1 comments about The World of Harley Davidson: Exploring the legend of an American dream.

1. I really didn't have a lot of interest in big motorbikes before reading this short, but informative book about the Legendary Harley Davidson. Mac McDiarmid intimately explains the ins and outs of life as a Harley fan, the bikes, the legend, and most importantly, the history. From anything like the ElectraGlide to the 883, he writes every last detail in a way that is not boring, but a way that entirely grips the reader. If you just want to dip in to it and have a good look at the bikes themselves: have a go at it: I'll award it four and a half stars.

2 comments about Big Book of Harley-Davidson: Special Centennial Edition.

1. A photographically rich history of the Motor Company. From the beginnings in 1903 up through the Evolution, this book covers the rich history of HD and the riders that have kept them going through the years



2. Big book for lovers of the big bikes, don't miss "THE SECOND COMING OF AGE" by: Vedrine

5 comments about Harley-Davidson: The Legend.

1. This two volume set has lots of history, lots of information, and fantastic color photographs of Harleys, Harley riders, and the Harley culture. A great gift for the Harley rider in your life and a great gift for yourself. How often can you get such terrific Harley stuff for so little cost :-)!!



2. bought it at borders for 25 buck



3. The Author of this two book set succeeds in something that all Harley-Davidson riders have, at one time or another, tried to do. Explain why we have this love affair with 650+ pounds of oil, steel and Milwaukee Thunder, and a lifestyle of unspoken Brotherhood. Words in themselves would not be enough, but the pictures therein speak volumes to us who, "Live to Ride - Ride to Live. I am sure that they will speak the same to you too.



4. This is one of those books that can be identified as the book of books on Harley-Davidson. If you own a Harley, this book is a MUST HAVE. If you don't have a Harley, you will want to get one after reading this bok and after looking at all the terrific pictures. It is a two volume set, now out of publish. To find this may be hard, but check for this with Amazon's serach for books that are out of print. Because this book is two volumes and is coffee table size, it can be read, looked at and studied by many. This is the Bible of Harley. Without a question, if anyone picks this book up with the interst of bikes they will love it. FIVE STARS AL THE WAY!



5. I was introduced to this book by a friend who bought it as a gift for a family member. I asked to borrow it, and to my amazement I could not believe all the information and history the book contained. I immediately started searching the web for a copy. This book is a "keeper" for anyone who owns or has an interest in a Harley! I cant wait to see what Dieter & Oluf write about Harleys next!

5 comments about Harley-Davidson Panheads.

1. I had read a short discription of the book stating that Panheads were produced until 1964 according to the author. My good friend, Bob Pickersgill rides a 1965(!) Panhead every day in the summer. Field should get his facts together BEFORE publishing a book.



2. This book does indeed cover '65 Pans. A quick check of the index sends you to the pages containing 1965 Pans complete with terrific color photos. Never judge a book by its "short discription"!



3. After purchasing this book, I find it to be an excellent reference for restoring a panhead. Not as detailed as How To Restore Your HD, but good. Any book that gets down to the type of screws and the finish is fairly complete.



4. Greg Feld has produced a superb book here that mixes accurate detail on the Pan with wonderful period anecdotes and superb photos. Greg even manages to dig up archive information on mid-year changes and the rare P model.

   No book writer can ever hope to cover every detail of a models history, but this guy comes real close !!

   To the sad bloke that mis-read Gregs info on years, and slates this superb book (further down the list of reviews). - '65 model year Pans were produced in 1964, and followed into '65, yet ALL '65 model year bikes were stamped 65. '66 Shovels started production in '65 and yet were stamped 66. If this practice wasn't followed, then how else would HD have '66 Shovels ready for dealers to sell in late 65/early 66 ?




5. The most comprehensive book written on the 1948-1965 Panhead, this book is as good as his Knucklehead book. Contains an Equipment Group of Big Twin Options at the back, so you know the correct trim pieces offered each year. The author has put the Panhead motorcycle into prospective with a little history; and compared them to other great big twins of the era, the Vincent Rapides and Black Shadows (instead of comparing Harley vs. Indian). Reading the sidebars throughout this book finds coincidence of advances made with new models on both sides of the pond. The author is exacting when discussing any design improvements made to the Big Twins, and covers the changes to the Panhead year by year. The subliminal value of a Greg Field book is that he's both technical writer and story teller.

