I bought this book, read it and fate would have it that later would meet Emilio in person and even travel with him. What a disappointment both as a human being and a contrast to the image I had forged of him after reading the book. Had I not met him, I would have probably believed Emilios printed accounts of his adventures and misadventures. Unfortunately, after getting to know him and realizing how he exaggerates everything around him to feed his ego, my admiration turned to doubts as to the veracity of his accounts. I guess we will never know what is true and what he made up. If you want to believe, then you will like this book. Well into his fifties, Emilio does seem to want to sell us an Indiana Jones adventure on motorcycle that ended in 1995. This book should have been printed in 1996 or 1997. I have the feeling that over the course of fifteen years, Emilio used all his imagination to try to come up with something that would sell and at times it turns into the longest reading.

I bought this book, read it and fate would have it that later would meet Emilio in person and even travel with him. What a disappointment both as a human being and a contrast to the image I had forged of him after reading the book. Had I not met him, I would have probably believed Emilios printed accounts of his adventures and misadventures. Unfortunately, after getting to know him and realizing how he exaggerates everything around him to feed his ego, my admiration turned to doubts as to the veracity of his accounts. I guess we will never know what is true and what he made up. If you want to believe, then you will like this book. Well into his fifties, Emilio does seem to want to sell us an Indiana Jones adventure on motorcycle that ended in 1995. This book should have been printed in 1996 or 1997. I have the feeling that over the course of fifteen years, Emilio used all his imagination to try to come up with something that would sell and at times it turns into the longest reading. I am not sure what Emilio can do other than getting on a motorcycle and riding away from everything, but in my opinion writing is definitely not his forte.

The Longest Ride: My Ten-Year 500,000 Mile Motorcycle Journey
this has been the most entertaining read in a long time. what determination and love of the sport, people, travel and just plain adventure!!!

Words can not give this book justice. I bought it to read about a ride and I was given an in-depth geography and political lesson. This is a fun book but with tremendous insight and humor. One of the few books about motorcycle travel I could not put down. It is real and revealing not only about the man but the peoples and human nature of the world. If you can't take a trip like this, this is one book you can read and almost experience the ride yourself. I plan to buy two more, one for friends to read and one for my college Library. This book will always be on my personal bookshelf, Thank you Emilio Scotto.

This book is an absolute must read for any serious motorcycle adventure rider. It is a testament to one man's courage and determination to follow your dream whatever it may be.

This book started off really well with lots of interesting narrative and great pictures. Although it was obviously written in spanish and translated to English, the strange wordings add to the fun of the book.

But as time goes on, he writes less and less and relies on pictures to tell the story - whole countries pass with barely more than "then I went to...". By the time he gets married, there is almost no narrative at all, so it seems that he lost interest in the book and had a publisher's deadline to meet.

The first half of the book is 5 star, the last half 1-2 star, so I give it a 3 star rating overall.

The book starts off in tremedous detail and gives an insight into how someone unprepared for the journey ahead can meet and conquer unforeseen obstacles both figuratively and physically. As with other road trip books, as it nears the end, large chunks of the trip are missing as the book races towards completion. I felt very dissappointed at the end of the book to have missed so much of the journey compared to the start.

very nice expept the last 50 pages from there its as he was trying to just finish it.

I enjoyed this book immensely. You don't have to be a fan of motorcycles to appreciate the scale of this challenge or the rich and at times scary diversity of this world. This endeavor on a nonexistent budget and with undeniable perseverance represents a unique and enlightening view of this world.

This book is one of the most exciting adventure books I have ever read, and strongly recommend it to anyone who may want to travel around the world in this unique way. 270+ countries on a motorcycle in 10 years!

This book started out well, and then it seemed, near the end, that he ran out of time to write about the second trip. He just started putting in photographs, which, while interesting, I would have rather he continue the written story. Still, it was interesting.

