Mexico by Motorcycle
Oct 2025
Sharing details on my Mexico north-to-south ride in 2025, part of a Pan-America tour. This is not an"ultimate guide" per se, but it does provide info on how I did it, which may be of use to you.
Duration & Distances
35 days / 20 stops / 98 hrs riding / 4900 km
Why Mexico?
My main prerogative was to ride through Mexico as part of my Pan-America journey from British Columbia to Patagonia. But obviously, Mexico has a shit-ton to offer any intrepid RTW rider -- it's one of the best places to explore in the whole world.
Research & Route
I started this trip in British Columbia. I had visited Mexico a few times in the past and had a basic awareness of the place. So I had an itinerary in mind when I arrived in Mexico. But in general, as always, I worked it out along the way. A person could spend years exploring the country.
Trip Reports
These posts detail my rides, stays, activities, borders, and logistics.
Bike & Gear
In June 2025, I bought an almost-new 2023 Yamaha Ténéré 700, purposely for my Pan-America trip. I wanted something proven, capable, and reliable, and the T7 is renowned for these traits. As I write this, I am in Peru, 22,000 km into my trip. The T7 has lived up to expectations.
Maintenance
I put new tires on in La Paz. And I got an oil change in Puerto Escondido. That's it.
Gear
An update on my Pan-America riding gear is coming soon
Documents
I carried the usual:
Passports (Canada, Ireland)
DL & IDP (both from Singapore)
Bike registration (ICBC)
Insurance
Motorcycle: it's mandatory to have insurance for Mexico, on arrival. I bought a 3-month (the minimum), full-coverage policy online from Baja Bound -- a costly $350. Honestly, looking back,I would not bother with full coverage; I'd go with basic 3rd-party liability coverage.
Travel/Medical: I bought a 6-month world ex-USA policy from IMG Global, with coverage for adventure motorcycle riding. My "Patriot Lite" policy provides $1 million in coverage with a $100 deductible.
USA-Mexico Border
I crossed at San Ysidro-Tijuana, and it was much easier than expected. Read my blog post about the border crossing at San Ysidro-Tijuana here.
Roads & Driving
Overall, the roads were fine everywhere I rode. The only bad road I experienced was on parts of Highway 23 from Durango to Puerto Vallarta. Driving was surprisingly civilized. I didn’t experience any incidents that could be classified as ignorant or unsafe. Mexico is interwoven with expensive toll and older free non-toll roads, often running in parallel. In general, I took the non-toll roads -- a slower pace, less traffic (with more "topes" speed bumps and traffic lights). The toll roads can be nice if you are in a hurry, but they can eat into your budget.
Transport
I crossed the Sea of Cortez on Baja Ferry from La Paz to Mazatlan. This was a costly trip, around $500 for a bike and a berth.
Navigation
I used Google Maps (which I continuously swear I will stop using for adventure riding). In my experience, Google Maps is ok for highways. But Maps.me or other apps may be better for unpaved or secondary roads.
Weather
I rode through Mexico in October, and the weather was perfect. I did experience some heavy rain and flooding at Puerto Vallarta, including one washed-out road that I managed to ride across.
People & Culture
It's no secret that Mexicans are super friendly and the country is an ongoing extravaganza. Cities like Guanajuato, CDMX, and Oaxaca are literally exploding with culture, places where you find people dancing the streets, with artwork everywhere, and amazing cuisines. English is fairly well spoken, though I highly advise you pick up some basic Spanish before arriving and/or plan to study along the way.
Safety
The elephant in the room. I had zero issues in this 5-week ride (nor in 3 prior visits as a tourist). And I did ride into some sketchy areas, like the old Highway 40 to Durango. I
don't want to diminish the fact that Mexico has security issues. But I recommend you not diminish your trip due to perceived security risks. Some riders stick to toll roads only to be safe, but they also miss a lot.
Albeit, I did have my GoPro 12 stolen off my bike in Puerto Escondido (where I shouldn't have left it on the mount while temporarily away from my bike...)
Phone & Wi-Fi
I bought a Claro SIM card at a convenience store in Ensenada, and that lasted me 5 weeks of fairly heavy usage. I think it was $20. Decent wifi was available everywhere
Accommodation
Accommodation was good everywhere I stopped. It was a bit more expensive than I expected, averaging about $35/night. I used Agoda for most of my bookings (it's a subsidiary of Booking.com), as well as Airbnb.
Food & Beverage
It's a well-known fact that Mexico is a culinary heaven, with some of the best and rip-snortingly spicy food on the planet. It's one of my fave cuisines; I celebrated every meal. The variation is interesting too, especially in Oaxaca, with the amazing Mole sauces on offer (e.g., mole enchiladas for breakfast -- wow)
Sights
Mexico is full of spectacular natural and cultural sights. Some highlights I experienced include: Baja; the mountains of Durango; numerous colonial cities; spectacular Mexico City with its pyramids and museums; Monte Alban ruins in Oaxaca City; the beaches of Puerto Escondido; Africans in Tapachula. No doubt Mexico has an amazing range of scenery and sights -- and I only covered a small amount of it. See my trip reports for details on the places named above and many others.
Unfortunately, wildlife was one sight I did not see much of, just a few iguanas.
Activities
Here are some activities I did or considered:
Diving: I did 2 dives in Puerto Escondido with Big Wave Diving. As expected, it was not the best diving I have done (it's a surfing town, not a diving hot spot), but it was ok, and fun. I tried to go in La Paz, but a storm shut down all diving that day.
Ruins: I toured Teotihuacan in CDMX, and Monte Alban in Oaxaca City. Both were excellent.
Cost
Here's my cost breakdown for 35 days riding through Mexico.
Questions?
Drop me a line at terraxplor1@gmail.com I'm happy to help with a basic question or 2.
Comments