Four reasons I love riding in Mexico (and you should try it)

The food, the culture, and the sights are different, sure, but for us U.S. riders, crossing that border on a motorcycle is a rush that goes beyond the superficial. There’s a challenge to it. The paperwork, the communication barrier (assuming you don’t speak Spanish; I don’t), the driving patterns, and the unknown risks just scream adventure in a way that riding in your own familiar country with your familiar culture just can’t match. What comforts will you be giving up? Will the road be paved? What if something goes wrong?

All that may not be comfortable at first, but as you sit in a natural hot springs that’s cooled by the ocean’s tide or stand before the ruins of a native people thousands of years past, that discomfort will only make the moment that much more meaningful. So if you’re on the fence about going to Mexico, here’s why I love it and why I think you should give it a try.

The roads!

First and foremost, let’s talk about the riding. Mexico is a huge and varied country, from the deserts of Baja to the mountains of Copper Canyon to the rain forests and ancient ruins of the Yucatan to the gorgeous beaches and sea cliffs of Michoacán. Whether you prefer to ride on- or off-road, there’s something for you here. The Devil’s Backbone from Mazatlán to Durango is a nearly seven-hour haul of nonstop twists and turns, while the Baja is a playground for both dirt bikes and street bikes. You can soar up a winding mountain pass over 7,000 feet to the Spanish village of San Cristóbal de las Casas, or you can surf the barrel waves of Puerto Escondido in between surfing the twisties of Highway 200. The roads aren’t always maintained, but they’re always exciting. You can, of course, do this in the states, too, but why limit yourself? I’m a firm believer in riding all the roads.

The people

Of course, I should probably address the elephant that’s always in the room when you mention Mexico. When you watch the news or the sensational dramas on Netflix, all too often Mexico is painted with this terrifying brush of rampant drug cartels and violent executions. The notoriety of drug trafficking is so extreme, just about every single person I’ve ever spoken to about riding in Mexico has given me a lecture on how it’s way too dangerous and they can’t imagine ever going there.

But what the news neglects to tell you is that no matter how many borders you cross and places you go, people are, well… human. Just like everyone in the states has their own desires and interests, people in Mexico are just as quick to nerd out on that beautiful adventure bike or try to impress a passerby with a wheelie. Despite the hype, your chances of getting mixed up with a cartel aren’t particularly high unless you’re actively seeking it, and simply being in a less developed country with less wealth doesn’t make people automatically out to get you.

On the contrary, Mexican culture values family to an extreme. While I’ve seen similar hospitality traveling the states, the generosity I’ve experienced from total strangers who couldn’t even speak my language is beyond anything I could have imagined.

For example, I was once staying in the city of Durango when the charge port on my phone died. There was no good way to fix or replace the phone, but thanks to modern technology, I could theoretically switch to a wireless charger and continue my trip uninterrupted. But finding a wireless charger proved difficult. After half a day of failed searching, my partner and I opted to try the mall. As soon as we pulled into the parking lot, another motorcyclist stopped beside us, curious as to who we were and where we were going. He spoke little English, but after a very short chat and a phone call, he waved for us to follow him.

In a few moments, we were at an electronics boutique with everything we needed. After a few minutes more, he was feeding us at his family restaurant, where he refused to take any money, then he invited us stay in his home so we could shower and do laundry. We ended up spending a whole week with him, as he introduced us to all of his friends and family.

Just about everyone I know who has travelled through Mexico has a similar story if they’ve gotten off the tourist track. The people may not have much, but they’re generous and take care of each other. That’s not to say bad people don’t exist, and I’m sure you can find evil if you go looking for it, but if you’re fairly cautious, it’s not difficult to stay out of trouble.

The more I travel, the more I find that people around the world are more the same than they are different, and the wonderful people in big, bad Mexico are no less a testament to that.

Motorcycles rule

Mexico has a huge population of motorcyclists. Unlike the states, where bikes are often seen as a toy or a luxury item, everyone in Mexico rides. Small bikes are the cheapest and easiest way to get around, after all, as you’re allowed to take a bike basically anywhere you can reasonably (or sometimes unreasonably) maneuver it. They don’t need words like “lane splitting” because that’s just how traffic flows. You can weave between cars, carve the canyons, and park on the sidewalk and no one will heckle you.

And being motorcycles are the cheapest form of transportation, they often double as utility vehicles. You’ll never be able to stop yourself from smiling as you watch a family of five hauling their chickens on the back seat of a 125 cc scooter. It’s wild and crazy and I can’t get enough of the sight of bikes everywhere.

You’ll see big bikes, too, and their riding culture is largely the same as in the states. Which means that Mexican national on the BMW R 1200 GS is going to be an instant friend even if you don’t speak a word of Spanish, and all you can communicate to each other is “nice bike!” You'll also meet other adventure riders from the United States or Europe or Australia, so you’ll have plenty of nights of shared laughs and stories.

You’re just more… free

For all intents and purposes, Mexico is still a bit of the wild west. I often feel like I’m travelling back in time to a period more like my childhood, where children could ride in the back of pickups and lemonade stands didn’t require a business license. You zip along the back roads, then stop on someone’s porch, where they’ve set up a makeshift restaurant and serve handmade tortillas. Or you can ride on a sandy beach (and the locals will help you dig out the bike when it inevitably gets stuck). It’s not always as clean or as elegant as you might want or hope, but it has a humble simplicity that makes the imperfections more charming than unpleasant.

Mexico is an adventure-riding utopia, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have this country right in our back yard for those of us who live in the United States. There are good areas, there are bad areas, and out in the hills, there’s all the riding you could ever dream of. With a little due diligence, there’s no reason your trip will be anything short of amazing.