September/October issue of Motorcycle Mojo

travel Mexico
Riding the
Sierra Madre
Two wheels or four legs,
there are many ways to
see Mexico.
Mexico’s spectacular mountain regions
I rode over the hill to see the brake lights of the three riders in front of me.
Then I saw ten men, some wearing masks. They were holding machine guns and
motioned us to stop. I thought about the things I had heard or read in the media
and from friends about travelling in Mexico. I assumed we were all going to be
robbed, our BMWs stolen, or worse. It was the Mexican Army doing a routine
roadside stop. The leader was very polite and simply asked John Gilbank, our
tour guide, where we were coming from and where we were going. We were
simply six Canadian gringos on a six-day guided tour with Riders of the Sierra
Madre (ridethesierra.com), a tour company based in Mexico, owned and operated
by transplanted Canadians.
story by Clinton Smout
photos by richard and Christie Prine,
and Clinton Smout
In the days preceding my flight
to Mexico, I was a bit worried. Media,
friends and even the Canadian travel
advisory board gave dire warning
of risks to tourists. The number-one
concern for me was crime. Based
on what I had been told, I would be
mugged, shot up in a drug cartel war
or arrested for not bribing corrupt
police and left to rot in a Mexican
jail. My concerns were unfounded.
In six days of travelling, the only
crime I witnessed was some of my
own riding. The Canadian tour organizers, John and Lynn Gilbank, live
in Ajijic, Mexico, and in five seasons
and approximately 26 tours they
have never had an issue with crime
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september/october 2014
september/october 2014
on any of their tours. I often walked
around Ajijic with my camera before
and after riding, and met hundreds of
residents. If I made eye contact, they
always had a friendly greeting for me.
I was lost a few times and was always
helped, even when my rescuer didn’t
understand English. They were all very
accommodating.
My paranoia did cause me to pack
a backup plan. I carried a second wallet filled with other people’s business
cards and papers that couldn’t be
traced to me. I also stuffed in a wad
of Canadian Tire money. Smart, eh? If
I got held up, I was sure the banditos
would be fooled. As it turned out, I
forgot about the wallet until my return
motorcycle mojo  |  47
travel Mexico
of Mexico, a thousand kilometres from
the American border, on the northern
shore of Lake Chapala, surrounded
by the Sierra Madre mountains. At
1538 metres above sea level, the high
altitude reduces the humidity and
the tropical latitude makes for a great
year-round climate.
Before I left, my family and
friends lectured me. “Don’t drink the
water, don’t eat the fruit or have ice
cubes in your drinks.” Breakfasts and
dinners were held at one of Ajijic’s
restaurants or came from Lynn’s
Garcia dea
La Caden
150
800
Teuchitlán
ra
Guadalaja
15
150
70
cala
Isla de Mez
Ajijic
Laguna
de Chapala
Mazamitla
Tapalpa
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[ One of the best parts
of the guided tour was
going off the main
roads into the small
towns and villages to
see the real Mexico. ]
team chose were mostly two-lane
paved roads. There were some potholes and uneven pavement, but for
the most part the roads were fantastic. One of the best parts of the guided
tour was going off the main roads into
the small towns and villages to see
the real Mexico. The roads were often
cobbled with rocks of various sizes. It
was bumpy, but nothing the electronically adjustable ESA suspension of
the BMW GS couldn’t handle. Speeds
They might seem intimidating but the military is just doing
its job at prescribed checkpoints.
orcycle
e best mot
Some of thg in the world
ridin
El Carmen
Hacienda an
a
Hotel d Sp
fabulous home cuisine. As a result of
John and Lynn’s years of research in
the area, our lunch stops on the road
also offered great meals. Fresh fruit is
inexpensive and available everywhere.
Being with experts who could explain
the menu meant I returned home
with a healthy digestive tract and an
appreciation for Mexican food – I even
gained a couple of pounds.
The Mexican government has
spent billions on roads and signage in
recent years. We spent very little time
on multi-lane highways, but when we
did, they looked just like our own. The
big difference is the nostalgic variety
of vehicles used in Mexico. Rust isn’t
a big issue in this climate, and people
aren’t as quick to discard old for new,
nor can most afford to. I loved seeing
forty-year-old Toyotas, Chevy trucks
and Volkswagen Beetles. They are still
plugging along and had the beautiful
patina that only age can give them.
The travel routes John and his
[ If I made eye contact,
they always had a
friendly greeting for
me. I was lost a few
times and was always
helped, even when
my rescuer didn’t
understand English. ]
flight, when a United States Customs
agent in Atlanta, Georgia, found it in
my riding jacket. He wondered why
I had two wallets with different identities. Those guys have no sense of
humour.
I was scheduled to experience
the Hub and Spoke tour. Each morning, we would depart from our home
base of Ajijic (half an hour from
Guadalajara) and head out in a different direction. This city lies in the heart
september/october 2014
september/october 2014
motorcycle mojo  |  49
travel Mexico
Great pride is taken in their Spanish architecture as evident by the detail of this
courthouse built in 1952.
50  |  motorcycle mojo
in this area were controlled by speed
bumps called topes. There was no uniformity of size or design of the bumps,
but I found that standing up was the
best way to handle them. If I slowed
down to second-gear speeds and preloaded the suspension by standing up,
I could launch off the bigger speed
bumps with a shot of throttle.