2 comments about Harley-Davidson Softail: How To Hop-Up & Customize.

1. f you're a Harley bike owner with a Softail to customize, look no further for instruction than HOW TO HOP-UP AND CUSTOMIZE YOUR HARLEY-DAVIDSON SOFTAIL: it teaches how to install budget kits, add tires, lower the bike, and more advanced ideas as well, including interviews with pros and step-by-step color photos and charts throughout. Add sources for all specialty and listed items and you have an extraordinary guide to fine-tuning and customizing your Softail model.



2. The book is full of great color pictures. The projects are more for an experienced mechanic with access to more tools than the average Joe. For ideas its' great. Not recommended as a how to manual.

3 comments about Harley Davidson Big Twins 1970 to 1999 (Haynes Owners Workshop Manual Series).

1. As with most Haynes manuals, this one is very good. The one major failing is that it covers a very large timeframe (1970-1999). As a result, much of the information must be either carefully read/selected to ensure it applies to your specific model and/or interpreted to the engine version you have. They really should have split it into pre-Evolution models and post Evolution models.

   This also means you will not find any specifics instructions on items such as fairing removal/installation, instrumentation, cruise control, or other body and chassis type items -- there are simply too may variations for a single book to cover.

   That is why I would rate this manual one star less than the typical Haynes manual which is generally more focused towards a specific model and vehicle.




2. informative,essential and accurate information,especially for first time owners.



3. Tradition is hard to break, not like in the old days. In the distant past Harley Davidson riders worked on their bikes almost as much as they rode them and it was a cult of tinkerers who instead of working in the yard tightened bolts and rebuilt carbs. If they wanted the bike to be dependable they had too.

   Now days Harley Davidsons are highly dependable and the riders stuck in tradition want to work on them so they do customizing with wonderful results. With all the Doctors, Lawyers and Indian Chiefs riding these days who enjoy reading when they can't ride books like this are becoming a favorite pass time. Two that are exceptional are THE SECOND COMING OF AGE - LIBERTY AND JUSTICE - it is a novel about HD and GROWING UP HD - it reads like a novel.

1 comments about Harley-Davidson Police Motorcycles.

1. You must have this book. LOADED with great vintage photos of motor officers and the bikes they ride. In depth history of Harley Police Motors, from 1903 to present. This book will be of interest to all motorcycle riders.

5 comments about Choppers.

1. I purchased this book for a friend who is very in to choppers and bikes. He was very pleased at the information & photographs provided. In turn, I too, who knew nothing about this art..have become a fan myself. Great book for collection.



2. If you like to gaze at Motorcycles and admire machinery built by hand. You will enjoy this book. Also good bio's on the guys who build the bikes. Looking forward to the sequel from this author and photographer.



3. Indian Larry's bike is pictured on the cover and I find myself opening up to his bike "Wild Child" and the very words are vividly painted on the belt drive; in fact every bit of the bike exudes a beauty and wild genius -- especially in the details. Both Indian Larry with his busily tattooed body and his bikes are loaded with content and meaning and the picture of him and Paul Cox look like they are on fire speeding along a quiet road on their beautiful unique bikes. It is amazing to have these photos since Indian Larry took the express to Biker Heaven.
   
   I enjoy paging thru the book looking at the different styles. In section 3, Seate has "new blood" and Tom Langton's Gold bike with a seat that says "Pleasure to Burn" almost makes me want to give my old school bike fantasies a rest...Almost!
   
   Billy Lane's bad boy hubless bike that looks like a bit of hell, insanity and chaos that found reason -- a reason to ride. Seate's description of Kendall Johnson's "paint schemes" using phrases like "Felliniesque circus nightmare" are insanely amusing but I found Johnson's work far more exciting featured on Discovery Channel than in this book.
   
   If you don't like paging thru a wide variety of bike themes this isn't for you. If you enjoy a big heavy book both in weight and variety than this is the book for you. I really enjoyed this book! You can return to this book over and over and enjoy something different each time or revisit your favorites. I return to the pages with Indian Larry and I am so glad I got to meet him and see his art in the flesh --- and metal.
   
   
   



4. This appeared verbatim in the magazine THUNDER PRESS.
   
   BTW, Zimberoff's next book (out next spring), a continuation and sequel to ART OF THE CHOPPER is dedictaed to INDIAN LARRY and contains a full chapter of his work, a portrait and his biography plus every other major builder on the planet.
   
