Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

00 so .... C) C) ie' :::;; DOWN MEXICO WAY star)' and Photos 1lY Bill Harmer Following the recent publication in Cycle New s of a story, under my byline, about the TT races in Tijuana, 1 have been deluged with requests (woul d you beli eve 3?) for more i nformati on. Request s are not so much about the races but for information about taking cycles i nto Mexico. Is Injur ed '(even If It' s the driver himse lf), no matter how slight the Injuries may be. You need have no fear of being arrested or havi ng your vehicle impounded If you stop at one of the many Mexican Insu r ance offices on either side of the border and take outan inexpens ive two-or three-day policy. It is n' t that your AmerIcan polic y Is no good, It's just that the Mexi can authorities don' t recognize It In case a bond has to be pos ted to guarantee financial r esponsibility. It Is not a law aimed at American visitors but appli es just as strictly to Mexican citizens. Mechanics Available Bi ll Harmer (Iar Ielt) describes route to Ensends to lellow enthusl asts Clarence Braun 01 San Diego and Jerry Woollen (Honda Scrambler) oil USS Constellation. Having been raised on the border with many childhood Mexican friends and being bl-Ungual of sorts, I have always considered Ti juana as a kind of suburb of San Diego. In my memory, T .J . has changed from a little, grubby two-block town of solid saloons, catering to thirsty Gringos and fugitives from the Volstead act, Into a thriving Industrial and tourist city of some 350,000 persons. As far as breakdowns of your machine are concerned, there are excellent mechanics - both for automob iles and cycles throughout Mexic o, but In case you are dOUbtful, a tow to the bor der cos ts less than a tow of equal distance In the states and, on the highways, there Is a jeep patrol with uniformed drivers patrolling constantly. They can make min 0 r repairs, change tires, furnish gasoline, etc., all at no charge to the motorist. Concerning the language harrier, It definitely helps If you have some know-' ledge of Spanish (even the highschool variety) but It Is not necessary. If you can't communicate with s ign language or gestures your Baja fr iend will soon call someone who speaks English. I have met little old ladles, traveling by Mexican bus deep In the Inter ior of the country who were having a wonderful time without knowing a word of Spanish, so no self-respecting cycle rider should fear any inconvenience that may be encountered. Is It Really Scary? I never realized the fears and apprehens ions that many Americans have about entering Mexic o. People expressed all kinds of fears; They had heard frightful tales about the consequences of even a minor traffic accident. They feared what might happen If they had motor trouble. They were afraid that their Inablllty to speak the Spanish language would cause dlfflculty and they had even heard stories of the dreadful roads In Baja CaJlfornia. Some were concer ned about a rumor that motorcycles generally wer e unwelcome and r iders faced the pos sibility of being arrested. These fears are not without some foundation but are generally greatly exaggerated. For Ins tance, traffi c accidents. In Mexico, It Is a criminal offense to be the driver of a vehicle which Is Involved in an accident where someone Beautiful yl ew lrom garden 01 notable hal'. way house overlooking Pacilic between n. Juana and Ensenada. Food and ~Ink are delicioUs. MiS WINS -- - :;- RICHMOND SCRAMBLES MARCH 1 1th 1st 100-200ee AM/EX JOHN DOTSON SPROCKETS TT SCRAMBLES MARCH l1t" 1st 100ce NOV. TOM JYPER Distributed by M/ B S portscy cles 311 E. Alexander, Tacoma, W ash., 98421 Re plica of the ancient Aztec rain god ' T laloc· was brought to this place of honor In TIJuana. A 3-day deluge flooded the city ... th thousands being evacuated. The story about cyclists not being welcome stems from an Incident which happened several years ago. It seems that a group of motorcyclists had a run that terminated In the little mountain community of Tecate, which Is famous for Its brewery, some 40 mUes east of Tijuana. Some participants partook of an abundance of the local cerveza and misbehaved to the extent of destroying property and terrifying the townspeople. For so me wh 11e afterwards, motorcycles were not overly welcome In Tecate, especlalIy In groups. By contrast, my wife and I cross the border on our bike several times a week and never get more than a wave or nod. Just remember that you are guests In a foreign country and you'll find It the friendliest place in the world. There Is a recent Mexican government policy that might be wor th mentioning. Hippies and other unwashed types are refused entrance at the border on the basis that they are