1 comments about German Military Motorcycles in the Reichswehr and Wehrmacht 1934-1945.

1. If you want to know what type of motorcycles the German military used and what the motorcycles and riders looked like, this is the book for you. Almost all the photos include a rider, many of which are action shots. The book also includes pictures of requisitioned machines, captured motorcycles, and some Allied motorcycles. Hinrichsen also discusses the overcoats made for the rider and passenger and the heating systems on the BMWs and Zündapps. I really enjoyed this book and the pictures are great. But if you are looking for technical detail, this is not the book, as it's mostly pictures and captions.

No comments about Moto Guzzi Falcone (Motorcycles That Made History).

1 comments about Code Two 'n a Half.

1. I ordered this book when my Parents told me that "Bill" had written a book about his career as a LAPD Motor Officer. I knew Bill because he was also a Member of the Motorcycle Club that my Parents belonged to while I was growing up, so I was interested in seeing what he had written.
   When I started to read the book I found it hard to put down,his stories covered the area's that I both worked and lived in. He covers his career with humor and seriousness. If you have any interest in what it was like to be Police (Motor) Officer in the City of Los Angeles then you will enjoy his collection of stories.

No comments about Haynes Yamaha Banshee & Warrior ATVs Owners Workshop Manual: 1987-2003 (Owners Workshop Manual).

No comments about "Cycle World" on Honda, 1971-74 (Brooklands Road Tests).

5 comments about The Bostrom Conspiracy: The True UNTOLD Story of America's Top Motorcycle Racers Ben Bostrom & Eric Bostrom and Their Crime Family.

1. From the title, I did expect this to be 90% Bostrom bros lives, but it's more in line with what the back cover says about the true life of JY Johnny. This might disappoint some, but I grew up with a lot of weekends in and out of part shops (mostly cars), and for those of us that hung out with mechanics and spent our time tinkering, this is a very easy read to get into. It's pretty easy to see your old racing and stoner friends from high school here. Skirting around the lives of the Bostroms and their wonderful father is pretty interesting. There's decent meat in here about a stolen race bike of Wayne Rainey's, the Bostrom kids sitting in on secret meetings and some mafia type stuff about vehicle and title laundering to help the Bostrom's dad's dealerships with the Insurance Co's and IRS. After working in car dealerships for a long time, it's nice to see that the motorcycle dealerships were full of just as many screwed up and shady characters. Suggest it for any old 'homegrown mechanics'.



2. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's a insightful view into the world, or underworld, of the motorcycle business. As a racing fan, and insider in the business, I found this book to be very accurate to the experiences I have had working within the motorcycle racket. This book touches little ground in respect to Ben and Eric's rise to the top of the American racing scene and does not, in my opinion, slander these guys in any way. Instead, this book exposes the workings of the darker side of the motorcycle dealership and salvage business, and how these boys rose from the shadows to achieve their own successes. A very good read for any enthusiast.



3. I heard buzz on this book through a street bike forum and got curious. Everyone said this book was a public bashing of the BozBros, and pretty much personally attacked the author but never mentioned what they even thought of the book. They all sounded like they didn't even read it. Being a racing fan and particularly a fan of Ben (cause he's just so hot) I read it myself. Ulridge was wrong in his "review"; everything that you need to know is not in just the semi paragraph that mentions his name (vain much?). I like many others I first thought that Johnny was a pissed off fan who never made it big or a disgruntled employee, but this is more a book about a kid working for his loser step dad that ran into the Bostrom's dirty laundry through family connections. Johnny throws in some pretty funny stories about these crazy characters that remind me why I love to ride. People question its believability? Why? Is this the first time you found out that famous rich people are big fat criminals? The BozBros would be stupid to sue. Johnny is causing so much free publicity. To all of you people on the forums and blogs that have been judging the book without reading it, read it for yourself.



4. I've been following the Bostrom brothers ever since I got into racing as a kid. JY Johnny really opened my eyes to the history of my childhood heroes and the darker side of the motorcycle business. I recommend this book to all racing fans young and old.



5. I would have given this book 3 stars if it weren't for all the grammar mistakes. I am a stickler for such things...
   
   Anyway, the story is very interesting and gives a detailed peak into the world of junkyards. However, the "evidence" is circumstantial at best and clearly Junkyard Jonny has issues with Ben and Eric Bostrom, though the book never fully explains why. The stories detailed between the pages do little to offer an explanation for the author's disdain of the racing brothers. It's easy to understand what Junkyard Jonny may have against the patriarch of the Bostrom family, but why he continues to attack the kids is unclear. Afterall, they were small children when the author's story first begins. Junkyard Jonny obviously feels that Ben and Eric sould suffer the sins of their father.
   
   On that note, it should be mentioned again that, while some actions detailed in the book are definitely unethical, it's near-impossible to prove the validity of the author's statements. Whether or not Dave Bostrom was involved in "stealing" Rainey's GP Yamaha can never really be proven. I find it unlikely, but loved the story nonetheless - as a work of fiction.
   
   This book was relatively quick to read and is probably worth the time for most die-hard motorcycle enthusiasts (no pictures though). However, one must take everything he/she reads with a heaping boulder of salt...

4 comments about Haynes Motorcycle Fuel Systems TechBook (Haynes Repair Manuals).

1. Picture this: Spend a three day weekend stripping, cleaning, polishing and replacing hard to find parts on a 1979 motorcycle, it's finally back together!! Some fresh clean fuel, choke & ignition on, and ... it doesn't start.

