4 comments about Building Your Perfect Bike: From Bare Frame to Personalized Superbike.

1. The tips given will make this a valuable resource long after I build my perfect bicycle. Great pictures and useful information adorn this indispensable work for the bicycling enthusiast.



2. For the neophyte, the book provides a fine introduction to what features or products could help improve riding enjoyment. It is organized around sample projects of a 'beam' style road racer, a tourer, and a dual-suspension mountain bike. It contains a lot of discussion regarding the varieties of missions a bike might take on and how features or products for some missions aren't much good for others, for instance, and encourages the rider/reader to seek a more personally-suited machine. For the experienced rider who knows what s/he wants to ride and is looking for advice on BUILDING the dream bike her/his self, however, it is a bit thin on the nuts and bolts needed to get it all together and working smoothly. Retitle it "Things you could buy for different kinds of bikes you want to build and problems that might creep up if you do," maybe.



3. While the book is only 128 pages long, it is crammed to the gills with important details and information about bikes and how to build them. The photographs are excellent and are a great help in explaining the more intracate deatails of assembling a bicycle.

   Richard Ries does a nice job of organizing the book in a logical progression. He starts with the bicycle frame and how to select it all the way through to the final installation of all the bike components. He also details what components are good and which to select from. I have been looking for a book like this for a long time. Many books cover repairing the bike, but there are few, if any, that logically takes you through each step of building one. He gives advice on how to avoid trouble and tips on how to do certain tasks easier. The only downside of the book is that it was written in 1997. Although not a big problem, there are certain hardware advances that are left out of the book because it is not current. However, the book is very helpful in teaching the basic things needed to know about building a bike. "Machineheads" will most likely feel that the book is too simplistic in nature, but for the rest of us who struggle with mechanical endeavors, this is just what we need. This is not a repair manual, but a primer on how to build your first bike. Richard Ries draws from his own personal bike projects as examples to demonstrate how to do it. The advice is down-to-earth and understandable. This book is out of print, but you may be able to track it down on the internet. A very underated book. Don't let the size of the book fool you. Every page is essential without all the fluff. Now, I can finally start on my own bicycle project and maybe you can too. Hopefully, Richard Ries will attempt a new edition of his book with updates. I, for one, would certainly buy it.




4. I received this book as a gift from a non-cycling family member. At first I was excited and eagerly read it. Well, it is interesting, and does provide some advice on how to select components, but mainly its a coffee table book to read when your significant other is watching some show/movie you are not interested in.
   DINGS: --If you are an experienced rider, serious about building your own bike, and read current bicycling magazines, you probably already know more than what this book will tell you, --the components are circa 1997-2000. --It does not give a comprehensive step-by-step process to buy bike components, --likewise it is not a comprehensive installation checklist, and it is *very poor* in how to fine tune installed components such as derelliers (sic) or forks. --It does a poor job on geometry and sizing.
   PROS: You can find it in discount/half-price book shops for less than $10, it is colorfully illustrated, it makes a good book for a kid interested in bikes, it provides an overall approach to designing, sourcing, and building a custom bike.

No comments about Motorcycle: The Making of a Harley-Davidson.

1 comments about Vespa P & PX Scooters '78'88 (Haynes Motorcycle Repair Manuals).

1. I found this manual a great resource when replacing the front fender on my 1979 p125x. Though some of the technical names for the simplest of parts was slightly difficult to decifer, the pictures and helpful hints the manual gave led me through this first-time disassembly of my Vespa. A great buy ...

2 comments about Suzuki Rm125-500 1981-1988 Service Repair Maintenance/M379.

1. this is a great book that has a lot to be learned from it. if you are one of thoes people that like to fix stuff well this is the book for you.



2. I ordered this manual and recieved it in good condition and in good time thank you very much

1 comments about The Magic of TT: A century of racing over The Mountain.

1. Manxman Mac McDiarmid has assembled the ultimate compendium of the Island, the greatest tribute to the place, race and racers every put into print. Consider the energy of the cover photo of Joey Dunlop on his RC30, enter its detailed, definitive history, and one is immersed immediately in memories of favorite Manx corners, greatest riders, 'best' bikes. Once in your blood the Island never leaves you.
   
