CSC Blog

Dan the K in Mulege, BCS!

Wow!  Here’s another cellphone-as-GPS note from another old Bajaeno hand, our good buddy Dan K (who owns both an RX3 and a TT250, both of which he’s ridden in Mexico with us):

Howdy Joe,

Noticed your blog post on Google maps today and I just wanted to let you know about two “gotcha’s” with Google maps.

As you and J mentioned in your post Google maps only works if you have cell coverage and a data plan. Google maps caches maps that you browse to your phone, so if you’re staying in one area you only need to use your data for that initial caching.

Google maps cache expires after 30 days and gets wiped from your phone. Not an issue if you’re on a short trip.

Here’s a handy reference:

https://support.google.com/maps/answer/6291838?co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid&hl=en

For these reasons, I highly recommend MAPS.ME instead.

http://maps.me/en/home

It works on any type of phone or tablet or computer and covers the entire world. The routing works very well.  I’ve used it in the US, Europe, and on our last Baja trip.

The nice thing is that you download the maps and routing information before your trip starts and it doesn’t require cell coverage to use and the maps don’t time-out.

And most importantly it is totally free.

Cheers,

Dan K.

Awesome inputs, Dan!  Thanks very much!

Good buddy J on last year’s Baja trip!

My good buddy J Brandon (who has ridden with us in Baja before) read the blog yesterday and he offered great suggestions on the cellphone-as-GPS question.  J knows way more about high-tech cellphone gizmo magicry than I ever will, and he sent this note to me regarding using your cellphone as a GPS…

Joe:

Regarding phone apps for navigation in Baja: On my three most recent trips I’ve had good success just using Google Maps on my iPhone. I make sure I’ve got data coverage through my carrier (Verizon) before I leave the US. Once I cross the border the phone connects to a local carrier, usually TelCel or Moviestar, and Google Maps works just as it does back home in Nevada. Meaning it works when I have a data signal. And often when I don’t because Google Maps downloads maps into your phone for use when you are out of cell range. It doesn’t work all the time but it is tremendously useful for getting through the bigger towns without getting lost. In November 2015 I used it to navigate around the start line of the Baja 1000 in Ensenada.

And, as you say, once you are south of Ensenada it is difficult to get lost.

Looking forward to riding with you again. This will be my sixth Baja trip, my third with you, and my fourth riding a motorcycle there.

Hasta, amigo.

J

Muchas gracias, J.  These are good inputs appreciated by all.   I’ll download Google Maps on my cellphone today.

That’s my good buddy Rob in the photo above, who’s going with us on the Baja ride in March.  Rob’s a great guy and a great rider.  He’s covered long distances on his RX3, he was one of the very first RX3 buyers, and he’s done a 1000-mile Iron Butt day on his RX3 motorcycle.  I’ve mentioned Rob on the blog before and in the 5000 Miles At 8000 RPM book (Rob rode with us on portions of that ride).

I was delighted when Rob wrote to tell me he’s riding with us on the next Baja run.  It will be Rob’s first CSC Baja ride, and this morning I received a list of questions from him.  I thought I would answer his questions here for all of the CSC riders who are going with us.

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Joe, you will probably cover these questions later in the blog when talking about the Baja ride coming up. So you don’t have to take time to answer these back to me personally, I can wait till you cover the ride later. I thought I would ask these questions while they are on my mind and maybe they will be a help to all of us on the ride later when you cover the ride plan.

1)  Do you recommend  taking a GPS or better left at home because of theft down there, or just use a cell phone GPS when needed?

It’s totally up to you, Rob.  You won’t need either, but on prior rides, some of the guys liked having their cell phones and their GPS.   Regarding theft, I’ve been riding into Baja for more than 25 years, and I’ve never had anything stolen.   I don’t leave things laying around to tempt people, but in general, once we’re past Ensenada my perception is that it’s safer in Baja than it is in Los Angeles.

I’m a low tech guy (Sue and I are still debating whether to buy a color TV), and when I’m on the motorcycle, I usually don’t use my cell phone or a GPS.  It’s pretty hard to get lost down there once we get past Ensenada (there’s basically only one road).  The GPS programs that you use on a cell phone usually stop within 50 yards of crossing the border.   There are some smart phone apps that provide map capabilities south of the border, and I’ll find out what they are before we leave and post that info on the blog.

If you want to mount your cell phone and use it as a GPS, we recently started carrying a complete line of Ram mounts for doing exactly that.  You can see those accessories on our web site by clicking here.   I’ll probably opt for the Ram mount on my RX3 and I’ll post an installation tutorial on the blog so that anybody who wants to do this on their bike can do so.