   This book is a must have for motorcycle enthusiasts who are budding mechanics and need to refer to anything related to the fuel systems, which invariably cause the most frustrating and hard to diagnose faults!!

   If like me you need to know a little more about motorcycle fuel systems (tuning, repair or maintenance) then this is the book for you, it explains so many intricate details about the entire fuel combustion process, specifically for motorcycle carbs/fuel injection. It's very recent (Y2K), unlike some other Motorcycle Carb Manuals.

   Technical data and details are presented clearly, there's lots of diagrams and tips for anything from the oldest, most basic carbs to complex electronic fuel injected systems.




2. A concise breakdown of the theory and construction of motorcycle fuel systems.I must say that I gained an awful lot of practical knowledge,and educated more than one motorcycle "know-it-all".Highly recomended.



3. This book was very helpful in explaining everything I needed to know about how carburetors and fuel injection systems work. I'm not a mechanic; I just like to understand mechanical systems. Fairly well written, although a bit stiff; some of the descriptions are hard to follow (how the fuel tracks through the various parts of the carburetor) and the photos and drawings didn't help much to understand what happens inside these mysterious devices.

   Also, it's really too bad the book wasn't printed on some higher-quality paper. The telephone-book-type paper it was printed on resulted in very poor quality photos, graphs and drawings.

   I also could have done without the detailed description of various brands of carburetors. But, all things considered, a nice job and I don't regret my purchase.




4. Possibly one of the worst manuals/text books that I have come accross in my years of academic studying (and working on bikes). The author seems confused. This book comes accross as a jumble of "cut and paste" and this aspiring textbook writer would have been better off just telling what he knows about carbies. I regret that I can only warn you against this mumbo jumbo.

4 comments about If Rock and Roll Were a Machine: A Novel.

1. Davis does for raquetball what he did for wrestling in VISION QUEST. The raquetball court becomes the three dimensional metaphor for the complex obstacle that Bert Bowden must overcome if he is to get on with his life.

   Well-paced, with language that soars at times, IF ROCK N ROLL... places Davis in the upper echelon of adolescent fiction writers. The central images, the sleek powerful motorcycles, a child's terror and the athlete's development are so well-drawn that they will not let go of you easily.




2. I first this book when it was first published, and I was in the 8th grade. I remember it b/c I rated it an 8 out of 10 in my reading journal for school. Ten years later, I've reread that book so many times that my copy is dogeared. "If I changed once for the worse, I can change again for the better." These words are Bert Bowden's new mantra as he faces old demons and struggles to define himself. Davis' language is poetic, full of colorful phrases and thoughtful prose. I'd recommend all of his books, but this is the one that touched my heart.



3. When Bert was young, he remembers being very smart and not afraid to show what he knew. He was bursting with confidence and happiness. Then he spent two years, fifth and sixth grade, with Mr. Lawler as his teacher. Lawler seemed to really have it in for Bert, and he encouraged the entire class to help Bert to "change his ways." Bert was subjected to two straight years of public humiliation, which left him very quiet, with a stutter and nearly no self-confidence.
   
   Now Bert is a junior in high school and is cut from the football team. He needs to find something else on which to focus his attention. He decides to buy a motorcycle.
   
   Buying the motorcycle introduces Bert to a whole new group of people, who are able to help him on his way to rediscovering who he is. The most important is Scott Shepard, the man who sells him the bike and then gives Bert a job in his motorcycle shop. He sees something special in Bert and is determined to help Bert himself discover what that something is. Eventually Scott may help Bert to face his biggest demon--Mr. Lawler himself, still the same after all these years.
   
   I liked the Shepard family. They were a very tight-knit group but at the same time they were so open to include a guy like Bert. I also liked Bert's English teacher and his sensitivity. Bert needed some sort of support system. Much of the time, Bert seemed to just float through his life, and his parents were almost nonexistent after their first fight about the motorcycle. I would have thought they would play at least some role in his life.



4. I am a huge Terry Davis Fan; I had the honor of knowing him and his work while a student at Mankato State (mankato, mn). This book appealed to me bacause I am a motorcycle rider and a product of 70's and 80's arena rock and roll. Davis has a way with "tortured" young men's voices that make them real and accessable--even to a woman; if you've not read his seminal work Vision Quest--for shame. I like that there is always an inanimate object or concept attached to the evolution of each young man in the book. I recommend him for young adult readers struggling with growing up and thinking their parents "suck" and life is unfair. Try Davis's friend Chris Crutcher too for similar "boy" books with a bite and good plot.

1 comments about Yamaha XJ600s (Seca II/Diversion) and XJ600N Fours Owners Workshop Manual US 1992-1996 and UK 1992-1995 598cc (Haynes Motorcycle Repair Manuals Series).

1. There are two major publishers in the motorcycle maintenance handbook market, Haynes and Clymer. After doing some research on the net, I opted for the Haynes. I have since returned it and have ordered the Clymer. The basic problem that I had with the Haynes was that the print was very small. If I'm working on my bike, I want to be able to quickly glance at the manual for information as I'm working on the bike. I didn't think that this would be possible with the small print of the Haynes manual.

No comments about Illustrated Norton Buyer's Guide: Model-By-Model Analysis of Post War Singles, Twins, Rotaries and Specials (Illustrated Buyer's Guide).