Motorcycles Books

I expected a book with insightful narrative and intriguing photographs about what goes on behind the motorcycle racing scene. Instead this work offers virtually no narrative and really mediocre photographs. It's a big, expensive photo album that illustrates the motorcycle racing pit scene without explaining what you're seeing. The captions for all the photos are at the end of the book, which is cumbersome, and the editor left out narrative for some photos and mislabeled others.

If you're looking for the scoop on the grunge behind the glitz of motorcycle racing, this will not satisfy you at all. If you're looking for outstanding photography, you'll be disappointed as well. Save your money; there are better books in this genre out there.

A wonderfully put together book. A must for all enthusiasts. Beautilful photogrphy!

This amazing b&w photo book takes you into the pits and brings you so close to the action, you can taste the pre-mix and feel the vibration of the motors rumble thru your bones. Every single page cries for a frame and a wall. It brings you to the top of triumph and to the low of horrific crashes. A perfect gift or keep for yourself and collect your favorite racer autographs!

For all race fans, a must. This coffee table picture book re-creates the tension, excitement and thrills,and victory of the "behind the sceans" at the race track. The pictures are beautiful. The black and white photos bring out the true feeling of the race life. Thank you for this exceptional book.

I've read this book and own the complete following series.

It's a good reference for that year, but the sport has moved on FAR beyond this and it's lessons are very dated.

If you're interested in current technology, buy an edition from later years/series. If your interested in the technology of the era, look up Peter Wright's "Formula 1 Technology" and compare prices. Wright's book is FAR superior, especially putting the technology in context and especially if the price is nearly the same.

That's even speaking as a Ferrari supporter since the Niki Lauda era...

Actually, with this price, it's the only known I review !
I'm realizing scale model kits and this is the best book I found,
but the previous year books are pretty dificult to find.

I hope each year book, in french for me, but it's rather without
importance, because the drawings are so fine ...

Unfortunately, there no same books in rallying or so.

Let me start off by saying that if you are an F1 fan especially a technical one(like myself) you can't pass up this book. If you do not know who Giorgio Piola is, he draws for the weekly magazine AutoSport. He is one of the best artist I have seen. His technical drawings allow you to understand the F1 cars in a technical perspective. Compared to the last edition "Technical Analysis 98", this one is even better. If you don't have the 98 book you should order that one too. I do like the 99 book since it is written in english only as opposed to the 98 which is in italian and english, but thats not a problem. What will really impress you is the attention to detail of the drawings, but they are so easy to understand. Again this is a must for any F1 fan. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

The best book for anyone who is interested in the technical side of modern F1. The coloured illustration that make up the book are top class, clearly showing the differences between the different cars no matter how minute. The section following the development if Ferrari and McLaren from race to race is superb. Those hoping for an explanation for the different designs and the concepts behind them should look for other books, though I doubt you'll find one thanks to F1's secrecy, but for those who would like to really view the cars in all their beauty there is nothing to match this book.

Being a Harley enthusiast myself, I appreciate the ancestry of my ride. This book is like a family album...proving the good stock my Duoglide comes from (and helped carry on).

If you do, or ever want to, own a Harley...check out their parentage here.

This 100th anniversary edition book is the perfect gift and is pretty as a picture. But if your Harley Davidson rider can read as well as ride check out the Harley Davidson novel THE SECOND COMING OF AGE and the book GROWING UP HD.

Good "starter" book for historical overview of Harley-Davidson motorcycles and the pictures are excellent. Anecdotal inserts are interesting. It explains the Sturgis for the uninitiated. As a new "Harley chick", I have given several as gifts to the Harley buddies who are introducing me to this new world and they have all enjoyed it.

The text covers the early years fairly well, and minces no words when it comes to the bad years of the late sixties-early seventies. Contains some interesting comments by noted figures not only in H-D history, but the general motorcycle community as well. All illustrated, of course, with plenty of photos, some very good indeed. Goes on a bit much about the Sturgis gathering, though, and unfortunately cuts off in late 1993, so no coverage of recent developments such as the H-D partnership with Buell, the onslaught of Japanese imitations and American-built copies, etc. All in all, not a bad addition to the enthusiast's shelf and reasonable value for the money.

