Motorcycles South of the Border
Text + Photos: Mike Blanchard
Spotlight | Motorcycles are very popular in Mexico. Much more popular than in the United States where bikes still enjoy the outlaw image of the biker. Why would you ride something dangerous when you could travel in comfort and safety in a car…or better yet, a massive pickup truck. Yea buddy. Outside of the States the world is quite different. In Mexico whole families will ride on one scooter or motorcycle with no helmets. Flocks of commuters ride to work in the morning and back home at night. Wander the city late at night and you will find crazypost apocalyptic smashed and put back together motorcycles leaned up against a pole in front of a cantina. Tied up with a huge chain around the pole. All night long crazy pizza delivery riders tear ass around town on their motorcycles.
“Wander the city late at night and you will find crazy post apocalyptic smashed and put back together motorcycles leaned up against a pole in front of a cantina. ”
Like many parts of Asia the large techno moto adventure bug like motorcycles are much less common than solid 125cc to 250cc Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha thumpers and their lesser Chinese brethren. Small bikes are much more useable, cheaper and easy to fix for the average Mexican rider. They suite the terrain better.
There is an undeniable truth: Where there is the motorcycle there also will be the rebel. The young person with no money and a set of tools who knows exactly how a motorcycle should look. Everywhere there is the rebel. These bikes were spotted on the streets of San Miguel De Allende and Ciudad Guanajuato. For the most part anonymous. We don’t know who built them. They speak their own language. They make their own statement about culture and the individual.
