1 comments about Donnys Unauthorized Technical Guide to Harley Davidson 1936-2008: Volume I: The Twin Cam.

1. Anyone that has been sucked into the Harley mystique and owns one of these expensive power mills owes it to themselves to read anything and everything by Harley Technical writer, Donny Petersen. Donny is the Jedi Master of Harley Davidson power trains. Donny's monthly tech articles for the extremely popular AMERICAN IRON magazine are indispensable guides for Modern Harley owners and mechanics. His articles are the primary reason I own a subscription to the magazine. I've learned a lot about Harleys from this man. His technical writing is brilliantly comprehensive to the expert and the layman. Donny is an invaluable teacher and second to none.
   
   This volume contains articles about the Modern Twin Cams (1999 to the present). I suspect this series is going backwards in time if it is the first in a 12 volume set. What's covered in this volume is the introduction of the Twin Cam engine in late 1998, early Twin Cam problems, timing chest and gears, the history of Harley oil leaks, air flow problems, modifying Twin Cams into older frames, the clunky (my words) new 6 speed tranny, and the introduction of the 2007 96ci engine. My guess is that subsequent volumes will contain more indepth articles on the Twin Cam 88, 96, and 110 CVOs, while regressing to the earlier engine designs.
   
   Here's hoping that Donny covers the entire gamut of Harley engine evolution going back to EVOs, Shovels, Panheads, and Knuckleheads. (Starting with the 1936 Knucklehead means there will be no coverage on the 1909-1936 Flathead.) Even though I don't own any of these older mills, I'll surely purchase every volume. Donny makes reading the history of Harley engine design fascinating, to say the least. And must own reading for owners of these older engine designs.
   
   My only complaint with Donny is that I think he's a little too forgiving of the new '07 and '08 EPA induced Harley design. These closed loop engines run far too hot and lean for an air cooled motor. IMHO, unmodified engine longevity and performance has got to be a serious issue with the newer Harleys. Donny has touched on the future of the Twin Cam due to overwhelming EPA constraints and the possible death of the Harley air cooled mystique. It could spell the end of the Classic Harley Davidson look. (I know there are some bearded diehard enthusiasts that are frowning right now. Man, I feel your pain. I have a little tear in my eye too.) Things are changing. The future is the water cooled design of the Harley V-Rod. If you own an '07 or '08 Twin Cam, you owe it to yourself to do some online research into overheating, "parade mode", and the O2 sensors. As far as I know, Donny has not mentioned the "wideband" O2 sensors fix for reducing the lean condition of these motors in any of his tech articles for AMERICAN IRON. I could be wrong, having possibly missed it or skimmed over it. And an investment into an oil cooler is a must. I did some online research into this for two of my friends that own '07 TC96s. And I have to say, I'm just grateful that I own an '06 TC88.
   
   Other than this minor quibble, this is the man to read when it comes to understanding Harley power trains. If waiting to buy 12 volumes of tech articles is a little daunting, a subscription to AMERICAN IRON is in order. If for no other reason than to get Donny Petersen's tech articles. (Sorry Genevieve, but AMERICAN IRON needs more swimsuit models posing with the customs. Just a suggestion, Chris.)
   
   Thanks, Donny. Keep up the great work. I always look forward to reading your knowledgeable articles.
   
   ENJOY.

2 comments about Harley-Davidson and Philosophy (Popular Culture and Philosophy).

1. One doesn't usually associate bikers with philosophy - but here are twelve bikers who also happen to be philosophers to refute the image of the biker as uneducated or unthinking. In associating philosophy with recognizable, everyday concerns, HARLEY-DAVIDSON AND PHILOSOPHY: FULL-THROTTLE ARISTOTLE brings the staid practice of philosophy to life, joining others in the publisher's series to attract new generations to a practice often presented as a dry art of past thinkers.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



2. I was an undergraduate philosophy major with all of the earnestness and seriousness that implies. Years later, after getting my MBA, starting and running a successful business, and buying a Harley to ride, I came on this book. It reminded me of all of those seminal college conversations late into the night with girls I was trying to score with and to impress.(Usually the girls were not impressed!)
   
   This book is fun because it does not take itself too seriously and is written by philosophers-riders who can relate the topic of philosophy to a motorcycle, especially a Harley. The book is funny, irreverent, and a little Monty Python-like. It helped me to remember all of those philosophical issues I had thought I'd forgotten over the years -- e.g., what is the best way to live one's life? -- and it started me thinking about philosophy while riding my Harley.

5 comments about Harley-Davidson Sportster Performance Handbook, 3rd Edition (Motorbooks Workshop).

1. This is a great book for sportster owners! It contains anything you need to know to work on your sportster and is easy to understand.



