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Books > Sport & Leisure > Transport: general interest > Road & motor vehicles: general interest > Motorcycles: general interest
Feel is the story of how a small-time boy from humble beginnings in
Louisiana rose to the pantheon of greats, to win the 500cc and
250cc GP Championship in the same year - an historic achievement
over three decades ago which has never been repeated. Growing up at
the time of the assassination of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King,
Freddie judged by feel, not by colour. Blind to prejudice and
discrimination, he formed dynamic connections with people and
events, but only years later during his racing afterlife could
Freddie come to understand the true power of the things he learned.
Spencer is an articulate and compassionate guide as he describes
the thrill and horror of racing in an era when death was a
perennial threat. He recalls in pin-sharp detail the frenetic
high-octane racing duels with the 'King' Kenny Roberts, but also
describes a parallel internal journey as he struggled to make sense
of it all. Driven by a search for the personal fulfilment that
comes through finding your purpose, Freddie's story is a universal
one. In its message of hope, Feel transcends its genre to offer a
story for everyone. Part thriller, part philosophical
self-exploration, it is a remarkably insightful account of what it
is like to have it all, but wonder why. "For the first time I will
talk about the traumas of my childhood, the contrast between the
leaf fire burns, the mistrust and discomfort and the peace and
purpose I felt when riding my bike. I didn't tell my parents about
something that happened to me. Why? I felt ashamed, but when I rode
I felt connected to everything and the pain in my hand and heart
would go away. It gave me the feeling of hope".
Triumph Twins first burst onto the scene in 1938, and continued to
improve up to their demise in the 1980's. This book covers the
restoration of these classic and beloved machines, and is the only
one to do so. In full-colour format, it includes two
start-to-finish assemblies, with sidebars to explain how to
correctly lace a wheel, which metal coatings are correct for which
year, and other valuable information. Written by Triumph
restoration expert Gary Chitwood and well-known how-to author
Timothy Remus, all the projects are practical, clearly explained,
and fully illustrated - including the disassembly and restoration
of both a Bonneville 1963 and a Bonneville 1969, in complete
step-by-step stages with full illustrations, plus the overhaul and
assembly of an engine for the 1969 model. It may be good to have a
book that explains how to install a wheel in a frame, but how much
better is it when this is shown as well in full colour - the wheel
being slipped up between the fork legs and the axle sliding through
the fork and into the hub. With over 400 colour photos, this book
offers 144 pages of hard-core how-to help for anyone who wants to
repair or restore their own Triumph twin.
In 1969 The Honda Motor Company launched a motorcycle that many
consider to be the world's first super bike. The Honda CB750 had
the first mass-produced 4 cylinder inline engine, a single overhead
camshaft with 4 carburettors, a 4 into 4 exhaust system and came
with electric start and front disc brakes as standard. This
specification set the bar higher than had been seen before on a
production motorcycle and lead to the other Japanese motorcycle
manufacturers introducing their own 4 cylinder motorcycles, albeit
some time later. Following the success for the original CB750,
Honda went on to produce a range of motorcycles using SOHC 4
cylinder engines. All with their own characteristics, they proved
to be reliable and smooth running and even today can offer real
reliable transport on modern roads if restored correctly. Now with
some examples over 40 years old many enthusiasts wish to restore
these classic machines. This book has been written to guide the
enthusiast through his or her restoration of these fine classic
motorcycles.
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.
'The unmistakable voice of Moto GP' - Valentino Rossi
As 'The Voice' of motorcycle racing for forty years, commentator Nick Harris became the biggest star not on two wheels in the paddock, and this is his mostly eye-witness, white-knuckle account of MotoGP's scorching seventy-year history.
The story starts on the Isle of Man in 1949, when Geoff Duke, with his slicked-back hair and one-piece black leathers, became the nation's hero, defying the odds and winning the most dangerous race in the world on a British-built Norton. Just over a decade later at Mallory Park, another British champion and one of the greatest riders of all time Mike Hailwood screamed past a young Nick Harris on his 250cc Honda, and a life-long passion was born.
Harris has been at the centre of the sport for decades, getting to know the riders as individuals, seeings feuds unfold, champions made, careers and sometimes lives ended. We'll see the biggest podium stars up close, from Barry Sheene and Kenny Roberts to Valentino Rossi, and we'll meet the mechanics behind them, the manufacturers who poured millions into the teams, and the organisers who, in the early days, ruthlessly compromised rider safety for profits. The drama has often been as tense off the track as on it.
This is the book the motorcycling world has been waiting for.
Cruisers such as Harley-Davidsons represent the fastest-growing
segment in motorcycle sales and the Twin-Cam engine is used in many
of the most popular Harleys on the road today. None of these bikes
remains in stock condition. Owners personalize and customize them
and most Twin-Cam models receive performance upgrades such as
aftermarket pipes, brake and suspension upgrades and engine
modifications. Respected motorcycle journalists Chris Maida and
Mark Zimmerman present 101 projects an owner can consider or
undertake to customize a bike's power, ride or styling. They cover
basic regular maintenance and cosmetic customizing as well as
more-complex performance projects such as suspension tuning and
working on the electrical system. Color photos showing each project
in step-by-step fashion make it easy for readers to undertake
projects themselves.
A fascinating history of European motorcycle racing, going back to
a period far removed from the world of Moto GP today: a time when
many young men from all walks of life decided to give up their
livelihoods in favour of earning their living by racing motorcycles
on the dangerous public road circuits of the European Continent. It
was a nomadic existence that involved travelling from circuit to
circuit, circus fashion, hence the title 'Continental Circus.' The
book begins with the pre-war period, when many young British riders
travelled to the Continent to take part in the Grand Prix races,
held from around 1920 and across Europe. British riders such as
Alec Bennett, Stanley Woods, Jimmy Guthrie and many more, gained
notable success and established their reputations on the European
circuits. Moving on to the post-war era, the book details the
riders from around the world who joined the Circus - self-financed
'privateers' from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The
1950s and '60s were the days of the true Continental Circus, when
private riders earned their living riding all over the continent.
The book also covers the development of the machines that became
the essential tools of the private riders, and the eventual demise
of the Continental Circus in the 1970s, due to new safety
regulations and the escalating cost of racing. Chris Pereira's
historical account is sourced both from first-hand experience of
racing, and from his own vast library of racing history records and
photographs.
In 1947, 4,000 motorcycle hobbyists converged on Hollister,
California. As images of dissolute bikers graced the pages of
newspapers and magazines, the three-day gathering sparked the
growth of a new subculture while also touching off national alarm.
In the years that followed, the stereotypical leather-clad biker
emerged in the American consciousness as a menace to law-abiding
motorists and small towns. Yet a few short decades later, the
motorcyclist, once menacing, became mainstream. To understand this
shift, Randy D. McBee narrates the evolution of motorcycle culture
since World War II. Along the way he examines the rebelliousness of
early riders of the 1940s and 1950s, riders' increasing connection
to violence and the counterculture in the 1960s and 1970s, the rich
urban bikers of the 1990s and 2000s, and the factors that gave rise
to a motorcycle rights movement. McBee's fascinating narrative of
motorcycling's past and present reveals the biker as a crucial
character in twentieth-century American life.
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