Why Vacation – Adventure Instead!

MotoCaribe SW Tour of the Dominican Republic…

Riding a motorcycle through this unparalleled combination of roads, sights, stops, food, and culture will simply blow your mind. It’s the only way to describe it.

Mind Blowing.

A MotoCaribe Motorcycle Tour of the South West Region offers you the following:

• Start off riding in the highest mountain range in the Caribbean.
• Next day touring around a salt water lake that is 144 feet BELOW sea level.
• Exploring the “Frontier” region of the DR.
• On the amazing Suzuki V-Strom!

Riding roads that hug the Caribbean for endless miles…

A true desert region with:

• Iguanas.
• Cactus.
• Salt Water Crocodiles.
• Flamingos.
• Sand Dunes.

Always supported by our dedicated staff that will take care of everything – it’s all-inclusive – just bring your warm weather riding gear.

P.S. A few seats available on the January 31 to February 7 SW tour – call 1-877-Moto-Fun x 100 for details!

Watch the SW Tour Video Below…. I triple dog dare you!

FULL TOUR DETAILS BELOW!

Check out what Daryl aka ThorHiney has to say!

South West Tour Review – Stromtroppers

Day 1

“The Adventure Begins.” After getting acquainted with your V-Strom 650, you rally through mountains and valleys to the nearly-hidden waterfront village of Las Salinas on a narrow peninsula snuggled between a bay and the Caribbean Sea. Along the journey, you’ll tour a cavern with ancient drawings by the indigenous people and see the vegetation morph from tropical green to desert arid. Dinner is served on the veranda overlooking the yacht basin. Simply magnificent!

Day 2

“Into the Desert.” You’ll blast further into the only desert in the Caribbean. Along the route, you’ll venture onto side roads for lunch at a mountain ”rancho” and experience a strange place that gravity “forgot”…where your bike rolls uphill on its own! Your destination is the bustling town of Barahona where you’ll be greeted with tropical drinks at your sea-front resort. Dinner is a buffet of Dominican specialties.

Day 3

“Loop of the Lake.” A fascinating day of amazing riding as you circumnavigate Lago Enriquillo, a salt lake 144 ft. below sea level in the largest true desert in the Caribbean. The road is a riders’ dream as you blast through miles salt flats, rocky mountain passes and sugar cane fields, with stops that include a BBQ cook-out lunch in an real oasis, ancient cave carvings, and a National Park where giant iguanas scurry around like hungry kittens. A scrumptious dinner buffet ends a fantastic day.

Day 4

“THIS is Adventure Touring!” Many of our riders have claimed this is their single greatest motorcycling experience of their lives, an epic adventure of pure motorcycling awesomeness and a day you will never forget. You’ll rally south along the majestic hills next to the Caribbean Sea for miles…think Pacific Coast Highway…through quaint seaside villages, then blast down a frontier National Park road ending in the border town of Pedernales.

After a stop at the Haitian border crossing in Pedernales you’ll ride fantastic hard-packed desert roads to a tiny seaside village. There you’ll feast on a scrumptious seafood lunch in quaint thatch-roof restaurant just feet from the postcard-perfect blue sea. This is living large, MotoCaribe style, and you will NOT want to leave! And the best part? You get to ride those spectacular roads back to the resort!

Day 5

“A Beach in Paradise” day. Early Risers can opt for the 6 a.m. “Rise and Shine with Ed” ride (who knows where he will lead) and be back to the resort in time to change for a van excursion to the beach. The MC crew sets up Camp Moto Beach, with shade tents, chairs, coolers full of your favorite beverages, snacks, beach toys and snorkel gear. Today’s goal: pure relaxation, Caribbean Style. Lunch will be freshly grilled seafood with all the trimmings, prepared riverside. You’ll take a quick cleansing dip in the cool, clear water of the nearby freshwater stream flowing into the sea, and van back to the resort in time for a beachside BBQ.

Day 6

“Back into the Valley.” You get a lot of seat time today as your adventure leads back to the mountains of Jarabacoa. You’ll be making great time as you blast along highways with a lunch stop at a natural water park. A long riding day ends with a Farewell Dinner high overlooking the city.

Day 7

We say our “hasta luego” and “Buena vieja” as our van takes you to Santiago International Airport for your departing flights, knowing you’ll be back!

Touring Samana in the Dominican Republic on a Motorcycle = Mind Blowing!

Day 3 of MotoCaribe’s North Coast Tour – On the Samana Peninsula in the Dominican Republic – these are the places our guests experience while on tour with MotoCaribe.

-Click the V-Stroms!

Day 3

• “Ooh and Aah” Day. An End-of-the-Road-in-Paradise seaside village beckons followed by amazing back roads leading to fascinating ocean-front geological formations of Indiana Jones-style caves, mind-blowing scenic vistas and “hold-onto-your-hat” blow-holes.

• The day is still young. You make a spirited mountain run through sweeping curves toward a magical deep-jungle waterfall where you trade your V-Strom for a horse for the last stretch. Following lunch in an authentic Dominican “parador,” you’ll ride through the beach town of Las Terrenas and challenge another twisty high-mountain road, returning to your resort for another great dinner buffet.

View Larger Map

This map gives you an overall view of the Dominican Republic – It’s 18,000 square miles in size – that’s equivalent to the State of Maryland.

