A Journey Through Latin America on Norton 500s

By Charles Anthony Robert
Published on February 2, 2012
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A Norton 500 in South America
A Norton 500 in South America
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Map of South America showing the route
Map of South America showing the route
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Bedding down for the night next to a cardboard restaurant in the Atacama Desert, Chile.
Bedding down for the night next to a cardboard restaurant in the Atacama Desert, Chile.
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Peter Sandford and Stephen Holmes (left and center) prepare to leave Buenoes Aires. At right is Gustavo Agra, with the replica Norton Model 18 he built for the movie, “The Motorcycle Diaries.”
Peter Sandford and Stephen Holmes (left and center) prepare to leave Buenoes Aires. At right is Gustavo Agra, with the replica Norton Model 18 he built for the movie, “The Motorcycle Diaries.”
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Norton tour in South America.
Norton tour in South America.
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Heading into Patagonia, still looking fresh.
Heading into Patagonia, still looking fresh.
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Local police help the pair recover their bikes following a massive sandstorm.
Local police help the pair recover their bikes following a massive sandstorm.
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Holmes looks bewildered after battling a sandstorm outside Ica, Peru.
Holmes looks bewildered after battling a sandstorm outside Ica, Peru.
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Sandford fixes the primary chain on his Norton somehwere in Chile.
Sandford fixes the primary chain on his Norton somehwere in Chile.
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A small rock slide just missed Holmes as he passed by.
A small rock slide just missed Holmes as he passed by.
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Locals mob a riverboat to buy chickens and produce at Iquitos in northwestern Peru.
Locals mob a riverboat to buy chickens and produce at Iquitos in northwestern Peru.
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The mine at Cerro de Pasco in central Peru. Sitting at 14,200 feet, Cerro de Pasco is one of the highest cities in the world, yet the two Nortons made it through the high elevation with little trouble.
The mine at Cerro de Pasco in central Peru. Sitting at 14,200 feet, Cerro de Pasco is one of the highest cities in the world, yet the two Nortons made it through the high elevation with little trouble.
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A local woman in Peru collecting wood for cooking.
A local woman in Peru collecting wood for cooking.
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Journey's end: Sandford (left) and Holmes toast their good fortune at having completed the trip.
Journey's end: Sandford (left) and Holmes toast their good fortune at having completed the trip.
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The Carlos Antonio, which took Sandford and Holmes down the Amazon to Santa Rosa, Peru.
The Carlos Antonio, which took Sandford and Holmes down the Amazon to Santa Rosa, Peru.

Two Brits have followed in the tire tracks of Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara and written a motorcycle diary of their own along the way. Chronicled in a book written by co-conspirator Stephen Holmes, To Infinity and Beyondtells the story of the pair’s epic 5,000-mile trip on two 1940s Nortons through some of the world’s most dangerous terrain.

Che Guevara’s epic journey through Latin America on a 500cc Norton single in 1952 is one of the most famous, and arguably most important, motorcycle trips of all time. What he saw on his travels changed him forever, and led to Guevara becoming one of the key figures of the Cuban Revolution and one of the greatest icons of the 20th Century.

His epic trip with Alberto Granado has been the subject of a best-selling book and a major movie, both called The Motorcycle Diaries. Beyond repair after countless crashes, Guevara’s Norton 500 never finished the trip, and he completed his 5,000-mile journey by other means. Fifty-seven years later, Holmes and fellow traveler Peter Sandford followed — and completed — Guevara’s original route on period Norton singles.

Making plans

The trip came about after 55-year-old Sandford, who runs a windsurfing business in the U.K, watched The Motorcycle Diaries in January 2008 and thought it would be fun to replicate Guevara’s trip — and actually complete it on two wheels. A quick call to friend Holmes, a 53-year-old truck driver, assured him of a traveling partner and the challenge was on.

To recreate the journey, Sandford and Holmes would have to travel through Argentina, Chile, Peru, Columbia and Venezuela. Along the way, the pair would have to contend with some of the toughest environments on Earth, including the Atacama Desert, the driest region on Earth.

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