Adventure Motorcycling Handbook, 5th; Worldwide Motorcycling Route & Planning Guide

Chris Scott's first motorcycle adventure got him halfway from London to Wales where he broke down. Since then he's visited the Sahara and West Africa several times on two wheels, describing these eventful trips in Desert Travels. He also travels regularly in north and western Australia and has visited southern Africa and the US, but most frequently returns with bikes or cars to the Sahara where he occasionally runs tours. His other books include Sahara Overland (also by Trailblazer) and the Rough Guide to Australia.

What exactly is adventure motorcycling? As far as this book is concerned adventure motorcycling involves a challenging journey into the wilderness or a significantly strange country. For most of us living in cities in developed countries, a visit to a wilderness involves leaving the security of the paved highways of Europe, Australia and North America and heading onto the dirt, while a strange country adds all sorts of Third World challenges that are all patiently waiting for you out there in Central and South America, Africa or Asia.

Mainstream touring is a fun way of getting to nice places or enjoying the thrill of a sharp-handling bike. But the Adventure Motorcycling Handbook sees motorcycles not as toys, but tools with which to escape from the mundane and predictable and explore the wild or exotic regions of our planet.

In Latin America, Asia and Africa, or in mountains and deserts closer to home, reaching out into the back country requires planning and confidence in your abilities, be they riding half a ton of bike through mud, or dealing with a shipping agent in a foreign port. In some situations the unfamiliarity adds an edge to your travels that you won't necessarily appreciate at the time. You'll be pitted against your patience, stamina and resourcefulness, and in all cases you'll find you have greater reserves of these qualities than you'd expect.

Sure you'll be glad to cruise restfully along the blacktop and stay in hotels once in a while. But ask any of the many contributors to this book and in most cases they'll vividly recall the places where the riding was most demanding, where every day was hard-won and threw up an unexpected challenge, a breathtaking view or a bizarre human encounter.

This book broadly spells out the practicalities of paperwork and cost, the choice of location and machine, as well as preparing your bike for the Long Ride. It's followed by an outline of routes around the world and ends with a dozen tales of two-wheeled adventure from all corners of the globe to give you a taste of what to expect.

Adventure motorcycling is not for everyone; besides the obvious dangers of 'a risky undertaking with an unknown outcome' (as the dictionary defines 'adventure'), the sheer tedium and expense of preparing for a journey into a remote or culturally unfamiliar area will demand a huge commitment.

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There'll be times when you curse the very notion of leaving home. But make no mistake; it will be a lifetime's achievement that will remain with you forever.