No comments about The Motorcycle Yearbook 2007 (Motorcycle Yearbook).

3 comments about Honda: XL/XR250. 1978-2000, XL/XR350R. 1983-1985 XR200R. 1984-1985, XR250L . 1991-1996 (Clymer Motorcycle Repair) (Clymer Motorcycle Repair).

1. I found this book to be somewhat helpful. I had to do a total rebuild on my bike this book helps with some of the harder disasembly but stops short of the total process. you may find youself on your own with some of the seemingly harder things like crank removal. The annoying take to a authorized dealer is seen far too much i think in this book. They sugest it and and don't really help by showing you pictures or describing alignment of much needed things like counter balancer placement. But so far this is the only book i have come across for this bike if you can find a honda shop manual you would be better off.



2. The book is very informative. The instructions are fairly detailed, but like all such books can be a bit generic at times.



3. Note, the M328-4 Clymer manual does not cover the 1983 XR200R. However, when on Amazon and you key in 1983 XR200R it pulls this manual up. I just received my order today and fortunately I did not unwrap the plastic cover because I am returning it as you need the M318-4 to cover the 1983 XR200R. Kind of deceiving. Either Clymer needs to get their act together when selling these manuals, or Amazon does. Seems a bit dishonest to me.
   
   kyle

2 comments about The Indian: The History of a Classic American Motorcycle.

1. I was fortunate to find a copy of this book in the close-out bin at a local bookstore. This was such a good book that I'm now looking at the author's other books.

   One thing I like is that the book is profusely illustrated, and that all the background clutter has been cut away from the photos, so that all you see is the bike against a plain white background. Combined with the clear photography and printing, it really allows you to see machine details that would normally get lost.

   Another nice characteristic of this book is that the emphasis is upon the bikes, with background information on the state of the company that helps to explain why the bikes evolved the way they did. This historical orientation was aided by the chronological orientation of the book. Related to this is that the book was about bikes, not lifestyles. I hope that when I get a copy of his book on Harleys that this will be true there as well (notice that most books on Harleys have more photos of "trailer trash" than they do of motorcycles, and that you rarely get a chance to see what the older bikes looked like from the factory? -- OK, rant mode off).

   If you are fortunate to run across this book, buy it.

   Now, if we could get books like this for all the major European and English manufacturers (hint, hint).




2. Record City had awesome service getting the book to me. Thank you!
   The book arrived in perfect condition. I will certainly use them again.
   The book is a gift for a friend. I know he will be very excited with the history and information in this great book.

5 comments about Storm: A Motorcycle Journey of Love, Endurance, and Transformation (Travelers' Tales Footsteps).

1. Storm
   By Allen Noren

   I am an avid motorcyclist, but I found this story very frustrating. It is not so much about motorcycling or traveling as it is about ego and obsession. The author is driven by his compulsion to complete The Trip, despite the horrendous, record-breaking stormy weather, over 6000 miles of northern European roadways. He presses on, focused on all the details of the challenge of coping with a bike in the most extreme weather conditions. But his girlfriend, the pillion passenger, has nothing to do but suffer. She has nothing to occupy her mind but resentment. Cold, wet, allergy riddled, bored, pissed, frustrated... this is what we see of her. She exists on this trip, to hear Noren tell it, like another natural curiosity to be observed while traveling, like the lakes, seasides, forests and of course the storms.

   This book breaks down at the same place that their relationship breaks down. He is a rider, she is a passenger. Never will the passions of the two be comparable. Noren never gets to this point, though. The entire story is told through his obsessive self-centered perspective. We barely get a glimpse of her thinking, and when we do, it is interpreted through Noren's crazed compulsion: she betrays him by losing her connection to The Trip. But he avoids the point that a pillion passenger is passive and detached from the essence of motorcycling, with no control, and a feeling of literal and figurative coat-tailing to the rider. It IS his trip, and she becomes ever more an afterthought to him, as her alienation metamorphoses into her own obsession to have the trip just be over.

   It is inevitable that the reader grows ever more sympathetic to her plight, and ever more convinced that he is little more than a neurotic jerk.

   All that said, the writing is quite good. The book reads quickly. The style is engaging and the observations are unique and interesting. Noren does an excellent job of detailing the inner workings of a motorcyclists' mindset.... As our loved ones will attest, we are all a little obsessive, a little insane.

   The lessons for me: avoid taking my wife on very long trips as a passenger (something I already knew). Make your mate get her own bike, so she can see the trip through the same eyes that you do. Oh, and buy good rain gear and heated clothing, too!




2. A friend gave me this book as a gift and it sat on my desk for several months. Admittedly I was put off by the motorcycling aspect, but I'm sad now that that stopped me from opening it sooner. Last Sunday night I was going to file the book in my bookshelf but decided to read the first page before I did so. Needless to say I couldn't put it down. It's a wonderful tale of adventure, a dream and its reality, love, and, yes, ego. The story transcends the motorcycle and in that way is much more than a biker book. The motorcycling aspects are excellent, however, because the author is not one of those leather clad oafs with a humongous midlife crisis on his back. Rather, the descriptions are beautifully written and invite the reader to feel what it was like too. Well done.



