1 comments about The Magic of TT: A century of racing over The Mountain.

1. Manxman Mac McDiarmid has assembled the ultimate compendium of the Island, the greatest tribute to the place, race and racers every put into print. Consider the energy of the cover photo of Joey Dunlop on his RC30, enter its detailed, definitive history, and one is immersed immediately in memories of favorite Manx corners, greatest riders, 'best' bikes. Once in your blood the Island never leaves you.
   
   All that's missing--it soon floods back--is the sense of being there, hearing the distant wail of a race bike behind the banks, beyond the buildings, trees and phone poles that line the road, transforming suddenly into a shocking blur of action, embodying the intense focus of a racer at max effort, at grave risk. Add the sense of camaraderie on the street, in the pubs, around the circuit, swapping lies, kicking tires, found only in a few sports where skill, energy, commitment and risk forge bonds between participants whatever their origins. That's the true magic of the TT and McDiarmid--himself a resident and former Island racer with an 'over-the-ton' lap there--has bottled it.
   
   John Surtees' foreword is provocative, outspoken in a way that will surprise no one who knows the man. He proposes a re-thinking of the Island: bike size/power, screening acceptable riders, even the program itself. He suggests a TT Motorsports Festival, perhaps linking two and four wheels, involving historic activities, not necessarily on the full Mountain course.
   
   One aspect of his comments deserves mention. It puts modern racing on the Island into perspective. Over 50 years since Surtees raced and won there, two huge changes have occurred: to the bikes, radically more powerful, and the course, now smoothed and modified to the point of being unrecognizably different from the course he raced. These two changes calibrate the average speeds now approaching 130 MPH.
   
   One element remains unchanged: the risks over the 37-mile, 150-corner Mountain moster with its unpredictable winds, weather and surface changes and other sudden, potentially deadly surprises (birds, animals, even spectators and marshalls). Over 200 racers, many of the highest caliber, have died there. Such racing, offering ultimate rewards, may extract the ultimate penalty--IoM racers have found more ways to die than any ordinary mortal could conceive, matching only carrier aviation.
   
   The only omission from the book, clearly beyond its scope, is a listing of the riders who have run the Island, and their performance. You can find that on the event webside, www.IoMTT.com. McDiarmid's book is a keeper and keeps the reader coming back for more.
   
   The Manx are an independent lot. Think of mysterious three-legged logotypes and cats with little or no tails but plenty of attitude.

5 comments about Vespa.

1. I rarely give 5 stars to a product, but this one is flawless. I bought this book to learn about the various vintages of Vespa so I could make an informed choice when buying one. Given the beauty of this scooter, I wanted a book of similar quality, and I was not disappointed.
   
   This book has explained everything about the company and its products together with their long history of excellence in an easy to read, beautifully laid out volume. I now know which Vespa I want: ALL OF THEM!



2. The copy I received in late January '06 seems to be an update on the original Chronicle Books edition of 2004. The newer edition has last chapters that refer to the 250 GTS model. There are a few typo's and printing errors that I did not notice in the earlier book.
   
   Overall - this is one of the very few scooter books I have actually paid money to own. [I have interlibrary borrowed many others.] The Italian-to-English translation is puzzling here and there, but the spirit of the work gave me a deeper understanding of the sociological impact of the machine on culture and Piaggio on Italy.



3. Nice book, excelent pictures and lots of info related to the history of the scooter, including all sorts of stories about the role of the scooter in its day, but... The book chooses a few models to portrait in detail and leaves out a couple of important ones, including the rally models and the fact that its an "official biography" tends to make it lack objectivity very often.
   
   All in all it's like a big, beautiful ad for the Vespa and should be bought with that in mind!



4. This book is unbelievably well-written compared to the vast majority of "motor books" [whether automotive or motorcycle-specific.] While it does have some minor technical flaws - primarily, the association of captions with the picture they refer to - the quality of the illustration is absolutely top-notch, and the translation is generally excellent, altho' there are enough oddities to remind you that many sections of the book were clearly originally offered in another language [transcripts of radio shows & foreign-language ads being prime examples.]
   
   The bottom line is that even if you never particularly cared for Vespas over any other brand of scooter, once you've read this book, you'll have a much greater appreciation for the marque and scooters in general. To put it another way: I borrowed this book from the library rather than buying it, but having read it & enjoyed it so thoroughly, I intend to add it to my personal library as soon as funds permit! Two thumbs up!



5. I was interested in purchasing a vintage Vespa scooter, and this book is helpful in knowing the history of the company, its representative Vespa models from 1940's to recent 2005 models. It is not an exhaustive listing of every model the company ever produced. Nevertheless it gives a pretty good background of what one is looking at. Every page of this book has color and/or black/white photogrpahs, and some are shot in closeup views. If you're considering buying a vintage Vespa, I would recommend this reference book.

5 comments about Motorcycle Roadcraft.

