Long Way Round / Long Way Down

[Rick in WNY]

FYI, Long Way Round and Long Way Down are now on Amazon Prime Video.

I had watched Long Way Round, but had never seen Long Way Down. Episode two, at the 37 minute mark, they get to Lake Como and they visit the Guzzi factoria.

I. Had. No. Idea.

None. None at all, that this was part of that video. Then I watched it last night.

I now want to go there even more.

[roadventure]

Got them both on DVD and enjoy watching each series periodically to remind me of how much fun riding way-too-big bikes off-road with support trucks full of parts and my private doctor along for the trip would be.... 

[Huzo]

Got them both on DVD and enjoy watching each series periodically to remind me of how much fun riding way-too-big bikes off-road with support trucks full of parts and my private doctor along for the trip would be.... 

I don’t care  if he had Donald Duck’s personal assistant with him..
He had enough get up and go, coupled with enough business imagination, to get someone else to pay for his trip and Charley has made a great lifestyle out  of it...
Most of the blokes I hear shitcanning them have never been more than a few hundred k’s from home.
When you’re exhausted on the Road of Bones or African wilderness, it makes no difference if you have 20 helicopters at your disposal, it’s still YOU that has to ride the bike.
Trip/s of a lifetime at someone else’s expense...
I say good on them...

[Rick in WNY]

Agreed, Huzo.

My buddy Mike and I are now less than 6 months form our adventure... Western NY to the Arctic Circle... and maybe beyond.

We started planning this five years ago, and it was the reason I got my butt back on a motorcycle. Then four years ago I got wrecked by that pickup making a left... A year later, I was back on two wheels for the first time since. The following year I found and bought my Guzzi. I look back on all that today... and smile, because all it did was push our trip back a couple years.

I'll be sure to post photos and video links here when we get back.

[oldbike54]

 Read *One Man Caravan* , or even *Jupiter's Travels* for more raw adventure tale .

 Dusty

[Huzo]

Agreed, Huzo.

My buddy Mike and I are now less than 6 months form our adventure... Western NY to the Arctic Circle... and maybe beyond

Jeez mate that will be fantastic..
I’ve not been to the States, but several Europe’s and have crossed the Arctic Cicle multiple times.
The Norwegian and Finland crossings were memorable and it’s just such a pivotal thing. Funny thing was that the weather was worse on the ‘Circle than 800 k further on at Nordkapp.
Where will you cross ?
I will dearly love to see an account of your trip.
I filmed mine for You Tube with a Go Pro and stills with this i pad. Will you be doing similar ?
What bikes will you take and what’s your approximate route ?

[AH Fan]

Agreed, Huzo.

My buddy Mike and I are now less than 6 months form our adventure... Western NY to the Arctic Circle... and maybe beyond.

We started planning this five years ago, and it was the reason I got my butt back on a motorcycle. Then four years ago I got wrecked by that pickup making a left... A year later, I was back on two wheels for the first time since. The following year I found and bought my Guzzi. I look back on all that today... and smile, because all it did was push our trip back a couple years.

I'll be sure to post photos and video links here when we get back.

Hey Rick.

What's your route to the circle?

Ciao

[Sasquatch Jim]

Go north until you are just about to die, then turn around and go south.
 Post photos of your frost bitten flesh as proof that you did it.

[AH Fan]

Go north until you are just about to die, then turn around and go south.
 Post photos of your frost bitten flesh as proof that you did it.

 

[roadventure]

I don’t care  if he had Donald Duck’s personal assistant with him..
He had enough get up and go, coupled with enough business imagination, to get someone else to pay for his trip and Charley has made a great lifestyle out  of it...
Most of the blokes I hear shitcanning them have never been more than a few hundred k’s from home.
When you’re exhausted on the Road of Bones or African wilderness, it makes no difference if you have 20 helicopters at your disposal, it’s still YOU that has to ride the bike.
Trip/s of a lifetime at someone else’s expense...
I say good on them...

Huzo,

My comment was quite to the contrary.  I am jealous that I do not have the notoriety to convince companies to pay a large part of my expenses for such a trip. 

[Scott of the Sahara]

I liked the Long way Around.
Not so much with the Long way Down.

[bad Chad]

I agree. Around was lots of fun.  Down, was a let down, the part with his wife pushing in sucked.

[Joliet Jim]

Read *One Man Caravan* , or even *Jupiter's Travels* for more raw adventure tale .

 Dusty

Jupiter's Travels, now that was a great read.

[oldbike54]

Jupiter's Travels, now that was a great read.

 Simon wrote a another book about his second RTW adventure in '01-'03 , Dreaming of Jupiter . In it he tells a funny story of being greeted in places in visited on the first trip , village elders would ask him where he had been for 30 years , apparently many of them thought he was coming right back 

 Still , IMHO , One Man Caravan is the best motorbike travel book ever written .

 Dusty


 

 Dusty

[wicks]

Have had pleasure of riding bikes (and making a film) with Ewan, he's the most committed Guzzi-head I've known. He's got plans for another one, and it is sounding rather good...

One day he showed up on that super chunky new California, and my brother said (first time I was introducing him to Ewan) "Who's riding that giant pig out there". Ewan was VERY offended. ;)

[maquette]

Several good books out there on this topic. A fairly recent DVD series/Book is the Sibirsky Extreme from Walter Colebatch. Covers much of the same ground with a little different perspective.

http://www.sibirskyextreme.com/

[redhawk47]

https://www.rideapart.com/articles/388148/long-way-up-losangeles-ewan-charley/

Dan