Rating: 
Summary: If one book needs to cover basics...
Review: ... then there is worse than this one. The author's preferences shine through (and make good and/or fun reading), other than that, a useful and entertaining read for beginners who will still select the bike they want regardless of what the author says, and why not a good book for people who've been riding a long time because a basic refresher course has never hurt anyone. From a tangent, this book is all the basic articles rolled into one. Of course, the author does not talk enough about Guzzi's Cali II, but that might be a personal point of view. Have fun, wear a helmet, ride free.
Rating: 
Summary: Important insights into motorcycling
Review:
As Jay Leno says of this book, "As both an idiot and a motorcyclist, I found this book very helpful." A hard statement with which to argue.
Not, like so many others of this genre, dedicated to Harley-Davidson. This book deals with just about any motorcycle you will find on the market. It goes into detail on their history, mechanics, operation, their (relatively) safe use, and gives some good advice on what to buy and what not to buy as a first motorcycle. On the latter subject, the author (Darwin Holstrom) advises the newcomer to stay away from the big twin cruisers and touring bikes--because of their weight, not because of their engine size and power. And they are heavy! My 2000 Kawasaki Vulcan Nomad (90 cu. in.) weighs in at about 750 lbs, wet. Add 350 lbs. of rider and passenger and some underwear and shaving gear, and you're at over half a ton on two wheels. There are advantages: with such a large machine--especially if it is well-lighted, you are more likely to be seen by drivers of automobiles, who are responsible for most of the mayhem that happens to motorcyclists. This is an excellent book, written by a man who is quite obviously very knowledgeable about the subject matter. He claims over twenty years of motorcycling experience. It covers just about every aspect of motorcycling that you can think of, including street strategies (apologies to David Hough), riding in the dirt, hill climbing, touring--you name it, it's in here. A very entertaining and enlightening book. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Motorcycles is replete with inumerable photos, drawings, cartoons and witicisms, as well as a very complete glossary of terms and an index of subject matter covered. It also has a very complete list of clubs and organizations for aficianados, and with its 2002 copyright date, it covers many of the very latest mootorcycles. I recommend it for your library as one of the best and most current books on the subject. Joe Pierre
author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books
Rating:
Summary: Important insights into motorcycling
Review:
As Jay Leno says of this book, "As both an idiot and a motorcyclist, I found this book very helpful." A hard statement with which to argue.
Not, like so many others of this genre, dedicated to Harley-Davidson. This book deals with just about any motorcycle you will find on the market. It goes into detail on their history, mechanics, operation, their (relatively) safe use, and gives some good advice on what to buy and what not to buy as a first motorcycle. On the latter subject, the author (Darwin Holstrom) advises the newcomer to stay away from the big twin cruisers and touring bikes--because of their weight, not because of their engine size and power. And they are heavy! My 2000 Kawasaki Vulcan Nomad (90 cu. in.) weighs in at about 750 lbs, wet. Add 350 lbs. of rider and passenger and some underwear and shaving gear, and you're at over half a ton on two wheels. There are advantages: with such a large machine--especially if it is well-lighted, you are more likely to be seen by drivers of automobiles, who are responsible for most of the mayhem that happens to motorcyclists. This is an excellent book, written by a man who is quite obviously very knowledgeable about the subject matter. He claims over twenty years of motorcycling experience. It covers just about every aspect of motorcycling that you can think of, including street strategies (apologies to David Hough), riding in the dirt, hill climbing, touring--you name it, it's in here. A very entertaining and enlightening book. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Motorcycles is replete with inumerable photos, drawings, cartoons and witicisms, as well as a very complete glossary of terms and an index of subject matter covered. It also has a very complete list of clubs and organizations for aficianados, and with its 2002 copyright date, it covers many of the very latest mootorcycles. I recommend it for your library as one of the best and most current books on the subject. Joe Pierre
author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books
Rating:
Summary: Buying a motorcycle? Buy this first!
