Adventure Motorcycling Handbook 8

Welcome to the Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.
I’ve been travelling on bikes since 1982 and in the late 1990s coined the term ‘adventure motorcycling’.
Read about AMH8. Buy AMH8 discounted. Or there’s plenty to read here without buying anything. Back in 1981, my very first travel bike was a Yamaha XT500 (below left) and lately I’ve run a different project bike most years. See the ‘Bikes‘ menu above; I’ve owned over sixty bikes. I had one of the first Rally Raid CB500Xs, then adapted a Yamaha XSR 700. For 2019 I used Enfield’s Himalayan and in 2020 picked up an Africa Twin for a desert trip cut short by Covid. Late 2021 I finally managed to ride it back via France as the doors slammed shut behind me, and in 2023 I picked up a Honda CRF300L and racked up 10,000 miles in southern Morocco over the winter.

CRF300L 2023-4

I write other books on the same theme: the 3rd edition of Morocco Overland covers roads and tracks in Morocco’s Atlas mountains and Saharan fringe. Morocco 3 is out of print so read loads for free here. Edition 4 is due this Christmas.

Desert Travels, Motorcycle Adventures in the Sahara and West Africa, is a travelogue spanning my early years during the 1980s on XT600s, as well as my first disastrous desert tour. And The Street Riding Years  is my urban memoirs also set in the 1980s. It was RIDE magazine’s ‘Book of the Year’.

19 thoughts on “Adventure Motorcycling Handbook 8”

  1. Scott H

    Hey Chris, I purchased your book a few years back. Now that I’m traveling, it would be great if I could get a PDF version to keep handy without the bulk. Any possibility?

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    1. Chris S Post author

      Hi Scott.
      Nope ;-)
      Publisher wont allow it. Search AMH pdf [bootleg], loads looking, none finding hopefully. Just take pictures of useful pages – that’s what I recommend. To make it share proof but usable is too complicated with all the images.

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  2. Steve

    Hi Chris
    Great site and books ( I own a couple)
    Found your pages on America fascinating as I want to go next year hopefully for a couple of months
    How easy was it buying and registering a bike ?
    Is Arizona easiest to do this in ?
    Can the bike then be ridden in any of the US states?

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    1. Chris S Post author

      Hi Steve, this was all quite a while ago. There is a thread on Horizons under North America which may give updates. tbh I had help from a local but the more libertarian states like AZ or all the west except CA have fewer rules. Then you can ride a bike anywhere. A great adventure to be had in the west! Chris

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    1. Chris S Post author

      Yes I saw that Will, but they’re just 690/701s in red, no?
      The engine is a great platform – nothing else comes close in big singles.
      Of those three I’d take a later 701 – or whichever one had the lowest/widest seat and the biggest tank – which I think is none of them ;-)

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        1. Chris S Post author

          I tried one a couple of years back and was quite impressed by the motor and build quality. Wasn’t so sure about the speedo console tablet idea but maybe it’s evolved. But these Euro big singles are a bit hard-edged these days. Imo for travelling you want something more like the old Sertao or the long lost Japs. Comfort and range; no so bothered by 10 inches of travel/clearance.

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  4. Paul Marchment

    Chris great book I wish I’d bought one before I started travelling in 1984
    I’m restoring an old Paris Dakar 1981 BMW R 80 GS which I still feel is a a great (albeit limited off road) all rounder.
    Paul M

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  5. Ben south

    Hi Chris , really enjoyed reading the latest installment of amh ,
    I have a tracer700 which is ok 90% of the time, the problem is ground clearance,is there a cheap way of achieving that without going down the 19inch front wheel way,
    I have seen fork caps used but seem very expensive.
    Cheers Ben

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    1. Chris S Post author

      Thanks Ben. A Tracer could make a good travel bike but the only way to increase clearance is to elongate or just firm up the suspension, either with preload or springs. You can also experiment with taller tyres, but on the wide back you’re limited.
      I see from caps like mine on eBay (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2922311308160) for 26 quid a pair, same as I paid from Hong Kong.
      The CP2 engine’s sump is annoying deep, though the pipes are the same depth. The other solution is make a solid baseplate down there.
      cheers

      Chris

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  7. Pingback: Review / Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook (New Eighth Edition) - Adventure Rider

  8. Dale Yoder

    Hey Chris

    Love your writing about your bikes and your adventures. I am a returning rider who wants to buy a motorcycle for riding around locally for fun and for travel on and off road. After reading your experience I am at a loss as to which bike to get? Any suggestions would be appreciated. I am in Houston, Texas by the way and am 6 feet with 30 inch inseam and about 210 lbs.
    Dale Y.

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    1. Chris S Post author

      Hi Dale, glad to hear you enjoy the website. Sounds like you’re about my size. so might manage taller saddled bikes.
      Assuming your budget is not too much of a constraint I’d have a look at a Ducati Desert Sled and a Yamaha XT700. Anything heavier will not be fun off-road, no matter what the adverts show. Honda CB500X is another, but the motor’s comparatively bland. A KTM 790 is also worth a look. Make sure you try before you buy! Chris

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