3 comments about Yamaha XJ 650 and XJ 750 Fours Owners Workshop Manual, No. M738: '80-'84 (Owners Workshop Manual).

1. This is a very good book for my 1982 Yamaha XJ750-r. It is one of the few I found that were available. Many illustrations with a down to earth HOWTO approach. I like it.



2. I want to know about this manua



3. This book is very helpful for the amatuer as well as good for reference for the professional mechanic. I found the illustrations to be especially helpfull when locating particular parts.

4 comments about The Scooter Book: Everything you need to know about owning, enjoying and maintaining your scooter.

1. This guide is written for the UK market only & contains chapters on the UK M test, MOT, Road Tax and insurance, none of which have any relevance to a non-UK rider. It does not cover any scooters at the 150cc level but jumps straight from the 125s to "Super Scooters" (I think the UK has a 125cc learner limit). Most of the models and makes covered are not even available in the US. The rest of the information is very basic (how a 4-stroke works) & could be easily gleaned from some Google searches. Pretty disapointing really.



2. I'm a complete newbie to scooters and my first ride after acquiring my license is a brand new Piaggio X8 200. After going through the book, I'm very satisfied with the information provided in the book, especially the areas on maintenance. It has helped me to troubleshoot some of the problems I had experienced when I got my scooter. The book is rich in colour photographs and very detailed information on how the scooter works. It has helped me understand how the scooter works and what to do when I encounter specific problems. The most important thing is that it helped me to gain enough confidence to actually attempt some of the simpler maintenance and servicing myself like oil and coolant top ups.
   
   This book is also good for people who want to make an informed decision when selecting the best scooter for themselves, it covers a wide variety of topics ranging from the different types of scooters, accessories and clothing.
   
   For the complete beginner rider, this book is invaluable. I highly recommend it to Singapore riders!



3. Even though this book is written for an English audience, many of the chapters give great information on subjects like: what scooter to purchase, the differences between 2 and 4 stroke engines, how to get more power and derestrict a 50cc motor, different clothing for scootering, scooter accessories, performance parts, and securing your scooter. The chapters are very organised and show many different scoots from different manufacturers.



4. This is a good book for those who have no mechanical knowledge and don't know anything about scooters. That said if your searching for actual repair information your best served looking elsewhere.

5 comments about Smooth Riding the Pridmore Way.

1. Just too much personal history. If Reg is your hero this is for you. If you are trying to learn to or improve your riding... There are some useful tips and techniques and things to think about in this book. Nothing I had not come across elsewhere though. Some things I would question. Just worth it.



2. You will enjoy this book whatever your experience in motorcycles. To say be smooth is the same as to say be fast but author does have some helpful advices to share.



3. I've read a lot of motorcycle rider books. Several are riding strategies and training related. This book is very well written. The progression and explanation of the riding tips are such that you immediately understand what and why he's recommending a certain skill. Its also structured in a way that you can use it as a reference and progressively master each technique.
   
   Was I impressed? I registered for a CLASS day with Reg and will be riding almost 1,000 to get there for it.
   
   Recommend the book? Absolutely. Read it, add the techniques to your riding, and you come to appreciate the lessons almost immediately.



4. I'm sure Reg wrote this book for the good rider that wants to raise his skill level. He does go into valuable points for downshifting and braking that are applicable to all riders. For the new track day rider, I found two areas that other books don't cover as well, or at all: 1) Keeping tight lines, not using the whole road (or track) and why, 2) his four-step method to learning how to hang-off a bike is certainly the best and safest approach to this topic I have read anywhere. He has other valuable insights to offer after you've mastered the basic riding skills. The best sources for those are (depending on your experience) "Motorcycling Excellence" (best for a first-time rider) by the MSF, David Hough's "Proficient Motorcycling" combo(I personally prefer his second book, "More Proficient Motorcycling.") and Nick Ienatsch's "Sport Bike Riding Techniques." As far as I'm concerned, Hough's and Ienatsch's are "must-reads" for all riders from the first-time newbie to highly skilled rider. If you really want to hone your track riding or racing skills, latch onto Andy Ibbott's "Performance Riding Techniques: The MotoGP Manual of Track Riding Skills." Definitely a "must-read" for those that are track bound. Lastly, to have a complete library of riding skills & techniques, buy Lee Parks' "Total Control," last on my personal list but still worthwhile. If you ride, I guarantee these seven books will be the best investment you ever made. They cover it all, no need to invest any further.



