A Fast Bike to Byzantium

The Petrolhead Travelogues, Book 1

By: Andy C Wareing

Narrated by: Andy C Wareing

The year is 1986. The destination is Istanbul. No smartphones, no GPS, no Google maps, and not an ounce of common sense.

Dead horses, armed border guards and furious Slavs stand in the way. Join Andy on his battered old Suzuki GS1000G as we cross Europe, and ride together through the Iron Curtain to reach the very edge of Asia. Filled with adventure and humor, poignant and accidentally informative, this true-life story tells of travel in an era long gone, when we read paper maps like pirates on the high seas, and friends were made and lost along roads less traveled.

Can Andy prevail and avoid a Hungarian prison cell and a Yugoslavian beating, to finally reach the sounds and scents of the ancient heart of the Byzantium empire.

Buy a copy today to find out

©2023, 2024 Andy C Wareing (P)2024 Andy C Wareing

Wonderful stories

You felt along for the ride!
Full of intricate detail and humor only a young man could understand.

Subtitled: Beers I Have Known

My wife recommended this for me - I’m a rider of similar vintage as the author. I was hooked all the way through. The humor is effortless and self effacing (an excellent technique when genuine). Wareing doesn’t neglect the bike in this travelogue, but doesn’t overdo it either. Everything seems balanced, except for the author’s fondness for beef and beer. I appreciated the reminisces of Cold War Europe. And, I laughed out loud in more than a few places. It bordered on preachy a couple of times - unexpected and distracting. Well done overall.

Extreme entertainment and plausibility

This is a very well written book and even better that the author himself is reading it out loud.

The kinds of experiences described are spot on in line with what one could expect on a motorcycle trip. Yet this book is so colorful and fun that it gave me an edge of the seat knowing smile the whole way.

Heck I liked it so much that last night I went out for lamb kebabs and an icy pint. 5 Stars!