Motorcycle books - Reviews

[merrittgene]

What's your favorite motorcycle book?
Which books are worth reading?
Which ones should be stored in the tank-bag for ready-reference?
Which ones should be stored in the system case to be used as kinding?

 

[BRADFORDBENN]

Which ones should be stored in the tank-bag for ready-reference?

Let's see that one is easy. The current Anonymous Book and the owner's manuals.

 

[dbrick]

What's your favorite motorcycle book?

The best motorcycle writing I've ever seen is the forward (14 pages) of Melissa Holbrook Pierson's "The Perfect Vehicle."

Which books are worth reading?

"Proficient Motorcycling" and "Street Strategies" by David Hough
"Ride Hard, Ride Smart" by Pat Hahn
"Motorcycle Road Craft, the Police Riders' Manual," HM Stationery Office
"Jupiter's Travels" by Ted Simon
"Breaking the Limit" by Karen Larsen
"Gathering Speed - Tales of Motorcycles and Life" by David Braun

Which ones should be stored in the tank-bag for ready-reference?

Whatever I happen to be reading at the moment.

Which ones should be stored in the system case to be used as kinding?

"Mi Moto Fidel" by Christopher Baker

 

[dancogan]

What's your favorite motorcycle book?
Which books are worth reading?

I agree that Proficient Motorcycling and Street Strategies were excellent reading. They were the first books I read after the MSF rider's booklet. My only complaint is that the each lesson starts with a scenario which often results in some type of accident, resulting in anything from lots of damage to the bike, to much worse. After reading those two books, I was almost too scared to ride. Maybe fear in a beginner is a good thing, but it certainly took the fun out of riding until I had at least 6-700 miles on the bike.

 

[TZOLK]

Zen and The Art Of .... Of Course!
Ghost Rider By Neil Peart is good, towards the end it kinda goes into his personal stuff though.
Anything by Hunter S Thompson which involves Motorcycling, or anything else.

 

[Grey_Matter]

"Jupiter's Travels" by Ted Simon

This book keeps me dreaming about riding across Africa. The book is great; it does get kind of weird toward the end when Ted starts to think he is a God or something.

I also think David HoughÔÇÖs books are excellent & I make it a point of reading all of them once a year.

 

[deilenberger]

What's your favorite motorcycle book?
Which books are worth reading?
Which ones should be stored in the tank-bag for ready-reference?
Which ones should be stored in the system case to be used as kinding?

Favorite - Be hard to keep it to just one.. two of my favorites are
around the world travel books, one by a friend, and one by someone
who I wished I had made friends with:

First is: "Jupiters Travels" by Ted Simon (who I consider a good friend)

Second is: "One Man Caravan" by Robert Fulton, who unfortunately passed
away last year at a ripe old age - who I never got to meet, mostly
because of my own slothfullness.

Ted's book is a very personal book with more to it than just motorcycling.
He shares his insight and opinions on people he met, places he saw. By
reading his book, you'll get to know Ted, and when you meet him, you'll
find the Ted you've known from the book is very much the Ted you may
get to call a friend.

Robert Fultons book is of great interest to me on several levels. Again,
it isn't a text-book for how to go around the world - it is Mr. Fultons
impressions on countries he travelled through and people he met at
a very interesting time in US history - the years before WW-II, when
the world was quite a different place, and yet much the same place as
today. You'll find his descriptions of Afganistan simply remarkable because
so little has changed in the past 70 years.

So - those are my two favorites, for armchair winter evenings. I've
read an re-read both several times and gain more from each book
on each reading. Mr. Fulton also offered a video from film he shot
while on his trip that is just fantastic - the video is called "Twice
Upon a Caravan"

Both the above are available AFAIK from Whitehorse Press.

Which books are worth reading?

