No comments about Honda Xr600r 1991-2000, Xr650l 1993-2007 (Clymer Motorcycle Repair) (Clymer Motorcycle Repair).

2 comments about The Victory Motorcycle: The Making of a New American Motorcycle.

1. I excerpted much of the following from the Polaris Industries web site:

   VICTORY: The Making of A New American Motorcycle covers the developmental history of the V92C, the all-new motorcycle from the Victory Motorcycles Division of Polaris Industries Inc. from the idea in 1993 to production in 1998.

   The Victory motorcycle is historically significant because it's the first mass-produced, full-sized, all-new motorcycle from an American manufacturer in more than 60 years. Smaller motorcycles such as scooters have been built during that time, as have custom bikes, but nothing on the scale of the Victory V92C, a high-performance cruiser motorcycle.

   The book chronicles all stages of the bike's development, including: Polaris research of the motorcycle market; corporate review and approval of the Victory project; benchmarking of competitive motorcycles to establish performance goals; use of a test "mule" to refine the ride and handling; creation of the big Victory V-twin engine (the most-powerful mass-produced V-twin on the cruiser market); and final development work on pre-production bikes.

   The photos are excellent and plentiful.




2. A must-have book for all motorcycle fans and riders of all bikes, not just the Victory. The writing, pictures and general information makes this a great read.

1 comments about Ice Cream Man From Hell Biography You're Next.

1. Mr. Trotta gave an excellent glimpse into his life. It was revealing in that he overcame many obstacles seldomly experienced by others. His story I believe gives hope to others striving to live life on their own terms. I want to thank him for his candor and wish him the best of success in the future. I have had the opportunity to met his wife and him in person. They are very unique people and the biography does them justice.

No comments about Suzuki Gsf 1200 Bandit 1996-2003 (Clymer Motorcycle Repair).

5 comments about Bike Lust: Harleys, Women, and American Society.

1. Don't be fooled by the title of this dull book. It offers neither "lust" nor insight into what is a very interesting subject---women Harley riders. We may speculate about why someone would write such a book, possibly to exercize the author's ego or to fullfill some requirment to "publish or perish". But why would anyone read this one?

   I bought the book with high hopes because I'm interested in the subject: women who ride big motorcycles. The book is really a cheap exploitation of people's interest in a "trendy" subject. The only real insights are those the author quotes from other books on the subject. The endless interviews with members of Harley-Davidson clubs are tedious and cover no new ground. Most strange is the author's glib treatment of the racism and antisemitism of some riders, as displayed by wearing of swastikas and making racist comments. Her analysis only goes so deep as to state that since most of "working class" white America is racist, why shouldn't Harley riders be? This is both an insult to working class Americans as well as to the reader's intelligence. I hope that this kind of crude apologism for racism is not widespread in anthropology, the discipline in which the author has her degree. Given the shallow analysis in the book, the author's gimmicky claim to be a rider herself is suspect and I wondered after reading it if she got most of her information from biker magazines.




2. This was an informative and enjoyable book, especially for the targeted audience. As an earlier reviewer wrote, it is not a scholarly treatise with data, so if you're an academic looking for such, you'll be disappointed. But for the motorcyclist and passenger, especially the Harley owner, it's a good read. Basically, the female author offers her opinions on Harley owners and passengers, based on her fairly recent involvement in the lifestyle. She categorizes and describes both male and female enthusiasts. Being female, and since females constitute most of the passengers and are such statistical outliers as riders, the author spends most of her time on female related issues. Her anecdotes, and those of the females she interviewed, of their riding experiences are both informative and entertaining. As a fairly recent Harley owner, I really benefitted from her insights, and I recommend the book to all my riding friends, especially the females.



3. ...this shouldn't be it. As a woman, I agree that someone ought to write a book about this subject, but Joans hasn't done it justice. She admits speaking with only one "Biker Chick" (author's caps) and nevertheless produces a whole slew of generalizations--based on what? Observation without interview doesn't make anthropology. Many premises are established (shakily) and then contradicted only pages later. Apparently she "interviewed" a bunch of her friends, threw together some poorly supported conclusions and wound up with this book. The scholarship is too poor to make it an academic work, and there aren't enough good stories to make it a general interest work. Save your money, or read The Perfect Vehicle instead.



