No comments about Ten Days in the Dirt.

No comments about Yamaha RD250/350LCs 1980-1996 Performance Portfolio.

No comments about The New Motorcycle Yearbook 2: The Definitive Annual Guide to All New Motorcycles Worldwide (New Motorcycle Yearbook: The Definitive Annual Guide to All New Moto).

1 comments about Suzuki GSX-R and Katana GSX-F: Service and Repair Manual (Haynes Manuals).

1. This book was really helpful and quick. It had illustrations which is a plus. So if u need all the dibs and dabs on how to maintain and fix your bike from easy things as oil change to changing out the engine .. this is a great book.. makes u a newbie to an expert in a matter of days.. on your katana.

No comments about Honda Service-Repair Handbook: 100-350Cc 4-Stroke Singles, 1970-1977.

1 comments about Techniques of Motor Cycle Road Racing.

1. This book has been out of print for years and it is hands down the best book out there on roadracing a motorcycle. Code's books are obtuse and difficult to read and this is simple and direct from one of the most talented roadracers ever. It covers set-up, training, bike prep, testing and more. All more from the perspective of what Roberts did when he raced rather than a step by step process of "how to". The book is ghost written in the first person and is a little cocky (which you'd expect) and dated (since it was written in the 80's) but none of this really detracts as it's a fantastic insight into one of the greatest racers of our time. If you race motorcycles you must have this in your library.

No comments about Kawasaki 900 and 1000Cc Fours, 1973-1980, Includes Shaft Drive: Service, Repair, Performance.

5 comments about This Old Harley (Town Square Book).

1. I grew up in the country, in the days before there was much in the way of public transportation. Gasoline was rationed and it was expedient to think before blithely getting in the family car to go off joy-riding. How fortunate I was, then, for my family to have friends who owned motorcycles. Big, brawny men who rode big-brawny motorcyles. Indians and Harley-Davidsons were as much a part of my childhood as the family dogs, Bing and Chip. For two summers in the mid 40s, I even rode to Sunday School every week, on the back of a Harley. (Grandma didn't like that idea very much, but on the other hand, it got me there!) This lovely, splendidly-illustrated book brought back so many wonderful memories, especially the paintings of Dave Barnhouse, one of which adorns the cover, and is again featured on a double-page spread in the book. Another wonderful artist is James "Kingneon" Guçwa, whose paintings in a photorealistic style are so very real and lifelike that you want to reach out to touch those wonderful machines.

   Other artists, either those who use words, or those with a camera are also represented in the 160 pages here. Some of the essays will bring smiles, or laughs, or even a wince or two at the reminiscences, especially if they blend in with--or even mirror--your own. Chapters are devoted to 'In the Beginning', 'Making History', 'On the Road', 'Daredevilry', 'Legends' and 'The Mystique'. Photos range from the early days of both photography and motorcycles, to eye-dazzling custom and even 'over' customized beasts. (Many with full technical specifications provided.)

   Spending a few hours with this book is almost--not quite, but almost--as good as riding down the highway, the sun and the wind caressing your face (and sometimes its rain or snow!), the full-throated chugga-rumpety, chugga-rumpety of the exhaust echoing through your helmet.




2. Any avid fan of the Harley motorcycle will make This Old Harley a part of their collection: it provides a history and tribute to the motorcycle, gathers the stories and legends surrounding it, and charts its rise to transportation fame. Evel Knievel, Allan Girdler and more contribute to this colorful tribute album.



3. the old pictures are fist class and this book belongs on the den table for all to see.



4. Pure and simple and beautiful and well writen and and good book. Don't miss a rare Harley Davidson Novel "The Second Coming of Age" by: Vedrine



5. Most of the Harley-Davidson memorabilia books I have read do a fine job of either showing all of the models over time or telling the story of how the product has developed from the beginning. This book also does well in those areas. This Old Harley has the additional benefit of containing fine writing by many of the best authors who have ever written on the subject.

   Here are the chapters and the key essays:

   1: In the Beginning . . .
   "What My Folks Didn't Know, Didn't Hurt . . . Me" by Allan Girdler (former editor of Car Life and Cycle World, and executive editor of Road & Track)
   "No Motorcycles Allowed" by Arlen Ness (with Timothy Remus) (Arlen is one of the best-known Harley artists in creating custom machines)
   "First Harley" by Peter Egan (columnist and writer for Cycle World)

   2: Making History
   "My First Motorcycle . . . and What It Led to" by Harry Sucher (well-known motorcycle historian)
   "Catching Up on History by David Wright (author of The Harley-Davidson Motor Company: An Official History) (Be sure to catch the photograph of Jayne Mansfield at the beginning of the essay and the "unauthorized" out-takes from the original book)