2. Finally an updated version of this book. Sometimes, his praise of the rubbermounts gets sappy, but overall a good treatment. Some various grammatical errors and redundancy. The information is good, though.



3. This performance guide is a good reference companion to the factory service manual. It takes you through a typical engine build and provides performance tips and suggestions. However, this book concentrates on earlier builds of the sportster and has very few references to the current rubbermounted Evolution motors. This limits its usefullness to the earlier shovelhead and evolution motors prior to 2004. Much of the information is available on web sites, but it is nice to have a "one source" guide with the info handy. Other sections ofthe book are dedicated to sportster history, which was nice, but I could live without, especially considering the books title.



4. When talking about 883 to 1200 conversion, is anybody taking into account that from 2006 on, carburetors no longer exist for Harleys? With the former, you just get a larger bore pair. With the injection pump, who is going to set his paws on it? Are there skilled personnel in the mech shops capable of doing it? Can you regulate the amount injected or you have to purchase a bigger gauge pump?They must be quite expensive.Does anybody elaborate on this?



5. I got this book to research possible upgrade to my 2004 Sporty, the book was packed with more information than I bargained for. Anyone who is wanting to hop up their sporty, this a great book to have.

5 comments about How to Restore Your Harley-Davidson Motorcycle (Motorbooks Workshop).

1. Real Harley men with eclectic taste who take pleasure in the ancient art of tinkering on mechanical things will love this book. Don't miss the rare Harley Davidson Novel "The Second Coming Of Age" by: Vedrine



2. No doubt about it, this book is a must for the Harley restorer. There's info here that you just can't find anywhere else.



3. This book has been around for a while, now. The pictures aren't the best, but Mr. Hatfield has done his homework on this one. Like he says, the book isn't perfect, but if you want to restore a H-D, up to 1964, you must have this book. It also has info that is relevant to later models. The one thing I missed, though is more # identification on parts Harley had made for them. I mean oem info, from Bendix, etc.



4. This book is has very detailed information and is extremely comprehensive. There are many clear photos and diagrams. If you are thinking about restoring an old harley you should really get hold of this book before you get too far into it.



5. WARNING do not buy anything from amazon they constantly bombard you with unwanted emails 2-3 times a day! Evan when you ask them to stop emailing,
   evan when you tell them to stop. DO NOT GIVE THESE PEOPLE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS!

5 comments about 101 Harley-Davidson Performance Projects: For Evolution Big Twins and Sportsters (Motorbooks Workshop).

1. This is not a coffee table book, it is a better than average tech manual. If you are looking for a Harley novel read "The Second Coming Of Age" by: C. Vedrine



2. If you can only afford one Harley Book, buy this one. It's the best of it's kind I've yet seen. Just one of the projects is worth the price. It' clear and well written with color pictures that are worth an additional thousand words. Reading this book will get you all fired up to spend some bucks and dig into that machine, so it's fun for the arm-chair mechanics, too. After a few projects you will feel comfortable with the mechanical challenges that a Harley can throw at you. If you do several, you will have a stong, well tended bike. It can save you a bundle if you want to hot-rod that EVO and you get bragging rights along with projects. I can't think of a better way to use twenty bucks.



3. I was hoping for a book that would have some neat ideas on making my Harley zippier. Of the 101 projects,stuff like changing the oil and adjusting the clutch just don't do it for me. But then I have taken Harleys apart and put them back together. The factory manual is your first must have book.



4. Woodring and Love offer a great resource for the novice or apprentice Harley wrench. Kind of like an appetizer plate: it has a little of everything but you don't get a full serving of anything. If one intends to really learn how to build a performance Harley this book is a great intro. However, such a student should consider this an overview, not a comprehensive treatise on the finer points of engine building. This book is definitely worth its price as a primer for more scholarly reads. Taken as such it is a great value.



5. I have the factory service manual for my bike and I still refer to this book because it explains things so well. I bought this book used for a fraction of the retail price and it looks almost brand new!

3 comments about Harley-Davidson Sportsters 1959-1985, Service, Repair, Maintenance.

1. Lots of good info. Lots of diagrams and the book is broken down into chapters about specific areas of the bike and goes step by step for fixing most problems. Some good troubleshooting info. Not much info on some areas like the wiring for the lights and some things are hard to find but overall DEFINATELY worth the money. If you own one of these bikes and want to do your own maint. Buy this book.



2. Book was in perfect shape and shipped as requested.



3. .
   
   If you own a Sportster made in the years covered by this book, you need this book.
   
   Buying this book and using the tools you already have (you do have and know how to use hand tools...right?) you will save a lot of money doing your own basic maintenance and some not so basic stuff. Even if you just use the manual to tell your wrench what is wrong.
   