   Reviewed by Terry Roorda
   
   QUOTE Dated photos gleaned from the collection of photographer Michael Lichter combine with perfunctory prose by writer Mike Seate to bring us "Choppers: Heavy Metal Art," a shameless effort to cash in on the current chopper craze by using the exact format found in the highly acclaimed and successful "Art of the Chopper" by Tom Zimberoff. That's it in nutshell, folks. The similarities in physical size, style and content between this work and Zimberoff's are striking to say the very least: A fat highly- produced coffee table book that examines a roster of custom bike builders through portraiture, some biographical verbiage and studio photos of some of their creations.
   
   That's where the similarities end. In the execution of that formula, Zimberoff's "Art of the Chopper" is fresh and literate while "Choppers: Heavy Metal Art" is stale and sophomoric. Seate's writing is lackluster at its best and painfully awkward most of the time, reading like the first draft of a work being produced on contract and on deadline. In three of the early vignettes in the book we are informed that "Colorado's Arlin Fatland has what you might call a wicked sense of humor," and that "Pat Kennedy of Tombstone, Arizona, is what you might call seriously old school," and that "Nothing about Kodlin's motorcycles is what you might call tradition- al." These excerpts are what you might call bad writing; the type of tedious template prose so devoid of creativity and enthusiasm for the subject matter that any editor worth the name would kick it back in disgust and demand another go. That's assuming there was an editor involved at all, and judging from the wealth of typos and awkward usages found in this book, there's little reason to believe there was. A truly ironic typo comes early in the going when in Seate's acknowledgments he pens this gem: "to Almetta, for never letting us forget the value of the wirtten word." Yes, folks, it says "wirtten." How's that for value?
   
   Here's some other stuff that made me wince: "Looking like a cross between a scene from a concert by gangsta rappers Insane Clown Posse and a Felliniesque circus nightmare, Johnson's paint schemes grab a viewer's attention and hold it rapt for hours." Hunh? Or how about this stinker: "These self-anointed keepers of the hardtail faith congregate in Internet chat rooms and in the letters pages of custom motorcycle-enthusiast magazines to heap dis and envy on builders who aren't afraid to move the art of the custom motorcycle into the twenty-first century." Ouch.
   
   There's plenty more where those came from. And the tragic thing about it is that Mike Seate is usually a competent and entertaining writer-and probably the most prolific wordsmith in the genre. Therein may lie the problem. This volume represents Seate's fifth book with the word "chopper" in the title, and four of those, including this one, were published in the span of less than a year and a half. Who wouldn't get burned out? The upside of "Choppers: Heavy Metal Art" are the images furnished by renowned biker photographer Michael Lichter, a man with one of the most impressive resumés in the industry. As always, his photos are luminous, and anyone familiar with his work in Easyriders magazine over the past couple of decades will recognize his style, but there's a problem here as well. These photos apparently came straight out of his existing inventory of bike feature shots, and many were taken years ago, going back as far as 1992. When you're making the case for custom bike building being a vibrant and dynamic craft in an exciting period of change, growth and popularity, wouldn't you want the timeliest material you could bring to the premise? Other complaints in this regard are that the names of the featured bikes are not provided, though they're often referred to in the copy, and the sparse technical data given for each consists only of frame style (rigid; Softail- type) and engine style (Panhead; Evolution-type), which are obvious attributes to anyone the least bit familiar with the subject, and of little or no educational value to those who aren't. Those criticisms aside, we have to understand that doing this book right would have taken some time, and clearly the publisher wanted to get into the market before Christmas with a product that would hopefully piggy- back on the success of "Art of the Chopper." That's understandable, if not admirable, from a business stand- point. From a creative standpoint it's disastrous. END QUOTE



5. Sometimes you see a book cover that jumps right out at you and grabs your fullest attention - this is the case for a great book for teenage boys called "Choppers." Well the cover was just the opening to a wonderfully and well written book about custom choppers. These motorcycles are really works of art and the color photos of them are classic!
   
   The authors, Mike Seate and Linda Black McKay, have done a good job of taking us on a visual journey of the mind and spirit with this book. They give the reader plenty of information to make it an educational journey (including a "Chopper Glossary" at the back of the book) yet the reader is always entertained and amused by the text and the color photos.
   
