Adventure Motorcycling Handbook

In 1981, aged 21, Chris Scott's first desert trip ground to a halt somewhere around 21 N, 6 E with a split fuel tank - a pretty normal Saharan introduction it seems. During the eighties, working as a courier in London Chris returned to the desert every other year and in 1989 organised the first and last 'Sahara Motorcycle Tour' from which only one bike returned. Desert Travels tells the full story. Recognising these recurring difficulties he prepared a report for the RGS which has developed into the current Adventure Motorcycling Handbook, now with its sixth edition. In 1991 Rough Guides asked Chris to co-author Australia and he's been travel writing since then. In 1998 Chris decided to focus solely on the Sahara, which has always been his passion, and began work on Sahara Overland, now in its second edition. As well as writing for various travel, 4WD and motorcycle magazines and newspapers over the years (including modelling for Esquire as an 'explorer'), Chris is a regular guest speaker at Royal Geographical Society (RGS) events and Adventure Travel shows. He's advised scores of desert-bound travellers as well as professionals from photographers to the BBC. As well as running and leading tours in the Sahara, in recent years he's also produced adventure travel dvds to accompany his books, which have featured on National Geographic Channel, Sky TV and Channel 4. Morocco Overland - from the Atlas to the Sahara, 2nd edition was published in 2013. He has also updated several of the books in the British Walking Guide series. Overlanders' Handbook is a worldwide route and planning guide for car, 4WD, van and truck. It's the definitive manual for planning and undertaking a vehicle-dependent overlanding adventure across the wilds of Africa, Asia and Latin America. Chris's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook (Trailblazer) is in its 6th edition.

INTRODUCTION PART 1: PLANNING & PREPARATION A plan 10 Which continent? 11 Seasons and climate 12 Time and budget 14 Getting information 16 Travel documents 18 Vehicle documents 22 Money and sponsorship 26 Travelling companions 29 PART 2: BIKE CHOICE & BIKE PREPARATION Which bike: factors to consider 33 Ten overlanders 44 Bike preparation 56 Carrying extra fuel 63 Protection, seats and screens 65 Equipment and spares checklists 70 Wheels and tyres 72 Puncture repairs 80 Load carrying: boxes, bags and racks 85 A question of quads (Jamie Keynon) 103 Clothing for the long ride 107 PART 3: LIFE ON THE ROAD Setting off 112 Riding abroad 115 Borders and checkpoints 118 Changing money and bargaining 121 Keeping in touch (Nick Taylor) 123 Maps and route finding 127 Wild camping 138 Off-highway riding 144 Health and medical emergencies (Dr Paul Rowe) 151 When things go wrong 165 Bike maintenance and troubleshooting 170 Adventure motorcycling - the bird's eye view (Lois Pryce) 180 Filming your trip 184 Shipping overseas (Grant Johnson) 190 PART 4: ASIA ROUTE OUTLINES Middle East and Caucasus 195 Iran and Pakistan 202 India, Nepal,Tibet 211 Russia 222 Central Asia 236 Mongolia 239 Southeast Asia 242 China 246 PART 5: AFRICA ROUTE OUTLINES North Africa and the Sahara 253 West Africa 257 Western route via DRC 264 The Nile route 272 East and Southern Africa 279 PART 6: LATIN AMERICA ROUTE OUTLINES Mexico and Central America 295 Panama 306 South America 309 Colombia 310 Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia 315 Chile and Argentina 325 Venezuela and the Guianas 334 Brazil 338 PART 7: TALES FROM THE SADDLE Early adventures with motorcycles Lois Pryce 344 Asking the audience James and Cat Rix 350 A tale of two bridges Tony Pettie 354 Surviving Morocco Carla King 358 Tea with Bin Laden's brother Simon Roberts 361 South America on a plate Jay Kannaiyan 364 APPENDIX Contributors 367 Suppliers' directory 368 INDEX 379 LIST OF BOXED TEXT Ag bikes for overland 43 Algeria 255 An American in Mexico 299 Asian climate 194 Asking directions in Africa 253 Back-up documents 24 BAM guidebook 230 BMW G650 Xchallenge 55 Breathable fabrics 107 Building your own bike 102 Cameroon to Congo direct 265 Carnet countries in Asia 194 Carnets in Latin America 295 Catching the Dakar 328 Chile to Peru on the Pam-Am 326 Cold-weather clothing 110 Cracking up in Russia 113 Cruising the Atlantic to Buenos Aires 330 Cyrillic alphabet 223 Difference between Satnavs and GPS 131 Do-it-all smart phones 123 Drowned engine: what to do 150 Eats, shoots and leaves 184 Emergencies: EPIRB versus Spot 126 Engines at high altitude 174 Equipment checklist 70 Exploring the Indian Himalaya 218 Fit new - keep spares 70 Flying a bike from UK to BA 330 Flying a bike out of South Africa 291 Fuel prices and currency: South America 313 Fuel prices: Mexico & Central America 301 Getting out of Vladivostok 235 Getting parts 171 History of AMH 6 India - You're Standing in It 214 India on an Enfield 216 Kinshasa to Brazza ferry 269 Lake Nasser ferry 274 Luggage choice - some factors 87 Malaria 158 Metric and Imperial map scales 128 Mongolia: You are the Road 241 Mozambique 287 My Kingdom for a Chair 143 Not Riding but Drowning 308 Old School Overlander - R80 G/S 36 On a mission 268 Pinpointing a location on Google Maps 116 Recharging electronics 176 Rentals and organised tours 31 Rwanda and Burundi 281 Selling bikes in or from South Africa 291 Shipping from US to South America 310 South America: climate and seasons 312 Southern Africa online 291 Spares and maintenance parts list 71 Sponsorship 27 Streetwise manifesto 114 Survival dos and don'ts 137 The way to Machu Picchu 321 Throwovers or throwbacks? 96 Tracks4Africa and other resources 250 Trail bikes and Enduro bikes 41 Trans Amazon North to South 339 Transit of Iraqi Kurdistan 203 Travel health tips 164 Travellers' cheques 26 Tubeless tyres and radial construction 77 Tyre creep 84 Tyre speed ratings and load index codes 75 Visas for Mauritania and Mali 256 Visas in Accra, Abuja and Calabar 262 Visas in Cairo 273 Visas in Luanda and Brazzaville 270 Visas in Yaounde, Cameroon 263 Vodka 229 West African visas 260 What about Uruguay and Paraguay? 331 Yamaha TTR250 55 Yamaha XTW250 Ryoku - a closer look 54