5. Let me begin by saying that I was slightly disappointed by this purchase. I had hoped for an in-depth discussion of riding technique, providing useful insight on bike control and operation.
   
   What I got, however, was page after page of misty eyed reminiscences about the "good old days" of motorcycle racing. While interesting, this is not what I was hoping for in a book about riding skills.
   
   Actual technique sections were rather light on detail, and provided no more information than even the most basic of motorcycle instruction courses. Essentially the book could be summed up by just writing in big letters "DO EVERYTHING SMOOTHLY", and leaving it at that.
   
   On the other hand, this book might be useful for people who have just begun riding a bike, and have not undergone any instruction.

5 comments about How to Paint Your Motorcycle (Motorbooks Workshop).

1. Let's face it, a lot about motorcycling is vicarious. Our bikes emulate certain genres, as does our clothing, and style of riding. Reading this book I felt that... maybe doing work of some similarity was possible. And hey, how many women are that deep into cycle art? The graphics, explanations and photography are excellent. Best of all, it is insight into how an artist of Joann Bortles caliber approaches her projects from conception to completion. Now, how to talk my way into someones paintbooth?



2. its got a lot of good info, but if your trying to paint a sport bike it's not much of a help



3. My motorcycle just happens to need a new paint job and I'm looking forward to learning how to do it myself.



4. When I decided my VROD needed painting I was floored at how much people charged. I decided to try and do it myself so I started shopping for books. This is one of the books I bought.
   
   In general the book is OK for an absolute beginner such as myself. It is obvious the publisher wanted lots of pictures and not a lot of words. Many details of technique were glossed over or simply not inculded, and it is obvious the author is very skilled in these subjects.
   
   As is often the case, this is not a book that will answer all your questions or cover all your needs. But I did walk away with one technique that I feel "made" my paint job in the end and that is the concept of using "guide coats".
   
   It is worth the money, but barely. But that is a lot more than I can say for numerous other books on the subject. The failures of this book are the publishers, not the authors.



5. This book could well be titled " Bondo and exotic paint application" or "painting your chopper" Where would the chopper world be without bondo? They used to call some custom autos "lead sleads" for good reason__more lead body filler than original metal. The jobs is this book are the equivalent__"bondo bikes".
   If you want a handbook to help you through restoring and old bike or just redoing your daily ride, look somewhere else.

2 comments about Motorcycling For Dummies (For Dummies (Sports & Hobbies)).

1. This book is chock full of insider tips that will make motorcycling safer, and more fun, for both the veteran and the novice rider. I've spent years riding all types of motorcycles and interviewing all types of motorcyclists. The knowledge I've gained is spelled out in this book in a fun and easy-to-read way so that you don't have to interview hundreds of riders yourself! Want to know how to plan a motorcycle trip they way the motojournalists do? I show you how. Want to know what to do if you ride into a corner waaay too fast? I let you know. Want to fit in with the biker crowd? I reveal how. Don't know what to pick for your first motorcycle? I steer you the right way. Are you a woman looking into getting into motorcycling? I help you discover how to fit in, and provide resources specifically for women. It's a fun book full of great info. I hope you enjoy it. -- Bill Kresnak



2. By the third mention of Angelina Jolie riding a motorcycle in Chapter 1 to justify the "coolness"of motorcycling the book has already started to go downhill. With the exception of a few chapters (buying a first bike: what you should know & keeping your bike in tiptop shape) I have found most of the other chapters read so far (which in fairness is only about half) to be total fluff and of little value. Worst off, some of the valuable chapters seem to have little added value when compared to the FREE DMV material. Unless you really have to know the "Ten Must-See Motorcycling Movies" save some money, use the internet when you have questions and take an intro level rider training course.