By the end of the "Introduction" I was hooked. I expected the intro to aquaint me with the author and define the beginning of his trip and the reasons for it. I could not have been more in error. By the time I completed these beginning pages I was convinced he'd never make it. Even if you have never even seen a motorcycle, you will be enthralled by this story. Amazing courage, a guardian angel, and uncommon good luck are a part of each paragraph. Don't miss this great story.

The first half of the book really shines. It is an excellent narrative of what might be one of the worst prepared for trips around the world in the history of exploration! Emilio's personality is such that strangers offer help when most of us would be out of luck. He is either the luckiest person alive or has an overworked guardian angel. His description of crossing the railroad bridge ahead of all out war in El Salvador is just one example.

The second half of the book reads like his editor reminded him of a deadline that was rapidly approaching. It is very terse and reads like a chamber of commerce brochure. The "you are there" feeling is gone - replaced by "I went here, then did that, and then there..." This cost my review 1 star.

A big disappointment was the author's choice to include a rather graphic depiction of his first carnal experience with his then girlfriend in the introduction. It is something more appropriate to a back rack porno magazine. I have an extensive collection of motorcycle and adventure literature that my young nephews love to read - this one is definitely not "age appropriate." What a shame too, because it added nothing to the experience of his story - this cost the review a second star.

I enjoyed the book and it would make a great geography and political science course with Google Earth on a projector. Sure makes you think about the rest of the world.

It is one travel pretty and full of events of the most varied, the book possess the capacity to arrest the reader, seeming that the ten years are much more fast that the reality.

This book is so incredibly fun, I can't adequately put into words how enjoyable it is. As I write this review I'm only on page 60, but I feel so strongly about it I had to write this review before I finished. The writing is very enjoyable, very humorous and colorful. I am guessing it was initially written in Spanish and translated into english (the version I am reading) so the language ends up being very enjoyable. It is clearly a remarkable translation. In addition to the text there are literally hundreds of pictures, most of them full color, which are a delight to look at. The book is a larger format (slightly larger than a standard american magazine) which really allows the room necessary to see all these pictures. Quickly buy this book before word gets around because I have a feeling it will sell out soon.

This is the best book on motorcycle adventure travel I have read so far. It's about this crazy Argentinian who sets out to ride around the world on an 1100 GoldWing (!), with hardly any riding skills, and even less mechanical skills. He starts out carrying "everything" (up to and including full scuba gear!), but gets robbed of it all after a few days. The rest of us would have gone back home, but Scotto continues his journey with $53 or so in his pocket, no gear, but an impressive ability to charm his way to free meals, beds (with and without company) and gas money.

Scotto is a great story-teller, and I easily forgive him the spices I am sure he must have sprinkled over his stories. Some of you may remember a "teaser" in the 2005 edition of Cycle World Adventures magazine, where he more or less carried the GoldWing through the jungle in Guinea, West Africa.

I highly recommend this book. It is a vivid tale of a truly amazing trip though some of the most beautiful, and horrific parts of the world, with fascinating insights into the unique cultures and universal friendships found along the way.

It is also an inspiration and warning to anyone who wants to take on a great adventure.

This is the best book on motorcycle adventure travel I have read so far. It's about this crazy Argentinian who sets out to ride around the world on an 1100 GoldWing (!), with hardly any riding skills, and even less mechanical skills. He starts out carrying "everything" (up to and including full scuba gear!), but gets robbed of it all after a few days. The rest of us would have gone back home, but Scotto continues his journey with $53 or so in his pocket, no gear, but an impressive ability to charm his way to free meals, beds (with and without company) and gas money.

Scotto is a great story-teller, and I easily forgive him the spices I am sure he must have sprinkled over his stories. Some of you may remember a "teaser" in the 2005 edition of Cycle World Adventures magazine, where he more or less carried the GoldWing through the jungle in Guinea, West Africa.

I highly recommend this book. It is a vivid tale of a truly amazing trip though some of the most beautiful, and horrific parts of the world, with fascinating insights into the unique cultures and universal friendships found along the way.

It is also an inspiration and warning to anyone who wants to take on a great adventure.