Motorcycles: general interest Books

At Buffalo Bill's there was all manner of grilled and fried food, and this motorcycling connoisseur had a hard job choosing his burger. I decided to make the meal educational. Many will be wondering about the difference between buffalo and bison. Are they the same animal? The answer is a resounding ...

The witty tale of a real life mid-life crisis which took an ordinary Kiwi bloke around Australia on a motorbike, to fulfil his life-long Easy Rider inspired dreams of his long-lost youth. The result is a very dry look at the Big Dry Country told with self-deprecating wit by a first time author. A la...

Unafraid of a challenge, Lois Pryce began the kind of adventure most of us could only ever dream of. She put on her sparkly crash helmet, armed herself with maps and a baffling array of visas, and got on her bike. Destination: Cape Town - and the small matter of tackling the Sahara, war-torn Angola ...

Help! They're All Out to Get Me! is a book created to make the new and even the not-so-new motorcyclist a better motorcyclist. Between these covers, you will find tips and tricks that make surviving the everyday world a much easier proposition for the everyday rider. Inside, you'll find everything y...

The Paris-Dakar Rally is without question the most arduous and notorious off-road motorsports event on the planet. Since its inception in 1979, it has attracted more than 3,000 adventurers from all walks of life. The men and women who have taken up the "Dakar challenge" have at least one t...

This exciting book is an essential guide to more than 30 of the world's best journeys for the adventure motorcyclist. The coverage for each route includes a first-hand account from someone who has made the trip together with comprehensive information on what to expect in terms of riding conditions, ...

The Vespa motor scooter caused quite a stir when it was launched in 1946 - just one year after the end of the War. Its futuristic and innovative design remains substantially unchanged after over 40 years. This is the illustrated history of the Vespa, its variants and imitators, its sporting and perf...

This is a detailed chronological guide to the development of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle, from the first prototype to the final model of the 20th century. Explore the extensive guide to model names which includes the year of manufacture and engine type. It features over 600 glorious photographs o...

Since his tragically early death from cancer in 1995, John Britten has taken his place as a New Zealand hero. He and his dedicated team in Christchurch, designed and built from scratch the Britten V-twin motorcycle. For a time this machine was probably the fastest four-stroke bike in the world. It c...

At 16,500 miles, it was the world's longest road: a road on which travellers faced being baked in deserts, frozen in mountains, kidnapped and murdered by Colombian drug barons, buried under Peruvian avalanches, drowned by the Guatemalan rainy season, fleeced by eight-year-old Ecuadorean border touts...

This is the definitive guide to identifying, buying and riding Japanese bikes from the 1960s to the early 1990s, concentrating on mainstream, affordable models from the 'big four': Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha. Fully illustrated in colour throughout, the book provides a brief history of the Ja...

Packed with good advice on choosing the right Ducati bevel twin, with a comprehensive inspection guide and in-depth analysis of strengths and weaknesses, this book covers desirable upgrades, modifications to avoid, valuation, and predicting which models will become collectable (if they aren't alread...

Ducati's classic 750, 860 900 and Mille bevel-drive twins from 1971-1986 are now amongst the most collectable bikes in the world. Although built in relatively small numbers, there are many individual model differences that can make their authentic restoration difficult. This book serves as a definit...

Ian Falloon's authoritative marque history covers every Ducati racing and production motorcycle, from the cheap post-war Cucciolo right through to model years 2010 and 2011 and celebrating the fabulous Desmosedici, Hypermotard, Streetfighter and 1200 Multistrada. "The Daily Express" rated ...

The official New Zealand road code for motorcyclists is a user-friendly guide to New Zealand's traffic law and safe driving practices. You will be tested on this information in your theory and practical driving tests. Read the Motorcycle road code introduction. This guide is intended for riders of m...

This is a comprehensive encyclopedia of America's dream machine: developments, specifications and design history with 570 photographs. This is the complete history and evolution of Harley-Davidson, from its humble beginnings to its role as a cultural icon. It is a visual directory of the motorcycle,...

BMW cafe racers? You bet! There have been many books published about BMW motorcycles, but until now none has covered the evolution of the BMW sportsbike to the BMW cafe racer. A marque not commonly associated with the cafe racer scene, the growing trend of custom BMW cafe conversions is illustrated ...

When it comes to collector motorcycles, none holds the allure of the classic Harley-Davidson Big Twins built from 1936 to 1964 but owning and maintaining these tempermental machines provides endless challenges. Beginning with a practical section on understanding, choosing, and purchasing a classic H...

The Restorer's Guide to K and F Series 750 sohc Honda motorcycles, 1968-78, by the UK's leading restorer. Offers design and engineering features, comprehensive information on specification differences between models, correct equipment finishes, options and accessories, and advice on buying, running ...

With stunning photographs by acclaimed photographer Peter Harholdt and authoritative text by Chris Jonnum, Museo Ducati profiles 25 historic motorcycles from Ducati's official museum in Bologna. The tour begins with a 1947 Cucciolo motorized bicycle and concludes with the 2010 Desmosedici GP10 ridd...

