6 Books To Keep The Biker In You Fuelled-up

We use motorcycles for everything from a commute to the department store to track-racing. There’s no questioning the fun derived from the hands-on, participatory endeavour of riding one. Cross-country trips and a ride to Ladakh are all on a biker’s bucket list. However, with travel bans intact in most places, those adrenaline rushes will have to wait. While we remain eager to saddle up and hit the roads, we could use some heroic adventures to keep us motivated. Here are 6 books to keep the motorcycle junkie in you high on fuel.

The Motorcycle Diaries, Ernesto Che Guevara

Many believe a long mile-crunching ride can often be liberating. This book is the biggest liberation story on a motorcycle ever told. It is a memoir from the early travels of Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara which talks about the insightful perspectives the man gains while travelling across unknown lands. However, the trip wasn't completely done on the motorcycle, which the duo loses during their 8,000 km adventure, telling us the one thing every motorcyclist must know – “It’s about the ride, not the destination”.

Lone Rider: The First British Woman to Motorcycle Around the World, Elspeth Beard

The year is 1982, and the world isn’t the same. After an excruciating breakup, 23-year-old Elspeth Beard leaves behind her friends and family in London to explore a world believed to be ‘unsafe’ for women. And solo, on a motorcycle. The stories of her ride through war-ravaged countries and harsh landscapes is nothing but motivational for women around the world. She pens down experiences from fending off sexual attacks to surviving life-threatening illness quite brilliantly. Her travels in a world with paper maps and no emails will make you question your fear of travelling solo.

Jupiter’s Travels, Ted Simon

Ride long enough and the motorcycle starts to feel like a part of you. But for how long? Ted Simon rode his 500cc Triumph Tiger for four long years, around the world. The book narrates Ted’s adventure crossing 6 continents riding a total of 125,530 km. The book talks about the most basic things in life through the rider's goggles, from the fear of starting the ride to getting back up after a crash. 

Guy Martin: My Autobiography

The Isle of TT is considered as the world’s most dangerous motor sport. With racers zooming down the stringy lanes of the Isle of Man on their mammoth engines, there’s no doubt about the risk being undertaken. Hear it from the man himself in the autobiography of the biggest star of the sport, Guy Martin. The book is the closest we can come to getting a feel of what it’s like to ride on the deadly track. The best part? The book comes straight from Guy’s head letting us discover what it’s like to survive a 270 km/h fireball – stare death right in the eye and come back. It's assured to give every motorcyclist goosebumps.

Long Way Round: Chasing Shadows Across the World, Charley Boorman, and Ewan McGregor

So, what if a couple of novices decide to travel after being inspired by a motorcycle book? Long way round is the travelogue of British movie star Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman drawing inspiration from Ted Simon’s Jupiter’s Travels and embarking on a 31,000 km journey from London to New York. The book talks about everything from the beauty of the places they cross to the thoughts of quitting after a downer. The journey was also made into a documentary with the same name. Thinking why read the book when you can watch it? Think again, because emotions of the helmet-donned riders can’t be portrayed on a screen, but in the book, they are penned down beautifully.

Bearback: The World Overland, Pat Garrod

Ever imagined travelling the world with your better half? Pat Garrod, a successful physician had a revelation leading him to pack his bags and leave on a trail, along with his wife on a BMW R100GS. The stories of them leaving their structured worlds behind and chasing the sunset will leave anyone wallowing in deep envy. For any motorcycle reader who has, even for a second, thought about leaving the rat race and mundane routines of daily life behind and speed off on a motorbike, this is the book to read and get inspired by.