Texas to Panama on an Xpedition 2.0 (dual battery long range). Bad idea? Route suggestions?

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JesseK

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I’m considering/planning an overlanding adventure in 2027 on my Xpedition 2.0 from west Texas to Panama, and possibly onward after a boat trip to Colombia around the Darian Gap. Of course, distances between places to charge will likely be an issue. Debating carrying a solar panel and power station with just enough capacity to top off the batteries.

I’ve seen a few videos and blogs about taking the central mountain routes through Mexico for safety and weather reasons, but that would be a far longer route than along the eastern coast. Any ideas or resources for adequately safe routes along the Caribbean coast? Any feedback on my bike choice? Any bets on whether I’ll survive the adventure?
 
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Dump your smart phone for a flip phone with no apps. Tourists in Bolivia were kidnapped with their boat and all their bank & retirement accounts were emptied into bitcoin exchanges. You don't say no to a drug gang & live. If you need a online map buy garmin. Limited internet access.
I am ditching the retirement apps on my phone and going back to remembering the URL on the internet app. There are some smart druggies out there with guns. I am firing the savings & loan that just got bought and changed my passbook account where I had to go into get money, to online checks and debit card.
Anthem Ins, the US govt, and ATT have all given all my "private" numbers to China. ATT gave away my 4 digit pass code. ATT credit service told me all my numbers were for sale on the dark web. Surprise?
 
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JesseK said:
fnf I’m considering/planning an overlanding adventure in 2027 on my Xpedition 2.0 from west Texas to Panama, and possibly onward after a boat trip to Colombia around the Darian Gap. Of course, distances between places to charge will likely be an issue. Debating carrying a solar panel and power station with just enough capacity to top off the batteries.

I’ve seen a few videos and blogs about taking the central mountain routes through Mexico for safety and weather reasons, but that would be a far longer route than along the eastern coast. Any ideas or resources for adequately safe routes along the Caribbean coast? Any feedback on my bike choice? Any bets on whether I’ll survive the adventure?
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Carrying a heavy power station and solar setup will add significant weight and slow down your overall range on a cargo e-bike like the Xpedition 2.0. Have you calculated your daily wattage consumption while hauling that extra gear compared to carrying two additional spare batteries instead?
 
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I think this is insane but to each their own. Can anyone give the odds of doing this without problems? I don't mean with the bike but than can be included here.
 
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Hi there. Are you still doing this tour? I'll be leaving from the LA area Feb 1 heaed to Colombia, hopefully be July. On a Riese and Muller Supercharger 2 with 4 total batteries. I've actually toured fro Austria to Turkey on a long tail cargo with a single battery before and from SFO to Cancouver on a fat tire Juiced as well.
 
This is crazy, i don't want to discourage you, it would be so cool if you went on this adventure, but i want to emphasize the security recommendation @indianajo made, there are zones in south america that are dangereous, so doing a research of the safer routes is key, and having a B and C plan for your battery
 
Hi. I actually have lived in Colombia for many years! And yes, I hope to meet other people who are biking the established North to South route as well as the is always safety in numbers. And just for a little perspective, the USA is very dangerous on many,many metrics, bike infrastructure, food, and gun culture and crime for starters. And I've also biked in a long tail cargo bike from Austria to Turkey with a single 600 wh battery with my girlfriend in the back! It was amazing. Getting to do racing places for lunch and charge over tea and meet kind people. So I hope it goes well, and I'm sure there will be challenges along the way. I'll exercise due caution as much as possible, as I'm sure you do living in the USA I presume🙏
 
Personally I agree with Emily. Seems crazy to me. Yes there are some crazies in the USA but Mexico and central America are on a whole another level with Cartels etc. Hard enough being hispanic there but being from USA draws more attention. Sad it is this way but it is what it is. How long ago did you live in Columbia? Things have gotten much worse since the mid 2000’s. Also, my son was stationed at a NATO base in Turkey in 2015 when F16’s were leaving the base to bomb ISIS. They were not allowed to leave the base due to terrorism. He couldn’t tell us while he was there but when he came back to the states and on leave he told us the Turkish Government was letting civilians on base and 3 guys put a plastic bag over an Airman’s head to smother him and were quickly arrested. He did say there were some good people there also.
 
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Hi. I actually have lived in Colombia for many years! And yes, I hope to meet other people who are biking the established North to South route as well as the is always safety in numbers. And just for a little perspective, the USA is very dangerous on many,many metrics, bike infrastructure, food, and gun culture and crime for starters. And I've also biked in a long tail cargo bike from Austria to Turkey with a single 600 wh battery with my girlfriend in the back! It was amazing. Getting to do racing places for lunch and charge over tea and meet kind people. So I hope it goes well, and I'm sure there will be challenges along the way. I'll exercise due caution as much as possible, as I'm sure you do living in the USA I 🙏
GMA52 said:
Personally I agree with Emily. Seems crazy to me. Yes there are some crazies in the USA but Mexico and central America are on a whole another level with Cartels etc. Hard enough being hispanic there but being from USA draws more attention. Sad it is this way but it is what it is. How long ago did you live in Columbia? Things have gotten much worse since the mid 2000’s. Also, my son was stationed at a NATO base in Turkey in 2015 when F16’s were leaving the base to bomb ISIS. They were not allowed to leave the base due to terrorism. He couldn’t tell us while he was there but when he came back to the states and on leave he told us the Turkish Government was letting civilians on base and 3 guys put a plastic bag over an Airman’s head to smother him and were quickly arrested. He did say there were some good people there also.
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I have lived in Colombia 4 years. Oriente Antioquia, but I have traveled the breadth of it. I was also a resident of Turkey for 2 years. I've never had anything of the variety of those experiences happen to me! The most dangerous things that happened to me in Turkey was accidentally biting on an olive seed. However, Honduras and El Salvador, and certain sections of Mexico require precautions. Much like areas of the USA. Maybe people bike from the USA and Canada every year and have a pleasant experience. But like everything, you have to keep your wits about you. The Americas are not Asia, there are guns and spasms of violence. But the lived experience usually trends toward the positive, and there are some deep dangers omnipresent in the USA. Both in daily lives life and as a bike tourer. But yes, I do wish it was more like Asia.. Except for the humidity lol! I'm sure that happened to your son in Turkey, it is so far removed from my experience. I'm also a warm shower host and have hosted more than 50 people touring from europe to Asia and back in Turkey. Never heard of anything like that happening from anyone. But I truly am sorry for that traumatic event happening to anyone anywhere.ps. I was stationed in greece at the same time 2015-2017.
 
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