The Longest Ride: My Ten-Year 500,000 Mile Motorcycle Journey [Hardcover]

Emilio Scotto (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 2007

For his eighth birthday, Emilio Scotto received a World Atlas. Promptly he announced his plan to make a route that would pass through all the countries of the world, a route he named BLUE ROAD ONE. When, some years later, he found himself astride a black 1100 Honda Gold Wing motorcycle, Blue Road One beckoned, and Scotto set off on a journey that would last more than a decade, take him virtually everywhere in the world, and land him in the Guinness Book of World Records. This is his story, a thrill ride that begins in his native Argentina, crosses Panama in the tumultuous time of Noriega, Mexico in the midst of an earthquake, and finds him broke in L.A. where, in a chance meeting, Muhammad Ali gives him fifty dollars and a signed book. Breaching the Iron Curtain, crossing the Berlin Wall at Checkpoint Charlie, being blessed by the Pope, set upon by cannibals in Sierra Leone, fleeing Somalia on a freighter, Scotto’s adventures would be unbelievable if they weren’t true. His tale of touring the world from Tunisia to Turkey, Petra to Afghanistan, Yugoslavia to Singapore, traveling miles enough to take him to the moon and back, is unlike any ever told. Come along, for the ride of a lifetime.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Sun Media’s Newspapers, Dec. 9, 2007

“The following list is in no special order of preference, except for one book in particular that topped the list hands down: The Longest Ride.”

Cycle World, May 2007

                                                                                                                                                                       F650.com,

“If you are only going to read one book this year, it should be this one … I have just read the first few chapters, but I'm totally hooked. Scotto is a great story-teller ... I definitely recommend it.”

“Motorcycle travel writer Emilio Scotto’s book The Longest Ride chronicles his amazing 10-year, 500,000-mile journey around the world on the 1980 Honda Gold Wing he dubbed ‘The Black Princess.’ In his native South America and almost everywhere else, Scotto took lots of compelling photos and tells even more compelling stories about the 279 countries and territories he visited.”

Emilio, today I will say a prayer for you and your Black Princess. You both have my blessing.

Pope John Paul II, Vatican City, 1987

Friction Zone, July 2007

“Scotto is a natural born story-teller who is able to effectively relate much of the excitement of his trip into the Longest Ride.”

Book Description

Emilio Scotto recounts his world-record, decade-long motorcycle journey through virtually every country in the world. Photographs accompany his adventures, which begin in Scotto’s native Argentina and include traveling Panama in the tumultuous time of Noriega; riding through Mexico in the midst of an earthquake; breaching the Iron Curtain; crossing the Berlin Wall at Checkpoint Charlie; being blessed by the Pope; set upon by cannibals in Sierra Leone; fleeing Somalia on a freighter; and ranging worldwide from Tunisia to Turkey, Petra to Afghanistan, Yugoslavia to Singapore.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Motorbooks; 1st edition (March 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760326320
• ISBN-13: 978-0760326329
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #106,209 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #49 in Books > Professional & Technical > Automotive > Motorcycles

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mixed results, May 15, 2007

By 

SilverRider (Kentucky) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Longest Ride: My Ten-Year 500,000 Mile Motorcycle Journey (Hardcover)

The first half of the book really shines. It is an excellent narrative of what might be one of the worst prepared for trips around the world in the history of exploration! Emilio's personality is such that strangers offer help when most of us would be out of luck. He is either the luckiest person alive or has an overworked guardian angel. His description of crossing the railroad bridge ahead of all out war in El Salvador is just one example.

The second half of the book reads like his editor reminded him of a deadline that was rapidly approaching. It is very terse and reads like a chamber of commerce brochure. The "you are there" feeling is gone - replaced by "I went here, then did that, and then there..." This cost my review 1 star.

A big disappointment was the author's choice to include a rather graphic depiction of his first carnal experience with his then girlfriend in the introduction. It is something more appropriate to a back rack porno magazine. I have an extensive collection of motorcycle and adventure literature that my young nephews love to read - this one is definitely not "age appropriate." What a shame too, because it added nothing to the experience of his story - this cost the review a second star.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best ride report ever?, March 22, 2007

By 

Thor Hammer "ThorH" (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Longest Ride: My Ten-Year 500,000 Mile Motorcycle Journey (Hardcover)

This is the best book on motorcycle adventure travel I have read so far. It's about this crazy Argentinian who sets out to ride around the world on an 1100 GoldWing (!), with hardly any riding skills, and even less mechanical skills. He starts out carrying "everything" (up to and including full scuba gear!), but gets robbed of it all after a few days. The rest of us would have gone back home, but Scotto continues his journey with $53 or so in his pocket, no gear, but an impressive ability to charm his way to free meals, beds (with and without company) and gas money.

Scotto is a great story-teller, and I easily forgive him the spices I am sure he must have sprinkled over his stories. Some of you may remember a "teaser" in the 2005 edition of Cycle World Adventures magazine, where he more or less carried the GoldWing through the jungle in Guinea, West Africa.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Story. Extremely well told., May 23, 2007

By 

Nelson C. Kaesberg "Nelson Kaesberg" (Apache Junction, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Longest Ride: My Ten-Year 500,000 Mile Motorcycle Journey (Hardcover)

By the end of the "Introduction" I was hooked. I expected the intro to aquaint me with the author and define the beginning of his trip and the reasons for it. I could not have been more in error. By the time I completed these beginning pages I was convinced he'd never make it. Even if you have never even seen a motorcycle, you will be enthralled by this story. Amazing courage, a guardian angel, and uncommon good luck are a part of each paragraph. Don't miss this great story.