On 6 October 1973 Ted Simon knew there was no going back. He loaded up his 500cc Triumph Tiger in the pouring rain and said goodbye to London. Over four years he rode 64,000 miles round the world. Breakdowns, revolutions, war, a spell in prison, and a Californian commune were all part of his experience, which was coloured variously by utter despair and unimaginable joy.
He was treated as a spy, a...