any time i watch any part of Long Way Round or Long Way Down it makes me want to go on a long trip.
I know they're film guys with money and backing and all that but those shows really inspire me.
Any other programmes/films/book etc anyone could recommend in the same vain (i'm sure there's a book by a guy who went round the world on an old Triumph)
And i would love one of these
Michael Palin did a few brilliant trips...not on a bike but still inspiring stuff...
Big fan of them both, seem like genuine guys and i'm damn jealous of their trips!!
Mate of mine went from Devon to Transilvania & back in two weeks last year on a 1949 BSA - just for a change of scenery 
I did Afan once 
Pfft, ive been to Afan TWICE!
Ted Simon, Jupiters Travels is the book about the guy who went around the world in '73 on the Triumph.
I'm reading the follow up. He's 70 now retracing the '73 route on a BMW.
Inspirational.
'motorcycle diaries' the true story of che guevara and his mate on an epic road trip thro south america great film and book
Dreaming of Jupiter is the follow up.
Some nutter went round the world on a fireblade, through deserts the lot. The bike geeks at work have been getting all giddy about it 
I can't remember the title of the book but about 10 years back I read an account of 3 fellas in the late 60s who rode to india on BSAs, by the end of the trip there was only one bike running with the 3 of them on it but they made it. a great yarn.
Look up Nick Sanders' adventures went round the world on an R1 and runs African trips (or did).
http://www.thepostman.org.uk/ Kicks ewan and charley into touch abit!!
Modern Bee Emms aren't THAT reliable. I like the look of 'em,but a couple of my mates that still ride,have them. They are pleased with them in general,but wouldn't own one out of warranty.
If I remember correctly,one of the poncey actor's bikes rear shocker failed twice. The fabled German engineering,eh?
When I was out in Uzbekistan I ran into a few westerners doing that kind of thing. They ranged from the British couple who'd converted a Scottish mountain rescue 4x4 van into a sleeper van, complete with tyres, 1000l water, stove etc, through the American riding across Eurasia on a KTM to a Swiss couple who'd bought a Mk1 Golf for €1000 and were confident of getting more than that for parts in Almaty. Happy days - I'd love to do that, but sadly don't have a gf (or good mate) who's quite mad enough. Booo...
wow! A follow up to Jupiter's Travels? THanks for that - I never knew...(scuttles off to Amazon!)
>Any other programmes/films/book etc anyone could recommend in the same vain (i'm sure there's a book by a guy who went round the world on an old Triumph)
A guy named Colin Angu from Victoria, Canada, hikes to the headwaters of the Amazon, then walked, paddled, flaoted down to the mouth.
Did it on about $1,000 US.
Wrote Amazon Extreme about the trip.
I also heared he sailed around the world on a 25-foot piece of shite boat when he was 19, but I've never read a book on that trip.
Mondo Enduro? Austin Vince et al. Few years before Ewen and Charlie, and they seemed to have a much rougher time of it. Great book and a great video diary/documentary thing. Worth checking out.
Long Way Down was sh!te.
Long Way Round was great though.
Lois on the Loose is also worth looking at.
There is a good sailing on about a bloke in a boat called shrimpy too .. it can be found on PDF
I thought the Paris Dakar one was better IMO but more because of Simon Pavey than Charlie
loved - long way round, yes they had squillions of pounds and the name "Ewan McGreggor" opened many a door that would have stayed closed to anybody else but from the start they put on a good show and i do think they did have a hard and rewarding trip.
Tho Ted Jupiters book - Jupiters travels is absolutely fantastic. Guy is a total legend.
Irma Kurtz - The great American Bus-Ride.
Spends a couple of years zig-zagging across the US on Greyhound Buses.
Sounds a bit dull but is a good read.
Preffered the other thing Charlie did where they had to use different modes of transport. That was good. Proved that Ewan wasnt the key member of the partnership.
For an alternative take on motorcycle touring, try the books written by Ian Mutch and Dan Walsh.
Try "One Man Caravan" by Robert Fulton. The guy wrote a book about going round the world on a motorcycle in the early 30s. No support vehicles, telephones, etc, etc. Managing to cross the desert from Damascus to Baghdad and travel through Afghanistan on his own. Very good.
I saw Long Way Down first & found it a bit pretentious sadly.
They're probably both sound guys in real life but it was all a bit too Bear Grylls for my liking...
It's hard to appreciate how much they actually did from such an edited programme.
I think the bike was a good choice though. I don't have any issues with my BMW truck that I use for commuting 150km+ a day...
If you want some real inspiration, take a look at the AVRider forums:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=2
There is some truly amazing stuff on there, ordinary folks living out their dreams. Without support vehicles and massive sponsorship deals.
This ride report is amazing, proper Boys Own adventure stuff during the part where they ride up the desert on the west coast:
Alastair Humphreys - Moods of Future Joys, and Thunder & Sunshine.
Makes me want to hop on my bike and cycle round the world, but then again praps not! Amazing adventure. The first part especially is a fantastic read.
I find the McGregor and Boorman on the one hand really inspirational, and on the other cheating a bit with all the cameras, gear, crew etc. Enjoyed both series/books tho.
If you get the chance to see Charlie Boorman do a real life talk, go to see it. I went expecting very little as was not a fan of the programs, but he is very very funny in real life and was very popular with the audience.
I am sad to say I was compared to looking like Charley Boorman on more than one occasion. (I guess riding a GS Adventure didn't help)
On the plus side it convinced me to lose weight, though I am still a scruffy looking bugger that fails to go to the barber regularly.
Odysseus' Last Stand by Dave Stamboulis is a great book that makes me dream about getting on a bike to do some cycle touring. About a guy that rode from Japan back to West Coast US via Asia & Europe
http://www.odysseuslaststand.com/
Also Tim Butcher's Blood River was a great read. Follows Victorian explorer H Stanley's route through the Republic of Congo. Probably one of the remainin few places still relatively untouched by the modern world.
Young Dave riley
If I remember correctly,one of the poncey actor's bikes rear shocker failed twice. The fabled German engineering,eh?
The OE shocks were replaced with Ohlins kit ... so make that dodgy swedish engineering part owned by Yamaha 
I watched the Mark Beaumont series 'The Man Who Cycled Round the World' at the same time as 'Long Way down' and found it quite a contrast. Where as McGregor and more especially Boorman were prone to moaning and complaining despite having the support of a crew I found Mark Beaumont, doing it on his own, a breath of fresh air. Even when he was suffering from huge open saddle sores he just got on with it without moaning. Personally I found him a lot more inspirational than McGregor and Boorman. This impression was backed up when I recently went to a talk he did to highlight a charity event organised by his sponsors. I'm looking forward to reading his book about the trip on my hols.
<Look up Nick Sanders' adventures went round the world on an R1 and runs African trips (or did). >
You should check out Nick's cycle around the world book from the early eighties. He's mad as a box of frogs....
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