Any book that interests you. I find the history of the BMW company
of interest and there are several books I can recommend:

"BMW - A Company in It's Time", published by BMW in 1997. It has
glorious photos of BMW history from the beginning of the company
up to the publishing of the book. Available from BMW-AG Munich,
Press and Public Relations, Order # BAK-09-069. I don't know if
this book is still in publication. It covers the complete history
including aircraft engines, motorcycles and autos.

"BMW Motorcycles - The Ultimate Riding Machines", Kevin Ash,
published by Carlton Books. Black and white photos of about
every BMW motorcycle model from the beginning to 2001. Great
reference book.

Which ones should be stored in the tank-bag for ready-reference?
Only one I can think of - BMW-MOA Anonymous Book.

Which ones should be stored in the system case to be used as kinding?
Really only one I can think of "Pilgrimage on a Steel Ride" Gary Paulsen.
A self-absorbed tale of discovering something about himself after a
heart attack by riding a Harley around the US. It never clicked with
me, and I found it not only boring, but also annoying to read. It seemed
like a continuous whine. NOT RECOMMENDED - good kindling.

Best,

 

[IndyRider]

Have you read Investment Biker

A book that combines Investing around the world while riding a motorcycle with his girlfriend. Jim Rogers, Investment Biker, published by Random House 1994. Jim and his girlfriend ride around the world on BMW motorcycles investigating different investments opportunities, while enjoying the sights and experiences of the world. It is a very informative and entertaining book.

 

[sgborgstrom]

If you can find it...

The Complete Motorcycle Nomad by Roger Lovin

My copy was printed in 1974 as a Sports Illustrated book by Little, Brown and Company.

Written using many years of travel on his R68 "Ganesh" as background the book is a bit dated (the world was different back then) but the basic information is still valid.

Steve

 

[sgborgstrom]

Silly me...

Amazon.com has "Nomad", used from $5.95....

Dang this internet thing sure is cool

Steve

 

[dbrick]

The Complete Motorcycle Nomad by Roger Lovin...Written using many years of travel on his R68 "Ganesh" as background the book is a bit dated (the world was different back then) but the basic information is still valid.

This is a lovely book. I'd say that the world's more or less the same (but more crowded!), but bike equipment is now wonderfully better. A thoroughly fine read.

 

[gsjay]

Seventy years on a Motorcycle

I'd highly reccommend "Seventy Years on a Motorcycle" by Herbert Foster Gunnison.

http://www2.xlibris.com/bookstore/bookdisplay.asp?bookid=15141


This book isn't too well known, Herb was a member of the Vermont BMW Owners and I got the book at their rally a couple of years back. I never actually met him but had seen him many times at various rallies. After having read his book I was mad at myself for not taking time to "go meet that old timer"

gsjay

 

[ian408]

"Jupiter's Travels" by Ted Simon

This book keeps me dreaming about riding across Africa...

I just started Paul Theroux's "Dark Star Safari". While it's not about
motorcycling, it is about touring Africa.

Just finished "Long Way Round". Worth a read but wouldn't be a "must
have" book.

Ian

 

[LORAZEPAM]

Twist of the wrist II by Keith Code is a good book. I would recommend it before riding a track day.

 

[flash412]

What's your favorite motorcycle book?

Right after Gathering Speed - Tales of Motorcycles and Life by David Braun (available from Rider Wearhouse, Amazon.com, or custom-autographed, from the publisher) is Two Wheels to Adventure (out of print) by Danny Liska is the best motorcycle book written. Two Wheels to Adventure is about the highest adventure possible to encounter. You'd think that lots of the stories were lies if it weren't for the MANY photos that back them up. Vampires, head hunders, land slides, movie stars, smugglers, you name it. All on a /2 BMW.

Which books are worth reading?

In no particular order...

One Man Caravan - Robert E. Fulton Jr. - Circled the globe on a Douglass back when most of the folks he saw had never seen a motorcycle. Lugged along a 35mm movie camera while he was at it.

I See By My Outfit - Peter S. Beagle - This book is actually about crossing the country on scooters. But it captures the spirit of a motorcycle journey.