2)  Is there cell phone coverage in most places or not so good?  Which carriers?

You can call your cell phone company to get your phone activated in Mexico.  I haven’t done that in the past, but I have activated coverage in other countries.  It never seemed to work very well for me unless folks are calling me.  I actually got a call when I was in Colombia from somebody in California trying to sell solar roof panels to me, which I thought was pretty funny at the time.

3)  Do you speak Spanish, Joe? Do others on the ride speak it?  Or do most of the people of Baja understand English?

I don’t speak Spanish, Rob.   Someday I will, but that’s a bucket list item I haven’t gotten around to yet.   There will be riders with us who speak Spanish.

Many of the people in Baja speak English.   On most of my earlier trips none of us spoke Spanish.  It was never a problem.

4)  Is Dramamine available in stores down there so I don’t start hurling when watching the whales or is it calm enough not to be a problem?  How about the stuff for Montezuma’s revenge (just in case)?

I’ve never purchased Dramamine in Mexico, but I’m guessing you could get it if you needed it.  My advice would be to take some with you (i.e,, buy it in the US to make sure you have it).   As an aside, you can guy a lot of prescription drugs in Mexican farmacias without the prescriptions you’d need in the US.  I’ve purchased Amoxicillin and Prednisone over the counter for the same kind of money we’d pay for aspirin over here.  But there aren’t drug stores all over like you’d see in the US because we’ll be in fairly remote locations.  It’s best to bring whatever you think you need with you.

On the last trip, a couple of the guys lost their lunch while whale watching.  It was the first time I’d seen that happen, but the sea was rougher than I had ever seen it before.  In fact, it was rough enough that I was a little nervous that we might not see any whales.  As it turned out, though, that trip had some of best whale watching I’ve ever encountered.  Usually, though, the waters are calm, as you can see in this video I shot in 2015.

The bottom line is that seasickness is usually not a problem, but if you’re concerned about it I’d recommend you buy the Dramamine just in case.

Regarding an anti-diarrheal, I always recommend to folks who are visiting Baja for the first time to bring along Immodium tablets.  I got sick 45 years ago eating off a vendor cart in Juarez; the Army doctor who treated me told me I’d probably never get sick in Mexico again (and he was right).   For first time visitors, though, it’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.  You can buy it Immodium in Mexico, too, but I advise buying it in advance.  When you need that stuff, you need it right now (as Joe Gresh and I learned the hard way in China when we were faced with a new set of bugs).

On a related topic, you might want to bring along a roll of toilet paper.  The public restrooms won’t always have toilet paper, and of course, if you need to duck behind a Cardon cactus out in the Vizcaino Desert, there won’t be any toilet paper dispensers.   Rattlesnakes, maybe, but no toilet paper.

5)  Is it best to take cash, debit card or credit card for use down there? Can everything be done with debit or credit cards and no cash?

I always bring cash, Rob.   There will be ATMs in some of the locations we visit, but we are going to be in remote areas and I would not count on an ATM being available.  And, you don’t want to be the guy delaying the rest of the group up while you search for an ATM.  Most hotels, restaurants, and gas stations do not take credit or debit cards.   The peso continues to fall against the dollar, so I’m not going to exchange any money until I get down there.  I think it’s something like 22 pesos to the dollar now, which is amazing.  When I first started going down there, it was 8 pesos to the dollar.  And on that topic, everyone in Baja takes dollars.  You don’t need to change your money to pesos.

6)  Is motor oil and antifreeze readily available down there for our RX3’s  or should we bring our own?

Take your own.   You’ll be shocked at how remote and beautifully primitive most of Baja is (that’s the good news).   The bad news is that there won’t be gas stations and auto parts stores on every corner.

We’re going to be putting together a suggested list of spare parts, tools, and fluids to bring along on a ride like this, and Steve told me he’s going to work a “kit” deal for the folks on our Baja run.  Watch for more info on this on the blog in the near future.

7)  What are the dates the ride will start and finish?

We’re leaving at 8:00 a.m. sharp on 19 March, and we’re returning on 26 March.   We always require that everyone be in Azusa the night before for our pre-ride dinner and mandatory safety briefing.  That will be on 18 March at 5:00 p.m. (a Saturday), and it will be at the plant.

8)  On buying Baja insurance should we have it cover a week after the ride in case I break down in Baja and have to wait for a ride or?

