Adventure Motorcycling Handbook

Chris Scott is a veteran travel guide author, adventurer and tour leader. He's the author of 'Sahara Overland', 'Morocco Overland' and the 'Overlanders' Handbook', also for Trailblazer. He's made films of his rides in the Yukon (Call of the Wild), Desert Riders in the central Sahara (featured on National Geographic Channel) and Gorge Riders in north-western Australia. He occasionally runs motorcycle tours in North Africa.

INTRODUCTION PART 1: PLANNING & PREPARATION A plan 10Which continent? 11Seasons and climate 12Time and budget 14Getting information 16Travel documents 18Vehicle documents 22Money and sponsorship 26Travelling companions 29 PART 2: BIKE CHOICE & BIKE PREPARATION Which bike: factors to consider 33Ten overlanders 44Bike preparation 56Carrying extra fuel 63Protection, seats and screens 65Equipment and spares checklists 70Wheels and tyres 72Puncture repairs 80Load carrying: boxes, bags and racks 85A question of quads (Jamie Keynon) 103Clothing for the long ride 107 PART 3: LIFE ON THE ROAD Setting off 112Riding abroad 115Borders and checkpoints 118Changing money and bargaining 121Keeping in touch (Nick Taylor) 123Maps and route finding 127Wild camping 138Off-highway riding 144Health and medical emergencies (Dr Paul Rowe) 151When things go wrong 165Bike maintenance and troubleshooting 170Adventure motorcycling - the bird's eye view (Lois Pryce) 180Filming your trip 184Shipping overseas (Grant Johnson) 190 PART 4: ASIA ROUTE OUTLINES Middle East and Caucasus195Iran and Pakistan202India, Nepal, Tibet211Russia222Central Asia236Mongolia239Southeast Asia242China246 PART 5: AFRICA ROUTE OUTLINES North Africa and the Sahara253West Africa257Western route via DRC264The Nile route272East and Southern Africa279 PART 6: LATIN AMERICA ROUTE OUTLINES Mexico and Central America295Panama306South America309Colombia310Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia315Chile and Argentina325Venezuela and the Guianas334Brazil338 PART 7: TALES FROM THE SADDLE APPENDIX Contributors367Suppliers' directory368 INDEX379