I have followed motorcycle racing since I was a kid - motocross, flat track, road racing. I was attending nearly every AMA Superbike race of the season when the Haydens first came onto the road racing scene and I was lareday familiar with the family from their flat track adventures. Honestly, I didn't think this book would tell me anything I didn't already know. However, it ended up being incredibly insightful; it provides insight into the Hayden family and their very driven attitude, as well as providing great details about motorcycle racing as a whole. The forward by Gary Nixon is a real treat on its own, and avid motorcycle enthusiasts will enjoy the personal stories and quotes that fill this book from cover to cover. Additionally, author Chris Jonnum provides spectacular photos to accompany this enlightening story about perserverence and determination.

The Haydens: Nicky, Tommy, & Roger - From OWB to MotoGP is a great read and I'd recommend it to veteran racing spectators as well as those new to the sport.

Purchased as a gift to my husband. He reports lots of pictures & full of information about the Hayden's.

This is a must read for all fans of the Hayden brothers. Great stories, timelines and photos are all in this book.

Every racer and would-be racer should grab, read and understand this book (and look at it, too--the photos are excellent) to see what it takes to succeed in road racing.

As if we didn't know it, there is no easy route to the road-race podium. Every racer has his or her own story of dreaming and wanting, winning and losing, crashing and hurting, elation and despair. Nowhere is this more evident than with the winningest trio of brothers in the history of American road racing: those Haydens. They achieved their racing record the hard way: they earned it.

This engaging book traces the upbringing of the three Hayden brothers from before their birth, an intimate portrait going back to before parents Earl and Rose met, concluding at the end of Nicky Hayden's MotoGP world championship win of 2006. It's a story of unremitting hard work.

It reads a little like a combination diary and journey, as author Jonnum, editor of Road Racer X, recounts the Hayden saga from Earl's history as a racer to his staunch support not just of the three brothers but of their sister Jenny (who managed to beat many young men in her short racing career). Let it never be doubted that parents' committed support goes a long way in the development of a successful young racer.

Jonnum frames the book with the May, 2006 podium sweep at Springfield's Grand National TT in the dirt--Nicky, Tommy, Roger. It's not surprising: the boys started on the dirt and really never left it, returning repeatedly to their roots during road-racing careers that are still in full swing, with Nicky now only 28, his brother Tommy still a youthful 31 and young Roger a mere 23 (as of summer 2007). Back when powerful road-race bikes could bite, learning to hang it out in the dirt, inches from other racers and unforgiving walls, was an excellent way to become an accomplished road racer. Only now, with electronic traction control invading and 250-style, wheels-in-line technique more important, are dirt-track roots becoming less influential.

The rest of the book describes how it all happened, chronologically, and a rip-roaring tale it is, encompassing most of the great names in national and international road racing since the '80s. The most evident characteristic that the Haydens embody, based on this book, is strong character and basic decency. It's impossible not to like them. If we believe Jonnum, this good nature is genuine, in an era in which sports `stars' are not always ideal role models. Only once--Estoril, when Pedrosa punched him into the gravel--did Nicky lose it: "That's bull***t," he roared.

As we have come to expect from Bull Publishing, the book is beautifully produced, the graphics appealing, the photos absorbing except for Jonnum's failure to use flash in some interiors and his insistence that the drop down from Laguna's Corkscrew is "over 900 feet" (actually 300 feet). Maps, diagrams and statistical summaries of the brothers' racing careers would have helped us understand their travels and visualize their ascent to the podium a little better, but in most respects this is an excellent book that belongs on every enthusiast's bookshelf.

Its a pretty in depth look at the biker gang and clubs.I am a motorcycle rider and I ride a chopper and it still shocks me that the mass people think that we are a bunch of drug addicts or drunks well its not true so read and LEARN.............