4. BIKE LUST is a unique, forceful and informative ethnography in which Barbara Joans takes the reader inside the minds and hearts of an emergent, important and incompletely understood American subculture. She tells much of this story in the language and with the forcefulness of a cultural insider.
   I know of no account of Harley culture like it. The examples are clear and cleanly and drawn, not only in the manner of a professional anthropologist but also as a storyteller with a sharp ear for language.
   Joans comes to the task with particularly apt credentials, and the originality of her technique illuminates the character of the group she represents. An accomplished anthropologist with an established reputation in the field, Joans
   has not written simply an anthropologist's monograph, but by adopting the voice of her study population, she brings the reader inside the community; she makes the events and the people come alive. This combining professional precision with subcultural patoise, enhances the portrayal. You find yourself seeing through biker's eyes, hearing and absorbing biker terminology and world view, and feeling the clamminess of water-soaked clothing after a stormy night's ride.
   Because of Joans' highly accessible style, often invisible prose, and the intrinsic interest of the material, the work will have broad appeal. "Bike Lust" should find extensive readership among the general public because of its readability,
   and because of the adventures it recounts. A significant part of Joans' contribution to this literature is her use of both masculine and feminine perspectives in equally engaging ways. For this reason it might be argued that Joans' work is the first effectively ethnographic study of this subculture.



5. This book is about identity and the various Harley sub-cultures. It has little to say about metric cruisers, sport-tourers, or any other type of motorcycling.
   
   It is not a textbook. It is for riders or wanna-be riders. It is for fun, for personal enjoyment.
   
   And I did enjoy the book. It helped me learn that I should not waste money on a Harley when I replace my metric cruiser. Apparently I belong with the sport touring folks who wear high-visibility protective gear and top-of-the-line full face helmets by choice, not law.
   
   I enjoyed the book, although the author's opinion of helmet comfort is misinformed and probably based on ill-fitting headgear.
   
   I know I don't want to be part of the culture she describes, but I recommend the book. I disagree with her on many points, but I recommend this book. It's really a treat to read.

3 comments about Motocross Madness (The Hardy Boys #190).

1. For those of you who may not know, Motocross Madness, #190 in the long running Hardy Boys series, will be the FINAL volume in the series that began in 1927. The characters of Frank and Joe will live on in a new spinoff series, called Hardy Boys Undercover Brothers, to be released in June 2005, but it won't be the same Hardy Boys as you've come to know them. Over the years, there have been other Hardy Boys spinoff series, such as The Hardy Boys Casefiles, Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys Supermysteries, etc., but those series were published right alongside the original Hardy Boys Mystery Stories series, which continued to add new volumes. The Hardy Boys Mystery Stories had gone through many changes since 1927, including changes in publishers, going to paperback, having rewrites done, etc., but they still managed to survive through it all, and a collector could count on seeing a new title come along almost as sure as counting on the sun rising each day. Now however, the sun has set, and the last volume has arrived. It's hard to believe that this series has lasted through 16 Presidents, is older than The Empire State Building and the Golden Gate Bridge, became a series only 15 years after New Mexico and Arizona became states, and a mere 24 years after the Wright Brothers invented the airplane, and yet continued clear until the 21st Century. I'm going to miss that thrill of looking forward to the next title in the series....



2. The latest (and, sadly, last) Hardy Boys story finds Frank and Joe at a motorcycle rally held to benefit a disabled young woman.
   Of course, this being a Hardy Boys story, there are plenty of thrills and mystery.
   Someone breaks into the rally sponsor's office, there's a mysterious fire, the Boys' friend has his motorcycle stolen, all in addition to plenty of motocross action!
   Naturally, Frank and Joe are deeply involved in the case and pursue the criminals right up to the exciting conclusion!



3. My son couldn't put this book down. So many boys don't like to read (probably the "cool factor"), but the Hardy Boys books always keep my son reading. He loved this one in particular since he races motocycles. He said it isn't acurate always in the terms used and such, but he really enjoyed it.

3 comments about Motorcycle Electrics Without Pain.

1. I bought my first copy of Mike Arman's book some time in the mid 80s. I wore it out. Then I bought another. That got a bit frayed too. The third copy is, like Laura Whatsername, "wrapped in plastic"...to keep my greasy fingerprints off it. Let me tell you what I do...I write stuff - including technical stuff - for motorcycle magazines here in Oztralia. For me to do this work successfully I need rather a lot of reference material. Putting it as bluntly as I can, Mike Arman's book is simply the best guide to motorcycle circuit maintenance one can buy. If you want to go into the intricacies of 3-D ingnition mapping or integrated circuit design, look elsewhere, but if you want to know how to rewire your machine so it doesn't stall every time it looks like rain, or so the lights work after dark - two unsolvable mysteries to the owners of Italian machinery - then Mike's your man. Time for me to testify... An acquaintance of mine was having trouble with the standard wiring loom on his Honda 400cc four-cylinder machine. He decided to rewire the bike using Motorcycle Electrics Without Pain as a guide. He used only the existing wiring loom on the machine for materials and ended the exercise with 40 metres of wire left over. And everything worked. On that basis alone, the book's a bargain. As well, it's written in a no-nonsense, entertaining style which is bound to raise the odd chortle here and there as Mike explains the way things electrical work in the real world of motorcycles as opposed to the way electrical theorists would have us believe they work. And it's especially applicable and entertaining for anyone who has had any dealings at all with the electrical work of the company founded by Joseph Lucas, the Prince Of Darkness. Sincerely, I cannot recommend this book highly enough for anyone considering looking into the arcane art of motorcycle electrickery. And it's a damn good read as well.



