5 comments about How to Repair Plastic Bodywork: Practical, Money-Saving Techniques for Cars, Motorcycles, Trucks, ATVs, and Snowmobiles (Tech Series).

1. I bought this book [and later the "how to" video].
   
   As far as I know, this is the only layman's plastic repair book out there. [I'm sure there are engineering books on the subject, but I only want to know how to fix plastic, not formulate it].
   
   A great balance of how-to text with corresponding how-to photos [photos are in full color and are high quality].
   
   An excellent alternative to sending your simple repairs off to someone else to fix.
   
   Depending on the plastic repair to be done, you can probably buy a basic "repair kit" along with this book; and do the job yourself.
   
   I work on all sorts of computer peripherals [like printers].
   The reason most every computer and peripheral is so lightweight today [as compared to just 5 years ago] is PLASTIC.
   
   Folks tend to whine about parts being made from "cheap plastic", but just wait until a part breaks and you need to replace it. Those parts are never CHEAP.
   
   The information I learned from this book has saved me having to buy several plastic parts for inkjet and laserjet printers.
   If I have both halves of the broke part, I can fix it.
   
   The author of the book is president of Urethane supply company.
   [as per the closing page of this book].
   
   I contacted the company after reading this book and the customer support at Urethane supply is excellent.
   I asked some questions about a repair not specifically mentioned in the book and their support folks did an "on-the-spot" R&D of the problem and emailed me their results about how to fix the plastic parts involved.
   
   If you want to fix your own plastics, I highly recommend this book.
   
   With just a couple small repairs, I paid for the cost of:
   1. this book,
   2. their how-to video and
   3. the small repair kits used to fix the problems



2. This book has helped me learn more about plastics in general and all the items available out there for repairing. I have asked many people that have experience in repairing plastics and it's interesting to find out there is a lot of people that do not really know about the materials that they are working with. The book breaks down every type of plastic material that you will come across in the automotive industry, some history on them, how to identify the plastic, different repair methods, and different repair materials.
   
   Everything is nicely organized and easy to follow. Thanks Kurt Lammon for taking the time out to create this book and helping a lot of people out there looking to learn.



3. I bought this book just out of curiosity and I ended up really using it. You just have to get over the fear of trying it and go for it. At the moment I am busy restoring an old ZX-10 fairing.The book tells you a lot about different situations and how to get around them.
   
   What makes it even better is that the last chapter or so shows you how to prepare the plastic for paint. It answers a lot of questions on what prep work is needed and what paint can be used.



4. New book, easy to read and find certain areas in the book. Explains everything very well.



5. It's been sometime since i purchased this "how to" book. And i must have repaired (and fabricated) over a hundred pieces by now with the knowledge gained from this very well written book. It should be titled,
   "A-Z of Plastic Bodywork" as it is all one really needs to identify and repair plastic body work.
   
   If you're a DIYer and/or in the business (collision repair, motorcycle fairing repair, etc.) than this is a must have book.

2 comments about Motorcycle Handling and Chassis Design: the art and science.

1. I am an engineer first, and motorcycle racer (a distant) second. I like knowing what's going on under me when I'm dragging my knee at 140 mph, and in any field, I like understanding why some designs work and why others do not.
   Mr. Foale's book is a hugely practical treatise on the subject of motorcycle chassis design-- and the only worthwhile one I know of other than some very technical SAE papers from the 1970's on modeling and simulation of motorcycle handling.
   Mr. Foale's insight into the incredibly complex dynamics of motorcycle handling chassis design, and tire (sorry, Tony-- I just can't bring myself to spell it "tyre")/chassis/rider interaction comes from decades of building and riding specialty and adjustable-geometry frames to test out theories, and in more recent times, instrumenting motorcycles to validate and refine dynamic models. He's NOT guessing (and while this is not unique in motorcycling, it is rare to say the least!), and his dedicated pursuit of the truth is both admirable and hugely valuable.
   This book is technical, but it also presents the material in such a way that, if you're curious enough to have asked yourself why your motorcycle behaves as it does, you will probably be able to understand and appreciate the book's presentation.
   This book won't tell you how to fabricate a motorcycle frame and suspension, but it will tell you why some geometries work and why others do not in a given situation, and give you practical, applicable design guidelines and theory. It is not a prescriptive description of how to tune forks and shocks, but it addresses how the suspension geometry, settings and function impact the bike's behavior and helps you think through how to sort out handling issues for street or track. It does not address design for strength, materials selection or provide much on chassis flex (and in the modern motorcycling era, chassis flex is a vitally important design attribute/choice), but it gives you a great perspective on the history of frame and suspension concepts, with very interesting insights on why some really superior approaches have not been deemed economically viable by the major motorcycle brands.
   If you don't have an ounce of geek in you and aren't related to Tony, then you'll rate this book 2 stars or worse. But if you want to understand motorcycle chassis design and handling, this book will reward concentrated study. If you've read and loved Kevin Cameron's technical articles, or have a copy of Gordon Jenning's Two Stroke Tuner's Handbook, dog-eared, grimy and revered from decades of application, you should own this book.



