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General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: john fish on January 30, 2020, 09:42:30 AM
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I've a bit of a motoring books collection. Luckily, I found some of Ed Hertfelder's old books and those are probably my current favorites. At least, they're neck to neck with Ixion.
With winter here, thought I'd ask and see if other people have favorites. So, what are your favorite motorcycle related books?
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Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance.
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The Perfect Vehicle by Melissa Holbrook Pierson was a good read.
Cheers
Min
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My absolute favorite bike-related book is The Bicycle Wheel by Jobst Brandt. It is only about the spoked wheel. If you're into such things on any machine, it is a must-have.
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One Man Caravan , or Jupiter's Travels .
Dusty
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Guzziology.
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Nick Adams' series of books, of course!
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Nick Adams' series of books, of course!
If I ever meet you I'll give you a big, fat kiss Charlie - many thanks.
Nick
PS. The audible versions are fabulous too. Narrated by some old ex-Brit with a plummy accent :thewife: :cool: :cool: :boozing:
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Second Guzziology
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Zen for the philosophy-it's really not much of a motorcycle book per say, and Sport Bike Riding Techniques by Nick I.
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Des Molloy's books about riding his old Panther 'Penelope' from NZ to the UK, and from Louisiana through South America. Mad stuff. Real adventure, with the appropriate number of breakdowns and privation.
"The Last Hurrah" and
"No One Said it Would be Easy"
you won't regret it!
Nick
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If I ever meet you I'll give you a big, fat kiss Charlie - many thanks.
Nick
PS. The audible versions are fabulous too. Narrated by some old ex-Brit with a plummy accent :thewife: :cool: :cool: :boozing:
Maybe we just accept that everyone knows you do brilliant work :bow:
Dusty
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I've read a lot of them, being old and all.
I have come to realize that the one that most influenced me was:
Roger Lovin. The Complete Motorcycle Nomad : A Guide To Machines, Equipment, People, And Places. 1974.
I found out later that Mr. Lovin wasn't an outstanding moral exemplar. He died young, to the satisfaction of some.
I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have liked him, but his book got me out the door for long trips with no particular money in my pockets, and I thank him for that! (And I found about Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance only when I got back, thankfully.)
Moto
P.S. Honorable Mention goes to A Perfect Vehicle.
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Monkey Butt,how Dirt Bike magazine was born is interesting. As for Ed Hurfeltter,he was in our enduro club(meteor MC). Many of the people he wrote about I knew.I even made one of his Cycle magazine monthly's.
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John, I had to go out and look through the bookcases in my garage to see what I really liked. Danny Lyon's "The Bikeriders" has a lot of evocative photography and accompanying text about the biker scene in Chicago in the 60s. I like Larry Grodsky's "Stayin' Safe" compendium of his articles from Rider Magazine (published posthumously). Ed Culberson's "Obsessions Die Hard" is a good one; I listened to his presentation years ago at one of the BMWMOA national rallies and bought an autographed copy. The book I'm working through now is L.J.K. Setright's "Bahnstormer", a history of BMW motorcycles.
Do you have a copy of Ed Hertfelder's "80.3 Gas Available"? I have a personally signed copy and have tried several times to get through it. Can't do it. Maybe because I've never ridden enduros . . .
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I've a bit of a motoring books collection. Luckily, I found some of Ed Hertfelder's old books and those are probably my current favorites. At least, they're neck to neck with Ixion.
With winter here, thought I'd ask and see if other people have favorites. So, what are your favorite motorcycle related books?
Old Ed was a trip!! great stories some tales maybe the result of banging his melon in the woods!!!!
I am a fan of Egan's 3 "Leanings" books
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Jupiter's Travels by Ted Simon, subtitled Four years around the world on a Triumph.
He get's a little maudlin at times when he's missing his girlfriend(s), but it sure can stoke your interest in taking a long trip.
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Another vote for The Perfect Vehicle.