2. "Motorcycle Electrics Without Pain" is the only book I've ever read that actually explained the electronic on my bike in a way I could understand, and the book didn't even cover my model. I highly recommend that anyone who is trying to troubleshoot their own electrical problems buy and read this book.



3. great explanations with excellent sense of humor!! A MUST for the novice vintage mechanic or to attempt to understand how almost anything works.

1 comments about Moto Guzzi: The Complete History from 1921.

1. Many years ago I first came across one of the first editions of this book at a friend's place. I was fascinated by the detail, and the complete listings of everything that Moto Guzzi had ever made. It was all in Italian of course, but pictures are worth a thousand words and numbers are universal.
   Fast forward 20 years and I was stoked to get my hands on the latest copy, updated including 2007 models and all in English. Superb. Mario Colombo writes in a neutral style which focuses mainly on technical detail rather than politics behind the scenes. The chronological unfolding of the history of the company is well covered, right up to the turbulent ride the company is currently in.
   
   Highly recommended for Guzzi owners even if just for the technical detail.

3 comments about Chain of Evidence: A True Story of Law Enforcement and One Woman's Bravery.

1. It feels pointless to write about a book that is out of print. However, this book made me wish for more by the same (pseudonymous) author. I became very interested in the Hell's Angels, and thought a lot about the man who acted as an informant. In my experience, this was a book that really stays with you.



2. Wayne Carlander a Sargent for Orange county division of narcoatics is teamed up with a new partner one Victoria Seele he is not to pleased to have a new partner and that being a woman to boot. But he has a plan they dectectives have been wanting inflitrate the bikers to gather information and Carlander has his chance when he gets Cliff Mowery to turn to be a informant or rat in exchange for early parole and teams him up with investigator seele and go undercover.
   
   Seems like unlikely team victoria is the picture perfect all-american girl you know the perfect cheerleader and cliff a biker with a hatred of cops well known in the biker community and buffed out bad boy the one that all the women secretly fantaisize about.
   
   This follows them in the mid to late 70's as they go undercover and infiltrate the hells angels. But unkown to mrs seele that this will have lasting effects and will change her in ways she could never know in the beginning.
   
   I gave this book 4 1/2 stars even though it was a pretty good book because the author and the author explains this in the forward that he has put in dialogue to keep the interest of the reader and you have to notice this in sections of the book because you know there is no way even through interveiws that he could these accounts so it makes you go How Does he figure that or know and this in turn makes you wonder how much is made up dialogue. But this is a good book so give it a read



3. A unique trip into the anatomy of the toughest of the bikers combined with an exciting, real life drama of undercover work on the edge of disaster.
   
   
   Through his connections in both law enforcment and the biker culture, Detroit has captured a true story that reads like fiction. Mix together one compromised biker willing to trade his fellow bikers for a get out of jail free card, a beautiful undercover deputy sheriff willing to ride with the bikers and law enforcement constrained by the rules of the game and you have one hell of a story.
   
   The writing style has the tight feel of a screenplay where more emotional content will be added on the sound stage. The absense of emotion does however add to both the reality and the stark terror of a very dangerous undercover operation running on the edge of disaster.
   
   The result of the operation was spectacular with dozens of felony arrests and numerous convictions.
   
   Highly recommended.
   
   It is sad that for whatever reason, perhaps the desire of some involved to continue living, that this story has not made it to the screen.

2 comments about Honda Vt1100 Series 1995-2004 (Clymer Motorcycle Repair) (Clymer Motorcycle Repair).

1. Got the bike? Get the book! Clear, well organized, well reserched. Have no fear tackling any repair even your first.



2. MANUAL HONDA VT1100 SERIES 95-07 - Clymer Publications -
   
   Must have for DIY maintenance on Honda Sabre. Very detailed and excellent explainations.