   3: On the Road

   "In Pursuit of the Unholy Grail" by Cook Neilson (editor of Cycle magazine from 1970 to 1979)
   "A Work in Progress" by Timothy Remus (author of motorcycle art books)
   "Riding Through Time: A Knucklehead Returns Home by Buzz Kanter (motorcycle racer and publisher of motorcycle magazines) (This is a great story of riding a cherry red 1947 Knucklehead from Connecticut to Milwaukee in the mid-1990s)

   4: Daredevilry

   "Hell Driving" by Lucky Lee Lott (motorcycle stunt star)
   "Evel Ways" by Evel Knievel (no introduction needed)

   5: Legends

   "Once Upon a Time in the Wild West" by Michael Dregni (book author) (describes the outlaw imagery of early motorcyclists)
   "The Billy Bike: Re-Born to Be Wild" by David Edwards (editor-in-chief of Cycle World) (how the Easy Rider bikes were re-created)

   6: The Mystique

   "V for Victory: How Harley Conquered the World by Ciara Fox (dedicated Irish motorcyclist)
   "This Motorcycle Way" by Dr. Martin Rosenblum (the historian for the Harley-Davidson Motor Company)
   "The Perfect Vehicle" by Melissa Pierson (author of a road-trip travelogue)

   Along the way, all of my favorite memories of Harleys are recaptured, both visually and in discussions about sound. How many young people today know that the reason that all of those valuable baseball cards got shredded against the spokes of bicycles in the past was to imitate the sound of a Harley?

   After you finish enjoying this wonderful book, take the time to make a long road trip on your favorite Harley!

5 comments about Whatever Happened to the British Motorcycle Industry?.

1. The book "Whatever happened to the British Motorcycle Industry?" by Bert Hopwood gives an insight in the fascinating field of motorcycle production from the pre-WW II years until the early 70s in Great Britain. It recalls the working life of its author, who was associated with the famous British names of Triumph, BSA and Norton. The book is unique in two ways: firstly, it does not concentrate of the technical side of the bikes. Instead, it is based on a broader perspective. It tells its readers why certain motorcycles were built and why others were scrapped. Secondly, it offers first-hand explanations of what went wrong with the British producers. One is reminded that the so-called 'Japanese onslaught', starting in the early 1960s, could have been prevented, had the British reacted in time with modern features that were already designed (multi-cylinder ohc-machines) or put their focus on smaller bikes being manufactured with economies-of-scale a.s.o.

   It is a book that tells the sad history of the British motorcycle industry that once was on top of the world but virtually ceded to exist with the collapse of NVT in the early 1970s. It is seen through the eyes of a key figure, who worked for decades in the field of motorcycle design and production. Anyone, whose interest goes beyond the number of valves used in a certain engine, is recommended to read this book! I suppose it is the only one of its kind that gives that much detailed information on a non-scientific level.




2. This book really puts the reader in touch with the emotional demise of the British motorcyle industry and the self delusions which prevented this fine tradition from moving ahead and competing. Sad, but educational story. Good read, and Mr. Hopwood is an endearing character.



3. Hopwood worked in turn for at least 4 British motorcycle manufacturers (Ariel, Triumph, BSA, Norton) during the best and other times of the business. While being quite critically-minded towards the management of his employers, the creator of the Norton Dominator and other classics acknowledges the work of other motorcycle manufacturers, in particular that of the Japanese. The sad demise of the British motorcycle industry is commented in a silently amusing way, as far as such is possible. Picture material is interesting also and gains from illuminating captions. To my opinion, a book which is interesting not only for owners and riders of British bikes, but also for people interested in the history of British industry. Easy to read and really good written.



4. I was looking for books to recommend to young people who are thinking about studying engineering when I came across this book. It is an excellent story of one engineer's career for people who want to know what engineers do, although today a similar engineer would design with CAD. I liked the contrast between the author and his nemesis, the charismatic, egotistical inventor Mr. Edward Turner. Most professional engineers will encounter non-engineering inventors who design from the seat of their pants. Such inventors play a role in liberating imagination from analytical self-censure but they can do damage. In the case of the British motorcycle industry the damage may have been that the engineers and charismatic inventors across the industry were not able to find a unified voice to take leadership of their industry. The British motorcycle industry may have survived if they had been able to do this. Its demise certainly was not for lack of technical talent and imagination. It would have been useful if Mr. Hopwood had compared his industry with other British industries that lost their competitive edge around the same time as motorcycles such as machine tools. It would have been useful to future engineers if Mr. Hopwood had critiqued on his own methods of struggle with the corporate leadership. In the end, the book is about a guy with a story and he tells it well. It is probably not suitable for high school students - they do not have enough experience in the business of design and manufacture - but it certainly is suitable for them later in life when dealing with real world issues.



5. They produced some of the finest machinery of the 20th century but lost it all because of poor management. The author discusses his experience but really can't find the reasons for the downfall of a great industry. A great read for students of industrial management

No comments about Kawasaki Kz200 and 250 Singles, 1978-1983: Service, Repair, Performance.