Machine prep
Your machine has to last 800 miles, far from any shop
We ride a steady pace with no ride-wide support truck. A few groups bring a chase team, most don't, so a breakdown far from town is your group's to fix. Start prep in January. The week before is too late to order parts.
Fuel: the longest stretch is 124 miles
Measured on the 2024 GPS tracks. Some stops sell from a barrel and run dry. The worst case: if Cataviña is out and the Bahía turn is closed, your last sure fuel was the Pemex on Day 3, about 270 miles before the Pemex in Bahía.
Know your real range
Fill up, ride 50 miles of real trail at home, and measure what you used. Plan for the longest stretch plus 30%, about 160 miles. Then have a plan for 270 if Cataviña is dry: extra cans, or fuel the group carries to share.
Bikes: 1–2 gallons extra
Most stock tanks won’t cover 124 miles of desert. Run an oversize tank, or carry a fuel bottle or bladder on Days 1, 3, 4 and 6.
UTVs: a 5-gallon pack
Mount a 5-gallon fuel pack on the rack for Days 3, 4 and 6. Skip barrel fuel when you can; it’s rough on UTV engines.
Fill at every Pemex
Even if you're half full. Barrel fuel is often low octane and sometimes dirty, so carry an inline fuel filter or a funnel with a screen.
Prep your bike
Do these at home, a few weeks out, so there's time to order parts.
Spares to carry · Dirt bike
Small, light and likely to break. Dark ones are the must-carries.
- Clutch and brake levers (must carry)
- Shift lever (must carry)
- Master links (must carry)
- Pre-oiled air filters (must carry)
- Spark plug
- Front and rear brake pads
- Fuses
- Throttle and clutch cable
- Spare bolts and nuts
- Hose clamps
- Zip ties and duct tape
- JB Weld / epoxy putty
Tools · Dirt bike
- T-handles: 8, 10, 12, 13 mm
- Axle wrench and spark-plug socket
- Tire irons (you still change tires with mousse)
- Multi-tool and small pliers
- Chain breaker or spare master-link pliers
- A tow strap to pull another bike
Prep your UTV
Do these at home, a few weeks out, so there's time to order parts.
Spares to carry · UTV
Belts and a tire end more UTV days than anything else. Dark ones are the must-carries.
- 1–2 spare belts (must carry)
- Full-size spare tire (must carry)
- Belt-change tool (must carry)
- Tire plug kit + compressor (must carry)
- Tie rods
- Axle
- Wheel bearing
- Spark plugs
- Lug nuts and valve stems
- Relays and fuses
- Pre-oiled air filters
- Tow strap
- JB Weld / epoxy putty
Tools · UTV
- Full socket set with ratchet and extensions
- Allen and Torx bits; combination wrenches
- Jack and lug wrench that fit your spare
- Long needle-nose pliers and a Scotch-Brite pad to clean belt debris out of the clutch
- Mechanic’s gloves, since the clutch will be hot
- Jump pack and wire repair kit
Required on every machine
A radio, and a map that works with no signal
Most of the route has no cell service. Your radio is how the group stays together, and your offline map is how you get home if it doesn't.
Race radio
- A race radio on your group's channel. Most riders run Rugged, but any radio that can program the same frequencies works.
- Helmet kit or headset for bikes, intercom for UTV passengers.
- Test it at home with your group before March.
Offline GPS
- Everyone carries GPS that works with no signal: onX Offroad, Gaia GPS, a Garmin, or Google Maps with offline areas saved.
- Load the GPX from the route map before you leave home.
- Charge cable and a mount you trust on washboard.
Satellite link
- Some UTVs carry Starlink, so many nights there's Wi-Fi in camp.
- A satellite messenger (inReach, Zoleo) or an iPhone 14 or newer for emergency SOS and texts.
- Nobody rides without at least one way to call for help in the group.
Agree before you go
- Your group's radio channel and a backup channel.
- Which route file everyone is running that day.
- Where to regroup if you get split up: the next fuel stop or junction.
Security
Lock it up every single night
We pay for overnight security at the hotels, but things still walk off. Thieves look for the easy target, so don't be it.
Dirt bikes
- Lock every bike every night: a cable or chain through the frame to something solid, or to the other bikes.
- A disc lock as a second layer.
- Take off your gear, helmet, GPS and bags at night. Nothing stays on the bike.
- A cover hides what's worth taking.
UTVs
- Locked cargo boxes. Valuables never ride in an open bed or seat bag.
- Chain a wheel to the frame, or chain machines together.
- Locking gas cap and a locking spare-tire mount.
- Pull the key and take the radio head, GPS and any Starlink dish inside.
- Nothing valuable left inside or outside the machine.
In town
- At stores and taco stops, someone stays with the machines.
- Park where you can see them.
- Don't leave a phone or wallet on the seat, even for a minute.
Before you leave home
- Photograph each machine, its VIN and your serial-numbered gear.
- Keep copies of registrations off the machine.
- A hidden AirTag or GPS tracker helps you get it back.
Share the heavy stuff
Not everyone needs a compressor and a jack. Your group leader splits the group kit (one compressor, one tire kit, one first-aid kit, one satellite messenger per few machines) so nobody carries a shop.
Every morning
Five-minute walk-around: tires and pressure, loose bolts, chain or belt, fluids, air filter. Fill up. Then ride your own pace.
Every evening
Swap or clean the air filter, because Baja dust kills engines. Check for anything that cracked or rattled loose today. Charge your messenger and radio.