1. having done some limited training with the london metropolitan police riders i started to appreciate just how much better than me a class 1 trained police rider really is. throwing my bike into a series of tight lefts and rights on public roads i never once managed to shake the PC behind me - i was on a gixxer 600 with over 100bhp and he was 30yrs older than me on a BMW tourer. my respect was upped enormously.

   the same policeman told me to read roadcraft and i can truly attest that this book will not only make you safer, it will make you both a faster and safer rider and the combination will put a smile on your face all day long. the content is a bit dry, but for anyone that loves their bike and loves feeling like the king of the road, then the effort should prove extremely rewarding.

   save your life and brighten up your weekend all at once, read this manual.




2. I prefer the lessons I learned in Nick Ienatsch's Sport Riding Techniques. The book is a basic road usage guide but provides no insight on difficult maneuvers that I was looking for. Be advised that the examples used assume left side driving that "colours" the advice but also hightens your awareness of what you are reading.



3. Take the writing style of an unimaginative textbook, and combine it with the dry, stoic nature of quite a large percentage of the British. That's how exciting this book is. Just a little humor, no offense intended, this book is so bland it is difficult to read. More importantly, while it does have a number of good ideas and points to make, it really is very thin on useful, practical information. Unless you are a complete boob or know nothing about operating any vehicle on public roads, you probably will not gain any insight that will improve your riding.



4. I wish car drivers to read books like this so to make the road use safer. Because 9 out of 10 road accidents involving a motorbike and a car, is the car which inisiate the accident, due to ignorance of road safety and the diferent beetwen two and four wheels.



5. I've read a decent amount of books on motorcycle safety, but this one rates the best for me. I go back to it often.
   
   You can tell that a lot of thought and experience went into making this book.
   
   If every motorcyclist read and practiced what was in this book, there would be a DRASTIC drop in accidents. But if motorcyclists want to be stupid, then remember, stupid hurts (as the Honda advertisement says).

No comments about Illustrated Encyclopedia of Motorcycles.

5 comments about Road Angels: Women Who Ride Motorcycles.

1. This is a fascinating book about women who ride motorcycles, why they do, and what they think about it, but it is also an interesting look at motorcycling generally. I enjoyed the many individual accounts throughout the book by riders who contributed their own stories about how they were introduced to motorcycling, "first ride stories," their enjoyment of the sport, "most embarrassing moments," and inspirational stories. I was also impressed with the author's emphasis on safety, both with respect to driving skill and also with respect to being careful about dangerous people and situations one can encounter on the road. There are some real dangers to be aware of, and this book is honest about that, and contains good advice about how to avoid them. The book also contains a wealth of information on how to keep your bike in shape mechanically, the best kind of riding gear to wear, tips on touring, and even how to choose a motorcycle if you are thinking of becoming a rider. And maybe best of all, this book conveys the real sense of adventure and of belonging to a unique group, that goes along with being involved in motorcycling. Even though the focus is on women motorcyclists, I can vouch for the fact that this is a book that men will enjoy too if they have any interest in the fun and freedom of riding a motorcycle.



2. I really loved this book and the information given for ladies who ride has been so useful to me as a new rider such as how to ride in the rain, and how a woman can check out motorcycles before buying one. I'm looking forward to reading Miss Dicks's next book, The Devil's Playground published by Prometheus Books due out this fall. I've already read, They're Going TO Kill My Son and Death Row by this author.



3. I thought the book was a wonderful read and it contained some great information on riding as well as the other ladies stories that were included in it. I thought the author included all a lady needs to know about riding when first starting out. I loved it and look forward to reading the next one out.



4. If you like reading with a red correction pencil in hand, this is the book for you. Getting through even one chapter is a chore because the reader must navigate through a minefield of botched syntax, misspellings, garbled grammer, unfinished sentences and plain ol' bad writing. If there's an award for the worst writing and editing, this book's a shoe-in! I felt as though the writer rushed to get enough pages typed for a book and didn't bother to even do a cursory check of her work.

   The content is not much better. Skip this book.




5. This is a handy book for women who might be interested in becoming motorcyclists. If you're curious about riding or want to buy a bike you can find some helpful hints in addition to riding tips for beginners-- you can also see if your curiousity gels with others'. I agree though that the book is in need of editing as there are mistakes with grammar and syntax (for edition II get a good line editor). However, if you can overlook a few awkward phrases and misspellings this book can be quite valuable to the aspiring cyclist.

1 comments about We'll See the World from My Harley: Motorcycle Adventures and Human Relations.

1. What a guy! I love his style of writing! It keeps you engaged, you can't put the book down! You're just wondering what's next with his story of escapades! I hope he keeps writing!
   
   If you check it out, you'll see the last book he wrote was very different, serious subject! Makes you wonder what's to come! Can't wait for the next book! GREAT AUTHOR! Yeah Dennis, keep em comin!

5 comments about Rebuilding the Indian.