A superb and tantalising book that looks at the life of what one reviewer has described as "the last free people in society". Art Veno's collection of first hand accounts of motorcycle gangs both reinforces some myths about them but, at the same time, explodes others. It is not all sex, drugs and rock and roll in bikie land, though, thankfully, there is plenty here about the sexual mores and rather exotic sexual practices of those who defy the conventions of "normal" society. But the book is much more than just a snapshot into the private lifes of the bikie sub-culture. it is also a rivetting account of the politics and social structure of motorcycle gangs. At the same time it shines a torch on our own society and the hypocrisy and cant that we sometimes preach. A rivetting read.

In this impressive tome, Arthur Veno collects 40 first-hand accounts from various biker insiders and observers. In addition to classic reports penned by Daniel Wolf and Sonny Barger, Veno digs deep into biker history and lore, uncovering many gems along the way.

Consider this, an excerpt from a 1947 San Francisco Chronicle article detailing efforts by Hollister police to force a "lull in the terrorism" at the town. "Armed with tear gas guns," it reads, "the officers herded the cyclists into a block on San Benito Street, between Fifth and Sixth streets, parked a dance band on a truck and ordered the musicians to play. Hundreds of individuals who invaded the town yesterday for the motorcycle show, about 10 percent of them women, halted their riotous 'play' to dance."

In The Mammoth Book Of Bikers, this antagonistic--often-comical-- relationship between bikers and the police is laid bare. Veno deftly shows that this relationship-- fueled by a sensational press-- is symbiotic at its core. As one Hell's Angel put it bluntly to Hunter S. Thompson: "Of course I don't like to read all this... because it brings the heat down on us, but since we got famous we've had more... women come looking for us than we ever had before. Hell, these days we have more action than we can handle." Veno's book goes a long way at deconstructing myths about bikers-- while at the same time adding to the allure of the One Percenter lifestyle.

This book is really just a combination of stories from several other books. I have read many other books on this topic so I found the book to be old news, but still worthy of a read. If your only going to read one book on bikers this would be a good choice.

Our school was fortunate enough to have Mr. Loomis as a guest speaker. He took the children through the writing process with the use of this book, he was very informative and enlightening.
Motocross Mike is a refreshing approach at aiming and obtaining interest of relucant readers, especially boys. Several of our students who rarely read unless required to do so, were caught reading this book when they were suppose to be working on something else. That's a good sign!!
I would strongly recommend that any media specialist should put it on their "Got to have list". You won't be disappointed.

This was a great book to read with my 12 year old son and my 10 year old daughter. We would read a chapter evey night,it was action-packed. We couldn't wait to read what would happen to Mike next. We had a hard time putting it down. I highly reccomend it.

As a literacy volunteer I saw how hard it is to entice young boys for whom reading is still a challenge to pick up a book. Motocross Mike's adventures on the track should do the trick.

Retired elementary school principal, Charles Loomis knows his sport and knows his kids. Motocross Mike deals with the stuff that keeps young readers revved and ready to read -- trouble with Mom, trouble with a bully, a little danger and great friends playing hard together. An excellent choice for the middle school reader.

This book will definitely hold your interest as their are many subplots to build tension in the story. Not only does the detail of the actual motocross races hold you in suspense but the ultimate decision that Mike and his mother must make is a familiar crisis for many teens. This book is a must for motocross enthusiasts and will be an enjoyable read for anyone who is interested in young adult fiction. As a reading specialist I will be recommending this book to my reluctant male readers at middle school level.

Motocross Racers 30 Years of Legendary Bikes
By: Ray Ryan


This book is full of heart warming photos and facts about the bikes that started it all. I would recommend this book to all of those people who would like to learn about motocross history and people who make motocross a part of there own lives. This book is not for people who would like to sit down and read a nice picture book. This book has cold hard facts about who made bikes back then for motocross and also how they have changed throughout the years and the very first racers with these bikes.


I this book because it taght me what bikes were like a long time ago and because of how it went within the bike to show you how the engines and the whole bike really evolved from that time to present day.


This book teaches readers about the past in motocross. By the ebd of this book readers will have a full understanding of motocross and there values.



I would rate this book for about 4 ½ stars

It's a delightful book - BUT if you expected a selection of bikes that included your own, don't count on it. If you had a big-bore machine, you're going to love this book. If you are one of the MANY who didn't, you may find this book a disappointment, in not being two or three times as thick.

