mjlang 0 Posted December 1, 2008 I rode with four great friends in Mexico the day after Thanksgiving for an over night to El Coyote. Three Gringos and two very good buds from TJ met at Rancho Ojai (formerly the KOA) on Friday morning. As usual, part of the crew showed up fashionably late and were not entirely prepared; well at least Alberto showed up with water this time. We didn't exactly get going at the crack of dawn; more like the crack of noon. We had two KTM 525's, two Honda's, a 450R and 650R, and my trusty ol Husaberg 650. We all are completely up on the latest Mexico news and agreed to be very careful. On the trail, things seem to be very much the same as always. Many of the riding areas are shutting down but I know the trails north of San Quintin pretty well and can still pull together are fun ride. The friends from TJ say most of the problems are focused around TJ and the coastal area south to Rosarito. They don't diminish the concerns as one of the guys is involved with a very successful family business and he now rides in an armored vehicle with x-special forces guards. He told me that when in TJ, he goes from his house to the airport or the office and that's it. I talked to friends in Tecate and they told me that its still very quiet there. OK, I digress... We left at the crack of noon south down Compadre Highway. We decided on a speed run down to Ojos Negros. Dave discovered the bolt that holds the chain guide was missing and his chain was really loose. So we took some time to replace the bolt and tighten the chain. We fueled and moved on through to Tres Hermanos to Santo Tomas. I really like riding the 45 mile section between highway 1 and highway 3. After all the rain, there were new deeper ruts and washouts but best of all NO FRICKEN DUST!!!! The traction was EPIC. We all put new tires on before the ride so we could really get some hookup riding. We decided that the Michelin S12 is the best roosting tire ever made. At Santo Tomas, we had to adjust the chain on Dave's 525 again and the bolt I put in failed... He had an after market chain guide, so I drilled a hole in the side of it and used a zip-tie to hold it. I did the same thing on my old 525 and rode it that way for 10K miles... We headed south on the coast road and had a blast. It was a beautiful day to be out and since we started so late by 3:30 we were only 40 miles south of Santo Tomas. At this point we had to make night time decisions; four of us have HID lights, one has NO lights and Andres has no rear brakes. The sun is starting to set so we decided to head for San Vincente where Andres can get brake fluid (brakes are good) while Alberto and I keep heading south to San Telmo Rd. Did I say there was NO DUST? Alberto and I paired up and slabbed it south towards El Coyote. We turned on to San Telmo Rd. right at dark where its no big deal for him to ride next to me since he didn't have any lights. We made good time and showed up at El Coyote at about 6:00 PM. The throttle on the 650r started sticking during the last 20 miles to our destination, its dark and getting cold, he just has to manage the issue until we get there. At El Coyote, as always, the hospitality and food are first rate. Once everyone was there and showered, we sat down for a nice turkey dinner... no kidding. We told the ladies that we just had THANKSGIVING in the US on Thursday and she said, "we make different turkey in Mexico, you will like it..." She was right, is was a wonderful meal. Sometimes I wonder if the meal is that good or I'm so hungry that old shoe leather would taste great? I guess my answer lies over at Mike's Sky Ranch where they serve shoe leather steaks and I think they suck. We decided to have breakfast at 7:30 so I have time to look at the 650r's throttle. I found the throttle return cable snapped. I also checked the oil and it didn't register on the dipstick. 1.25 quarts later, it was serviced. Dave had to adjust his change again and we're all getting a bit creeped out by the stretchy chain. I asked him if he bought the chain from Gumby Inc. We headed south from El Coyote and picked up some of the 500/1000 courses. It was beat up, rutted and whooped out; the best of Baja. BTW: don't eat a huge breakfast, strap on a fanny pack and backpack before you ride. Eggs with Habanero salsa become shaken, not stirred. We burned past Mikes and down to Valle de Trinidad where we fueled. We slabbed it up to Indenpendencia to avoid the Goat Trail for obvious reasons. At Santa Catarina we adjusted Dave's chain again, getting really concerned about the chain now. Originally we planned to head north via dirt roads and then up to the pine forrest via Ramona's but since Dave's stretchy chain needs adjusted every 50 miles now, we headed back up the Compadre yet again as not to press our luck. We left El Coyote at 8:50 AM and were at Rancho Ojai at 2:00 PM. Lucky I had my tool bag with lots of normally useless nuts and bolts, motor oil etc... came in handy. Some of the normal ride partners opted not to ride in Mexico for a while. I guess I must be crazy. We did run in to more army check points on the trail. As always, the soldiers were cool and interested in what we were doing. They all like bikes and want so see some wheelies.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bikeslut 1 Posted December 1, 2008 good post- Mexico offers some great riding Glad everything went well for your group- what brand of gumby chain? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjlang 0 Posted December 1, 2008 good post- Mexico offers some great riding Glad everything went well for your group- what brand of gumby chain? The chain was an RK. I did a little digging when I got home and my bud used a chain for a 250/400 class motorcycle. He simply over-powered it with a 525; not the right part for the job. I've been using RK Excel chains for years; they were one of my race sponsors and I've always had flawless service. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OUTERLIMITS 0 Posted December 2, 2008 Nice ride report Morgan. As I know you always take lots of pics on your rides, give 'em up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjlang 0 Posted December 3, 2008 Nice ride report Morgan. As I know you always take lots of pics on your rides, give 'em up. Pictures, ---- I'd have to stop riding long enough to do that. Ask Byron, he likes to stop take pictures and eat granola. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjlang 0 Posted December 3, 2008 good post- Mexico offers some great riding Glad everything went well for your group- what brand of gumby chain? The chain was an RK. I did a little digging when I got home and my bud used a chain for a 250/400 class motorcycle. He simply over-powered it with a 525; not the right part for the job. I've been using RK Excel chains for years; they were one of my race sponsors and I've always had flawless service. We figured out it was a non "O" ring chain. Great for MX bikes, bad for off road long rides. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OUTERLIMITS 0 Posted December 3, 2008 We figured out it was a non "O" ring chain. Great for MX bikes, bad for off road long rides. "Horsepower chain". That's a 525 trying to hang with a 650 Berg. A no-no in Baja. Funny thing about o'ring chains, the good ones almost don't stretch at all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ssaint 0 Posted December 4, 2008 Nice report Morgan. Wish I could have been there, but there was now way I was getting 2 whole days away from the wifes family. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