5 comments about A Wayward Angel: The Full-Story of the Hell's Angels by the Former Vice-President of the Oakland Chapter.

1. It is not a bad book, but if you have read into OMG's in any depth the peripheral information is old news. It is kind of interesting to see things from the author's perspective. If you are a first time reader on OMG's, then I would say buy it and read. Otherwise, look elsewhere.



2. I thought this book was great. My husband and myself read this book in days. We are motorcycle enthusists and are intriqued with outlaw groups. Would recommend this to anyone who has an interest in motorcycling.



3. I enjoyed reading this book, but at times it dragged a bit. This is very informative and riddled by many key historical events that made up the Hell's Angels which was great. It was not as good as Under and Alone, but I did enjoy this book very much and recommend it for readers interested in learning about the start of the Hell's Angels and their activities by a major insider.



4. I read this book with fairly high expectations, since I had already read Sonny Barger's account of the Hells Angels. Certainly I expected a very different perspective from Barger's, and that is exactly what you will find. Wethern gives an excellent account of his days with the Hells Angels, but this book is seriously flawed. How? The "co-writer" Vincent Colnett intrudes on the tale. He has taken Wethern's story and written it in the first person, as if George Wethern were telling the tale. That should have worked fine, but the problem is that Colnett tries so hard to show how clever and educated he is that he does Wethern's story a disservice through the intrusive nature of his language.
   
   Only occasionally does the monologue sound like the reader would imagine Wethern to sound. Throughout most of the book, the ideas are expressed in a way that a university English major would write. It grates on the nerves to read the first hundred pages of this book. Just when an anecdote gets interesting, Colnett's overly ornamental vocabulary intrudes. If a real Hells Angel ever spoke the way Colnett writes Wethern's monologue, he'd probably get cracked with a pool cue.
   
   I have to wonder what Wethern's publisher was thinking. Why wasn't this book re-edited before publication to make it ring more 'true' language-wise? After all the things Wethern and his family have gone through, they deserve more than this; at the very least the publisher could have assigned a writer who wouldn't have stepped all over the material with his hackneyed prose.
   
   Do read this book, but read Sonny Barger's book before or in conjunction with it. Through both of them, you'll be able to piece together something more complete. And Barger's book sounds the way you would imagine that a Hells Angel speaks.



5. Back in the late seventies or early eighties (can't remember which) when this originally came out, we all went down to Delaurer's bookstore on Broadway back home in Oakland.A number of ladies whose significant others were in the local chapters were there buying up every copy they could so the public wouldn't have any insight into the club and it's workings.Reason I mention it is that books on famous clubs are all over the place, Ralph has gone to Cave Creek and is now a best selling author etc..Bill Queen did two years with the Mongols and now gets his own movie..If you're biker history buff and want the real story on the Oakland chapter, then this in combination with "Hells Angel" would be the best choice. Leave the rest for the RUBS and Johnny come lately wannabes and their softtails.

5 comments about How to Set up Your Motorcycle Workshop (Tech Series).

1. This book looked great on the cover in full color and a modern shop. You get inside for the little bit of pictures they do have are all old and black and white. This is one for the yard sale.



2. This book contains good, detailed information from an expert mechanic on setting up your bike shop. It's not an "overview," it's a detailed guide. I know because I recently set up a commercial shop using this book.
   
   The sections on lighting and shop layout gave me a much better sense of how much space I needed. Turns out I needed less than I thought, so that saved me considerable $$$.
   
   Rating this book one star because you didn't get color pictures of screwdrivers and shop layouts is ridiculous. If you want color pictures, buy Life magazine. If you want to learn how to set up a motorcycle shop the right way, buy this book.



3. Like D. Conyer, I don't understand the point of the review based on color vs b&w photographs. This book delivers exactly what the title promises, and includes advice for all levels of bike mechanics and all sizes of available work space. As someone who is limited to "his half of the garage", I appreciate this approach. Highly recommended!