This all-new edition of the most popular motorcycle touring guide to New England offers more suggested routes than ever, along with fully updated listings of motorcycle-friendly lodgings and great out-of-the-way restaurants. Motojournalist Ken Aiken leads two-wheeled travelers through twisty mountai...

From the 1950s through to the 1970s, Hughie Hancox worked at the Triumph Meriden factory in various capacites - a fitter, a member of the famous Royal Corps of Signals Motorcycle Display Team, in the experimental department (where he actually worked on the prototype Bonneville), and eventually as ...

Every red-blooded motorcyclist dreams of making the Big Trip - the Adventure Motorcycling Handbook is the comprehensive manual to make that idea a reality. Timbuktu to Kathmandu or Patagonia to Mongolia - it's all here. This expanded and redesigned new edition is packed with essential advice and...

Robert Pirsig, in his groundbreaking "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance", wrote about the relationship of rider and machine, the fact of 'seeing deeply into the nature of things by direct experience'. T.E. Lawrence described 'the lustfulness of moving swiftly', the sensation of feeling 'the ...

Off-road riding is one of motorcycling's most popular pursuits and also one of its best training grounds for improving street-riding skills. Off-road riding takes many forms, from motocross and enduro racing, to dual-sport day trips, to trail riding, to adventure tours. No matter the specific pursui...

Following the success of Proficient Motorcycling in 2000, author David L. Hough released a second book of motorcycling topics and lessons called More Proficient Motorcycling in 2003. Now, a decade later, Hough returns to overhaul the book for a new generation of riders with new lessons, safety tips,...

Most riders dream of taking to the open road, enjoying the freedom to explore the beauty and diversity with which this continent is so richly blessed. Big trips. Big views. Unforgettable roads. Memories for a lifetime. An enviable Bucket List of legendary byways and must-see destinations that could ...

The 2-stroke Vespa is a style icon - an undoubted classic, and an immediately recognised symbol of its native Italy. Demand for these stylish scooters is booming, and interest in restoring and renovating them is at an all-time high. With its clear and concise text aided by extensively captioned full...

Vultures wheeled overhead as Tim Watson found himself running out of fuel in the desert. Indeed he had many hair-raising encounters in his 8,000-mile ride across small-town America - severe dust storms, mountain snow, an angry rattlesnake and even angrier racoon, not to mention weird folk, and the n...

Former Hell's Angels leader and master mechanic Sonny Barger mines his lifetime of experience with motorcycles to provide advice and wisdom that will help fellow riders - new riders and veterans alike - survive the dangers of motorcycling and keep their prized machines in peak condition. "Let's Ride...

This book is the definitive guide to keeping an adventure motorcycle running in the way it should. Written for the rider who wants to be self-reliant while on the road, the book takes the reader through a series of practical, hands-on techniques designed to keep the bike in peak riding condition. In...

April 1946 was the debut date of the revolutionary little two-wheel vehicle, which, as well as leaving an indelible mark on the history of transport, became a real cultural phenomenon to successive generations. Simple and elegant, practical and comfortable, these are some of the characteristics that...

Some folks find their way to the bright white side of the tracks, but there's a small percentage who run through the dark alleys of life. Even a smaller portion of those survive. Terry "the Tramp," born in 1947 to a broken middle-class home in Alhambra, California, grew up with a violent chip on his...

When Ducati unleashed Galluzzi's Monster at the Cologne Show at the end of 1992, few expected it to become Ducati's most successful model. Dramatically styled, minimalist in stature, yet bristling with innovative engineering, the 900 Monster created a new niche market. A multi-faceted machine, the M...

The book to drive biker fans hog wild. The most complete book on motorcycles covers everything from motorcycle maintenance and appropriate gear to safety tips, new rules and venues, recommended buys, and making the most out of trips on the open road. It also includes a completely updated buyer's gu...

"Live to Ride "is pure adrenaline--a full-throttle exploration of motorcycles that pushes to the limit, with heart-pounding accounts of riding the greatest bikes of all time, all over the world. "Live to ride, ride to live." For many motorcycle riders, these words express life's guiding principle. J...

For Ducati, creating a replacement for the controversial 999 meant that the 1098 was nothing less than a make-or-break motorcycle. According to Ducati Corse director Claudio Domenicali, The bike's only mission is to really excite the customer.A" Author Marc Cook goes behind the scenes at Ducati for...

Geoff Hill and Colin O'Carroll take on Australia's legendary Highway 1 on their trusty Triumph motorbikes, circumnavigating the country from Adelaide to Adelaide. At over 15,000 miles long, Highway 1 is the world's longest national highway, covering practically every major inhabited part of Austral...

Ask just about any motorcycle fan, and they'll tell you that Harley Davidson builds the ultimate motorcycle. And the motorcycles housed in Harley Davidson's Archive Collection represent the best of the best. Harley Davidson Archive Collection: Road Bikes tells the story of this amazing company throu...