The Baja update…

Friends, here’s our Baja itinerary…

And here’s what it’s going to look like on the map…

You can see the daily mileage in the table above.

A few of you have contacted me to ask about the hotel reservations based on one of my blog posts.   We’ve got that squared away…you’ll have to pay for your rooms, but we have contacted the hotels and they are holding the rooms for us.  You won’t have to contact the hotels to make your reservations except for the night before we leave if you are getting a hotel in the US.

A word on the hotels:   As I’ve said before, these ain’t the Waldorf Astoria (actually, I’ve stayed at the Waldorf, and I like the ones in Baja better).  If you’re expecting 5 star luxury, you might want to lower your sights a bit.

The next question you might have is:  How much money should I bring?   That’s really up to you, but I made a preliminary estimate based on the hotel room fees, what food will cost, about 1600 miles with fuel at $3.70 per gallon, and no alcohol.   The number I came up with is slightly over $600.  I think if you rolled out of Azusa with about $750 or $800 in your wallet, you’d be okay.    Bear in mind that not many places down there take credit cards, so don’t plan on that.   There is an ATM in Santa Rosalia, but I wouldn’t count on it working.

People often ask this:  What other stuff should I bring?  I can’t really answer that for you, but I’ll tell you what I am taking for a 5-day foray into Baja:

• $800 cash
• Digital camera with charger and spare SD card, and my laptop (so I can post to the blog if we have Internet reception).
• Motorcycle gear (helmet, jacket, pants, gloves, boots, and the jacket and pants are rain-proof).
• Two pairs of jeans (one I’ll be wearing on the way down, and an extra pair).
• Two extra pairs of underwear, two extra pairs of socks, two T-shirts and one sweatshirt.
• Deodorant, toilet paper, disposable razor, Immodium, toothbrush, toothpaste and my cholesterol pills.
• Passport, driver’s license, and BajaBound insurance policy (printed proof of Mexican insurance).
• Toolkit (beyond the RX3 toolkit), including 8, 10, 12, 17 mm sockets and ratchet, Allen wrench combi-tool, reversible (slot and Philips) screwdriver, an adjustable spanner, my Gerber pliers combi-tool, and a few tie wraps.
• One spare clutch cable, one quart of oil, one can of chain lube, one mini air pump, tire irons, and two tubes (one for the front, one for the rear).
• One positive attitude.

If you plan to change your oil as part of the break-in process while you are in Mexico, you’ll need to bring two quarts of oil, an oil filter, a tray to catch the oil, and the tools you’ll need.  Take a look at our online maintenance tutorial if you’re going to be doing this.   I’ll be there to help you, but I’m not bringing extra stuff for you.   You’ll have to pack what you need.

My observation is that most people pack way more than they need to.   We’re not on an expedition to Mars; we’re going into Mexico for 5 days.   The more stuff you pack, the more stuff you’ll have to load and unload every day, and the more your bike will weigh.   Travel light, folks.

Oh, and one other thing…when you’re buying your BajaBound insurance online and it asks for the license plate number, if you don’t have your plates yet just enter “newbike” in that field.

That’s it for now.  If you have any questions, I’d love to hear from you.   Just shoot me an email (jberk@cscmotorcycles.com).

I’m excited, folks!  We’re going to have a great time!