   If you are looking for a gift to give to a young man in your life then this is one book that will actually be read and looked through from beginning to end. It is fascinating and pure "dream candy" looking at what others have done to those two wheel machines. The choice of bikes to display and write about is a perfect balance of art and function. This book is part of a great series of books and like all the books in that series this is not limited to just young men. All male readers will enjoy looking at and reading this book.
   
   I personally recommend this book for all young male readers and those who are still young at heart! Choppers is given The American Authors Association's highest book rating for young readers - FIVE STARS.

4 comments about The Shovel Revival: A Motorcycle Manifesto.

1. What a fascinating read. The author discusses some differences between what it is to be a "biker," and to be a "consumer." The implication is that if you are making payments to the Motor Company to be "biker," you may have missed the boat. I don't know...however I think the ideas written down deserve a hearing. Part of the reason I ride is that the act of riding itself is meditative for me - I can do nothing else but ride, it requires my full attention and after a long day I am always amazed at how rested I am. Can this be done on a Yamaha? Only on a Harley? Or only with a bike that I built with my own hands? I beg to differ...in order to become a "biker" one has to start somewhere and part of having membership in the "culture," is having the courage to make mistakes (including buying overpriced brand name merchandise), owning those mistakes and learning from them. There doesn't seem to be much allowance in this manifesto for the new rider seeking to find his or her experience. That is the price the author pays for having an opinion. Regardless, the book is well worth the money.



2. I really did not care for the book. It is a good thing that it was not more than $10.



3. I could barely make it throught the short 43 pages of wannabe, philosiphical, hypocritical BS. Mindless wanderings, judgemental stereotypes, and did I mention hypocritical. If you worked one honest hour in your life to pay for this book, you will be sorely disappointed! What a wasted of time!



4. After years of reading reviews on Amazon, many helping me to determine if I would buy a particular book or not, I feel compelled to write my first review for a book I'm sure most will never know about or read, but after spending $10 on this I figure I would let other people decide if they should waste their money.
   
   Now I'm no writer as can be seen in this review, so I'll just say that I couldn't have said it any better than Matt Holman did with his review on February 6th. But that being said I just wanted to add a few things.
   
   This book is 43 pages long, 3 of those pages are blank, 14 of those pages have some kind of picture on it that takes up at least half or more of the page. Lets just say they take up half of the page, so we'll say 7 full pages have pictures and no words. So 43 - 3 (Empty Pages) - 7 (Full pages with pictures) leaves us 33 actual pages to read. NOW I know most Manifestos are not very long, but compound on that, that some of the pages we have out of the 33 only have writing on half of the page, you are left with roughly 25 full pages of text to read. 25 pages for $10, your really getting your moneys worth here.
   
   This book was so bad it took me 3 nights of picking it up, reading as much as I could before I had to put it down to read something that had some substance to it. 3 nights to read 25 pages. BUT I had to read it cause I bought it and refused to give up.
   
   Yes, for many the true motorcycle "BIKER" culture is long gone.
   
   I grew up with a Motorcycle riding father in the 60's and 70's and experienced what the motorcycle culture was all about. I knew when I got my license at the age of 17 that I would have a motorcycle soon thereafter. I started riding full time in the mid 80's. The culture as far as I could see was alive and well back then.
   
   I started reading "Iron Horse" magazine around 92-93 which was at the direction of David Snow. David along with Fritz and Genghis and the Piss Peas were the true iteration of what the biker culture was all about to me. True bikers working and building their own bikes along with Mom and Pop run dealerships fighting against the takeover of the factory which was trying and succeeded in turning them all into new SUPER dealerships where you can get all the doodads you need to look and feel like a REAL BIKER.
   
   If you want to find out what being a Biker was all about then do yourself a favor and find some back issues from the years 91-97 when David was part of the mag. Don't waste your money on this book.
   
   I bought this book after reading a positive review in the mag that took over "Iron Horse", but much like the inferior writing (Besides GTP) that's in the new magazine now, I should have known better than believe the review.
   
   This book is by no means fascinating. If by fascinating you mean mindless rantings that leave you wondering what the heck he is talking about...then yes this book is for you. Otherwise don't waste your money like I did.

No comments about The Harley-Davidson Motor Co. Archive Collection Calendar 2009 (Calendar).