I hadn’t realized Mexico was so
mountainous. The route selection
took us on the best curvy motorcycle
roads I have ever ridden. Western
Canada or the Tail of the Dragon in
Tennessee doesn’t come close. On the
second-to-last day, we rode 350 km
through the mountainous roads north
of Guadalajara. Without traffic congestion, I really got into carving through
the amazing canyons. The F700GS
I rode was perfect for the third- and
fourth-gear curves. I enjoyed the great
brakes, tires and strong fuel-injected
motor, which pulled perfectly despite
some elevations of over 2100 metres.
The canyon scenery was spectacular,
but focusing on the road was important – guardrails are few and the
drop-offs huge. It’s also prudent to
keep a lookout for rocks and gravel –
and sometimes a free-range horse or
cow might cross your path.
There is a different attitude about
safety on Mexican roads, and traffic laws are loosely interpreted. In
our first riders’ meeting, John told
us we were going to break the law. I
sat there (Mr. Chief Instructor) thinking, “Ha, you might buddy, but I will
obey all the signs.” That is, until I
attempted to obey the first stop sign.
I was lucky that the bus had marginal
brakes, since I heard the squeal coming up behind me, which translated
into “move estupido, and don’t stop
at the stop signs since most drivers
won’t expect it.” In Canada, we frown
on people who drive with a dog in the
back of their truck. I counted nine people in the back and four in the cab of
a two-seater 1983 Toyota pickup. The
predominant motorcycle size is 125 cc,
which could be due to the helmet law
for bikes 150 cc and up, but it isn’t
enforced much. It was common to see
three people riding on a scooter, with
no protective gear or helmets. ATVs
are also popular on the road, and I got
september/october 2014
[ The canyon scenery was spectacular,
but focusing on the road was important –
guardrails are few and the drop-offs huge. ]
used to seeing entire families on one
tired unit.
Riders of the Sierra Madre has
a good selection of BMW GS bikes
ranging from the F650GS to the new
liquid-cooled R1200GS. The bikes are
all expertly maintained in perfect condition by a BMW dealer in Guadalajara.
The GS fits perfectly into Mexico’s
variety of roads. It was easy to adjust
the suspension on the fly – as the road
surfaces frequently changed – simply
by pushing the ESA button. Having
fuel injection also allays the worry
Inspecting the ruins.
One of the round pyramids known as Guachimontones. Although they are thousands of years old, this overgrown ancient
site was only discovered in 1970.
september/october 2014
motorcycle mojo  |  51
travel Mexico
in Mexico. Over one thousand pelicans
from Great Slave Lake fly down every
year to the shores of Lake Chapala.
John paid two of the local fishermen’s
children to throw fish bits to the shy
pelicans, who ventured up on shore
near us for a photo op.
All the other tours provided by
Riders of the Sierra Madre run from
October to April and travel further
into Mexico, staying each night in firstclass hotels. You can still travel light,
since Lynn follows in the support
vehicle. I now have a great appreciation for the benefits of travelling with
a guided tour company. They provide
much more than just a bike. Having
the experience and know-how of people who live in Mexico was invaluable.
I would have gotten lost riding around
on my own for sure, but with John or
Ray leading, I could relax and just
follow them on amazing roads that
would have taken me years to locate.
Knowing where to go is half the battle. Then there’s the language barrier.
The Spanish I learned from Speedy
Gonzales (remember the little TV cartoon mouse?) would not have helped
me when lost or trying to order food.
As hosts, I give our tour operators
and their staff top marks. It is a very
good sign when business owners talk
fondly of past customers by their first
names. The passion John and Lynn
have for Mexico’s history and her
people is infectious. The riding every
day was amazing, and it was fun getting together at the end of each day
to relax and talk bikes with other bike
nuts. Doing it all in 30 degree Celsius
temperatures under clear skies in
November was just perfect.
Muchas gracias mis amigos! We’ll
see you next year. MMM
For additional photos,
scan this code with
your smart phone or visit
http://goo.gl/nZuJLq
Empty your tank...
Fill your soul.
Pelicans winter in Mexico after
spending the summer at Great
Slave Lake in the Northwest
Territories.
that elevation change creates about
carbureted bikes. The GSs are very comfortable for touring, yet can easily carve
the incredible canyon roads.
My tour mates, Maureen and
Armen, rode two-up on the
R1200GS during the tour.
They spend a lot of time
on the road at home in
British Columbia on
either their Kawasaki
ZX-1400 or Harley
touring bike. I won’t
be surprised to hear
that they found room
for a new BMW GS in the
garage. The other couple with
us, Dee and Keith, were on a F700GS
like myself. Keith has a Kawasaki KLR
650 now, but has owned dozens of
bikes over the years. Dee did amazing
in Mexico with very little experience
as a passenger. I did feel a little goofy
riding solo, but I’m looking forward
to going back next year with my
wife, who will love the riding
as much as the great destinations we travelled to.
Perhaps the Hub, Spoke
and Beach tour will be
the perfect fit for both
of us.
We did a great
mix of riding and hiking on foot, allowing us
to get a better glimpse into
Mexico’s history. John has met
many local entrepreneurs at the various destinations. For example: Jose
gave us an exciting boat ride on Lake
Chapala, Mexico’s largest freshwater
lake, to an historic fort on Mezcala
island. His cousin drove the boat, his
buddies took care of us on the island,
and his wife prepared the fantastic
lunch after our exploration of the fort.
At another stop, we were able to ride
our bikes right into the Hacienda El
Carmen’s courtyard for photos. The
Hacienda was originally constructed
by Carmelite monks in the early 1700s
and is now a beautiful hotel-spa.
Later, we rode to the round pyramid archaeological site known as
Guachimontones. The amazing tour
describes life of the Teuchitlan tradition, a complex society that predates
the Aztecs and the Mayans.
On our last day of the trip, we visited some other “Canadians” wintering
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