Every red-blooded motorcyclist dreams of making the Big Trip--the Adventure Motorcycling Handbook is the comprehensive manual to make that idea a reality. Timbuktu to Kathmandu or Patagonia to Mongolia--it's all here. This expanded and re-designed new edition is packed with essential advice and practical know-how on the vital preparation for undertaking a long journey off the beaten track, be it in a nearby wilderness area or on the other side of the globe. So whether motorcyclists are planning their own Big Trip across Africa, Alaska, or Asia, or just enjoy reading about other people's adventures, this handbook is guaranteed to illuminate, entertain, and above all, inspire.

This book covers:
>Documentation--what travelers need and how to get it
>Choosing a destination
>Preparing a bike for long-range touring
>Off-road riding techniques
>Shipping or airfreighting a bike
>Transcontinental route outlines across Africa, Asia, and Latin Americas, plus backcountry riding in Southwest USA, Northwest Canada, and the Australian Outback.
>Navigation and Survival--what to do when things go wrong
>A dozen first hand accounts of biking adventures from the Sahara, Central Asia, East Africa, Colombia and Bolivia, the Yukon, and even Idaho!

This book is geared toward offroad travel and travel trough continents. If you are riding from LA to Chicago than forget about this book. If you are planning/dreaming of a trip to South America, Asia or other foreign place then buy it right now.

If you were not planning a trip before, you will after reading this.

30 of 35 found the following review helpful:


Pretty good guidebook but ...  Nov 28, 2004 By Estanislao "El Patiperro" E
The author has wisely involved a number of other very experienced adventure travel riders in what has come to be regarded as perhaps the best of the very few books on the subject of international/adventure riding. There are some faults, though, to which many similar travel guides are heir. One is that circumstances change, and that what may have been correct or useful 3 or 4 years ago when the research or experience was current, are no longer valid. To address this, there is mention of websites which tend to stay more current than the once-written-now-obsolete paper books. In general there is a good technical comparison of the relative values and utility of certain features and brand models, but there is also a detactable bias against some models which ironically are among the most commonly and successfully employed in international adventure riding. If your interests lie in the territory covered by this book, then by all means obtain a copy, bearing in mind that a great deal of independent research and thought is also in order. Think of this guide, and many others like it, as simply a point of departure for further study. If I had relied upon it as my principal data source before departing the US for Argentina on a motorcycle, I would have been woefully underprepared and misinformed.

8 of 8 found the following review helpful:


Great starter book  Jul 20, 2007 By B.H.
I have to say, I read this book cover to cover. I was surprised how up to date it was. I've been motorcycling for a few years for general transportation and fun. I started getting interested in adventure motorcycling this past year. I like to get off the normal tourist routes when I travel and adventure motorcycling looked like a great way to to see some parts of the world.

The book does a good job of covering all the major topics - picking a bike (it reviews 10-15 of them), what to wear, items to bring, how to pack, gear, typical mechanical issues to expect, safety, border crossings, etc. It also covers popular routes in different regions of the world. These sections are okay, but they really didn't have enough depth for me to decide where I might want to go. It only acts as a stating point. Then again, I'm sure there's TONs of routes to take per country, so I can't imagine it would be easy to add more detail to any level of comprehensivness. If the author reads this - a set of top 10 routes might be nice, especially if it included a rating system for different attributes. The second half of the book is made up of 2-5 pages short stories or diaries from riders. These stories were the best part of the whole book. I wish there were more because they're very interesting and you learn from those as well. They really leave you wanting to go out and hit the road.

3 of 3 found the following review helpful:


Excellent and well editted.  Dec 26, 2009 By Eric P. Chipko
Very good book on the subject and immensely enjoyable but I am only 1/3 thru it.

Best point is the terse language. Say what needs to be said on a particular subject and move on. Don't dwell or indulge yourself. Any english teacher would be very proud.

Worst point is the small form factor of the book which detracts from some of the black and white photography making the pictures hard to see for my 40 year old eyes. This format is meant to be taken with you on the adventure. But the author publisher could indulge himself in a large format book that is used only for the the planning stagess at home when space is not a problem. I think the english teachers would allow a bit more. Both would still be recommended. There is no deception. The listing correctly lists the format.

16 of 22 found the following review helpful:


Need it or no?  Jun 26, 2001 By Sam Humphrey "sidecarsam"
This book has a lot of good pointers, especially if you have never travelled on a motorcycle before. I have done quite a bit of traveling and was looking for help in foreign motorcycle travel. I live in the USA and will be travelling south of the border so this book didn't offer much help. It would be helpful if you were in Europe and planning to travel around Europe or into Africa by motorcycle. For New Worlders, however, this book is quite lacking. There are better books out there for travelling in Central and South America.

See all 25 customer reviews on Amazon.com