Review: Excellent book for the motorcycle novice. Even though I am from Australia and the book is clearly written for a U.S. audience, I found it told me almost everything I needed to know about choosing a bike, buying a bike, and then keeping it going.
Rating:
Summary: By far the best all around Motorcycle guide.
Review: I enjoyed this book Immensely. My wife and I became excited about motorcycles. We visited at least twelve dealerships just to find out what our particular flavor of bike would be. We began reading all types of books on Motorcycles, Motorcycle touring, etc. The idiots guide gave me an in-depth look at the different types of bikes. Although I finally decided on a Honda Shadow VLX as my first bike, this book opened the door for me regarding sport touring types as well. What you have in this book is an unbiased look at bikes. A great street wise road education is included here. Much of this taken straight from the Motorcycle Saftey foundation. The author/editors are not Just Harley men/women, but open to all makes and models. Personally I can't afford a Harley. Because of this I needed to buy a inexpensive and Reliable bike. The Honda fit the bill on this. Good Maintainence area is included on the chapters, and a good talk on the differences between shaft drive and Chain drive type bikes. If you can't explain your passion for motorcycles, this will feed the your unexplained passion then continue to educate you in the process. Ride for Life with your tires on the road always.
One Excellent Book!!! Dave Carlin, Philly
Rating:
Summary: By far the best all around Motorcycle guide.
Review: I enjoyed this book Immensely. My wife and I became excited about motorcycles. We visited at least twelve dealerships just to find out what our particular flavor of bike would be. We began reading all types of books on Motorcycles, Motorcycle touring, etc. The idiots guide gave me an in-depth look at the different types of bikes. Although I finally decided on a Honda Shadow VLX as my first bike, this book opened the door for me regarding sport touring types as well. What you have in this book is an unbiased look at bikes. A great street wise road education is included here. Much of this taken straight from the Motorcycle Saftey foundation. The author/editors are not Just Harley men/women, but open to all makes and models. Personally I can't afford a Harley. Because of this I needed to buy a inexpensive and Reliable bike. The Honda fit the bill on this. Good Maintainence area is included on the chapters, and a good talk on the differences between shaft drive and Chain drive type bikes. If you can't explain your passion for motorcycles, this will feed the your unexplained passion then continue to educate you in the process. Ride for Life with your tires on the road always.
One Excellent Book!!! Dave Carlin, Philly
Rating:
Summary: Great overview of motorcycling, I highly recommend it.
Review: I found this book to be a great primer. Better still, my wife could read it without going to sleep or just tossing it aside. I've read various sections a number of times as I've gotten to "that phase". I would have liked more specific information about "parking lot" maneuvers for people learning how to ride so that rather than just saying "go out to a parking lot and practise", they give some specific diagrams and dimensions. As well, nothing was mentioned about dos and don'ts of 2-up riding. This book is definitely targetted at the novice rider and it does an excellent job of introducing the subject to that level of rider.
Rating:
Summary: Great overview of motorcycling, I highly recommend it.
Review: I found this book to be a great primer. Better still, my wife could read it without going to sleep or just tossing it aside. I've read various sections a number of times as I've gotten to "that phase". I would have liked more specific information about "parking lot" maneuvers for people learning how to ride so that rather than just saying "go out to a parking lot and practise", they give some specific diagrams and dimensions. As well, nothing was mentioned about dos and don'ts of 2-up riding. This book is definitely targetted at the novice rider and it does an excellent job of introducing the subject to that level of rider.
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT BOOK FOR THE BEGINNING MOTORCYCLIST!
Review: I found this book to be very helpful. Being a novie motorcyclist - I was now able to understand various technique and language.
Rating:
Summary: A must read for anyone thinking about riding a motorcycle!
Review: I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to start riding a motorcycle. It takes you from the ground up and gives you an excellent general knowledge of motorcycles. Most importantly, the author stresses safety and does an excellent job of highlighting the pitfalls as well as the joys of motorcycling. Read this book and take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's New Rider Course.
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