I've read many IBA, and other touring books over the years, but this one is one of the best ever. Lots of great, well thought out advice for cruising/touring bike prep, maintenance, etc.
Also talks about the mental state and psyche that seperates those that like to ride, and those that LOVE to ride.
http://www.amazon.com/Cruiser-Motorc...7071230&sr=8-3
Brian Hall
Remember, the early worm gets eaten...
'01 LT - "Pepe"
Vier R?ñder sind gut, zwei R?ñder sind besser
The Amazon preview did not entice me to buy. Can you say a bit more about it?
I might have misread the prologue on amazon, but the premise seemed to be that motorcyclists choose to ignore the potential danger of riding a bike. It will never happen to me (the lazarus effect).
It seems to me it's exactly the opposite. Most of the riders I know are fully aware of the potential danger. That's why when we talk about safety, we say things like "I ride like the other person is out to kill me" or "dress for the fall, not for the ride." I think we totally get the risk. We try to minimize it with our behavior to a level that's acceptable to ourselves, but I don't think we blissfully ignore it.
BMWMOA #143326
Originally Posted by BMW Triumphant
Me neither, but someone on another forum also posted a positive comment on the book, so I too would be interested to hear more.
Best, Bruce
Four wheels moves the body, two wheels moves the soul.
09' K1200 LT
IBA #8547
I think it's accurate for many cruiser riders. When I see someone grossly under-dressed, it's either a 19 year old squid on a Japanese supersport or someone riding a big cruiser... Usually a HD. I also see it a lot on Goldwings too.
I almost always see people in full armor on BMW, Triumph (non-cruisers), even Ducati!
Oh well. If one reads 'Zen and Motorcycle Maintenance', on would be appalled by how much drinking, they do on the ride. There's no gear to speak of. Perhaps because it is a product of the 70's. Still an interesting book.
My favorite book lately comes from Melissa Holbrook Pierson... She wrote "The Perfect Vehicle: What It Is About Motorcycles".
The Man Who Would Stop At Nothing
It covers John Ryan's record breaking journey from Prudohe Bay Alaska to Key West Florida in just over 86 hours.
More interestingly, perhaps, it catalogs Pierson's own journey back into motorcycling following a divorce, children, etc.
Excellent read!
Jimmy
It's a "little of something for everybody"; talks about pre-ride prep, riding comfort, tires, shocks, brakes, group etc., etc.
A great deal of the book speaks to things that I am already aware of (I've been riding for 37 years), but helpful tidbits in many areas.
Brian Hall
Remember, the early worm gets eaten...
'01 LT - "Pepe"
Vier R?ñder sind gut, zwei R?ñder sind besser
+1, I love that book too!
Brian Hall
Remember, the early worm gets eaten...
'01 LT - "Pepe"
Vier R?ñder sind gut, zwei R?ñder sind besser
Little off topic... but the best book I've read about motorcycles/moto culture is Hunter S. Thompson's Hell's Angels.
I always tell people to read it before buying their first motorcycle... Great book!
hmmm. i'd be interested to read this, (NOT Zen & The Art of...) for various reasons. this book the thread is about APPEARS to take an in depth look at being safety minded RE: motorcycling- tho it was hard to tell exactly from the brief Amazon description most of what i got came from the reviews.
i had to chuckle at the comment above... "product of the 70s". it may be more accurate to say that the "Zen" mind-set reflects more of the entire history of the recreational motorcyclist's mentality... seems (to me) that initially, motorcycles came about as a serious means of motorised transportation and morphed into more a recreational game later on. look at any old pix of motorcyclists from the 1940s, 50s, 60s or 70s. nobody was wearing any amount of protective gear at all, off the race track. back in the 60s and 70s, full leather, boots, gloves, and any old helmet was as much protective gear as anyone would be likely to see- on or off the track. in those days, that WAS ATGATT. many times, it was serious HD riders who were sporting the gear. if someone today, produced a brand new line of protective gear based 100% on, say- 1958 standards, folks would laugh at the level of exposure such gear would provide, instead of marveling at its protective qualities. like everything else, things have evolved dramatically, along with awareness, and technology.
i happen to dislike the scaredy-pants mentality of
"that's gonna kill ya, boy", or "you'll shoot an eye out with that thing". i'll give a rock solid nod to realistic dangers of various sporting or recreational activities but refuse to be sold anything based on somebody else fear driven notions of what's best for me... reality is enough, combined with my own (thankfully limited) first hand knowledge of what a crash feels like, to compel me to take motorcycling seriously and dress up accordingly.
"Blissfully ignorant", "choose to ignore dangers"; not me. I wear my gear, helmet, gloves, etc everytime I ride, no matter where or how far. I am amazed at people who are ignorant like the folks I see boarding airplanes wearing heels or flipflops. If an evacuation is needed (Yes, its extremely rare), how fast do you think you can run in lousy footwear ? You need all the edge you can get, no matter the endeavor. Now, back to the book.
