Book Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Fair to middlin'
The book is visually appealing, with high quality paper stock and some great photographs of handcrafted manchines.The book's written content suffers by comparison; there is too much filler in the form of engine specifications (how is this relevant in a book dedicated to chassis design/construction?), not enough content related to chassis specifications or construction, and some grievous editing errors.I would also have liked to learn more about the men who built/build these machines, the stories behind the bikes, but I can't necessarily count this as a fault, as the title hasn't strictly promised this.I don't regret buying it, but I have a more than casual interest in chassis design.

Motorcycle Road & racing Chassis
being an engineer and fan of custom sport bike chassis, I read this book with great anticipation. As a pictoral and light history of the covered companies, the book succeeds. As a detailed reference book, or a book that would provide any kind of in-depth technical detail, I was sorely disapointed.
The book is well illustrated, and the author provides some insight into the different companies, but I consider it a light brushing rather than a thorough look at each.
Also, contrary to the publisher's description, I did not find any "full specifications" for ANY chassis, and only a general specification for P&M chassis. Additionally, although the book has a first printing in November 2007, most chapter references seem to predate 2001 except brief paragraph notes at the end of some chapters telling if the company is still in business or not.
I was also disapointed to find that other than a printed ad in the back of the book, there were no names, addresses, web sites, or phone #'s for any of the 15 companies included.
As an interesting quick look at the companies, the book succeeds. As a detailed reference for someone looking for "a valuable refference for the trade" the book is mediocre at best.
I would buy the book from the understanding that it is written with the depth of a magazine article rather than an in-depth textbook on the history of the companies involved.
I hate to sound harsh in reviewing the book, but I have to give the book a C+. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Best source on the subject...but where is Vol 2?
Easily the best source on the subject of motorcycle chassis design.Its too bad that it is painful to obtain (guessing not readily kept in stock...delay in shipping).This pain isn't made any better by the artificial shipping delay induced by Amazon if the buyer elects to use the "super saver" shipping option.Also, for some unknown bureaucratic reason, Amazon US will not make available Vol 2 even though many customers have requested it.Everyone I know who has bought Vol 1 through Amazon has requested Vol 2.

So, if your motorcycle interest is serious, buy the book...it is well worth the price and the wait.And be sure to make a formal request to Amazon for Vol 2.Who knows...maybe customer service will do something about it?

If you need answers!!!!!!!!!!!
I've "only" read half the book, but, you see, I'll be reading this book over and over for a "LONG, LONG" time. This is NOT a "How Too", read through, put it on the shelf type book. Not for the weak minded, mathmatically challenged, engineering phobic types. This is serious stuff that needs your full attention, a good calculator, and more importantly, time. If your serious about racing motorcycle engineering or want a thorough understanding of motorcycle engineering, this is it. Very well written, easily understandable and a "METRIC TON" of information. Everything given in Metric and Imperial. By the way, if you need/want, volume 2, you'll have to order it from "Amazon UK". These two volumes are undervalued in my opinion! Two Excellent Books!

any motorcyclist will be unable to put this book down
when this book arrived at my house, i sat down & read it for 5 hrs straight. i didn't move from my chair. when i took it to my friend's house he sat for 3 hrs buried in it while i fidgeted quietly nearby - he never looked up. he straight away ordered himself a copy, as did most motorcyclists i knew.

this book will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about how bikes work. that is, the why's of frame design, how gears work, types of suspension & what they do... and all as clear as day. this is the best book every made - bar none- about motorcycles. the title sounds dry & perhaps niche-like, but if you care at all about how motorbikes do what they do, you will be totally absorbed by this book.

we are all still waiting for volume 2... please John Bradley!!!


---edit... you can get vol 2 from amazon.co.uk, and i just ordered it. Its a damn shame i didn't know it was available for the past 3 years.. i guess i was stupid to think amazon US would sell it just cos they sell vol 1 (???) ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (3)

Grand National: America's Golden Age of Motorcycle Racing
A must havefor any fan of flattrack racing. Another example of the excellent writing of Joe Scalzo.

Grand National: Americas Golden Age of Motorcycle Racing
Great photos and info but could have used the Harley-Davidson name for the motorcycle rather than "hogs". It becomes iritating after the 20th time! Also could have used a profesional proof reader.

