It's the thick of the mid-1990s boom, and David M. Gross is racking up billable hours for a Manhattan corporate law firm and thinking that there must be more to life. Out of the blue, a friend calls with a tantalizing and risky proposal: How would he feel about moving to Bologna to help turn around a legendary, down-on-its-luck Italian motorcycle company, known for its dominance on the track and its inability to turn a profit? After a brief soul-search and popping his first (unintentional) wheelie during his maiden ride on the company's monstrous superbike, he signs on. And so Gross heads to Bologna, fabled home of marbled meats, radical leftist politics, and bespoke shoes, diving into his new life as the "corporate image consultant" to gearheads and learning to navigate the giddy mores of Bolognese society. He meets the CEO, who can relax only on planes between meetings; the manic, bellicose bike designer, convinced that only his genius can save the company; and the director of the museum, obsessed by the factory's role in World War II. Gross sparks the business's "spectacularization" with sexy ad campaigns starring factory workers who, when not on strike, strut to the espresso machine clad in Versace.  Above all, he falls in love with motorcycles, seduced by speed, and realizes that becoming a better rider means tapping into dormant parts of his self that, as it turns out, were just waiting to be unleashed. And when he picks up a handsome, young--and closeted--skinhead, things really get interesting . . . In sensuous, hilarious, and wildly entertaining prose, Gross pens a wry yet ecstatic love letter to an uproarious city and its style-obsessed denizens, and to the motorcycle that gave him the freedom to live life at its very fastest.

VT1100C Shadow Spirit (1997-2007), VT1100C2 Shadow 1100 American Classic Edition (1995-1999), VT1100C2 Shadow Sabre (2000-2007), VT1100C3 Shadow Aero (1998-2002), VT1100T Shadow 1100 American Classic Edition Tourer (1998-2000)

Motorcycling has become more than a fad in America. It is now a pastime for a growing number of people. Entire families are riding dirt bikes and ATVs for recreation. Motocross racing is the fastest growing motor sport behind NASCAR and has captured the imagination of an entire generation of fans who enjoy the excitement of extreme sports. Roy Jenkins started riding motorcycles in the early 70s and was a successful amateur racer by the time he graduated from High School. Today he is a motocross racing announcer, chaplain, teacher and journalist. Racing Fuel for the Spirit is his second book written for motorcycle riders who want inspiration and spiritual growth from the Bible. Using his 20 years of Bible teaching experience and Master's degree in Biblical Studies, this ordained minister leads weekly devotions at motocross and Arenacross races in Mississippi and Louisiana. He uses stories from his years as a Pastor, River deck hand, Oil-field commercial diver, school teacher and most importantly as a husband and father. He throws in some stories from his experiences from motocross racing, cross-country motorcycle trips, and even sailing adventures. the book. His calling, gift and purpose is to get the Bible into the hands of people who won't normally read it for themselves. He uses a real life story, raises an interesting question, then brings in the appropriate Bible principle, sometimes finishing off with a memorable quote for the day. In this book he includes photos from the world of motorcycling and beyond to help the reader picture the inspirational thought. Racing Fuel for the Spirit is especially helpful for those who are too busy to read, but are interested in hearing how God's Word applies to a wide range of everyday topics such as: love, family, worry, prayer, patience, health, competing, depression, work, school, getting old, enjoying life, hope, suffering losses, change, contentment, forgiveness, doubts, eternity and knowing God. This book was written for people with short attention spans who like real-life stories. If you need some help with life and want to understand God's plan and purpose, then you'll want to keep this book handy. quick Bible lesson that relates to real life and meet some of the people in south Louisiana's motorcycle racing community, while feeding your spirit and growing in faith.

This is an indispensable guide for anyone who wants to custom-build their own motorcycle. Full of inspiration, this service manual and catalogue contains help on planning the project, getting the right look, and actually assembling the custom bike of your dreams. Three start-to-finish projects in sequence show not just how to bolt bikes together but how to shape, mould, and paint them as well. Written by a custom motorbike expert, this no-nonsense style and approach is clear, practical, direct, full of common sense and will appeal to anyone involved in bike-building.

Originally published in 1925, this book is a fascinating history of the early motorcycle. This book is a detailed guide, packed with photos and diagrams, and of much interest to any motorcycle enthusiast. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Hesperides Press are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. Contents Include Historical and Introductory: Early Aspirations: Engine Position, Pedalling Gear, Quads. The Choice of a Mount: Speed, Weight, Price, New or Second Hand, Single or Twin. The Prime Mover: The Four-Stroke Engine, The Four Stroke Valve and Ignition etc. Carburetion and Ignition Engine Suction, Automatic or Two Lever Carburettors, Reliability of Magnetos. Frame-Design and Cycle Parts: Diamond and Loop Frames, Spring Frames and Forks etc. Variable Gears and Transmission: Two, Three or Four Speeds, Gear Boxes etc. Passenger Machines: Trailer, Four Car, Tri Car, Side Car etc. Accessories, Spares and Tools: Lamps, Dynamo, Lighting Outfits, Speedometers etc. Driving and Up Keep: Starting the Engine, Gear Changing etc Troubles on the Road: Refusal to Start, Choked Petrol Pipe or Jet etc. Touring and Reliability Trials: Motor Cycling Club Trials, Stock Machine Trial, Scottish Six Days, Ascent of Snowdon. Motor Cycle Racing Notable Motor Cycles Motor Cycle Records.