1. I really enjoyed Fred Haefele's Rebuilding the Indian: A Memoir. This book is a delight. I liked it on several levels...there is real wrench-turning and parts hunting tales...there are colorful characters...there is a man undergoing a self-actualization and maturity coming to realize just what it means to be a man. He figures out where he fits in between his dad, his grown kids and his first and second wife and new baby all the while building a big motorcycle and running a arborist business. And it is fun while he is doing it.
   I gave it to my wife (a high school English teacher) and she gave it to some of her 11th grade reluctant readers who are more at home turning wrenches than they are writing essays. It appealed to these kids tremendously.
   I don't have a motorcycle and I am not going to build one but I do love reading about it. I found this to be a great book. If you like this one you may also like A Cliff Walk by Don Snyder.



2. I picked this book up at a garage sale or some such and had it for a while before reading it. What a delightful surprise it was. Author Haefele, whose life is in a bit of a mess (divorce, career problems, kid problems), sets about restoring an Indian Chief. The Chiefs were the premier line of the once-great Indian motorcycle company and highly valued now by collectors.
   
   Along the way he encounters an eccentric cast of Indian motorcycle enthusiasts. Skilled artisans of sheet metal and engine restoration populate this book's pages, some in dingy, crowded shops, others in clean, professional places. Haefele records the trips tracking down Indian parts and the real characters he encounters along the way. His partner (Chaz, I believe) packs a pistol on one exploratory trip.
   
   As the restoration goes along Haefele finds his life mending too. A new wonderful woman in his life, along with a beautiful baby girl, and his professional life reviving too. Whatever the reason, the gradually resurrecting Indian seems to pace his life coming together too.
   
   He paints it Midnight Blue, definitely not a factory color, but one that works. His description of the first ride on the Indian is vivid--I had no idea how difficult it would be for modern motorcyclists to use a foot clutch, hand shift, left-hand throttle motorcycle. A satisfying book to read, and it's nice to know that another Indian motorcycle was rescued from the dumps.



3. 'Rebuilding the Indian' is not a step by step "how to" book on motorcycle restoration. It is the personal journey of a man finally beginning his dream. He had to do it with limited finances but with the support of a great family. Having taken similar journeys I found it a great read. It was fun to learn the same characters can be found in Montana collecting and saving rare motorcycles and parts as in the more densly populated areas of the country.
   The author was not only a motorcycle enthusiast but writer that was able to become published.



4. I found "Rebuilding the Indian" on the clearance shelf of a bookstore in Napa, California; for just $9.99. Being a motorcyclist, I figured I'd pick it up. If it turned out to be an awful book, well, only ten dollars wasted.
   
   But what a pleasure it turned out to be. Not just a book about restoring an Indian, it's more about the Author's journey through life, his failed first marriage, his blissful second marriage, and the birth of his third child. Putting the bike back together seems to be a metaphor for his life, as he attempts to resurrect his writing and teaching careers. The restoration itself is an exercise in frustration and hilarity, and an experience I can entirely relate to; doing whatever it takes to get the bike running at the very end, when you need that last nut or bolt, it's midnight, and nearest bike shop is closed. It's no Hemingway novel, to be sure, but it's easy to read, entertaining, and touching to the soul.
   
   If you're into motorcycles at all, or have ever contemplated buying a basketcase of your own, this is a must read. Highly recommended.



5. Ladies - if you're husband is an "Indian Motorcycle Lover" this is a great present for him! I gave this to my husband last Christmas and it was by far one of the best presents he ever received in our 23 years of marriage. He couldn't put it down. A must have for anyone who has an Indian Motorcycle and especially who rebuilt it. Hope this helped - blessings to all! Anyone reading this - do you have another Indian suggestion for me - I'd love to give him another great book for this Christmas!

No comments about Honda GL1000 Gold Wing Owners Workshop Manual, No. M309: 1975-1979 (Owners Workshop Manual).

2 comments about Harley-Davidson: Sportster Evolution, 1986-1990 (Clymer Motorcycle Repair Series) (Clymer Motorcycle Repair Series).

1. As a Harley Davidson mechanic I was impressed with Clymer's Evo Sportster Repair Manual.There is a wealth of information in this book for the do-it your-selfer.Not as complete as a factory manual but the average person won't ever miss the oem manual.I recomend it,crankpin74.



2. This is a great manual for anybody wanting to do repair on their Harley. I found it pretty easy to follow, the instructions weren't over-my-head like with some other manuals I've worked with before. The information is very accurate. I highly recommend this book.

2 comments about Extreme Motorcycle Art.

1. We are extremely honored to be included in this awesome collection of very talented artists and bike builders. Hope you all enjoy.
   Jim & Eric
   Lotten Boyz Customz



2. This book is professionally presented with beautiful photographs and well written articles. Having the book dedicated to the legend of custom motorcycle art, Indian Larry, makes it more of an honor and pleasure to be featured in this book. Thank you very much we are very proud to be apart of this piece of work. COUNTY LINE CHOPPPERS INC. Phoenix. NY