undesirable aliens. Recently a large band of Arne r ic a n " flower children" were arrested at their beach camp near Ensenada. They were taken to the local Jail and g I v e n baths , haircuts (shorter than crewcut), shaves and deported to the border. A smiling Mexican official told me, .. It gave them an entirely new outlook on life ." Unles s you are a one percenter, you need have no fear of any such ac tion. It Is true that you can find the most horr ible roads In the world In Baja (no exaggeration) but you have to travel many miles of smooth scenic highways to find them. The new toll r oad from TIjuana to Ensenada Is super, but remember when the speed limit si gns say 110, that It Is In kilometers. A kilometer Is 5/ 8 of a mile so If It says 110 you better watch It when you get to 65 on your American or English speedometer . In Baja, It Is generally safe to eat In restaurants (not from street vendors) of first and second class variety, and my wife and I even take a chance on plac es of a lesser reputation once In a while , but don't drink water except In the very best places. Bottled soft drinks and Mexican beer are available everywhere and are Inexpensive and safe to drink although you may not always be able to have them cold, especially In the remote sections of the country. Don't dr ink Iced dr inks excepting In the better restaurants or hotel s as the Ice Is made of the same water that you can't drink without chancing an attack of .. Montezuma 's Revenge" which Is sometimes known as the .. Mexican Two- step." It may s ound funny but It Is no laughing matter and can ruin your trip to Mexico. Under no conditions , drink milk. Whether you want to go down for a day of fun at the Tijuana TT racer or jus t a pleasurable day at the bullfights, Caliente horse races, deep sea fishing, camping or jus t a scenic drive down the Baja coast, you' ll find It to be a very enjoyable adventure. Incidentally, our trip was made possible through the cour tesy of Ea r l Roloff of Guy Urquhart's shop In San Diego, who fur nished the machine for our journey. Mexico Is a free por t and If you bave roo m In your s addle bags, you may wish to take advantag e of the wonderful bargains In Imported perfumes , glassware, fine guitars, etc ., that are offered In the many stores along the main street. You might even want to get your boots shined by one of the street ur chins. He'll want mor e, but you can get the lower part shined for 15~ or If the uppers need attention try to get the whole job for a quarter. Cali for nia residents may not bring back liquor, but If you have a driver's license or ,Identifica tion showIng that you are a resident of another state you may bring back a gal lon every thirty days. If you do go shopping In the curio stores on the main street, keep In mind that the prices asked are sometimes twice as much as the vendor will actually accept for the time, so govern your self accordingly. Whatever your reason for a visit to Mexico, I can highly recommend It. Get out your bike, fill your buddy seat companionably and head down Interstate 5 for a day of fun. It Is the nices t time of the year for vacationing. MARTY'S HAS MOVED Marty's Foreign Motors, long-time dealer s of BMW and Moto- Guzzi In the Culver City area, have moved to a new location In Torrance and wish to welcome all old and new customers to their new fa clll ty . The new address Is Marty' s Foreign Motors, 1730 W. Carson (at Western), Torrance, Cal. 90501; phone (213) 3207040. It's 1-1 /2 miles west of the San Diego Freeway. The same high-quality attention to sales, s ervice , parts and ac cessory bus iness will prevail at the new shop , which is open daily from 8 a .m, til 5 p.rn., Fridays and Saturdays until 5:30. UPCOMING ROAD RACE AT CARLSBAD Road raci ng ac tion resumes at Carls bad Raceway for the first time s ince the Oiytona nationals. A full day of road racing Is card ed for the 1.4- mile track and races for all sizes and classes of machin es will be held. In addition to the r egular Grand Prix machines , the Playboys M.C. will once agai n host a class for prod uction s tr eet mac hines , 250cc and under. Headl1n1ng the many s tar pave ment racers will be Jody Nicholas who has only lost once In two pr evious meetings In both heat races and main events . Jody, the for mer national road racing champ, is undefeated in the open class for big bore machines and has suffered his only los s In a 250cc heat race. The Navy pilot will again enter a Yamaha in the 250 class and a 650cc BSA TwIn In the open division. Pit gates open at Carlsbad at 9:00 a. m, and close at Noon. All races and all classes are open to any and all rider s. No license Is required. Race ti me Is set for 1:30 p.m.

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