I always buy my Baja insurance to start the day I am arriving in Mexico and to finish the day after I return to the US.   We strongly recommend BajaBound insurance.  You can buy the policy online from www.BajaBound.com and print it on your computer (you need to carry proof of insurance for Mexico with you on this trip).  We don’t have a business relationship with BajaBound; I just like the company.  I suppose if you broke down in Mexico you could find a way to contact BajaBound to extend your policy.  I’ve never had that problem.

9)  Do you think after what President Trump has said about discouraging businesses from moving to Mexico, illegals being sent back to Mexico, putting up a fence, that the people of Baja will be unfavorable or hostile to Americans?

I am not worried about this, Rob.  I suppose it’s possible, but the only problem I’ve ever had in Mexico was getting caught in a labor riot a couple of years ago (and that wasn’t directed at Americans; it was directed at Mexican agri-businesses).  Other than that, my experiences with the Mexican people have always been extremely positive.  Regarding President Trump’s positions and people’s reactions to them, I’m more concerned about my liberal friends’ reactions right here in the good old USA.  They seem to be acting out a lot more than anything I’ve ever seen south of the border.

10)  Will we be in Carla King’s neighborhood?  Be fun to visit them and hear their perspective on living down there now with the change in policies on illegals and all.

We will be through Carla and John’s area along Bahia Concepcion, but we have no plans to stop.  Our schedule is already full.   Having said that, it’s entirely possible we may bump into Carla; that happened on our first CSC Baja ride the night we stayed in El Rosario two years ago.  Here’s a photo of Carla joining us for dinner that evening at Mama Espinoza’s…

11)  I have a passport and an Enhanced Driver’s License good for Mexican and Canadian border crossings. Should I bring both or just the Enhanced license?

Some guys have used their Enhanced Driver’s License.  I don’t have that.  I always bring my passport and I recommend to others that they do the same.

12)  I take it we will always be in motels at night so no sleeping bag or tent needed?

Si, mi amigo, si.   This boy stopped sleeping on the ground the day he left the US Army.  Along those lines, we are going to make hotel reservations for each night, and unlike our past practice (in which we fronted the money and then folks had to pay us back during the ride), when we make the hotel reservations for this trip we’ll be asking each of the folks who will ride with us to send the money for their rooms (in advance).   We’ll let you know about that in roughly three weeks.  Prior to that, I’ll ask everyone if they want to share a room, which will cut your hotel expenses in half.

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Rob, I’m really glad you sent your questions to me.  If you have more questions, please ask.

Our good buddy Roland Wheeler will start campaigning his race-prepped CSC RC3 this weekend at Fontana Motor Speedway, and we’d like to invite you to attend.  Roland will be practicing on Saturday and racing on Sunday (his heat will most likely be around noon).   We’ll be there on both days and we’re inviting you!  Watch for more details here on the CSC blog!

When the light goes green, the battery is fully charged. I’m a strong proponent of keeping the bikes on a battery tender between outings.

Like the title says, it’s been rain, rain, and more rain.

It started last night, and it has been raining nonstop since then.   The forecast says So Cal is going be under the clouds (i.e., lots of rain) through Monday.  I was hoping I could get to the rifle range Tuesday morning, but odds are the range will be inaccessible for several more days.   Getting there involves driving through a creek (which is a good thing, as it tends to keep the riff-raff out).   In the rainy season, the water’s too high to get across (even in a 4WD vehicle).

Ah, well, that’s okay.  I’ve been puttering around the house taking care of some things I’d been meaning to but just haven’t found the time.   One of those was installing trickle charger leads on my TT250, and I took care of that today.   I am a big fan of the Battery Tender holistic lifestyle approach, and I consistently get at least two years out of most of my motorcycle batteries when I keep them topped off with a Battery Tender.  The trickle charger leads make it a lot easier to connect a Battery Tender to your bike, and the TT250 is on mine as I type this.   The KLR had its turn this morning, and after the Battery Tender goes green on the TT250, I’ll rotate it over to the RX3.  It won’t take much of a charge, I think, because of our ride up in the San Gabriels yesterday.    We sell Battery Tenders, of course, and they are a “must have” item in my opinion.

Think you’re a tough ADV type? Read this book and you’ll see what tough riding is all about!

Yesterday’s ride sure was fun.   Riding on ice.  Cool stuff.   Literally and figuratively.   Slip sliding around, just like that old song goes.

We thought we were hard core yesterday with our brief trek on Glendora Ridge Road’s ice-glazed roads and in freezing temperatures, but if you want to read about a real hardcore guy and a real hardcore adventure ride, you have to get a copy of Riding the Ice by Dave Barr.

