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I just finished reading "Motorcycle Touring- Everything You Need to Know" by Dr. Gregory W. Frazier, and I'm recommending it to anyone who's pondered the idea of extended motorcycle touring, or anyone else looking for an interesting read. It was published in 2005.
I found my copy at Amazon for a reasonable price. The condition of the book is very good and the shipping was free, if I remember correctly. I hate w/ a passion to pay retail for anything, especially books, and while I've had a crappy experience w/ Amazon, this was a good one, including the price.
Anyway, Dr. Frazier's book is an easy read. It's big and printed on very nice paper. Lots of neat pictures, especially the one on the cover, which is of an LT! :yeah: He has a few other pictures of other LTs, but these are minimal, due I surmise to his typical choice of lighter, smaller displacement motorcycles for managing the various terrains he travels.
For those who might not know, Dr. Frazier has ridden around the world on a motorcycle at least five times, and he's written lots of articles and several books related to motorcycles and touring. He's accomplished much more than just touring, so he appears to be an expert in things revolving around motorcycles.
He approaches motorcycle touring w/ a minimalist mindset, being very costs conscious in his adventures. His approach makes a lot of sense with the word practicality often an understatement. He can be viewed as a real penny pincher, but that can be a good thing for anyone looking to perform similar adventures/epic rides, but not sure of how to do so on limited funds. He comes across in his writing as a simple, down-to-earth kind of guy, and while I don't know how he acquired his PhD, he doesn't come across as some "better than thou" in his writings. Although, there are a few references to other riders in his encounters where it sounded like his criticisms were a little harsh, for a lack of better choice of words. I finished the book with the impression Gregory Frazier would be a nice fun guy to be around, Dr. or not, and he's definitely got a wealth of experience and wide ranging tips for touring around the world or just around one's home state.
One of his big advocacies is not shipping one's personal motorcycle to other countries, but renting from the locals. While he didn't necessarily offer hard numbers/examples, he seems to think one can save thousands of dollars per trip by renting locally. To go along w/ this, his personal preference is to be his own tour guide, instead of utilizing the services offered by guided motorcycle tour operators, such as Edelweiss, though I don't recall him mentioning any specific names.
I was kinda surprised at his suggestion of renting locally, but that's only based on my readings of other's experiences, all of which have been somewhat dated. He definitely is one of those who tends to "rough it", partly for the budget constraints, and partly for the adventure/experience. He mentioned how in all five of his trips around the world, he has never used a GPS. I found that interesting.
Anyway, hope this review prompts others to read this book. If nothing else, it's entertaining, and it definitely stirs one soul to get out and ride. :bmw:
I found my copy at Amazon for a reasonable price. The condition of the book is very good and the shipping was free, if I remember correctly. I hate w/ a passion to pay retail for anything, especially books, and while I've had a crappy experience w/ Amazon, this was a good one, including the price.
Anyway, Dr. Frazier's book is an easy read. It's big and printed on very nice paper. Lots of neat pictures, especially the one on the cover, which is of an LT! :yeah: He has a few other pictures of other LTs, but these are minimal, due I surmise to his typical choice of lighter, smaller displacement motorcycles for managing the various terrains he travels.
For those who might not know, Dr. Frazier has ridden around the world on a motorcycle at least five times, and he's written lots of articles and several books related to motorcycles and touring. He's accomplished much more than just touring, so he appears to be an expert in things revolving around motorcycles.
He approaches motorcycle touring w/ a minimalist mindset, being very costs conscious in his adventures. His approach makes a lot of sense with the word practicality often an understatement. He can be viewed as a real penny pincher, but that can be a good thing for anyone looking to perform similar adventures/epic rides, but not sure of how to do so on limited funds. He comes across in his writing as a simple, down-to-earth kind of guy, and while I don't know how he acquired his PhD, he doesn't come across as some "better than thou" in his writings. Although, there are a few references to other riders in his encounters where it sounded like his criticisms were a little harsh, for a lack of better choice of words. I finished the book with the impression Gregory Frazier would be a nice fun guy to be around, Dr. or not, and he's definitely got a wealth of experience and wide ranging tips for touring around the world or just around one's home state.
One of his big advocacies is not shipping one's personal motorcycle to other countries, but renting from the locals. While he didn't necessarily offer hard numbers/examples, he seems to think one can save thousands of dollars per trip by renting locally. To go along w/ this, his personal preference is to be his own tour guide, instead of utilizing the services offered by guided motorcycle tour operators, such as Edelweiss, though I don't recall him mentioning any specific names.
I was kinda surprised at his suggestion of renting locally, but that's only based on my readings of other's experiences, all of which have been somewhat dated. He definitely is one of those who tends to "rough it", partly for the budget constraints, and partly for the adventure/experience. He mentioned how in all five of his trips around the world, he has never used a GPS. I found that interesting.
Anyway, hope this review prompts others to read this book. If nothing else, it's entertaining, and it definitely stirs one soul to get out and ride. :bmw:
