Product Description

On a 1100 Honda Gold Wing, Scotto travelled from his native Argentina across the world: earthquakes in Mexico, attacked by Sierra Leon cannibals, blessed by the Pope, given money by Muhammed Ali, fleeing Somalia on a freighter, crossing Checkpoint Charlie...This is a true-life adventure story unlike any you have ever read before: the ride of a lifetime!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #139315 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-01
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

Review
This is the best book on motorcycle adventure travel i have read so far...I highly recommend this book. it is a vivid tale of a truly amazing trip throguh some of the most beautifull, and horrific parts of the world, with fascinating insights into the unique cultures and universal friendships found along the way. --Abusinessresource.com

Synopsis
On a 1100 Honda Gold Wing, Scotto travelled from his native Argentina across the world: earthquakes in Mexico, attacked by Sierra Leon cannibals, blessed by the Pope, given money by Muhammed Ali, fleeing Somalia on a freighter, crossing Checkpoint Charlie...This is a true-life adventure story unlike any you have ever read before: the ride of a lifetime!

About the Author
Emilio Scotto fufilled a childhood ambition to travel round the world when he saw a Honda Goldwing. it took him 10 years, and he covered half a million miles doing it. His story is told in "The Longest Ride".

Customer Reviews

A compelling story
Emilio Scotto had never ridden a motorcycle in his life, but as a boy he'd dreamt of travelling the world. On a visit to a Honda motorcycle dealer with a friend, he saw a poster for a Honda Gold Wing - and just had to have it.

That was the beginning of his journey. He started with no money and no travel experience, but still he rode nearly 500,000 miles through 279 countries, spending over 10 years on the road.

During those 10 years, he was shot at, imprisoned six times, robbed five times, and suffered his way through three major illnesses (including malaria). The Honda used 12,500 gallons of gas, 300 gallons of oil, 86 tyres, 11 batteries, and nine seats.

He met the Pope, Antonia Banderas, and Muhammad Ali, as well as a host of characters across the globe that all, in their own way, made his adventure possible.

The book itself is utterly compelling. Scotto comes across as a charismatic, disarmingly naive man, and you quickly find yourself egging him on, particularly as he struggles the enormous Gold Wing through the thick jungles of Africa.

The story-telling does fade a little in the last third of the book, where the author resorts to using pictures to describe the last few years of his journey. That's a shame, because there's a real sense the book could easily have been twice the length without running out of steam.

That aside, I found this to be a fascinating story. More inspirational than Ted Simon's books but, as the author himself notes, it has now become a 'period piece'. With much of the journey taking place in the late 1980s, any attempt to recreate this adventure would now be impossible.

It's a one-off.