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If I ever meet you I'll give you a big, fat kiss Charlie - many thanks.
Nick
PS. The audible versions are fabulous too. Narrated by some old ex-Brit with a plummy accent :thewife: :cool: :cool: :boozing:
:laugh:
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Do you have a copy of Ed Hertfelder's "80.3 Gas Available"? I have a personally signed copy and have tried several times to get through it. Can't do it. Maybe because I've never ridden enduros . . .
I'm not sure if I have that one but I'll be happy to buy it from you, George.
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‘Hell’s Angels’ by Hunter Thompson is very entertaining. I miss Hunter.
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Burt Munro Indian legend of speed by George Begg
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This one, by Mario Columbo.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/General/i-QZgBRMh/0/1ed9ea75/O/Columbo.jpg) (https://lannisselz.smugmug.com/General/i-QZgBRMh/A)
My grandfather bought it for me when I was 15 years old. It was a coffee-table book that had nice pictures and descriptions (in transliterated-from-Italian non-idiomatic English, which added to its charm) of all the 1970 motorcycles sold in Europe.
I'd look at it and read it for hours. I've now owned about a dozen of the motorcycles featured in the book! I still enjoy taking it down and looking at it, and saying "Yep, I've had one of those" and "I've still got to get one of THESE one of these days".
Obviously it had a disparate impact on my young and impressionable mind ... !! :wink:
Lannis
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Stealing Speed: The Biggest Spy Scandal in Motorsport History by Mat Oxley
The remarkable true story of how one of Japan’s biggest motorcycle manufacturers stole a Nazi rocket scientist’s engine secrets from behind the Iron Curtain to win the motorcycle power race and conquer the world.
In 1961, with the Cold War at its height, East and West were battling for supremacy on the racetracks of Europe. Using technology from the Nazis’ notorious V-1 flying bomb, East German factory MZ built the world’s most powerful race bikes. But when MZ rider Ernst Degner was poised to win the world championship he defected and sold MZ’s secrets to Suzuki, while his wife and children were drugged and smuggled through the Berlin Wall. Within months Japan was on its way to ruling the world of motorcycling. Branded a traitor by the Communists, Degner suffered horrific injuries in a fiery racing accident and died in mysterious circumstances. Stealing Speed is a breathtaking story of racetrack heroics and Cold War skulduggery.
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‘Hell’s Angels’ by Hunter Thompson is very entertaining. I miss Hunter.
I find "Freewheelin Frank" more vivid, memorable, entertaining and authentic, concerning that period of the Angels. Just my opinion.
Moto
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Peter Egan “Leanings” volume 1,2 & 3
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Rand-McNally road atlas. Looking for “squiggly” routes!
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Peter Egan “Leanings” volume 1,2 & 3
Got the "Best of" for Xmas. Gonna have to read it now.
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Ad my vote for Melissa Holbrook Pierson's 'The Perfect Vehicle' and Nick Adams' books.
Those are followed in a distant but not-unrespectable third by Mick Gardner's 'Riding Man', because that eliminated any need I might have ever had to fantasize about getting good enough to do the Isle of Man to find out what it was like :grin:
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Rand-McNally road atlas. Looking for “squiggly” routes!
Bamm!! Nailed it! That is the one beside my recliner right now.
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(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/415XRYG8tOL._SX328_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
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Thank you all. Some great suggestions here and I'll be looking on AbeBooks to add them to my library.
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Beverly Cleary's Ralph series? I've read my share of grown-up motorcycle books, but those made a huge impression on 6 or 8 year old me. I ran around the house making the pb-b-b-b-b sounds for...well, for a long time. Still do sometimes.
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Rand-McNally road atlas. Looking for “squiggly” routes!
Come to think of it, that's likely mine too, but didn't think of it as a "book". That's all we took with us on our month-long cross country trip on the state and county roads .....
Lannis
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Ghost Rider by Neil Peart was a great book. I would call it "motorcycling through grief". Also great if you like rock music, drumming and scotch. But all there for anyone that likes to ride and lost those closest to.
