Links
Forums:
Adventure Rider: This is the definitive motorcycle adventure travel forum on the internet. Everything from bike specific discussion, to regional sub forums, and classifieds. Be sure to check out some of the other ride reports posted there.
Horizons Unlimited: Forum specific to motorcycle travel. Similar to AdvRider but more travel centric. Also has a lot of good ride reports posted there.
Expedition Portal: A community of expedition travelers intent on exploring the distant and remote places of the world.
F800 Riders: A Forum specific to the BMW F800 series motorcycle.
BMW Motorcycle Owners of America: A BMW Moto centric club with forums and resources.
Completed/On-going Blogs:
There are literally hundreds of travel blogs on Central/South America alone.. Below are a few of my favorites.
Two Wheel Travels:
Errant Ronin: This is the blog that initially got me hooked on riding South America. Sgt. Marty wrote his blog in a daily journal style that provides a lot of detail and brings the reader along for the ride. Features a LOT of pictures and useful information.
Taking the Road South: Nomi and Beto, two fellow F800GS riders, do an excellent job of documenting their journey South to Argentina. Has good info on campsites/places to stay and detailed boarder info.
South on Two Wheels: Vinny rides his KTM 990 moto to Argentina and back, often taking the rode less traveled.. literally. A laid back attitude and no real plans keep the story plenty interesting.
Misery Goat / Moto Viajero: Rides his KTM 950 SE around South America with similar nonchalant riding style that makes for a great story. Features lots of videos that help capture the experience.
From Deadhorse Down: Lenny rides his KLR650 from Deadhorse, AK to Ushuaia and back. Written in a day journal style blog with lots of pics. Another good read.
Radioman Rides the World: Everyone loves the Radioman! Mark sets off to ride the world on his F800GS. Another great read.
Four Wheel Travels:
Life Remotely: South America travel blog turned resource savvy. Features guides on border crossings, country budgets and more. LOTS of info to be found there.
Home on the Highway: Fellow UCF Alumni couple who hangout around South America in their 1987 Toyota 4Runner.
Travel Planning:
Wiki Overland: Wiki page specific to overlanding. A decent amount of country/boarder info can be found here.
Wiki Travel: is a complete, up-to-date and reliable worldwide travel guide, and the premier travel wiki on the Internet.
Moto Treks: A resource and blog which features lots of good info on Central/South America; especially good GPS map info.
Perpetual Travel: A resource site specific to RTW (Round The World) travel.
Drive the Americas: Provides the best information on driving the Americas in a user-friendly, esthetically appealing format, and provide social networking capabilities for travelers.
Google Maps: Excellent mapping option for planning routes.
Moto Journalism: E-book that provides a guide on how to capture the best photos
Lonely Planet Thorn Tree: For all those random little questions that haven’t yet made it into the Google search index. Tons of travelers have posted their advice here. Everything from locations to visit, to quality of wifi abroad.
Backpack Forever: If a website could ever be a guidebook, this would be it. Written by backpackers for backpackers. Lots of useful tips for traveling pretty much everywhere.
Inspiration:
20 Things I’ve Learned From Traveling Around the World for Three Years: Since March 2007, Gary has been traveling around the globe, having visited more than 70 countries and territories, and gaining worldly wisdom in the process. Here is some of that wisdom.
3 Reasons to Travel While You’re Young: An interesting blog post which I fully agree with.. Get out and travel while you’re still young!
Books:
Below are a few books and DVD’s that I own and recommend:
Moto Specific Books:
Jupiter’s Travels: is a book by Ted Simon which narrates his four-year journey through 126,000 km across 45 countries on a Triumph Tiger 100 motorcycle from 1973 to 1977.
Two Wheels Through Terror: Ripped from his motorcycle by Colombian rebels and robbed of everything, adventure motorcyclist Glen Heggstad journeyed through South America, and the trip became a nightmare as he was forced to march through strange jungles carrying heavy equipment with assault rifles at his back.
One More Day Everywhere: Follow up to Glen Heggstad’s Moto Journey. Three years later he set out into the world on his bike again, this time searching for truth on his own terms in a world that had become strangled by a climate of fear. Starting his trip in Japan, he traveled through Siberia, Mongolia, Europe, the Middle East, South East Asia, and Africa, stopping in more than 30 countries.
Adventure Motorcycling Handbook: Practical information, essential documentation for riding in or across the countries of the developing world as well as dealing with culture shock, borders, robbery, medical emergencies, accidents, shipping, navigation, wild camping, highway and off-road riding, fault diagnosis plus filming and also over-landing.
Travel Specific Books/Guides:
Central America: On a shoestring: A good Lonely Planet guide on traveling Central America on a budget.
South America: On a Shoestring: Another good Lonely Planet guide on traveling South America on a budget.
Latin American Spanish Phrasebook: A Lonely Planet phrasebook on Latin American Spanish.
Videos:
Long Way Round: is a documentary TV series documenting the 19,000-mile journey of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman from London to New York on motorcycles. They traveled eastwards through Europe and Asia, flew to Alaska and continued by road from there to New York.
Long Way Down: is a TV series documenting a motorcycle journey undertaken by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, on which they rode south through 18 countries from John o’ Groats in Scotland to Cape Town in South Africa via Europe and Africa in 2007. It is a follow-up to the Long Way Round trip of 2004.
Race to Dakar: is a documentary series following actor and keen motorcyclist Charley Boorman’s entry into the 2006 Dakar Rally from Lisbon to Dakar.
GlobeRiders BMW F800 GS: Instructional DVD with tips and how to guides for working on the F800GS and riding it off-road.
GlobeRiders Travel Documentary series: Follows a moto guided tour lead by Helge Pederson.
Mondo Enduro: Wacky group of Brits who ride around the world in the mid ’90s on their dual sport bikes.
Terra Circa: Follow up to Mondo Enduro. More crazy RTW by the Brits.
BMW GS Off-Road Riding Skills Instructional DVD: A good DVD focused on how to manage a bike heavy BMW GS Moto when riding off-road. Lots of good tips and training procedures.
Dualsport Riding Techniques DVD: This DVD isolates each of the skills needed to follow the road less traveled, gives specific pointers and ways to practice, and then puts them all together on the trail. Definitely recommend this if your a new or average dualsport rider.
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