2. Absolutley Great Book! But you can buy it for eighty nine dollars from sae dot org.

5 comments about Jesse James: The Man and his Machines.

1. If you are a true fan, you will not support Mike Seate by purchasing this book. Jesse James, himself, has come out and publicly stated that he did not authorize this book. Mike Seate violated and abused a friendship. If you are a decent upstanding person with good morals and high standards, you will not purchase this book.



2. This book is well written, filled with great photos, and is very fair. Frankly, I don't know what the fuss is about! Did Jesse not get offered a big enough cut? LOL
   I respect Jesse a great deal, and have found in him a great role model and inspiration, since I want to become a bike builder myself. This book was cool because it cut through James' public bad-ass persona and showed the side of him that I admire: a perfectionist craftsman, a genius marketer, and a tireless worker. It is fascinating to read how this guy came from meager means to become a world hero of cult proportions. If I was Jesse, I'd be flattered by this book. But as I said before, it probably comes down to money, and who got what.



3. Maybe this was an "unauthorized" biography, but it's darned good. We get insight into how Jesse learned his craft, who he studied under and where he worked prior to starting his own shop. Jesse dreamt of having his own shop ever since he was a young boy, and this is a decent tale about how it came to be.
   
   There are lots of pictures (the book is about 50% pictures, and 50% text). We gain insight into his parts business, the custom bikes, and Jesse's evolving aesthetic.
   
   There is a section devoted to the recent Monster Garage work, and a section about Jesse's team, and what it's like to work with him.
   
   I gather that "Jesse James Inc." is angry that this book was published without his permission, probably because he doesn't get a cut of the proceeds. Too bad for them. This is an interesting read. I'm sure the style mavens a WCC would want to project pure image, whereas this book is much more honest and human, and gives the reader some real insight into the man and his team.
   
   Highly recommended.



4. I just discovered the "write a review" feature on Amazon and have been going through reviews of books I've read in the past year. The reviews of this book are completely mental. It is a great book. If anything, it makes Jesse look too good. I was hoping for a bit more dirt about his marriages and divorces and other stuff. But it is still very interesting, with great photography. For the life of me I can't figure out why Jesse hates it so much.



5. c'mon outlaw, stop whining...
   
   your marketing machine is impressive, but your fans realize there is more than the fun-but-shallow spin seen on tv.

No comments about Yamaha V-Star 110 1999-2007 (Clymer Motorcycle Repair) (Clymer Motorcycle Repair).

5 comments about Art of the Bobber.

1. This book has a ton of beauty shots of amazing bikes. The last reviewer was disappointed there weren't a lot of "old school" traditional bobbers, but that's not the point of the book really. There are a number of old school bobbers, a number of modern looking designs, but overall if you're a fan of awesome custom motorcycles, you'll dig this book.



2. Not historically accurate. Items are in here that are not Bobbers. I would not recommend the book!



3. An outstand book about custom V-twin bobber bikes. Incredible photos by top motorcycle photographers. For motorcycle affeciandos, this is a must-have book.



4. Generally the photography is excellent, and covers a good cross section of Bobbers, from the real art of Cyril Huze and Indian Larry to unknows.The biggest downside is that the technical data sheets for each bike are inconsistant in the ammount of information provided, and some of the text is incorrect. It does however achieve its goal of being a companion book to Tom Zimberoffs "Art of the Chopper" and likewise should find a place on your coffee table as it did mine.



5. Art of the Bobber
   
   The book arrived quickly and I was delighted with it - a real 'coffee table' book, well produced with many great photos and details about early-style custom motorcycles - anyone who likes custom motorcycles will enjoy it.
   
   John Walker

1 comments about Bmw K-Series, 1985-1997 (Clymer Motorcycle Repair) (Clymer Motorcycle Repair).

1. If you're keen on tooling around your bike this manual's for you. Everything's here

5 comments about 101 Harley-Davidson Twin-Cam Performance Projects.

1. I bought this thinking it might have more detail, both in description and photos, on how to perform the simpler repair and maintenance tasks on a Harley. Instead, one gets only the broadest sense of how such tasks might be done, and you get the feeling you're still better off leaving the work to a Harley mechanic. Not much help.



2. Good usable "How-To" data for the home bound mechanic who either cannot afford to pay the shop rate, or (like myself), would simply rather do it yourself. Good methods of approach with suggestions regarding additional side jobs that could be best completed at the same time and in the same stroke. It fills in the gaps that the factory manuals normally do not cover and applies a good deal of simple common sense.



3. My husband absolutely loves this book, says it is the perfect addition to his other Harley repair books. Loves the layout of the 'projects' and the suggestions of how to do what. Again, this item was exactly as ordered, shipped as stated and arrived quickly.



4. I purchased a 2002 Harley FXD Dyna two months ago and wanted a resource for maintenance tips and upgrade performance options. This book fully satisfied all those needs. It has clear descriptions regarding bike care and starts from basics topics (how to change fluids) to medium (re-jetting a CV carb) to advanced (engine balancing). All projects are rated in terms of difficulty.
   
   This book will advance your knowledge of how your bike operates so even if you never intend to take a wrench to your bike, you'll learn which performance upgrades are appropriate for your bike, riding style and wallet. Highly recommended!



5. The book is too vague. All the tasks fail to go into any kind of detail. Unless you have access to a Harley mechanic I would leave this one alone.

No comments about Yamaha XV535-1100 Virago, 1981-2003 (Clymer Motorcycle Repair) (Clymer Motorcycle Repair).

5 comments about Motorcycle Design and Technology Handbook (Motorbooks Workshop).

1. Have you ever wondered why your motorcycle's handling changed from the way you intended? This book will clear up all your misconceptions and guide you towards your desired specific task. This is a book for graduate school designers, but presents information that is easily understood. This is brain food for the technicallly inclined.



2. This is a good book if you want to read about the physics of motorcycles and the different technologies but it is not a design book. It has a lot of formulas (know your greek alphabet) but the math is simple. I found this book interesting but now I still need to find a book on design of motorcycles.



3. I've only just started reading, so most of this review is based upon visual impression.

   The graphs, charts, and diagrams look clear, the text easy to read.

   However, the translation could have found a better word than "couple" in chapter 4. Especially since "moment" (or even "force") is a much clearer fit -- try it, substitute either word for "couple" in "... you will feel is the action of a couple on your arms..."

   Hopefully, this is the most egregarious problem in the translation.




4. ...don't take everything as gospel. This isn't to say Mr. Cocco doesn't know what he's talking about, as he obviously does - he just sometimes doesn't make things very clear when he's using English as opposed to Italian. Some of it is rough translation, while some of it is just shoddy editing. In particular, I think whoever edited it didn't do much math or engineering. Some of the equations themselves have typos (an explaination of an equation describes two different variables when only one exists in the equation... but twice), many of the variables aren't explained, and some equations just don't make sense (a force divided by a distance equals another force). And the chapter on aerodynamics needs to be reworked - there are a few times when downforce and lift are used interchangeably even though they're opposing each other, and since those are the key points in the chapter it makes the rest of it harder to follow.
   That being said, if you just take this as basic theory and don't try to build any mathematical models or anything off it, it's an excellent source of info. Mr. Cocco is one of the best in the field and does a good job of getting fairly specific in a relatively short book. The illustrations are great in demonstrating ideas that are hard to visualize just based on his writing, and the equations, if not completely accurate/explained, give a good basic idea of how the stuff is looked at analytically. It's also nice to have a book dedicated just to describing the dynamics and forces involved. So if you're looking for anything regarding engine tuning, look elsewhere. The extent to which engines are involved here are their affects on weight transfer, CG height, etc...
   If you're looking for the most difinitive and thorough explaination of the subject, get "Motorcycle Dynamics" by Vittore Cossalter. Mr. Cocco did cite Mr. Cossalter as his main scientific source, after all. But if you'd just like to get a general "so that's why that happens" idea of all the little things your bike does, this is the book for you.



