- Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: BowTie Press; illustrated edition edition (1 Jan 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1889540536
- ISBN-13: 978-1889540535
- Product Dimensions: 27.7 x 21.1 x 1.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 788,276 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Proficient Motorcycling: The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well
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Product Description
Synopsis
An anthology of articles from Motorcycle Consumer News with abundant photos and clear line drawings. Hardly a word of wisdom here is a surprise to a rider with any experience; but every word of caution is worth revisitation. If heeded unnatural for the adolescents Hough would save many lives & acres of skin. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland,
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is the proper motorcyclists book. Sensible advise about riding fast and safe. UK readers reversing left and right road directions is no problem. Riveting reading for the wintertime!!! Just all round fantastic motorcycling book. Get it, you won't be disappointed.
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If you ever buy a book on how to ride a bike on public roads, then this is the one you should buy.
The book explains how you should position your bike on the road to be safe, how to take curves, how to brake etc. There is probably the only text available that explains 'countersteering' in a way that I could understand and use straight away. Just this information is worth the price of the book.
The author explains why different bikes handle differently, again something that no-one here in the UK seems to have done. This is invaluable knowledge when you come to choose a bike to buy, you could end up with something that is hard work to ride.
A section on how to ride in different weather conditions, loads of tips here that are invaluable when you are touring.
There is nothing in this book that you can't use, I can't recommend this book highly enough. Just the section on countersteering (if you don't use it already) will make you a much safer rider.
Highly recomended.
PS.
It is written for the American market, but this is not a problem as most of the advice given is relevant to anywhere. As it is written for riding on the right hand side you will need to mentally reverse instructions on how to position your bike in curves etc. but this is not difficult. There are sections on touring through areas that have wild animals - this may be applicable if you tour through Southern Europe.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The problem with "Proficient Motorcycling" is that it will only convince those mature enough to understand the precautions, dangers and survival techniques involved in motorcycling. Most of the advice in these 300-or-so pages is pretty much obvious stuff to anyone who isn't particularly suicidal : do not drink and drive, slow down at night or when you can't see what's ahead, wear protective gear in the rain, take frequent rests, adapt your speed to your skill level. Nothing that a gung-ho 20 year-old with a Suzuki GSXR will ever listen to, and nothing that a beginner but responsible motorcyclist won't figure out by him or herself.
There are some excellent chapters on the limits of traction and how to properly balance the different factors that define it (throttle, brakes, lean angle, road surface). Personally, I appreciate the conservative approach to riding and the everyday situations shown in the photographs accompanying the text. The author doesn't try to explain how to negotiate curves at maximum possible speed with the kneepads scraping the pavement, but rather on how to have the most fun while maximizing your chances for survival. The chapter on how to deal with aggressive drivers around you is a very good text but, again, if you haven't figured out by yourself that avoidance is more beneficial than confrontation then you aren't going to learn anything new.
My point is : this is a very well-written guide that will be of little use to anyone who isn't already receptive to its teachings, in which case most of the book is stating the obvious.
Be warned that "Proficient Motorcycling" is concerned mostly with riding in the United States, with an emphasis on deer and moose collisions which might seem a bit extreme. Also, all speeds are stated in miles per hour (with distances in feet) which takes some mental conversion time when reading. Nothing too taxing, though.
There are some excellent chapters on the limits of traction and how to properly balance the different factors that define it (throttle, brakes, lean angle, road surface). Personally, I appreciate the conservative approach to riding and the everyday situations shown in the photographs accompanying the text. The author doesn't try to explain how to negotiate curves at maximum possible speed with the kneepads scraping the pavement, but rather on how to have the most fun while maximizing your chances for survival. The chapter on how to deal with aggressive drivers around you is a very good text but, again, if you haven't figured out by yourself that avoidance is more beneficial than confrontation then you aren't going to learn anything new.
My point is : this is a very well-written guide that will be of little use to anyone who isn't already receptive to its teachings, in which case most of the book is stating the obvious.
Be warned that "Proficient Motorcycling" is concerned mostly with riding in the United States, with an emphasis on deer and moose collisions which might seem a bit extreme. Also, all speeds are stated in miles per hour (with distances in feet) which takes some mental conversion time when reading. Nothing too taxing, though.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
great and practical book
Coming back to biking after 20 years, I found this a real eye opener. It's very American which will turn some off, but the description of how motorbikes steer, how to corner and... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Singer
All you need to know in one book
This is literally all you need to know. It's very densely packed with information but in an easy to absorb style with lots of great photos to please the eye. Read more
Published on 28 July 2009 by J. Crosby
Which side of the road do you ride on ?
I'm sure that this book is a great read for our cousins across the pond in the US, but here in the UK we discovered in the Middle Ages that you kept to the left for the simple... Read more
Published on 9 May 2007 by Daytonarider
A "must buy"
This book is a mine of indispensable advice and information presented in an easy to read and interesting manner. Read more
Published on 25 Oct 2006 by R. Campbell
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