View Larger Map

About Samaná Province – Wiki

“Samaná is a province of the Dominican Republic. Its capital is Santa Bárbara de Samaná, also known as Samaná City. Samaná is located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in the northeastern part of the Dominican Republic. It is known for its mountains of which it is almost entirely formed. Samaná has numerous beaches, and with the 6 November 2006 opening of the new Samaná El Catey International Airport, it is bound to become one of major tourist destinations in the Dominican Republic. It was discovered on January 12 1493 by Christopher Columbus who was greeted with a barrage of spears and arrows from native Taíno warriors. It is said that this was the first instance of violent opposition to the Spanish conquistadors in the Americas. Samaná is considered one of the most beautiful areas of the Dominican Republic, yet remains one of the least known by Dominican natives in general and foreign visitors in particular. Its tourist industry has not yet exploited the full potential of its location: the tropical forests, coconut groves, hundreds of cozy alcove beaches with turquoise crystal clear waters, waterfalls, and protected national parks.”

How to Ride a Motorcycle in the Caribbean

Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.

-Dorothy

Having visited the country repeatedly for over 20 years and now living and working in Paradise full time, MotoCaribe has developed a different perspective of riding in the Dominican Republic. Our stable of V-Stroms has over 30,000 accident-free miles riding all over the country on all kinds of roads and in all sorts of conditions. And we’ve learned a few things that can not only enhance the enjoyment of riding motorcycles in this incredible place, but keep a rider safe and accident free. Safety is the single most important aspect of the sport of motorcycle riding…or it should be.

Rules of the Road: There IS a Pattern to the Chaos

Simply stated, roads are used differently in the DR than here in the States. Your home motorcycle riding environment exists no more. You are a visitor in a highly evolved system and there are certain expectations of you simply because you are on a motorcycle within that structure. Understanding how to integrate within that developed traffic pattern is the key to your riding safety in the DR. Ready to surf the edge of chaos?

The Basic Riding Dynamics

You need to have a complete disregard for the localized traffic rules that you love and understand from home. Rules exist in the DR, but they are different. Accept that premise and realize that it will take some time for you to acclimate to the new dynamics, the sooner the better. We have found it takes the average rider about 4 hours until they begin to reach a comfort level with the new rules. We aren’t talking about legalities or rights or wrongs here. We are talking about the unspoken realities and how they relate to your safety. Remember: You are a new species in a very established ecosystem.

Size Matters:

The bigger the vehicle the more it has the implied Right of Way. Embrace this dynamic because it ain’t never gonna change, Sparky. Never assume that that bus or SUV coming at you is going to get out of your way. That’s your job.

Right Rut:

The center of the road is the most dangerous place to be on a motorcycle. The right rut is the safest place to be, since the dangerous threats come from two places:

• Someone coming directly at you crossing the center line while passing a slower vehicle or avoiding a pothole. This happens quite frequently, two lane roads in the DR being the norm but often driven by Dominican drivers as if they were three lanes.

• Someone overtaking you and you don’t see or hear them. Any movement out of the right rut should always be preceded by a solid visual and aural assessment of what is directly behind you.

A Special Note:

When approaching a blind uphill turn on a mountain road, exercise special caution. Staying in the right rut and beeping twice is mandatory. Dominican drivers know the roads very well and are likely to carry speed down those hills, passing trucks and slower vehicles that commonly use engine compression to save their brakes. They could be over the center line coming downhill. Having your bike near the center line is a sure recipe for disaster.

The right rut is especially important going up steep hills. You’ll see many overloaded trucks belching smoke and oil onto the road as they labor mightily. Their engines are under considerable pressure, resulting in a spray of some nice, fresh oil on the center of the lane. Unless your bike has special “oil tread” tires…and I’ve yet to see them…stay away from the oily center rut as much as possible.

Use Your Horn!

Using your horn to let other drivers know your intentions is as standard as using your turn signals. The norm is two beeps before you pass someone and approaching a blind curve.

You Will Get Passed, So Let Them By:

If you’re thinking about blocking that SUV wanting to pass you, even when traffic is tight, and you think you have the Right of Way, think again. That SUV will pass you, even if it means forcing you off the road. Never, ever challenge it.

Passing Slower Vehicles:

You will be passing slower vehicles on a regular basis and there are virtually no rules. Caution is all that matters.

Always:

Check behind you before maneuvering into a position to pass. Dominicans will pass multiple vehicles at a time and yours may be one of those when he’s behind you.  Then check the road ahead to determine what is approaching you, put the blinker on, use a hand signal and beep, quickly get around the vehicle and back into the right rut. The key is staying off the center line as much as possible.

Ride In the “Bubble”:

This is the common practice of positioning yourself in traffic in clear space. There is no one close on your rear nor are you on someone else’s rear. This means getting past slower traffic when necessary and letting faster traffic pass you. On a big motorcycle you are traveling faster than motos and most trucks, and sometimes slower than cars, so this is a very natural state of operation. Always give yourself space.

Group Riding Single File:

With few exceptions, single file is always the best option for group riding. It gives all riders maximum road to react and avoid road hazards and other traffic. Adhering to the “2 second rule” between the bikes is not just important but should be mandatory, as it allows riders to have time to react safely to hazards. Staggered group riding should not be used, because no rider should be near the center line where it would limit his ability to avoid road hazards.  Hand signals should always be used and passed back, lead rider to tail gunner, with lead rider reinforcing these continuously. “Lost Man” procedures should be implemented in the event a problem occurs that splits the group.

In the rare occurrence of having to stop for a red light, an exception to the single file rule should be made by riders splitting the lane side-by-side to keep the group together. Left in single file, motos would bunch in and all around the column, creating all manner of havoc and confusion. When the light changes, proceed in a single line.

more to come…

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