The VMX world can be grateful for this book. But a new edition or addition is needed.
Definately Recommended.

Having been a huge MX fan through the 70's and 80's, I remember almost all of these bikes. The photography is excellent and the stories about how each bike was important in the evolution of design is great reading. The only reason I don't give it 5 stars is that I wish it was about twice as thick... It's still a good value for the money though.

This is an excellent book with high quality photos on every page. Good representation for most all-brands. Can reccomend for sure. A safe purchase in this case.

Its a great shop manual, easy to use and follow, but I have a couple 91-93 indy lite gt 340's which the manual doesn't cover. My mistake

I love riding on my Polaris. It is the perfect means of transportation from my summer home in Maine to the winter home in Vermont and even back to the estate in Connecticut. This book helps me keep my baby tip-top. With my modifications I have been able to reach speeds in excess of 190 mph. Well maybe not 190 mph per se. Regardless, the babes love it. I've got them drinkin water like it's goin out of style, if you know what I mean.
Stephen T. Schmitt, Member, Porsche Club of America

I bought this book for my husband for Christmas so he could rebuild the suspension on his own. He loves this book...it is his Bible. Excellent, detailed descriptions for ALL maintenance on your Polaris sled!

I bought this book several years ago for a 1990 Indy 500. Over the years i've went through three sleds. This book helps even the clumsiest mechanic feel like there is nothing they can't fix.

This book has a lot of timeless tips about motocross racing and dirt bike riding with plenty of photos to walk the reader through the various techniques. I highly recommend that anyone new to this sport read the book cover to cover just to get well-grounded in the basics. There are some more advanced techniques covered, but this is primarily for the beginner to intermmediate rider. Some of the suggestions here will definitely lower your lap times.

I received this product in a timely manner and in good condition. Everything worked out great.

I've been to many Motocross schools, had many instructors, and have read several books about the Best Sport on Earth.
This book not only has the best info, but it's laid out in such a way one can use it to keep improving their skills.
When you want to be a better rider, simply refer back to it!
Do you want to have more fun? Ride faster, more efficiently, and have more confidence? How about riding so that you look good (and don't crash)?
I recommend this book as indispensable.

Before I jumped into dirt riding I thought I'd better educate myself a bit and got this book. Compared to anything else out there it it loaded with good info. I like Semics has his little green quick "how too" or comment section on certain topics. So you can pick up the book and look at a couple of pages and not get bogged down in material. "Hey in sand you can go faster becuase as soon as you chop the throttle the sand helps stop you" quick and simple tricks like that all over this book. Things all you guys who've been ridin since you were 4 already know but for those of us whos mother would not let him ride until he got out of the house then this book may keep you from taking some soil samples needlessly.

This is a good little book about relationships, and series of events that happens because of a motorcycle trip. It's not a great book for mothers about how to cope with their sons, for sons to cope with their mothers, and it's not a book about how to do motorcycle touring. It's just a story that happens in a particular setting.

I bought the book after having read Storm and thought I'd see what else is around in this genre besides Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenenace. If you're looking for a "biker book", let Dove go, but if you're looking for a story with good insight, commentary, and just plain an account of one phase of personal relationships, and you want a smattering of bike stuff, Dove is well worth reading.

Hang on it's going to be a bumpy and very wet ride! A sincere and moving story of a mother and her relationship with her sons. I felt as though I was riding along with Dorothy and living her experiences.

This beautifully crafted story warms the saddened heart. It reveals a grieving heart that risks pain to find love again. This true adventure of a sensitive soul is both a revelation of deep pain and of deep joy. Mrs. Friedman is able to express the decisive moments in which we either continue old habits or venture into deep emotional waters in search of love. Her grief and her triumphs promise hope in a world of loss.

Trail Of The Dove is an eloquently written story, every word flowing like a midwestern breeze. Here is a senior citizen, adventurous,forever youthful and somewhat opinionated, embarking on a cross-country motorcycle trip with her grown son, both of them learning along the way. I found it delightful, easy reading. Recommended for all ages!