..".I know the risks, and moderate them when I can, but still I press on, even into adversity. There are very few things I fear, and even this situation was not one of them.

But still...every now and then...just once and a while...

I wonder...I question...I seek to understand why...

Beaten to the edge of rationality, stunned beyond the capability of comprehension, between racking sobs and painful gasps for breath I screamed into the chaos,

'What in the bloody hell am I doing out here?'

I was not really expecting an answer..."

Through a series of adventures told with humor and passion, "Life is a Road, Get on it and Ride" captures the essence of the motorcycling experience and carries the reader where few have ventured before. Take a wild ride into the magical worlds along the highways of America and a passionate tour through the mysterious soul of an avid motorcycle rider. Experience what one reader calls, "A little bit of Jung, a little bit of Freud, and a little bit of rock and roll." (Doc D)

Since the days of Von Dutch, hot rod and motorcycle enthusiasts have used pinstripes both as artwork in its own right, and as a compliment to a flame or graphic paint job. Interest in pinstriping, both how-to and as an art form, continues to grow. The best way to learn something is from the person who does it all day long. Advanced Pinstripe Art presents the work of 12 well-known pinstripe artists. Each chapter presents a start-to-finish project done by one artist. These photo sequences take the viewer from the initial sketch to the finished design. Text explains the why of good pinstriping. Why use a particular brush, a certain paint, an unusual method. Quotes from the artists are plentiful. Advanced Pinstripe Art is designed to duplicate, as much as possible, the experience of spending a day learning first hand how to pinstripe from some of the best artists in the business.

Why do people ride motorcycles? Thomas Krens, curator of The Art of the Motorcycle, the most popular exhibition ever mounted at the Guggenheim Museum, writes: "For much of society, the motorcycle remains a forbidden indulgence, an object of fantasy, and danger." And of envy. No other machine is thought of as the vehicle--"the perfect vehicle" Melissa Holbrook Pierson calls it--of rebellion, lawlessness, and freedom. She's A Bad Motorcycle collects the writings of those who have sought that freedom. From the genre-defining--and exploding--Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance to Chasing Che the motorcycle has inspired a startlingly rich, unabashedly romantic body of writing that celebrates the risks and exhilaration of the journey to self-discovery. The book includes selections from Eric Burdon, Harry Crews, Harlan Ellison, Robert E. Fulton, Jr., Che Guevara, Fred Haefele, S.E. Hinton, Dennis Hopper, Richard La Plante, Erika Lopez, Horace McCoy, Allen Noren, Robert Pirsig, Gary Paulsen, Melissa Holbrook Pierson, Patrick Symmes, Keith Tye, Hunter S. Thompson, Lois Wilson, Daniel R. Wolf and Tom Wolfe, as well as photographs by Bruce Davidson, Martin Dixon, Ann Ferrar, Danny Lyon, Helge Pedersen, and Irving Penn.

Young and beautiful, Lois Pryce was a rising star at the BBC. Unbeknownst to her co-workers, Lois lived a parallel life as a biker babe with an overwhelming sense of wanderlust. So she packed in her career to ride her motorcycle on her own from the northernmost tip of Alaska to the southernmost tip of South America. Alone. Armed only with the Spanish words for 'caution' and 'cheese', Lois was rather under-prepared for multiple bear sightings, bribing her way through borders, spending a night in a Mexican brothel and crashing her bike in the wilds of Patagonia. She most certainly got the adventure she craved, and her pulse-pounding, soul-searching adventure has already attracted fans worldwide - a weblog that she kept whilst on her travels was receiving more than two-thousand hits a day. Her hilarious, brilliantly written travelog will appeal to anyone who's ever dreamt of jacking-it-all-in and running away to see the world.

The legendary story of Harley-Davidson's rise to power--not only as an international industry leader but as an American cultural icon.

How did the Harley-Davidson motorcycle, originally a machine for casual riders, evolve into a symbol of defiance and liberation? An embellished 1947 Life magazine article about a California town terrorized by gangs of motorcycle punks changed the world's perception of motorcycles from sporty machines to menaces-to-society, and as the loudest and heaviest bikes on the market, Harley-Davidsons were considered the baddest of them all.