Tracking Marco Polo -Tim Severin - (out of print) This guy is a real adventurer in the mold of Thor Heyerdahl. This was Severin's seminal voyage... taken on the ground while on break during grad school at Oxford, following Marco Polo's route on two BSA driven sidecars. The rest of his books are also great, especially the Brendan Voyage and The Jason Voyage (where he actually finds the Golden Fleece).

Obsessions Die Hard - (the late) Ed Culberson - The first man to successfully cross the Darien Gap with a motorcycle (that happened to be an R80G/S). Well written tale of high adventure.

Werner Bausenhardt has written four books that are all sweet adventure reads...
From Nordkapp (Norway) overland to Cape York (Australia) on a Motorcycle
Into the Den of the Bear and the Lair of the Dragon on a Motorcycyle
8 Around the Americas on a Motorcycle
Africa Against the Clock on a Motorcycle

By the way, books that are out of print can be located and borrowed from your local library via the Inter Library Loan program. Talk to a reference librarian to get hold of them, for free. They're well worth the wait.

Which ones should be stored in the tank-bag for ready-reference?

The Anonymous Book.

If your bike is old enough to have a schematic in the owner's manual, that too. If not... use the sorry excuse for an owner's manual to start a fire.

Which ones should be stored in the system case to be used as kindling?

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - has nothing to do with either zen nor motorcycles. It's a book about schizophrenia and should have been titled, Sometimes I Feel Like a Nut, Sometimes I Don't.

Full Circle - Flopsy and Mopsy take a long trip and don't see anything or meet anyone worth reporting, at least not with enough interest to keep you awake.

Investment Biker - People with more money than sense, travel and then write about it.

 

[indygt]

What's your favorite motorcycle book?

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - has nothing to do with either zen nor motorcycles. It's a book about schizophrenia and should have been titled, Sometimes I Feel Like a Nut, Sometimes I Don't.

QUOTE]

I cringed when I saw someone listed Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance as a "must read" and howled with laughter when I read this appraisal.
I think ZAMM is the most overrated book in the history of American motorcycle literature. I found it tedious, self-indulgent and irrelevant to the motorcycling experience.
Did I mention I didn't like it?

 

[BRADFORDBENN]

What's your favorite motorcycle book?

Right after Gathering Speed - Tales of Motorcycles and Life by David Braun (available from Rider Wearhouse, Amazon.com, or custom-autographed, from the publisher)

In the interest of full disclosure, it should be noted that David Braun and Flash412 are the same person.

 

[flash412]

In the interest of full disclosure, it should be noted that David Braun and Flash412 are the same person.

Please note, I was NOT the first person to mention Gathering Speed - Tales of Motorcycles and Life (in a positive light of course) in this thread. Anybody that follows the link to the website would have quickly figured out the deal. They would also be able to read seven of the Tales in the book (plus some more from the next book).

But hey, thanks for the extra opportunity to get in a plug.

"The best things in life are ephemeral." - Flash 412

 

[kbasa]

What's your favorite motorcycle book?

Right after Gathering Speed - Tales of Motorcycles and Life by David Braun (available from Rider Wearhouse, Amazon.com, or custom-autographed, from the publisher) is Two Wheels to Adventure (out of print) by Danny Liska is the best motorcycle book written. Two Wheels to Adventure is about the highest adventure possible to encounter. You'd think that lots of the stories were lies if it weren't for the MANY photos that back them up. Vampires, head hunders, land slides, movie stars, smugglers, you name it. All on a /2 BMW.

Maybe if you sent more swag around, people would buy your book, Flash.

 

[JOECUBANA]

For the favorite it has to be Zen and the Art.... ...

Wotrth reading...Proficient Motorcycling ...just started reading More Proficient Motorcycling last night....seems pretty good so far.....

For the tank bag, well, I'll with hoold comment until I get one!

JC