The Ernie Diaries

When I first picked up The Ernie Diaries, my initial thought was to pass on it.

- Anne Betts and Des Molloy

The cover didn’t grab me. We’re often advised to not judge books by their covers and, annoyingly, I sometimes fall prey to that, too.

In this case, the cover’s slightly fuzzy photo is of an overloaded bright orange 500cc Norton, amid what appears to be either a Turkish or Iranian desert. My curiosity grew when I took a moment to ignore the condition of the aging photo and saw that among the load was a tall wicker basket, and a tank bag that looked as if it was being held on for dear life with a ratchet strap, signaling that this book had the potential to tell an oddball tale.

The subtitle then drew me in: “A motorcycle adventure from London to Iran in 1973.” It dawned on me that this was the year that Ted Simon set off around the world on his Triumph Tiger. And I began to ponder how the authors, Anne Betts and Des Molloy, would deal with motorcycle travel back then. In the early 1970s, the concept of expedition-like overlanding by motorcycle was barely on anyone’s radar.