3. This book is 1/2 travel journal, 1/4 relationship journal and 1/4 motorcycle journal. Noren's longtime girlfriend requires comfort (physical and otherwise) along with maturity, and riding a motorcycle through whipping rains and wind on dangerous roads, cars passing you at warp speed, provides none. The journey is an eye opener for him and a confirmation of his girlfriend's adult life needs. The passages describing the colorful European characters are great fun to read, while the relationship passages are just the opposite, albeit transposed in a good way. The ending leaves a bit of a tease. Noren's writing voice draws in any gender reader; he's not a macho Hog-riding hardass, nor is he the other extreme, "the sensitive male." There is enough of the relationship aspect to satisfy female readers, and enough of the description surrounds riding the bike, satisfying to motorcycle enthusisasts. If you enjoy reading motorcycle journeys, this is a good one, with some added aspects that others miss, making it entirely unique.



4. I've been feeling trapped in a dull northeast winter and went on a buying spree of motorcycle travel books since I can't ride. I fully accept that most won't be that well written but they stave me over until the weather turns and I can resume my own travels. This book, however, stands on it's own merits and is a great read. Anyone who's ridden a trip when the "magic" just didn't work will relate to this couples differing ways of trying to recapture it - bail or forge ahead. The relationship dynamic keeps the book from being a "then we went here and saw this, then we went here and saw this..." like say Jupter's Travels, and it's also down to earth and not full of itself as say "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintainence". It relates the discovery of travel and touches enough on riding to appeal to both rider and non and he doesn't insult the reader along the way. I kept putting it down in an attempt to make it last longer.



5. As a motorcyclist and adventure tourer, I had hopes for this book. I find it poorly written, tedious, unfocused. What to call it? It's not detailed enough to be travel writing, not deep enough for journal writing, not engaging in the least. The people and places are two dimensional and boring, and even the author's attempts to describe 'living hell" come across as "living heck." I find myself not caring what happens to the author and his traveling companion, nor would I want to visit any of the places that he describes, though I'm willing to believe that they could actually be interesting outside of the author's stewardship.
   
   
   There are many good motorcycle adventure books (The Long Journey Home, Ten Years On Two Wheels, Chasing Che) to be had. This is not one of them.

2 comments about Honda Gl1500, 1993-2000 (Clymer Motorcycle Repair) (Clymer Motorcycle Repair).

1. This manual is very good and is a necessary part of your tool kit if you have any intention of doing ANY repair work or just keeping up with oil changes and normal maintenance. I find that just reading about different parts puts everything in perspective for the total bike. This manual would earn 5 stars if the pictures were of better quality.



2. Overall, this is an excellant repair manual. For those of us that are novice mechanics, there are a few things that could be improved on. My manual was evidently one of the earlier versions. It covered most everything for the "88" to "95" models. For newer models up through "2000", there was an appendix showing the improvements not available in previous years. It required a lot of refering to various chapters just to complete one task. Some diagrams were inaccurate. Otherwise, it was a good manual.

No comments about Suzuki Gsx1300r Hayabusa 1999-2007 (Clymer Motorcycle Repair) (Clymer Motorcycle Repair).

No comments about Motorcycle Tips, Tricks and Treats: Buying and selling bikes, finding bargains and riding for free!.

2 comments about Yamaha Stern Drive Shop Manual, 1989-1991 (Clymer Marine Repair) (Clymer Marine Repair).

1. I found this book to be very useful. I has great color and B&W photos of the details and clear instructions for repairs. It includes complete engine and outdrive disassembly and assembly. I took my boat to the dealer two times and they still did not get it fixed correctly. I read this manual and did the tune-up and my boat runs super now. Most marine dealers are not interested in repairing older Yamaha stern drives so this manual becomes vital if you want the job done right. I have not found any mistakes or omissions. I give this book 5 stars.



2. I learned that this particular stern-drive setup is very rare, and few people are familiar with working on it... I used this book to do some minor over-haul work, then kept referring back during a major overhaul. Used it so much, I wore it out and needed to buy another one. There may be other companies out there who make better books - not sure, but this is the only one I've found for Yamaha, and I treat it as my bible. It also touches on and warns about the common mistakes and misconceptions from people as well - you can tell it was definitely written by an expert on these engines. If you have a yamaha stern drive, you have no idea how much time and money this book can save you by giving you the information you need.

1 comments about Yamaha XT, TT, and SR 500 Singles Owners Workshop Manual, No. 342: '75-'83 (Owners Workshop Manual).

1. PRINTED IN 1992 THIS IS THE LAST EDITION OF THE HAYNES YAMAHA XT/SR/TT 500 FOUR-STROKE SINGLES MANUAL .IT COVERS ALL UK ,USA AND EUROPEAN BIKES INCLUDING THE ;XT500 C, D, E .SR500 AND SR500E. TT500 C, D, E .BEING THE LAST EDITION IT COVERS ALL UPDATES AND MODIFICATIONS MADE TO THE MODELS RIGHT UP TO THE VERY LAST BIKES.A MUST FOR REBUILDING RESTORING AND SERVICING YOUR YAMAHA 500. IT'S VERY EASY TO USE IT , ALSO FOR BEGINNERS.

1 comments about Suzuki Rm125 1996-2000 (Clymer Motorcycle Repair) (Clymer Motorcycle Repair).

1. This manual provides the necessary technical information required to successfully maintain and repair my Suzuki RM 125.