My wife and I will be spending a week in Mexico this summer, specifically in the Playa del Carmen area on the Yucatan Peninsula. I am toying with the idea of renting a Harley (there are several places in Playa) for a day or two and exploring on the bike. Have any of you had experience doing that in that area? I've heard the Yucatan is safer for Americans than some other parts of Mexico. Is that true? I also just read something that says that US motorcycle insurance is not good down there and you need Mexican insurance?

Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated!

PS--My wife and I only speak a few words of Spanish.

 

If it were me, I would stay at the resort unless you have a death wish! You can ride when you get back home.

 

Sorry I can't really help you but besides the advice you'll get here this is a good site to check http://www.advrider.com/forums/index.php if you do a search you'll find a lot of information about riding in Mexico. Most seem fairly positive about riding in Mexico if your not in a major city or border town, I've been giving it some though too and was just down at the border three weeks ago thinking about crossing over. Can you hook up with HOG and find some riders to ride with? When I lived in Hawaii we would show the tourist around that rented from the local dealership, it was fun for us to ride with some new people.

 

wait until you see them drive!

 

I would check out the state department warnings about Mexico .




http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_p...w/tw_5665.html

 

I am a commercial pilot and have been to Mexico many times in the past. However , now? I'm not sure to even safe to look at a map of Mexico let alone go there!

 

You would need to check with your insurance company on coverage and make sure you have it in writing, insurance carriers vary on this. The Yucatan is probably a safer place than some, but having been to Mexico many times, in many areas and you don't speak the language .......... ARE YOU F%&KING CRAZY?!?!?? I am an adventurous soul and in my youth (ok, in my old age, too) I have done some crazy things. I might do just what you are talking about, but I would do it alone or with a couple close friends, not with a wife, well, unless you don't really like her, then maybe ..........

 

sad to say that i wouldn't.

this situation is mexico is making this worse for the people who used to count on a living from visitors

traffic laws are very grey in Mexico and if case of an accident ( even with purchased mexican insurance), you could be held.

Like Jamaica in the late 70's many resorts are going to the "compound" model- all inclusive, everything within the grounds.

escorted tours to pyramids etc.


being savvy in mexico requires some language skills and understanding the culture- it is easy to get unknowingly into a bad situation by not understanding cultural differences

for instance; it was long considered unseemly for a grown man to wear shorts, some areas people take offense at this, which can escalate from misunderstanding to conflict.

if you go, if you ride, I hope it goes well.

but living 5 hours from the Rocky Point ( Puerto Penasco) resort area, I wouldn't ride my bike down there.

and because of that, the town is dying


---with luck this thread will connect you to a local in that area who can turn this into a real plus experience

mike

 

BEING in that ****-hole country under any circumstance is a bad idea as far as I'm concerned.

 

??? You can't be serious ??? Especially with your wife along.
To quote Meatloaf: "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)".

I have several Hispanic friends that I ride with. On one our stops one of the girls was telling a story her uncle just told her. He was riding on a bus in Mexico when the police stopped it and ordered all the Mexicans off the bus. Then they drove off with the bus with all the Americans never to be seen again. He was Mexican and was scared to death.