Back In Mazatlan

Sunset on the beach at Novillero. Fishing boats in foreground.

Dancing in the plaza in front of our hotel

Day 21 – Sayulita to Playa Novillero


After a late night on the town, bar crawling and dancing, we were unable to get an early start. I didn’t feel my best today and once we moved away from the coast it was very hot. Hwy 15 is a busy road. There is a lot of truck traffic. This combined with plenty of small towns and the accompanying topes dropped our average speed below 50 kph. (6 hours to travel just under 300 K)
As we approached Playa Novillero there was noticeable drop in temperature, thanks to the on-shore breeze. We had visited Playa Novillero on our last trip so we knew what to expect. When we arrived the hotel operator remembered us and when we went for supper, the restaurant owner also remembered us.
Speaking of food... we discovered “ceviche”. It is a raw seafood dish. Seafood and vegetables are marinated in lime juice. Various seafoods can be used, fish, squid, scrimp, etc. On tonight’s menu was ceviche de camarones (scrimp).
This morning we are riding to Mazatlan to catch the ferry to the Baja. We have 2 conflicting ferry schedules. We should be able to catch one today or tomorrow.



Day 22 – Playa Novillero to Mazatlan


The day started out like any other but an unexpected event has demanded a change of plan.
About 90K out of Mazatlan Lee’s bike suddenly started running rough. At the first opportunity we found some shade at a Pemex station and tried to diagnose the problem. His bike was still running but as if on one cylinder, sputting and backfiring, stalling at low engine speeds. We could not find any obvious problems, loose wires, disconnected vacuum hoses, etc. We changed a spark plug but we could not rectify the problem.
The guys at the Pemex station told us that there was no one in town that could help and that we would find help in Mazatlan. Luckily the bike ran well enough to get to the city. On the way Lee noticed a motorcycle repair shop so we stopped to ask them if there was a Suzuki dealership in Mazatlan. They gave us directions that helped us find the dealership. Communication is a bit of a problem, but the people could not be more friendly and accommodating.
We arrived at the dealership a few minutes after 2pm.... siesta time! The dealership is closed between 2 and 4pm. It was scheduled to re-opened between 4 and 6 so Linda and I went to get some hotel rooms while Lee waited with the bike. Luckily we had stopped in Mazatlan on the way down so we knew are way around (to some extent) and we already knew of a nice, inexpensive hotel... the Del Rio. After getting settled in the hotel and a quick bite to eat, I went back to see Lee, just as the dealership reopened.
After talking to the dealer we discovered that he did not have a service dept but he gave us directions to an independent shop, “Euromotor”, located a couple of K from the dealership. We hobbled over to the general area to find senor Ramone but couldn’t find it. We stopped to ask again and luckily, again, we were next door to Euromotor. Unfortunately, Ramone had gone to Durango and would not be back until Monday!
This, of course, presented us with the problem of what to do with Lee’s bike until Monday. At this point it is hardly running. We discussed leaving the bike in front of the shop and asked the guys next door at the car stereo shop if they thought that idea might be OK. They told us emphatically that it was not a good idea. At this point, the owner of the car stereo store, Antonio, offered to store Lee’s bike in the back of his shop until Monday. After a round of introductions, handshakes and big smiles we manoeuvred Lee’s bike into the tight space at the back of the shop. We promised to be back at 10 am Monday then Lee jumped on the back of my bike and we headed back to the hotel.
We won’t know the extent of the necessary repairs to Lee’s bike until Monday (or later). We think that the problem could be related to ignition timing. An electronic module may have failed or the timing chain may have stretched and jumped a link. In either case a quick fix is unlikely. Mazatlan is not a bad place to be for a few days. There is lot’s to see and do. The accommodation is comfortable and inexpensive.
We just came back from walking to the ferry port to confirm the schedule and rates. The passenger ferry leaves for the Baja on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Depending on how long it takes to repair Lee’s bike we may not take the ferry but return north on the mainland. The ferry is quite expensive. For Linda and I plus the motorcycle is roughly $350. one way. There is no point in taking the ferry if we don’t have time to explore the Baja.
Will update the blog when we have new info.