Customer Reviews

Adventure Motorcycling Handbook, 4th: Worldwide Motorcycling Route & Planning Guide

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you are even thinking about taking an extended trip by motorcycle, you MUST have this book. It will become your Bible. Great tips, details on bikes, equipment, trip planning, paperwork, do's and dont's, etc. + good travel stories.

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.

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change, and that what may have been correct or useful 3 or 4 years ago when the research or experience was current, are no longer valid.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.

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.

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.

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.

If you're even as much as thinking about riding a motorcycle unsupported across vast distances, you should buy this book. It's certainly not the be-all and end-all of adventure motorcycling, but it comes as close as possible. This is a practical, straightforward, well-written book that covers the basics of traveling across formidable terrain on two wheels.

With that said, you're definitely going to do more than just read this and take off--especially in the age of the internet (and especially if you're thinking about staying on the pavement). But look at this as your jumping-off point; and really, if you're planning on spending enough money to, say, ride a motorcycle around the world, you should start off with this relatively minuscule investment.

It s really a good book. A lot of info important for your trip you can find all in one place. You can also find which bike to chose for your trip.
I liked trick and tips for better ride but I wish it was more about it.
Anyway really a good one. Thumb up!

If you ever wanted to do a long ride, in your own country, continent or take a major plunge into a tour around the world. This book is invaluable. I read mine several times and use it over and over during tour planning and checklists.

You can easily get away with this book alone, the information is incredible.

Highly recommended.

This book will give you the bug! It's very thorough, and gets you pumped-up to go have an adventure!

If you plan to travel outside of your country on a motorcycle, BUY THIS BOOK. Do not depend on it to be a story, it is a compendium of moto travel knowledge.