4. This book shows, not only how to set up a small hobby shop (my goal), but also a medium to large shop for the professional. The need for maximum utilization of space as well as work flow are covered in depth. Anyone wanting an efficient and enjoyable shop will want this book.



5. Although I have been around motorcycles for almost 40 years, I never really had an organized place to work in. Having recently aquired a small garage, How to Set Up Your Motorcycle Workshop had some great ideas about organization, logical placement of tools, workbench, etc, to save time and energy. I also liked the chapter devoted to lighting, something definitely lacking in a lot of shops I have been in. All in all it will get you off to a good start, the rest is up to you!

1 comments about Stayin' Safe: The Art and Science of Riding Really Well.

1. Compared with David Hough's book, or the MSF 2nd edition, this comes off poorly. The writing style is dense and cutesey. The advice, if you can wade through the prose, is valuable, but is presented [ with illustrations] much better elsewhere.
   One can only hope that Larry's Stayin' Safe Motorcycle training course is where he really shone - this book is intended as a memorial, but would have been more effective to have some of the course details thrown in.
   ---------------------------
   June '08 - I'm used to being wrong, occasionally --- but this time I was way off base !
   
   It was when I gave the other two above mentioned books to a friend who is a new rider. I was left with Larry's book, and started reading it, by default, reluctantly.
   
   The guy has really grown on me...the humor, the admission that he is not the world's greatest rider, his being another Larry, and sadly, hitting a deer - all of which we share, except that I walked, o.k., hobbled, away from the incident, and he did not.
   
   Now, having replaced the gifted books in my library, I turn to Larry's collection of his columns for the humanity that leaps off the page, and the advice that just may let me get through another ride...safely.
   
   Lots more stars...

5 comments about Guidebook to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

1. Very profound. Not many books make you think like "Zen ..." does. Heightens the pleasure of reading by adding the dimension of thought to it. 'Phaedrus' leaps off the pages of the book to stay with you for the rest of your life...and perhaps beyond too. Keeps up to its own high quality values. If you liked "Zen ..." I would recommend "LILA" by Robert Pirsig which is another masterpiece.



2. Additional background material, both philosophical and historical, really illuminates the original Pirsig book. The bonus is sometimes startling insights, and new questions (often unanswered for the reader to work out). Think of it as an informal but well-written textbook by teachers who care both about the material and the student. It lures the reader into further self-study in epistemology, metaphysics, aesthetics, and ethics. Contains valuable passages that were edited out of the original Pirsig book.



3. For fans of ZMM, this is an incredible book that summarizes various aspects of the ZMM book. First and foremost, it gives you the necessary background on philosophy to get a better understanding of where the Pirsig is coming from.

   Secondly, it is great studying material for those of us who're interested in getting deeper into the issues that Pirsig gets to in the ZMM. Particularly, I liked the section in this book that relates Quality with Taoist principles.

   A must have!

   It can be read without reading ZMM, BTW.




4. For fans of ZMM, this is an incredible book that summarizes various aspects of the ZMM book. First and foremost, it gives you the necessary background on philosophy to get a better understanding of where the Pirsig is coming from.

   Secondly, it is great studying material for those of us who're interested in getting deeper into the issues that Pirsig gets to in the ZMM. Particularly, I liked the section in this book that relates Quality with Taoist principles.

   A must have!

   It can be read without reading ZMM, BTW.




5. The inclusion of edited material from ZAMM was welcome. I found I was distracted when I was actually reading ZAMM andreferencing the guidebook. My suggestion - read ZAMM completely then refer to the guidebook to explore a section more deeply. The reviews of ZAMM were of passing interest, from the early reviews published after the book's release to later ones and their criticism.
   I'm not a deeply devout person of any given persuasion, so the religious comparisons and references were of lesser importance. I think they would be helpful if one were looking to delve deeper into Buddhism or other philosophy. This Guidebook DID ADD to my overall understanding and enjoyment of ZAMM.

No comments about Harley-Davidson Motorcycles: Everything You Need to Know (Everything You Need To Know).