Book: Investment Biker

★★★★☆

By Jim Rodgers, JimRodgers.com

Published by Random House Trade Paperbacks

ISBN-13: 978-0812968712

Paperback: $16.00 ($11.99 Kindle/Nook version)

If you’re thinking like I was after reading this book title, then you’d be falling prey to a classic case of “you can’t tell a book by its cover.” After all, there’s something about investment talk and adventure biking that just doesn’t seem to mix… right? But after cracking this little gem open I was more than pleasantly surprised.

Here’s the premise: Back in the early 1990s, Jim Rogers, a Wall Street legend, and his girlfriend, concocted an extensive plan to ride around the world on a pair of non-GS BMW road bikes. Although this work is just as much a wonderful and informative adventure story of that time, Jim also made it his mission to take a first-hand look at the economy of every country they passed through to consider its investment barometer. They ended up spending a few years on the road while covering a record-breaking 100,000 miles on their bikes. They did it by not shying away from some of the world’s more gnarly roadways, and somehow made it back to tell their tale.

What intrigued me most was their ambition to undertake this journey. Consider that Jim, although a motorcycle enthusiast, was not the slightest bit mechanically-inclined. Indeed, he’d never fixed a flat, and barely knew which end of a wrench to hold before venturing off. And equally unusual, his girlfriend had never driven a motorcycle before the trip was planned, but took the initiative to go to BMW mechanic school to keep their machines running. Look at the map that accompanies this review. Consider the world and road conditions, particularly through China and Siberia, around 1990—it was one heck of a ballsy plan, and not exactly what one might expect from a “wimpy” Wall Street type.

This inspiring book is roughly a 75/25 mix of travelog-to-financial talk. You cannot read it without learning something, perhaps quite a lot, about the international scene and its economics of that time. Although Jim was an economics professor at Columbia, his easy-to-understand style doesn’t overwhelm the reader. His knowledge of each and every country they passed through, alone, makes it an engaging read.

So, there may be something valuable for you lurking in the pages of this book. Especially considering that some are looking for ways to finance their own overlanding adventures. How many of us have contemplated international investing as a resource? Perhaps the book’s title isn’t so peculiar after all.

One of the things that makes this a fun read, and what adds so much punch to the storytelling, is the author’s attitude. He makes no bones about showing us his rebellious and out-of-sync views against conventional Wall Street wisdom. This makes his observations and evaluations all that much more interesting, insightful, and hopefully valuable, to the reader. One also gets the impression that this man, from a small town in Alabama, was in search of something grander… new frontiers and challenges to conquer. And, perhaps some place he could call home.

After the publication of this best-seller, Jim went on to garner further fame and fortune as well as authoring several other successful books. And, about a decade later, he undertook with his wife-to-be, yet another RTWer (this time in a custom-built Mercedes-Benz SUV). With two such extensive, multi-year, overlanding expeditions of the planet, it’s a curious fact that he finally chose to call Singapore home.

Investment Biker is an entirely unique composition. Even if you couldn’t care less about world economy issues or investment opportunities, don’t shy away from this book. There’s plenty of other great content too, making it an excellent read from either aspect. JimRodgers.com