1,000 Miles in Baja
In 1962, Honda America's Jack McCormack and Walt Fulton were looking to make a long-distance off-road run to demonstrate the reliability of their new Honda CL72 Scrambler. The pair went to the now legendary off-road racer, Bud Ekins, for advice. Ekins proposed they ride the 950 miles between Tijuana to La Paz in Baja, Mexico. Paved roads were scarce at the time, whereas dry lake beds, sand washes and rocky desert terrain were not. Bud nominated his brother, Dave Ekins, and Billy Robertson Jr. to perform the run, and they did so in 39 hours and 56 minutes.
A few years later, in 1967, Bruce Meyers set out to break the record in his four-wheeled buggy known as the Meyers Manx. With a journalist in tow, Bruce Meyers and Ted Mangels made their successful run in 34 hours and 45 minutes, besting Ekins' time by more than 5 hours. So began the battle between bikes and buggies, and later that year the first official race – then called the NORRA Mexican 1000 Rally – was held.
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A clipping from Cycle World following the 1968 Baja 1000
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The Baja 1000 and other off-road desert races began painting the Baja peninsula as the wild west of off-road motorcycling. That reputation was further cemented by the famous sand dune footage in Bruce Brown's 1971 film On Any Sunday, featuring Mert Lawwill, Malcolm Smith, and Steve McQueen.
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Image from Motorcyclist Magazine showing filming of On Any Sunday in Baja
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Fast forward to modern day, and Baja remains one of the most in-demand destinations for motorcyclists. In order to help riders experience Baja on two wheels, we have dramatically expanded our Baja program over the last few years. In addition to our popular Best of Baja Adventures, which are one-way journeys along the entire length of the Baja peninsula, our Baja Backroads Adventure now offers dual sport enthusiasts some thrilling unpaved exploration through the heart of northern Baja.
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RoKo during one of her solo journeys through Baja
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For those that prefer to strike out on their own, we provide fully insured rental motorcycles out of our Los Angeles area location. Robyn "RoKo" Kocienski is our resident Baja specialist, with several solo rides under her belt. Our rental customers are invited to talk with Robyn about the best riding routes and stops, tips for traveling in Mexico, and the necessary paperwork to cross the border.
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Ari Henning and Zack Courts from MotorTrend's Throttle Out
(photo: Sparza Creative)
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This expertise was exactly what moto-journalists Ari Henning and Zack Courts were looking for when they set out to ride the length of the Baja Peninsula for their new show called Throttle Out on MotorTrend. In the spirit of the original run by Ekins and Robertson, they opted for a pair of 125cc Honda Monkeys. We have worked with Zack and Ari in the past, so we were happy to consult with them to make sure their experience in Baja was top notch. Click below to watch the trailer for the episode on our website.
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You don't have to be a moto-journalist to discover Baja for yourself! You can join us on one of our fully supported guided adventures, or we can help you plan your own adventure with one of our rental motorcycles. If a wintertime sojourn in Baja is for you, then we hope to hear from you soon! If you're not convinced, we've pulled together some of our most popular Baja articles so you can learn more about this magical motorcycling wonderland!
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Upcoming Events
Phil Freeman, Robyn "RoKo" Kocienski, and Kevin Hagerty are heading back out on the road in January and February. Catch this dynamic duo at a rally, show, or dealership near!
January 18-19 | BMW NEF Rally | Starke, FL
Phil and Robyn will be at the BMW Motorcycle Club of North East Florida's Winter Rally at Camp Blanding. Phil will be giving presentations on riding in Japan and South America during the rally. Click here for more details.
January 22 | ACE Cafe Orlando | Orlando, FL
Euro Cycles of Tampa presents a Phil Freeman presentation on riding in Patagonia, 7:00pm at the ACE Cafe. RSVP with the dealership!
January 23 | Gulf Coast Motorcycles | Fort Myers, FL
Phil will be giving a presentation on riding in South America at 7:00pm. RSVP with the dealership!
February 8-10 | International Motorcycle Show | Washington D.C.
Come find Robyn and Kevin at the show to talk about riding in Baja, Alaska, South America, or anywhere else your heart desires! More info and tickets here.
February 15-17 | International Motorcycle Show | Chicago, IL
Come find Robyn and Kevin at the show to talk about riding in Baja, Alaska, South America, or anywhere else your heart desires! More info and tickets here.
February TBD | Cycle Werks | Barrington, IL
Join RoKo for a presentation about riding in Baja, Mexico. RSVP with the dealership!
Stay tuned for more dealership events in the Chicago and Washington DC areas!
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