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"Proficient Motorcycling" by David Hough along with his other writings.
"Total Control" by Lee Parks
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Beverly Cleary's Ralph series? I've read my share of grown-up motorcycle books, but those made a huge impression on 6 or 8 year old me. I ran around the house making the pb-b-b-b-b sounds for...well, for a long time. Still do sometimes.
Spot on! Including the, "pb-b-b-b-b," bit. And you beat me too it :grin:
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Beverly Cleary's Ralph series? I've read my share of grown-up motorcycle books, but those made a huge impression on 6 or 8 year old me. I ran around the house making the pb-b-b-b-b sounds for...well, for a long time. Still do sometimes.
OK , we're gonna need some video :laugh:
Dusty
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Elspeth Beard's "Lone Rider". And Mellisa Holbrook Pierson's other bike book "The Man Who Would Stop at Nothing".
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I really liked Pierson's "The Perfect Vehicle" and Greg Frazier's "Riding the World," but the one I return to over and over is Egan's "Leanings." The guy is into bikes, airplanes, sport cars, and guitars...and made a living at it. Pretty impressive.
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To many variables but one that's different is Mike Carters- Uneasy Rider-
1st bike, 27 countries, 20K miles.
His discoveries as a new rider while injecting British humor throughout was a refreshing, enjoyable different m/c read.
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Some may recall Mike Duff, road racer from Canada?
'Make Haste slowly'. His autobiography. Back in the day I was sometimes in Europe, by luck mostly, and able to see him race.
iirc there were no US based motorcycle road racers in Europe at that time.
A motorcycle book for children? '6218'. A neat illustrated book for youngsters. mad8@amtelecom.net
6218 refers to an FZR400. It makes a nice subject to build a story, but: Adults only when it's making its' own noises. I had one. R3~
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Nick Adams' series of books, of course!
Here here Charlie....great tales....a few of which occurred in my neck of the woods....Walloon lake is about 50 miles north of me, in Torrents of Spring Hem writes of a fishing hole just 3 miles upstream of our place.
Come on up for the rally and I'll give you the personal tour. I've made it from TC to Shepardstown in 9 hours....comfortabl y 14 on a bike.
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Here here Charlie....great tales....a few of which occurred in my neck of the woods....Walloon lake is about 50 miles north of me, in Torrents of Spring Hem writes of a fishing hole just 3 miles upstream of our place.
Come on up for the rally and I'll give you the personal tour. I've made it from TC to Shepardstown in 9 hours....comfortabl y 14 on a bike.
Wrong Nick Adams mate. :evil: :evil: That guy's a Hemingway imposter. Never rode a Guzzi. :violent1:
Nick
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Obsessions Die Hard is hard to beat for this category. Wes Stephens
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Wrong Nick Adams mate. :evil: :evil: That guy's a Hemingway imposter. Never rode a Guzzi. :violent1:
Nick
lol never read that Nick Adams....Though I'm good with this guy
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Leanings by Peter Egan
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TWISTGRIP...an anthology by L.J.K. Setright
Published by George Allen & Unwin, Ltd. (1969)
Particularly, his own piece in the collection: "Passacaglia and Fugue."
Steven Rossi
East Haddam, CT
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Stealing Speed: The Biggest Spy Scandal in Motorsport History by Mat Oxley
+1
I couldn't put that down.
Moto Guzzi Big Twins by Greg Field is my favorite Guzzi book.
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Fundamental stuff that will probably appeal to most who visit this site:
Motorcycle Science by Ron Holmes and Richard Magner very text bookish, also old, hard to find and probably expensive.
Newer, better illustrated version of the above (better for younguns interested in mechanical stuff) is:
Motorcycles: Fundamentals, Service, Repair by Bruce A. Johns, David D. Edmundson, and Robert Scharff
https://www.abebooks.com/9781566374798/Motorcycles-Fundamentals-Service-Repair-Johns-1566374790/plp
4 different editions out there. I have not seen the 1984 edition. I have seen the 1987 and 1999 editions and thought both were well done. The fourth is a 2020 edition, but at $120 a copy, I think I will pass.