You might wonder…who is Dave Barr?  Dave is a Motorcycle Hall of Fame member, and he’s the real deal.   He rode around the world on a beat-up old Super Glide after losing both legs to a land mine in South Africa (that tale is chronicled in Dave’s first book, Riding the Edge, which I know is the best motorcycle adventure story ever published.   Strong words, I know, but I’ll stand by them.  Riding the Edge is an awesome story, and if you haven’t read that one, you need to.  You can purchase that book here.

As if riding around the world wasn’t enough, Dave took on Siberia as his next challenge.   Yep, Siberia.  Not tough enough for you?  Okay, make that Siberia in the winter.   Yes, you read that right.   A motorcycle ride across Siberia in the winter.   And we thought it was cold yesterday up in the San Gabriels!

Riding the Ice is about Dave’s 13,000-mile run across Siberia on a Sportster in the winter.   It doesn’t get much harder than that.   It’s one of those books I just couldn’t put down.   My advice?  Buy a copy, and you can do so here.

My photo of Dave Barr on a ride around Lake Isabella.

More good stuff on riding on ice:  Have you ever heard of ice racing?   It’s something that’s way out there.   Ice racing motorcycles are modified extensively for this unique form of oval track racing.   If you’ve never seen an ice-racing bike and you find yourself in the St. Louis area, you’ll want to check out the Dave Mungenast Classic Automobiles and Motorcycles Museum.   My good buddy Carl Mungenast (Dave’s brother) read our story about the icy Glendora Ridge Road ride yesterday and sent this photo of an ice bike to me.  It’s one of many exotic motorcycles on display in the Mungenast Museum.

An ice-racing bike on display at the Dave Mungenast Classic Automobiles and Motorcycles Museum.

When we do our cross country ride this summer, the Mungenast Museum will be one of our stops.   I’m really looking forward to seeing it.

That’s it for now, folks.  I think I’m going to put on another pot of coffee and check on the TT250’s battery charging progress.

Our next company ride will be on 4 February, folks, and it will be to the Rock Store just above Malibu.  The Rock Store is one of So Cal’s most iconic moto spots ever, and it is a hoot!  Mark your calendars and watch the blog for more info.

Great ride today, folks.  We had a one-day window in the rain we’ve been having here in So Cal for what seems like a month, the sun was out this morning, and it was cold!  It’s supposed to start raining again tonight, so like they say:  Make hay when the sun shines!

I rode with my good buddies Tom, Willie, Duane, and Rick this morning.   That’s us in the photo above, and I included a few glamour shots of the boys below…

Today was the first time I had an opportunity to ride with Rick (he’s the guy in the photo above with the white RX3).   I told Rick I was going to Photoshop his hair on my head…and I did!

The views from the saddle up in the San Gabriels were stunning this morning…

The stretch of road you see in the photo above is the actual ridgeline (the one for which Glendora Ridge Road is named).

I managed to get a few shots of the boys on their bikes, too…

At one point as we continued to climb, I thought for a second I was getting a flat tire because the rear of my RX3 felt a little squishy and then I realized:  We were riding on ice!   The road had a thin sheet of glare ice on it when we were on the shady side of the mountains (not readily visible) and it was slick.  We had about 4 miles of that stuff and that was more than enough for me (I don’t like riding on ice).  The road didn’t look icey, but it sure was!

When we realized we were on the ice (never a good idea on a motorcycle, I think), we slowed the pace considerably.   It was an “easy does it” low rpm run the rest of the way into Mt. Baldy Village.  We thought we would eat at the lodge there, but the cold weather and snow (and our one brief day of sunshine) brought the tourists out.  The Mt. Baldy Lodge was packed (I’ve never seen it that busy), so we went with Plan B and had a great Mexican lunch at my favorite Mexican place down below.

All in all, it was a great ride today.  Keep an eye on the blog and on our CSC calendar.  We’re thinking of maybe doing the Rock Store above Malibu for the February ride!

The latest in our continuing stream of Shop Talk videos, folks!

….it’s not supposed to rain tomorrow.  Here, see….

I sure hope the weather people got it right this time, and I hope to see you on our CSC ride tomorrow!

Wow, we sure are making up for lost time with the rain.  It’s been close to two weeks now of nearly nonstop rain, and it’s been raining hard all day today.  It started late last night and it’s been steady.

My good CSC-150 and RX3 buddy Twin Peaks Steve (who lives waaay up in the San Bernardino Mountains near Big Bear) sent the above photo to me earlier this morning.   His RX3 is somewhere beneath all that white stuff.

The rainy weather is supposed to go away tomorrow (at least that’s what the forecast is showing), so we’re still planning to do our company ride.   We’ll be leaving at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, and I hope to see you there!