   All that's missing--it soon floods back--is the sense of being there, hearing the distant wail of a race bike behind the banks, beyond the buildings, trees and phone poles that line the road, transforming suddenly into a shocking blur of action, embodying the intense focus of a racer at max effort, at grave risk. Add the sense of camaraderie on the street, in the pubs, around the circuit, swapping lies, kicking tires, found only in a few sports where skill, energy, commitment and risk forge bonds between participants whatever their origins. That's the true magic of the TT and McDiarmid--himself a resident and former Island racer with an 'over-the-ton' lap there--has bottled it.
   
   John Surtees' foreword is provocative, outspoken in a way that will surprise no one who knows the man. He proposes a re-thinking of the Island: bike size/power, screening acceptable riders, even the program itself. He suggests a TT Motorsports Festival, perhaps linking two and four wheels, involving historic activities, not necessarily on the full Mountain course.
   
   One aspect of his comments deserves mention. It puts modern racing on the Island into perspective. Over 50 years since Surtees raced and won there, two huge changes have occurred: to the bikes, radically more powerful, and the course, now smoothed and modified to the point of being unrecognizably different from the course he raced. These two changes calibrate the average speeds now approaching 130 MPH.
   
   One element remains unchanged: the risks over the 37-mile, 150-corner Mountain moster with its unpredictable winds, weather and surface changes and other sudden, potentially deadly surprises (birds, animals, even spectators and marshalls). Over 200 racers, many of the highest caliber, have died there. Such racing, offering ultimate rewards, may extract the ultimate penalty--IoM racers have found more ways to die than any ordinary mortal could conceive, matching only carrier aviation.
   
   The only omission from the book, clearly beyond its scope, is a listing of the riders who have run the Island, and their performance. You can find that on the event webside, www.IoMTT.com. McDiarmid's book is a keeper and keeps the reader coming back for more.
   
   The Manx are an independent lot. Think of mysterious three-legged logotypes and cats with little or no tails but plenty of attitude.

No comments about Clymer Yamaha: Yz250 1994-1998 and Wr250Z 1994-1997 (Clymer Motorcycle Repair) (Clymer Motorcycle Repair).

No comments about Choppers (Motorcycle Mania).

4 comments about Clymer Suzuki Lt230 & Lt250 1985-1990.

1. This book is a wonderfull manual for the home mechanic. It is easy to read and understand. I had a serius problem with my Lt 250 and had no idea how to fix anything on it. With this manual I was able to fix the problem without paying a mechanic high dollars. I would highly recommend this manual to anyone who owns a Suzuki Lt230 or Lt250,



2. I have a 16-year-old lt230 that has been sitting outside my house for 10 years or so. This book is my sole guide to rebuilding a large part of the engine (rebuilding top end.. disassmbling transmission/clutch.. hoping that's all she'll need) as well as all the other maintenance an old beat-up machine needs (bearing changes, minor frame repairs, etc.) I do not have too much mechanical experience myself other than doing some minor work on a Jeep and working on a go-kart. The job is turning out a lot easier than it probably should, thanks to this book. The only complaint I have is that the pictures are all black and white, making some illustrations hard to interpret. I recommend the Clymer manuals to anyone who owns.. well.. anything they write about :-)



3. All important specification information is simple to find. Detailed illustrations and text make easy work of apparently difficult tasks. Overall an Excellant Reference Book.
   CBC



4. I recently purchased a Suzuki Quad and found this book to be my benefit. I have started tackling my own projects without paying the high priced dealers for repairs. My quad did not start when purchased and from this book I rebuilt the carb and it fired up immediately. I will probably use this book in the future for a complete engine rebuild. I wish the pictures were a bit more detailed, but this book is still an excellent buy and will save you major money without using the dealer for normal servies.

2 comments about Honda ST1100 (Pan European) 1990-2001 (Haynes Manuals).

1. As usual Haynes have produced another excellent workshop manual. I have used a number of their manuals for different models of cars and always found them to be an excellent source of information and guidance on 'how to' fix a vehicle.
   I especially like the foreword covering the history of the Honda motorcycle. Th cost of the manual is easily recouped after a single repair and it gives you the satisfaction and security of knowing that you have the knowledge of how to fix most problems with the bike and also maintain it in peak condition.



2. Between this and the Honda manual for the ST1100, you should be able to tackle all routine and not-so-routine maintenance. Especially useful if you're new to (or rusty on) mc repair techniques for this engine and drive train design.

No comments about Beyond My Wildest Dreams.