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Wrong Nick Adams mate. :evil: :evil: That guy's a Hemingway imposter. Never rode a Guzzi. :violent1:
Nick
Here's the real Nick Adams...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTB4Uw-BsOw
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I really liked Pierson's "The Perfect Vehicle" and Greg Frazier's "Riding the World," but the one I return to over and over is Egan's "Leanings." The guy is into bikes, airplanes, sport cars, and guitars...and made a living at it. Pretty impressive.
+1 for Leanings
Rich A
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The books by the Danish couple who rode with their kids through the Americas, through Africa, through Russia, Indodnesia etc
In particular the tale of riding from Los Angeles to Rio de Janeiro on their Honda XL500s, the kids about two and four years old strapped to the bikes, is epical - - -
http://www.ninaoghjalte.dk/en/
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TWISTGRIP...an anthology by L.J.K. Setright
Published by George Allen & Unwin, Ltd. (1969)
Particularly, his own piece in the collection: "Passacaglia and Fugue."
Steven Rossi
East Haddam, CT
Thanks, Steve. This is the first one that I bought and I like it quite a bit. Setright will never use 3 simple words where a dozen will do but he is usually pretty interesting. The other stories are great. I was pleased to see Jenks in there, too. The older books are so well written.
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Boris Mihailovich....(My Mother warned me about blokes like me....)
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If I ever meet you I'll give you a big, fat kiss Charlie - many thanks.
Nick
PS. The audible versions are fabulous too. Narrated by some old ex-Brit with a plummy accent :thewife: :cool: :cool: :boozing:
Hey nick not lookin for any huggin or kissen but I think I have read all your stuff(numerouse times) Very good reading indeed.
Ciao
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Elspeth Beard's "Lone Rider". And Mellisa Holbrook Pierson's other bike book "The Man Who Would Stop at Nothing".
Yup read both of those as well ….. that Elspeth account is definitely different.
Ciao
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+1
I couldn't put that down.
Moto Guzzi Big Twins by Greg Field is my favorite Guzzi book.
Agree Turin...that steeling speed was a double read for me.
Ciao
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The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
(https://i.ibb.co/wwj4XcW/081915-skidmarks-mouse-motorcycle-first-edition.jpg) (https://ibb.co/wwj4XcW)
In the first edition, the Triumph Tiger 100 was powerful enough for a mouse to evade the old cannister types and Kirby vacuums.
Spoiler Alert:
In updated second edition, Ralph gets a DOT helmet and a new Ducati Diavel and tries to remap the ignition in order to outrun modern vacuums like Dysons and lurking Roombas.
(https://i.ibb.co/CWk1SS7/081915-skidmarks-mouse-motorcycle-f-633x388.png) (https://ibb.co/CWk1SS7)
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Boris Mihailovich....(My Mother warned me about blokes like me....)
Thanks, I've got that one, it's good. Sent to me by a friend from Australia, an island populated entirely by lunatic men and beautiful women or so I've been informed. By Australians.
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It's not a particularly good motorcycle book but Zen And The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig is been my go to read for years. It is well written and explores values that seem to be more relivent today. I am a huge fan of Pierson's "The Perfect Vehicle." There is a small book by Theresa Wallach called The Rugged Road. It documents her ride from Londan the Cape Town South Africa on board a Panther 600cc combination and trailer. Then there is the Lois Price book Red Tape and White Knuckles that details her solo ride down the continent of Africa. There is the equally good book Lois on the Loose about her ride down North and South America.
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Can't believe no one's mentioned Glen Heggstad and his books Two Wheels thru Terror or One More Day Everywhere. I also enjoyed Zen and the art by Robert Persig and Lois Price's writings :bike-037: