1 comments about The Great Book of Harley Davidson.

1. This is a huge and heavy book, well printed in Indonesia on what seem to be top-notch materials. Except for a bit of excessive contrast in some of the old black & white illustrations, you really couldn't ask for higher production values. The work is a repackaging of two earlier works, "Harley Davidson, a Way of Life, a Hundred Year Old Myth" (2002) and "Harley Davidson, Evolution of the Myth" (1999), which in turn seem to be related to a number of similar titles published by the same authors in English, Spanish and French over the past ten years. But none of that detracts from the current title, at least for those who, like this reviewer, don't already own the earlier works. If this is an English translation, it is a fluent one.
   
   The first third of the book goes over the history of the company and its products - even bicycles! - in good detail, with extensive photos of personalities, machines and even period literature. The photos are generally very good or better, and they alternate between close-ups, detail shots and typical advertising brochure-type product overviews to maintain your interest. There are many, many other Harley books that cover this same ground with equally good photography, but I am not aware of any which actually do a better job.
   
   The accompanying narrative seems to be equally comprehensive and balanced, although I've not yet read it all carefully enough to say how accurate it all is with any certainty. It certainly seems to be well done, though, and I found the parts I read interesting as well as keyed in well with the nearby photos.
   
   The remainder of the book, however, really makes the whole project for this reviewer: The authors have not only a love of beautiful restorations and classic, factory-stock Harleys, but also a passion for the infinite variety of "customs" that Harley owners and professional builders have churned out in great numbers over the past half-century or more. The illustrations chosen run a fantastic gamut from the bizarre to the beautiful... well illustrating the creativity and individualism which have come to be identified with this quintessentially American marque.
   
   Does this review sound like something written by the stereotypical "outlaw biker" or Harley fanatic? Well, no, actually... I've ridden "most vroom for the buck" Japanese bikes and über-practical BMWs for most of my life! But unless you have no soul at all it's impossible not to appreciate the Harley as both a riding "experience" - pretty unique until quite recently, when the Japanese finally got their American-style V-Twin clones "right" - and as an art form and starting point for individual expression - for which H-D is still unmatched. This book, by two French admirers, very admirably conveys the feeling so many have for Harley-Davidsons of all sorts... and will encourage a lot of new purchases!

1 comments about Legend of Speed: The Burt Munro Story.

1. This book is based on the book "One Good Run." It is about Burt Munro's life and his love of motorcycles, especially Munro's love of speed. The book is written for a younger audience but I still enjoyed it as an adult.

5 comments about How To Change The Oil In Twin Cam Harley Davidson Motorcycle.

1. The money spent on this book will be recouped after your first oil change. If you've never changed the oil on your twin cam engine before, read this book. There are little details that the owner's manual won't tell you. I always wanted to do more routine maintenance on my bike but I was intimidated by the thought of making a mistake on my $18,000 Heritage Softail. Think of it as Oil Changing for Dummies - with tips and advice even a seasoned do-it-yourselfer can benefit from. Learn how to change your transmission and primary case as well. The book covers much more than just changing your oil, but even if that's all it covered it would still be worth the money. It's a perfect companion to the owner's manual.



2. There are a some good tips, but the book is fairly unstructured and
   contains numerous annoying grammatical errors.
   In general, not very well written.
   Not recommended.



3. Change the Oil is not going to win any book awards. It was disappointing. Very poorly organized with random points made through out and other points repeated multiple times. The information could have been conveyed in about 10 well written pages. It could have used a proof reader. There were many misspellings, missing words, etc. Photos were of a very poor quality. I really don't know whether I should trust the information. I recommend you find another source for the information



4. I liked this book, period. Well worth the investment for learning insider tips on not only how to change your oil on the big twin Harleys, but all sorts of good stuff about owning a motorcycle in general. Being new to a Harley I appreciated the advice of a seasoned Harley rider as the author has been putting on many cycle miles for many years. Although the book is not a shop manual it has little known tips that a shop manual would never tell you. I know I am saving big bucks by doing what service I can to my own bike and this book along with a shop manual got me where I need to be! An easy read and the author makes it interesting and fun!



5. 
   Considering the cost of service work this book is worth picking up. Most factory repair manuals are generic in nature and don't demonstrate the fine details to carry out some maintenance tasks as this book does. I appreciate all tips and tricks I can get from anyone who has done the task before. I admire the authors desire to share what he knows and help others enjoy maintaining their bikes. My recommendation for the next printing issue is to condense the material as much as possible. The current edition is repetitive in many places and this is distracting to the reader. I found myself rereading the material to make sure I didn't miss something. I do know I will refer to my copy the first few time I do general maintenance on my HD.

1 comments about Harley-Davidson Shovelhead and Evolution Big Twins 1970 to 1999 (Haynes Service & Repair Manual).

1. Had much useful info. Jumps between models, and is sometimes confusing which bike/engine version it's talking about. Index not that great. Still a decent book.

3 comments about Honda Motorcycles.

1. Well written, great photography, well researched sidebars on significant, influential models, more than I expected for the price. Very well done.