5. The content is great for helping anyone with a moderate knowledge of math and physics understand the forces at work in motorcycle dynamics. And while most of us ride and do what we do without understanding why, this book will allow you to add the kind of knowledge that can only lead to more expert riding.
   
   The binding of the book is tragic ... I've not completed reading the book and fully 1/3 of the pages broke loose from the binding. I'm going to have it spiral bound before finishing the book.

5 comments about More Than a Motorcycle: The Leadership Journey at Harley-Davidson.

1. Great story whether your a turnaround person or motorcyclist



2. Great story whether your a turnaround person or motorcyclist



3. I'm not sure most execs would have the patience to stay with this book, but for change agents, team facilitators, and other large-system OD practitioners, this book contains valuable, comprehensive how-to information.
   
   In true STS style, Ozley (the obvious primary author) does a wonderful job integrating Harley's new systems and methods with the real-folks' feelings and reactions as they go through an extensive organisation and culture change.

   More Than a Motorcycle could easily be a companion volume to Marvin Weisbord's classic Productive Workplaces, maybe even its sequel.




4. Rich Teerlink, retired CEO of Harley Davidson, and Lee Ozley, organizational consultant, have teamed up and written about Harley Davidson's transformation from a hierarchical command and control organization to what they call a "Circle Organization". The book primarily focuses on Harley's organizational change from 1987 to present. Many aspects of the organization are covered in good to great detail. In order to survive and meet growing demand and increasing global competition, Harley Davidson had to transform itself and undergo a radical process of organizational change. Attributing the traditional command and control structure to the American railroad empires of the nineteenth century, Harley sought to make change and break from this traditional form of an organization. As the authors' state, "This is a book about planting seeds and encouraging other people to nurture the seedlings". This book reads like it was written about a start up company that was an unexpected overnight success. Harley really had to toss out all of their old ideas on organizational operations and start from scratch. What is amazing is how this was done without creating animosity from within the organization.
   The authors take you through the proposed and enacted plans that helped transform Harley. The Joint Vision Process was formed so that employees on all levels could share the same goals for where they and Harley wanted to be. Both Rich and Lee believe that the people within an organization have the biggest impact on an organization. They shaped their plans with this as the number one factor and this book gives excellent insight on how they implemented their ideas.



5. Rich Teerlink, retired CEO of Harley Davidson, and Lee Ozley, organizational consultant, have teamed up and written about Harley Davidson's transformation from a hierarchical command and control organization to what they call a "Circle Organization". The book primarily focuses on Harley's organizational change from 1987 to present. Many aspects of the organization are covered in good to great detail. In order to survive and meet growing demand and increasing global competition, Harley Davidson had to transform itself and undergo a radical process of organizational change. Attributing the traditional command and control structure to the American railroad empires of the nineteenth century, Harley sought to make change and break from this traditional form of an organization. As the authors' state, "This is a book about planting seeds and encouraging other people to nurture the seedlings". This book reads like it was written about a start up company that was an unexpected overnight success. Harley really had to toss out all of their old ideas on organizational operations and start from scratch. What is amazing is how this was done without creating animosity from within the organization.
   The authors take you through the proposed and enacted plans that helped transform Harley. The Joint Vision Process was formed so that employees on all levels could share the same goals for where they and Harley wanted to be. Both Rich and Lee believe that the people within an organization have the biggest impact on an organization. They shaped their plans with this as the number one factor and this book gives excellent insight on how they implemented their ideas.