Longest Ride: My Ten-Year 500,000 Mile Motorcycle Journey - Softcover

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Emilio Scotto began his professional life as a pharmaceutical salesman. But a long-simmering dream to travel the world eventually got the best of him. In 1985 he set out on a motorcycle journey around the world that would last a record-setting 10 years. Emilio lives with his wife Monica in Los Angeles, California.

For his eighth birthday, Emilio Scotto s mother bought him a world atlas. He told his mother that he would someday make a route that would pass through all the countries of the world. As an adult, through a melding of fate, karma, and luck, he got his hands on the most amazing machine: a black 1100 Honda Gold Wing motorcycle. This will be my ticket to see the world, he said to himself. With no money or credit cards, and zero travel experience, Emilio bid farewell to his family, hopped on his motorcycle, and headed into the unknown. Thus began a decade-long journey that landed him in the Guinness Book of World Records. Through words and photos, Emilio takes you on the journey of a lifetime in The Longest Ride.

Hopping aboard the Black Princess, his 1980 Honda Gold Wing, Emilio Scotto set out on a record-breaking world tour that lasted more than a decade. He began by exploring his native South America, followed by Central America, Mexico, and the United States. From there he went to Europe, from there the Soviet Union, and from there on to Africa.

The list of countries Emilio toured in the following years--Tunisia, Libya, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone (where he was set upon by cannibals), Liberia, Congo, Zaire, Mozambique, Tanzania, Somalia (which he escaped from on an old freighter), Petra, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Nepal, China, Tibet, Singapore-- is practically endless, matched only by the list of adventures he had during his journey.

With over 300 photos, The Longest Ride takes the reader along on Emilio s ride as he relives this amazing, record-breaking adventure of a lifetime.