2. This is what a good, accurate, detailed motorcycle book is supposed to be. You get great information and fantastic pictures of original, historically important motorcycles, their riders and the facts that go with them. There is so much speculation these days by people who think they remember what happened, or what a bike was supposed to look like, or when a particular feature was added or changed in a particular model line. This book sets a lot of that straight. It seems the author knows and has spoken personally to the factory racers, mechanics, engineers and competitors to get the information. I got the impression that the author and the historic people themselves were good friends! I got a kick out of the Soichiro Honda quote the first time he rode the great CB 750 in 1969. It really brings characters to life.

   Jeff Hackett is frequently used as a resource, as he is one of the top authorities on photographing and restoring old Hondas among other motorcycles. Many of the top authorities, authors and restorers have been accessed to create this book. To top it off I get great, color, engine-out photos of the famous RC-166 and RC-160 motors that so much legend has been made of.

   This all in consideration, the book is not the absolute last word on Honda motorcycles, as many models, specifically US models and some others have been omitted or intentionally left-out. Thankfully, there are other top notch books like that written by Bill Silver that pick up any slack that was omitted herein, but this is the best effort so far at being far better than any "coffee table book" and definitely a must for the restorer or researcher. This is not a re-hashed and fluffed-up "coffee table book", as it is really an up-to-date, detailed history with a bit of myth and legend mixed it for good balance and flow. You should read it end to end; but, you can just as easily flip through it now and then for a "fix" as well. Either way, this is one book you should have in your collection.

   For the record, I have personally started restoring old Hondas and this book no doubt will pay for itself repeatedly over the years as I take on new projects!




3. Very nice reference book. Glad to have it as an addition to my collection..

3 comments about The Big Book of Biker Flicks: 40 of the Best Motorcycle Movies of All Tiime.

1. Award-wining writers who ar especially known for their insightful movie commentaries, John Wooley and Michael H. Price present The Big Book Of Biker Flicks, an erudite scrutiny of 40 of the best motorcycle movies of all time. Black-and-white and a handful of color photographs illustrate the discussions of biker movies such as "Angels Die Hard!", "Werewolves on Wheels", "Rebel Rousers". The reflections not only discuss plot and themes, but also the conditions behind the movies' creation, the models of bikes portrayed, the level and useage of violence in such films, and more. A fascinating tour of how Hollywood has glamorized and demonized motorcycles and the people who ride them, The Big Book of Biker Flicks is a welcome addition to personal and academic Cinematic History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.



2. I picked this book up at the local library and I must get my own copy. Tons of pictures and movie posters and sufficient commentary information, including background information. A lot of research was expended to obtain many interesting inside tidbits and on the film-making process. Best of all, there are many sexy pictures of the actresses of these films. In fact, I believe there are more pictures of the women than the men. That's a plus for me.
   
   The author makes no attempt to trash any of the films. For example, for the film She-Devils on Wheels, the author writes, "among those who love low-budget and exploitation films ...". I am old enough to have seen the films of the 60's-70's-80's, low budget films that are barely made anymore. Thanks to Blockbuster (or Lackluster) that stopped stocking these films to concentrate on just the hits. And high ticket prices hurt as well. But, what you saw on the screen was more real than the special effects laden, blue screen, whimpy men & women, boring stuff we now get geared for the 13 year old. I was never a big fan of biker flicks, but now we have 40 cult films because nothing has come on line in the past 30 years to make these films obsolete. Afterall, what studio is going to put a $5 million actor on a motorcycle?
   
   Back to the book, the 40 films are listed by release date. An alphabetical cross-reference of film titles is missing, my only nitpick.



3. This is a terrific table top book, that actualy provides very interesting , in-depth reviews of each biker film, providign lots of unkown triva, and numerous photos. A great purchase!

2 comments about Mrs. Armitage Queen of the Road.

1. Our three year old grandchild loved it! He has attached all kinds of things to his little bicycle to make it like Mrs. Armitage's. His mom loved the book also.



2. I was at a musuem exhibit for quentin blake in 2004 (he does the illustrations for roald dahl's books) and i was surprised to see that he is also a children's book author. I picked up this book and found it so enjoyable that we later bought a few others. When my child was struggling with reading (she's dylexic), she found so much enjoyment reading about crazy mrs. armitage. The story and illustrations are simply delightful! Highly recommend!

1 comments about Harley-Davidson Softail (Motorcycle Color History).

1. If you're into knowing about the Softail and its history, then this is your book.
   Describing the history of the invention of the "softail" by Bill Davis (and how he hardly made any money out of it...)and furthermore the models that Harley built around this principle with nice photos up to 2003.
   Not describing serialnumbers, colours and modelyear-differences, but for general softail-info a very nice book!

1 comments about Clymer Honda GL1500C Valkyrie, 1997-2003 (Clymer Motorcycle Repair) (Clymer Motorcycle Repair).

1. Clymer has made a great book for Honda Valkyrie repairs. Many books do not have great detail or accompanying pictures. Clymer does it right and has great schematic drawings of the electrical are great and all the technical speak in the book are comprehensible to the layman. I'm glad I got this book and I would buy it again as a first choice.

No comments about Honda Trx350 Rancher 2000-2006 (Clymer Motorcycle Repair) (Clymer Motorcycle Repair).