   This is also very helpful if you plan on customizing your ride. Mine is now a bar-hopper. It helps in selecting parts that will fit your ride, by knowing what parts are stock and what after market parts will work. Buying parts that don't fit is an expensive lesson.

No comments about Harley-Davidson Motorcycles: Everything You Need to Know (Everything You Need To Know).

2 comments about Motorcycling For Dummies (For Dummies (Sports & Hobbies)).

1. This book is chock full of insider tips that will make motorcycling safer, and more fun, for both the veteran and the novice rider. I've spent years riding all types of motorcycles and interviewing all types of motorcyclists. The knowledge I've gained is spelled out in this book in a fun and easy-to-read way so that you don't have to interview hundreds of riders yourself! Want to know how to plan a motorcycle trip they way the motojournalists do? I show you how. Want to know what to do if you ride into a corner waaay too fast? I let you know. Want to fit in with the biker crowd? I reveal how. Don't know what to pick for your first motorcycle? I steer you the right way. Are you a woman looking into getting into motorcycling? I help you discover how to fit in, and provide resources specifically for women. It's a fun book full of great info. I hope you enjoy it. -- Bill Kresnak



2. By the third mention of Angelina Jolie riding a motorcycle in Chapter 1 to justify the "coolness"of motorcycling the book has already started to go downhill. With the exception of a few chapters (buying a first bike: what you should know & keeping your bike in tiptop shape) I have found most of the other chapters read so far (which in fairness is only about half) to be total fluff and of little value. Worst off, some of the valuable chapters seem to have little added value when compared to the FREE DMV material. Unless you really have to know the "Ten Must-See Motorcycling Movies" save some money, use the internet when you have questions and take an intro level rider training course.

5 comments about Harley Davidson XL Sportster 2004-2006 (Clymer Motorcycle Repair).

1. This book was everything that it stated. With the help and guidence of this book, I was able to do the repairs and customization with little question. Great value!



2. received order right on time and it was shipped right away...great condition..good description of what it was..just what my husband was looking for



3. This is a fairly good book until you see the HD Service Manual. The official manual is more expensive (about $58), but is much better than the Clymer. Skip the Clymer and save your pennies and buy the HD one.



4. This manual is undoubtedly the best service/repair manual available for the XL Sportster 2004-2006.The instructions are clear & concise & the accompanying photographs make the job easy. You don't need to be a mechanic to use this book or to service or repair your Sportster - if you can follow instructions & use a few simple tools (with a few exceptions for the really big jobs!!)you can save a load of money (example: a Harley dealer will charge you £70 - £80 for an oil change, using the book you can do it for the cost of the oil & a new filter & it will take you 45mins!) & derive a lot of satisfaction from doing your own servicing. Buy the book, give the servicing a try, you'll be surprised how easy it is.



5. This book is a necessity for a Sportster owner. Well written for the owner/mechanic to diagnose and repair the motorcycle.

5 comments about 100 Years of Harley Davidson.

1. My son has been a "biking enthusiast" and rider for years. He is currently rebuilding an old Harley w/restored parts. I'm scared of cycles and just stay away from them, but I even have to admit that this bike is beautiful !! He had a heart atack a few months ago and I ordered the 100 Years of Harley Davidson because I knew he would enjoy it while recouperating. He DEFINITELY did !! He's back at work -- but says he is still picking it up and re-reading or just flipping through it. It is such a nice book !! If you have a "biker" in your life or you are one yourself, either give it for a gift or enjoy it yourself !!



2. This book is very informative for the avid Harley lover!! This book would help you make an informative decision on which bike fits your lifestyle!! It is a great book to just pick up and flip thru the pages over and over again!!
   
   Billy Wannyn



3. Perhaps Harley is going to publish an after-market book to correct all of the flaws in this book. Probably in chrome. I originally bought the book hoping to do some resarch on historic color schemes for a new bike, and in that quest I found the book to be quite valuable. Beyond that I found it to be curious that the book was a square format and all of Harley's bike are a horizontal format, so that every beauty shot of the bikes is printed across a gutter. You never get to see a bike in full. It's maddening. That being said, the history of the company and the culture is wonderful and inspiring. The shots from the archives are very well done and the tone of voice is very engaging. I just wanted to see the bikes. It's just like Harley's seats, good looking but kind of uncomfortable.



4. This was a gift for my Harley riding son-in-law to be. He loved it and made points as mother-in-law of the year!



5. I bought this for my dad for his birthday, the cover is leather bound and the pictures and stories within are in full color and very interesting! This gift is sure to be appreciated by any fan of the Harley legacy, be they simple enthusiasts or hardcore gear heads, they're sure to get something out of it.
   
   My dad loved it, and he's really hard to buy for, recommend highly!