on the map complete ready to use on a microSD card, and thus it is not necessary to have a routeable map of the Baja area for your GPS to use them.

Disclaimer: As for the tracks I am providing below, I tried to edit these for the more blatant wrong turns to clean up some of this, but may have missed some. These tracks are provided as-is, and the author can not vouch for their accuracy or consequences of their use. Thus you should not soley rely on them, but instead use as an additional reference and apply reasonable common sense for your overall trip planning. In any case, you will find that roads or trails can change, or that weather can impact the passabiity of a particular route, and that it is typical that some improvisation during your travels will be required.

Day	Segment	File
1	US-Mexico border at Tecate to Jardines	Baja day 1 - Steves track.gpx
2	Jardines to San Ignacio	Baja day 2 - Steves track.gpx
3	San Ignacio to Ciudad Constitucion	Baja day 3 - Steves track.gpx
4	Ciudad Constitucion to Cabo San Lucas	Baja day 4 - Steves track.gpx
5	Cabo San Lucas to La Paz	Baja day 5 - Steves track.gpx
6	La Paz to Loreto	Baja day 6 - Steves track.gpx
7	Loreto to Guerrero Negro	Baja day 7 - Steves track.gpx
8	Guerrero Negro to Mikes Sky Rancho	Baja day 8 - Steves track.gpx
9	Mikes Sky Rancho to Tecate US border	Baja day 9 - Steves track.gpx

Bike post-mortem (BMW 2015 F800GS Adv)

The biggest problem I experienced with this ride was the use of a cheap Chinese aluminum adjustable shift lever that I put on the bike just a week before the ride. This failed much too easily after what should have been a surviveable crash in the rocks on day 2. The lesson learned is to stay away from parts that are not sufficient rugged in their construction, especially for functions that are critical like shifting. Also, don't make changes just before a big ride when you may have not had sufficient time to prove it out in the field.

On my past ride on the CDR, the biggest issue I encountered there was a front rim that suffered some rather large dents in multiple places. It has been reported in other forums that the stock BMW rim is relatively soft and dents more easily. For this ride I addressed that issue in multiple ways. First, I replaced the rim with a stronger Excel rim installed by Woody's wheels. Second, I replaced the springs in my front forks with Hyperpro progressive springs. These are less likely to bottom out on a strong impact. I have noticed a positive improvement since installing them about 6 months ago. Lastly, I don't air down below about 24 psi on my bigger bike.

Witnessing the problem and subsequent issues that Stu encountered with the damaged rim and tire on his KTM 1190 after hitting a bad pothole at speed, just reinforces the seriousness of addressing the robustness of your front wheel and its tire (as I also learned on the CDR ride). He was riding a Continental TKC80 that I assumed is a reasonable off-road tire. But others on the ride mentioned that it is not as tough as others, and failures like this can be more common. For this ride I used a new set of Mitas E-07 non-Dakar versions. The blocks are not as big as the TKC80, but it lasts longer. I have heard the Dakar versions are even tougher and can take a lower PSI, but can also be more difficult to change for a flat in the field due to this extra stiffness. To improve their flat resistance I also injected the tubes with Ride-On tire balancer and sealant. I didn't have any flats on this ride for what it is worth.

Given some relatively long days in the saddle, plus my ride down I-5 from Sacramento, for this trip I also outfitted my seat with an AirHawk inflateable seat cushion (Dual sport model). This straps to the top of your regular saddle, and can be easily removed once the straps are in place. I found this to help immensely in terms of butt stamina. The trick is just to use a small amount of air. Normally I don't ride with it, but for long trips like this I would recommend it.

As for the overall performance of my F800GS Adv, I continue to be generally happy with it. Being a larger bike, it is definitely more difficult to handle in the sand and rocky terrain. But that is the expected trade-off if you also want a bike that can cover large distances and have a reasonable load capacity. The torque on the F800GS could probably be better when climbing over rocky terrain, or trying to get going again in sand/rock. I find it necessary to counter this by having to rev the engine a bit more, and attack with a little more speed. Taking the Baja on my DRZ400 dual sport would have been more fun in the technical stuff given the lightness and reasonable power, but for the long hauls on the highway between dirt it is a different story...

Intro Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 Conclusion

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