Mototaxi Racing in Lima

[oldgringo]

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

That's pretty cool. I visited the Mayan ruins at Tulum in Mexico, and I'd sure like to see more.

Wow, 198,000 km on their 125cc Mavila? They've got Spud beat by a long shot. Do the three of them ride together, like in photos I've seen? Do they speak your language or you theirs?

The three of them were on the moto, it's common to see complete families on small motos. We pulled into the ruins at the same time, they spoke Spanish so it wasn't a problem, they had a picnic and asked be to join them, nice folks. That said, millions of people in the Andes speak Quechua or Aymara (there are many dialects of both languages), earlier this week I got lost in a remote area near the Bolivian frontier, I found several groups of indigenous people but could not communicate with any of them.

[culcune]

Crazy Carl rode his bike into high elevations in China in his movie, and I know I have seen photos of these bikes at high elevations, but a 125 with three adults is 8O

Gringo, keep these photos coming!

I know these bikes come from the factory lean; is it for the elevation?

[FastDoc]

I know these bikes come from the factory lean; is it for the elevation?

Probably just for the EPA.

[katoranger]

Keep the FANTASTIC photos coming. Probably the only way I will ever experience South America.

[oldgringo]

Doc, I'm not too sure about the EPA here, they still sell leaded gas, in the rural areas it is hard to find unleaded. katoranger, thanks again for the mototaxi adventure link. I keep hearing about a custom mototaxi club in Northern Peru, I guess these guys have lowered mototaxis, with alloy wheels, custom interiors and paint jobs, I'll find them someday!
The photo below is of Julian from Argentina, he has been touring South America on his 200cc Honda for five months, says he really struggles on the high altitude passes, really a cool guy, what a journey on that moto! I better explain the photos, we met in the middle of a massive protest, the Panamericana had been blocked for two days by protesters, I got permission from the policia to run the gauntlet and was headed north, Julian did the same and was heading south, we had met in the middle. I was really surprised to see another rider out there, we stopped, took photos and and advised each other how to get out safely. I finally made it through to the police line, hopefully, he got through OK

[Weldangrind]

I genuinely appreciate that you share your adventures with us, OG.

What exactly was Julian riding? I've never heard of an XL200, although it would sure make sense.

[oldgringo]

Weldangrind, Honda sells XL 200's in South America, I think that they are built in Argentina http://www.honda.com.pe/productos/co...&pEstatica=162

Thought I's add this, Zanella is another moto built (maybe assembled) in Argentina, I've seen a few, the quality looks good.
http://www.zanella.com.ar/sitio/index.php

[MICRider]

Awesome photos! I love seeing the small displacement machines at work, such a refreshing change from the overkill of everything where I live. One of my favourite threads on ADVrider is the thread on minimalist touring. Thank you again for sharing the pics and experiences of living in Peru, it looks like a beautiful country

[oldgringo]

Another Peruvian Honda link

http://www.domadaparatodoterreno.com/index.html

[oldgringo]

Local Honda mototaxi dealer's video, this is great. I don't see a lot of Honda mototaxis

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by oldgringo

Weldangrind, Honda sells XL 200's in South America, I think that they are built in Argentina http://www.honda.com.pe/productos/co...&pEstatica=162

Thought I's add this, Zanella is another moto built (maybe assembled) in Argentina, I've seen a few, the quality looks good.
http://www.zanella.com.ar/sitio/index.php

The Honda XL200 looks like a great little motorcycle! The Zanella also looks good. Thanks for posting the links, OG!

Spud

[pikacho]

FYI, there's a new trek launching at the start of the year and we've got two motos on our team. For this event, we're going from Cusco to Piura.

For any eyewitnesses or folks in Peru, I'm definitely interested in any tips and guidance. OG, you seemed to have tracked progress in the past. Great to see photos and hear of any road/path suggestions to make the journey.

I'm particularly curious of towns along the way that would have moto maintenance/repair capabilities that we should look for along the way. I bought a Lifan GY200 to familiarize myself with the moto and intend to ride it regularly when I get back.

Thanks!
Pagogh
Team: beerandahandfulofdust.com

[SpudRider]

Welcome to these forums, Pikacho. We are glad you joined us. Please start a thread in our Ride Report forum when you begin your trek!

Spud

[oldgringo]

Pagogh,
You should have no problem with mechanics or parts anywhere is Peru, there are Chinese moto dealers everywhere, in the small towns you will find a repair shop if there is no dealer.
It looks like you can choose you own route, for many reasons I would avoid the easy way, Cusco-Lima-Piura. That said, remember that January is the rainy season in the Andes, you will run into rain and muddy roads. This is not really a suggestion, just an idea of a good route, Cusco-Abancay-Huancayo-Tarma-Huaraz. There are many options north of Huaraz, Carhuaz-Yungay and Caraz are great, a good place to kick back for a day. I'd head to Cajamarca from there, check the news reports first, there has been unrest and protests up there for several weeks, you may have to find an alternative route. I have been on all of these roads and they are all doable in a mototaxi, the only road that I know north of there is the Panamericana. Bing Maps in a is a fairly good resource but not entirely accurate, if you have not already done so, check out the Peru GPS project http://perut.org/index.php?PHPSESSID...mod;dl=item193
Let me know if you have any questions, I'll try and answer them.

OG