Outlaw Machine chronicles the fascinating social history that built Harley-Davidson's reputation--including the rise of Hell's Angels and the counterculture classic Easy Rider--and, more entrancing still, the bike's and its company's storybook rise to international fame and popularity. Written by renowned automotive journalist Brock Yates, Outlaw Machine is the definitive book on the Harley-Davidson and its place in American culture.

XJ600S Seca II (1992-1998 U.S.), XJ600S Seca II (1992-1996 Canada), XJ600S Diversion (1992-1998 U.K.), XJ600SC Seca II (1992-1998 California), XJ600S Seca II (1992-1996 Australia)

Living on Two Wheels is the only bike book the average person will ever need. Dennis Coello begins by explaining why bikes are designed differently for different uses. Slowly, he takes you from how to choose one to how to maintain it, on through how to tour and travel by bike. Before he's done he gives you the names of the catalogue, manufacturers and distributors offering the best equipment. With clear but detailed drawings, he unravels the mysteries of deraillerurs, hub assemblies and gear ratios. Step-by-step, he simplifies the intricacies of striping, cleaning and reassembling your bike and along the way, he introduces you to the value and potential of the bicycle as transportation This is not a giddy account of biking through the woods, Nor is it a dry, complex shop manual. Rather, it is a handbook containing facts, lessons and experiences that make it THE valuable reference for anyone interested in biking. About the Author: Dennis Coello is the author of numerous bike books and videos. He writes for major bike magazines, conducts bike clinics across the USA and has traveled around the world on nothing but a bicycle. Dennis owns no car and lives his life entirely on a bike.

The Yamaha FS1-E is a 1970s icon. Introduced in the early '70s, it became an instant success, giving 16-year-olds their first taste of motorcycle performance and freedom, and totally overshadowing the other mopeds available at that time. Many riders had their FS1-E for one year only before progressing to larger machines. Today, nostalgia for the youthful exuberance engendered by the 'Fizzie' has resulted in many ex-owners wanting to recreate their pride and joy. Most FS1E 's have not endured the test of time well, and very few good original examples exist. There are, however, plenty of restorable machines around, and this book guides the do-it-yourself restorer through the process, from the minefield of initially finding a machine to restore, to the potential pitfalls of a first restoration. The bikes featured and photographed for the book include a seriously neglected 1974 machine, a part restored 1976 model - of dubious type, and a 1975 DX model which arrived as a pile of bits.

First published in 1979 as the "Moto-X Fox Guide to Preparing the Yamaha YZ and IT for Competition," this 64-page book was written and photographed by famed 1970's Cycle News editor, racer and motocross journalist Jim "Jimmy the Greek" Gianatsis. It covers the development and racing history of the Yamaha 2-stroke and 4-stroke motocross and enduro bikes from the DT models raced by the Don Jones family in the early 1970s, through to to the exotic YZ, OW and TT-500 machines raced by Hakan Andersson, Pierre Karsmakers and Bob "Hurricane" Hannah up to 1979. Included is race bike preparation information from famed Yamaha factory rider Bob Hannah, his mechanic Keith McCarty, the top privateer Moto-X Fox Racing Team, as well as privateer mechanic Bevo Forte. There is also a section on IT model enduro bike preparation by Yamaha motocross and ISDT rider Chris Carter. Included is "Riding with the Hurricane" an eight chapter racing instruction guide with photos that Jim produced with Bob Hannah that was originally printed in Cycle News as a weekly series in 1978. Preparing the Yamaha YZ and IT for Competition is a classic dirt bike technical, tuning and riding manual that has been out of print and unavailable for 30 years. It serves as very interesting reading and a great historical reference guide for dirt bike fans both young and old. Many of the bike preparation and riding tips are still relevant today. A must have for any dirt bike enthusiast or collector.

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 and the Congo Basin along the way - this feisty independent woman's grand trek through the Dark Continent of Africa is the definitive motorcycling adventure. Colourful and hilarious, Red Tape and White Knuckles is an action-packed tale about following your dreams that will have you packing your bags and jetting off into the sunset on your own adventure before you know it.

Complete coverage for your Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird covering 1137cc models for 1997 to 2007: --Routine Maintenance and servicing --Tune-up procedures --Engine, clutch and transmission repair --Cooling system --Fuel and exhaust --Ignition and electrical systems --Brakes, wheels and tires --Steering, suspension and final drive --Frame and bodywork --Wiring diagrams --Reference Section With a Haynes manual, you can do it yourself...from simple maintenance to basic repairs. Haynes writes every book based on a complete teardown of the motorcycle. We learn the best ways to do a job and that makes it quicker, easier and cheaper for you. Our books have clear instructions and hundreds of photographs that show each step. Whether you're a beginner or a pro, you can save big with Haynes! --Step-by-step procedures --Easy-to-follow photos --Complete troubleshooting section --Valuable short cuts --Model history and pre-ride checks in color --Color spark plug diagnosis and wiring diagrams --Tools and workshop tips section in color