'03 R1150R, '03 F650GS, '97DR200SE,'78 Honda CT-90, '77Honda CT-90
wow. who'd a thunk it? i thought it was an interesting read, if not 100% dated by now. it is, however, one book i would never see as a *guide* for a noob motorcyclist!
since you've read HST's Hell's Angels, go now and read Sonny Barger's bio, (also an interesting read) and get HIS spin on HST's involvement with the HA.
just for the added perspective. IMO HST wasn't taking these guys too seriously, and badly mis-read them. he eventually got his @** handed to him for it.
figuratively speaking. he was lucky the HA didn't do that literally.
Guess what.... It's not a book about what you wear when riding. It's a book that could help someone with questions, or as a review, get some basic information in order to form their own opinion about some part or condition of riding a cruising motorcycle.
It answers questions like "why is there a rotation mark on a motorcycle tire?". Do you know why?
It compares components that have their own weird jargon. For example: what does CCA and CA mean when it comes to buying a motorcycle battery and why should I care?. My riding buddy tells me I should be concerned about HCA. Is HCA important in choosing a battery for a motorcycle?
It clarifies abject thinking that mixing "dino" oil and synthetic oil is a no-no when, in reality it should be "Yeah, go right ahead...".
It also explains to cruiser riders who might like to take part in a group ride exactly what a "sweepers" function is.
It might also help someone understand why that white Ford POS pulled out in front of them (since some form of the gestalt principle raised its ugly head) and make suggestions on how to minimize that occurrence.
The main objective is to keep the Lazarus Complex ("a belief by a person or persons that things that can go wrong causing severe injury or death, only happens to other people") in check. I am sorry to say that there are too many folks who "insert the key, throw a leg over and take off"... There are too many people who think they know everything there is to know about their bike... and are sadly wrong when their brakes fail 400 miles from home. And there are too many folks in our community who unjustly criticize the decisions made by others who don't do as they do.
I am not telling you how to ride... I am not telling you what to ride... What I will tell you (more than once in many cases, since repetition leads to retention and retention leads to knowledge) is quite possibly something you may not have known or understood. Perhaps it may be about something you might have known about and since forgot.
In any case, we live each and every day with the Lazarus Complex firmly in control.
In my travels I have told myself one thing: while the Lazarus Complex may creep into my thoughts, itÔÇÖs the appointment that I have with the grim reaper that will always be foremost in my mind and bring caution, focus, and responsibility into the way I ride and what I ride.
After all, the object is to make that son of a bitch wait just that much longer.
Stacking the deck in a game of chance against the grim reaper isn't cheating...
my .02 cents... and I am the author!
"Uncle Mark"
BMW MOA Member #127457 - '06' Ocean Blue 1200 LT
Mark,
thanks for the clarification! sounds dead on.
I do little posting in these forums, And less reading of these threads , other than the tech threads and only post when I think I can help with a problem someone is having . But reading this I see I have been sheltered or blissfully ignorant of what other riders think of other bikers. And I guess I've been guilty of judging a man by his choice of ride. I grew up riding and always considering it a life , not a recreational past time. I'm new to BMW and always held beemer riders in high regard as they seemed to have alot of long distance riders as dedicated to their rides as we to our Harley's But the I also believed that all Native Americans were spiritual and all bikers were righteously outside the law. I know that if you ask a skydiver why he or she jumps, you will get as many different answers for as many individuals as you ask. And it's probably true for riders too. I and others I called brother always went with the attitude that if you had to ask you couldn't understand.
I thought Lazerus was the man Christ rose from the dead , not a psycho babble term used by a wannabe or non rider to make himself sound like he was the end all authority on cruiser bike riders. To form an opinion on the mindset of as diverse a group by a read , is like watching the sons of anarchy and thinking it reflects what all cruiser riders are about.
What I started this reply with was I never thought of my self as a "cruiser rider" I always thought riding was in every one elses blood too and I didn't affirm myself by bashing another guys ride. I learned from those who were here before me and have tried to pass it on there's freedom out there on those roads but it's not for everybody. I'm not as excited by fishing as some of my good friends are but I don't feel like I have to justify that by telling every fisherman I meet about the terrible boating accident I saw or heard about. So If you want an opinion get out and earn it by experience , its alot more fun than reading a book. I do see reading a shop manual about my specific bike as neccesary, but that is so I know what i am riding, and believe with all my being that my appointment with the reaper is not going to effected by all the leather, kevlar or full face helmets in the world. ..
And when I'm riding I don't think I ever thought about what was being said in a forum thread. I've said too much already, Good night and ride free.
40 years on Harlies, first Beemer.
1999 R1100RTp, 2005 FXDXI.
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