A very poor attempt at telling the Grand National story
Scalzo's folksy attempt at writing is sophomoric and juvenile...His constant use of the so called jargon of the time is comedic at best and a disservice to the individuals that actually participated in this era of motorcycle racing history. For example, No one ever referred to Triumphs and BSA's as "Lime Juicers" as Scalzo maintains. He has also peppered the book with photos taken after the true "Grand National" period was over. I suppose using photos from modern day flat tracking was easier for him but I think he should have taken the extra time and effort and come up with photos strictly from the period he was supposedly documenting. Even the cover photo was taken long after the "Grand National" period was over. Take a pass on this book as it is not worth the money. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (4)

YAMAHA All Factory and Production Road-Racing Two Strokes Fr
By Colin MacKellar.

Until someone writes a better book this will remain the TZ owner's bible. I have just about read the print off the pages of the chapters on the production TZ 250 / 350'sand the TZ 750 !!

Here we have a wealth of information for the TZ obsessed with excellent photos, and a brilliant text filled with pretty good (though far from complete) detail of the bikes concerned. At the back there is a great technical specifications list second to none.

I have learnt a hell of a lot from this offering and although it has a number of "holes" obvious to a die-hard enthusiast it is still a remarkably good starting point for someone becoming interested in old Yamaha 2 stroke production roadracers.

It was published by The Crowood Press and is now out of print after initial runs totaling around 3,000 copies. Expensive, but well worth the money.

Greg Bennett
www.tz350.com

A gem worth buying. Long live the TZ250!
This is an excellent book on the history of Yamaha in GP road racing! I don't think i have ever seen such a comprehensive and detailed account of EVERY aspect and step along the way in the development of Yamaha's 2-stroke racing programs.

Follow every design change from year to year, through the 1990's. This is a great book with no equal. Full of many photos and lots of interesting history, it is without a doubt one of my favorite Motorcycle related books!

All you want to know about motorcycle racing
This is an excellent book about motorcycle racingduring the last 40 years. It is very well researched, accurate and will provide plenty of information to seasoned racing enthusiasts as wellas new-comers to thesport. Definitely a must have. O. Rossi /Kaohsiung /Taiwan

The best!
This has to be one of the most comprehensive books on Yamaha racing. A few errors have been found in the book, but for the most part it is very well researched and chocked full of great pictures of some of the best riders in the sport. Past, Present and future. If you are into two-strokes, there is no better book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The only book on the subject and very well done!
I am building a dragster motorcycle and with the book I saved many hours of search in magazines looking for this kind of motorcycles, the book is the only one that I know of the subject, very well ilustrated and veryinformative, always you learn something new! ... Read more

Book Description
This book tells the behind-the-scenes story of what it takes to mount a major road racing effort, seen through the eyes of the big factory teams as well as the privateer sportsmen and women. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Mediocre Picture Book
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 Must Have!
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!

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

Every Race Fan Must Have!
For all race fans, a must.This coffee table picture bookre-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. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (9)

Best analisys
Soft Science is one of the most analitical books in motorcycle riding. You bet your skills will improve a lot. We have a riding school and I put some ideas in discussion out there to see the results. It's awesome! I recomend it after more than 40 years of sportbikes ride.

Keith strikes again
This book is desirable, as is anything written by Keith Code on the art of motorcycling. However, get twist... 1 and 2 first. This book tackles those trying to race. I'm not a racer and this book was still useful, but I could not take full advantage of this book unless I start racing :-)

A very good book
I think Twist of the Wrist 2 is a superior book, but the Soft Science is also a decent read. The concepts are fairly intuitive, but there are many good artifacts of infomation.I recommend only purchasing this book AFTER Twist of the Wrist 2.The concepts aren't cummulative, but Twist of the Wrist 2 is simply a better textbook - in my opinion.

It helped me a lot
Read the book, watched the movie then even took a school.I was a club racer and I rode track very often, after reading the book, I cut over 16 second off of my lap times and the best part is, I did it without crashing.I never had to close my eyes before entering a turn because I was in over my head.The best way I can put it is this, before I read Keith's book, everything or all the thoughts about riding and what to do or how to get faster or what I was doing, was wible wable in my head, I heard somethings here others there, contradicting thing in other places......Keith organized every bit of my thought and built up from the ground up, now i'm running ahead of the pack and I'm not sweating it because usually it would feel like i'm going to crash.Now every corner I take I feel confident that I will make it out alright and will even know exactly what I did to be so.

Common Sense over analyzed
This book might be good for you if you are new to the sport of riding/racing sport bikes.And when I say new, I mean you really don't have a clue as to what you are doing on a sportbike.

The dribble that went on and on in this book can be summed up by saying "think about what you are doing".

The big text and "kid" like drawings don't lend much credibility to this book either.I feel like Keith Code struggled to get enough information together to call this a book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (81)

Twist of the Wrist II
This is truly a good book for all motorcyclists but it is aimed particularly at the guys who want to go to the track. It does a good job of explaining the reasons why so many motorcyclists are unable to master some of the techniques required to avoid crashing. The book is pretty easy to read and a great thought stimulator for those seeking to understand the why's and why nots. There are also several excersizes detailed to try and train your mind not to do some of the things which although intuitive are bad riding habits.

Ride fast, live long
I like going fast, but I hate the thought of hitting the pavement.That is the strong point of this book: going fast without throwing your bike - and your dreams - away needlessly.Twist of the Wrist II covers the technical essentials of how to brake, turn, and accelerate with confidence and speed - while keeping your bike in one piece and your skin intact. This is the next book after the MSF course if you want to understand what happens in your head and consequently to the machine under you as change states from braking to turning to accelerating.

It is not an encyclopedia of riding, and since you can get through the book (the first time) in a long afternoon, it should not be the last book you ever read on riding. That said, it covers in detail how to turn a motorcycle better than any book I have seen, taking the guess work out of many stressful situations that can occur in turns.

Why is that so important? Well, the latest available data has not changed significantly in almost two decades: about fifty percent of all single vehicle motorcycle fatalities occur while the rider is simply making a turn. All other vehicle maneuvers include going straight, starting in lane, stopping in lane, passing, parking, avoiding animals, U-turns, changing lanes, etc. when combined are the other half of single vehicle crash deaths. Additionally, nearly 75% of those turning deaths involved hitting a non-moving object. Also, about 80% of all motorcycle deaths occurred after the bike left the roadway. Clearly, if you learn to turn, you reduce your risks dramatically by avoiding said non-moving objects and being able to steer clear and yet stay on the `afore mentioned roadway.

Since braking usually proceeds the turn, and acceleration usually (hopefully) follows the turn, this book gives you the essentials of doing all of that smoothly, really fast, and under complete control.It is written from a track/racing standpoint but Code is teaching critical riding skills so street riders like me can benefit immensely too.Many of the important points and techniques are counter intuitive, that is, not exactly what you would think, and certainly not what your mind is screaming to you during that high stress instant, and so you could limp around for a half a lifetime, as I have, without figuring these out on your own.

Although the book is poorly edited, the information is so critical that you should be able to look past the writing style. If that style, the chapter glossaries or the bold print sections bug you, which they might if you are easily irritated, just think of it as building character on your part to endure it.The day that you see another rider crash over something foolish or simply ride off the road because he could not make the turn, this book will appear much more intellectual.

Bottom line - the application of a Code's `rules' will help you avoid a large range of street and track mistakes. Twist II explains and emphasizes the basics, and then sprinkles in the subtle fine points. But just master the basics and you will smoke most everyone you know in the turns - and confidently survive.

Very Informative
I found this book to cover a different area to most "technique" oriented books. It was more about the how's and why's of what we do on a bike and how our understanding of them can make us better riders.
Definitely worth buying and reading more than once.

Best Book on Practicle Riding Technique
I've read a lot of books on riding over the past several years with the goals of improving my technique and having an overall more enjoyable and safer ride. By far the beset book I've read to date is Keith Code's Twist of the Wrist 2. This book is a very complete analysis of the physics of riding presented in a very understandable format that includes pictures and tips. Understanding the dynamics of traction and how those dynamics change during cornering, braking, and acceleration has really improved my riding and my confidence. While this book is targeted at sport bike riders the information applies to all including Harley-Davidson riders. I highly recommend Twist of the Wrist 2. Note, the first book in the series is also very good but not necessary if you buy the second.

Holy Keith !!
If you want to know what the hell you are doing on a motorcycle and how to improve you skills, control and speed... Get anything by Keith! This is as his other books are; interesting informative and enlightening. Enormously helpful. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Dirt Track Racing
Aimed towards children who express an interest in Dirt Track racing.Adults will be disappointed in the content.

Dirt track for kids.
Nice book about a fantastically exciting sport, great closeup photos of riders, but not designed for adults. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

Book Description
Due to the demand from motorcycle enthusiasts, Mick Walker has teamed up with Redline Books to reprint his series of six Racing Motorcycle books. Mick Walker's Italian Racing Motorcycles is the second to be published. This new edition is a high quality, 256 page book, which has been extensively updated with more than twice the length of the original text, and completely redesigned in the style of the first book in the series, which broke the mould of motorcycle marque history book design. The text is typical of Mick Walker's detailed, yet entertaining style, and with over 800 photographs in colour and black and white, the book offers a wealth of information. It is both a work of reference and an enjoyable read. Marquescovered include the Moto Guzzi, Ducati, Laverda, Aermacchi, Bimota, MV Agusta and many more. Other titles will cover German, European, Japanese and American. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A penetrating look at Italian Motorcycles of the classic era
Before the Japanese decided to take over the motorcycle business, England and Italy ruled the roost, with the Italians leading the way in terms of race wins, style and innovation.
This book covers the field in a comprehensive and most knowledgeable manner.
When I saw my old 1960's Moto Rumi Junior in this book, I knew I had to have it, and I must say, I have savored every single page.
A must have for every serious motorcycle enthusiast. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (15)

A must read first for the motorcycle tourer
If you are even just thinking about motorcycle touring a must read.I read this book as I was planning a long trip which helped on what to take, how to pack and what to expect on the trip.The information is top notch and I will read it again before my next trip.

A good companion to this book would be:
Proficient Motorcycling: The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well
by David L. Hough

A treasure for the motorcycle traveller!
For anyone seeking information about motorcycle travel, this is THE book to have!Dale does a great job of covering many aspects (dare I say All?) for traveling by motorcycle, and then some.Everything from weatherproof riding gear, GPS, suspension, campers, tents, seat cushions to suggestions for wiring new equipment into your bike can be found in this comprehensive guide.The book is loaded with full color photos.I've been riding a number of years now, and thought I'd kept up on the latest gear and travel info... until I read this book.I've learned a few things and found a few new gadgets to look into.Highly recommended for someone just beginning to travel my motorcycle, or the seasoned rider.

Motorcycle Travel the right way!
I have been planning on taking long trips in the near future and this book should be every long distance rider's bible. Lots of great info on what, where, how and why you should do things in order to travel long and comfortable. Covers every aspect about traveling on a motorcycle. Why not prepare well for a trip and enjoy? What you don't know do due lack of knowledge may ruin your trip. "Motorcycle Travel" will take care of all the possible problems. Written by those who have already done it, and know what to do and not to do. Ride smart, buy "Motor Travel".

awesome book and pictures
Dale, this is the best book on the market to help folks with there traveling.I read it from cover to cover not wanting to put it down.I have been riding for 40+ years and you covered every aspect of motorcycle touring that I could think of.Great Job.Jerry Hihn Jefferson City, Missouri

Great Book for ALL motorcyclists
This book covers all asspects of Motorcycle enjoyment. I have been riding motorcycles for more than fourty years and have read many books on the subject of motorcycling. This is the BEST and covers the subject better than any that I have ever read. I highly recomend it to all. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (3)

Excellent
I found this book to be a great help with preparing to ride on the track.It goes over all of the basics (safety wire, suspension, protective equipment, etc.).Also, the author's writing style was humorous and kept me entertained.

My only complaint was the section on entering roadracing on a small budget.He talked of so many add-ons that, in my opinion, it was not low budget.He did say that you can race a stock bike, but did not discuss what you would need to do to prepare the bike for racing.

The author's level of riding also seemed pretty high before he started riding on the track.This gave him higher expectations of his abilities than I believe most people should have.

Again, I thought this book was excellent.

not a handbook,
From the title of this book I expected a coherent, step by step guide to track days. What you get instead is a personal journal of his riding experiences with some VERY BASIC, guide to track days. This book is only for the true beginning rider, anyone with any experience will find little new or useful.

This book is excellent!!
I'm a WERA racer and also put on a couple track days for our local club, The Floribama Riders, at Barber and Talladega GP.This book is excellent for guys wanting to do their first track day all the way to the beginning racer.Covers prep, suspension, gear, etc.This book has been needed for a long time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Triumph's ARE an American legend and the photo's prove it.
When people see me on my Triumph Bonneville Special or 825cc Tiger they say things like:

"Great bike, must be hard to find parts for..."

or sometimes you'll get:

"I used to have one of those..."

Which is really the more appropriate response since Triumph and American motorcycling go hand in hand.This book really made it clear to me why I love Triumphs.It gives detailed descriptions of models which were constructed specifically for the American market.There are great pictures of cross country races in the California desert and road races at Daytona.The author really captures the competative relationship between the East coast and West coast Triumph dealers (who had seperate race teams) with biographies of the riders, mechanics and team managers who made motorcycle racing from the 40's to the 70's so exciting.I learned as much about the racers as I did about the modifications they made to their bikes (and now I can make to mine).

Great book for anyone who races vintage bikes or just loves the sound of a parallel twin! ... Read more