Wing Man: North America By Gold Wing

by Doug Sanderson

It’s a romantic image; climbing out of a tent in the morning, packing your gear on a motorcycle, and riding off to explore the continent. Is that kind of dream still possible, and if so, how do you do it? Join author Doug Sanderson as he sets out to do exactly that. From dreamer to Motorcycle Safety School to motorcycle owner to touring on the open road, Doug makes the dream a reality from the saddle of a 1500 cc Honda Gold Wing motorcycle. Over a six year period, he not only learns how to ride a big motorcycle, but also takes several trips across the United States and Canada, mostly camping along the way at night. Experience motorcycle touring in all its moods; the joys and the frustrations, the cool green mountains and brutally hot brown deserts, the perfect blue skies and the violent thunderstorms that are all part of the motorcycle touring adventure.

434 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 8, 2017

Reviews

[Mark Gowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doug Sanderson seems like an honest man, and his book (Wing Man) reads like an honest book. So many motorcycling books seem to have a point to prove; this one does not. Sanderson's book is for intent purposes, a journal of his experience from learning how to ride to riding a respectable number of miles on a used Goldwing motorcycle (hence the title of the book). An interesting caveat is that Sanderson is an older gentleman with sailing experience.

His jaunt into motorcycles, coming from a lack of time to sail the miles he would like to, takes the reader on the journey of a new motorcyclist not so sure of what he is getting into, but doing it just the same. Sanderson's tale includes his stubborn intent on experiencing life on the road, camping most of the time and eating the fare of teen-aged boys (Subway and peanut butter sandwiches). The book is thorough and sometimes a bit pedantic, but that is OK because Sanderson does what very few people seem willing to do: show their weaknesses.

I would recommend this book to new motorcyclists or those thinking about getting into this dubious activity.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life on the road

I recently completed my first long distance (8500 mile) solo motorcycle tour. This book captures the day-to-day ups and downs of being solo on the road. I enjoyed riding along with Doug. I like the detail he was able to capture and share.