Mexico Road King Adventure

I just got back from a week touring around Mexico on a rented Harley Davidson Roak King. This scenario came about when my bike was not allowed to cross into mainland Mexico because of a temporary vehicle import permit snaffu. I decided to salvage the trip by renting the Hog. I rented the bike from PV Cycles in Puerto Vallarta. From there I rode down the coast to Manzanillo. The next day I hit some spectacular coast roads on my way to the next stop: Zihuatanejo. I relaxed in beautiful Villa Carolina for a couple of days. Then it was time to hit the road again. I rode inland to Patzcuaro, a mountain village straight out of the 1500s. I stayed in a centuries-old building called Hotel Posada de la Basilica. In the morning I rode the shores of mist-shrouded Lake Patzcuaro. I stumbled across the ruins of the city of Ihuiatzio, which was the capital of the P’urhepecha kingdom from 1200-1530, although it had been settled since 900.

From there I rode through the mountains and rancheros to hook up with the main toll highway leading to Guadalajara from Mexico City.  It was wonderful to open up the throttle on the wide smooth 4-laned freeway. I managed to get the King up to 105 mph, but this was on a slight downgrade. The best I ever managed on the flat was 99 mph. I exited after a couple of hundred km so that I could ride the southern shore of Lake Chapala and around to the town of Chapala, where I spent my last night in Mexico. The ride along the south shore of Lake Chapala was a winner with great views of the lake and mountains. I stayed in an English B&B in Chapala that had a proper English garden in the inner courtyard. I also ate a proper English breakfast to set me off for my last day of riding from Chapala over the spectacular Sierra Madre to Puerto Vallarta.

A complete set of my Harley Mexico trip photos are posted on flickr.

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