Perhaps the most far-reaching of the many changes wrought on the military by the First World War was the mechanisation of the armed services. After many centuries of use by the Army for patrols and communications, the trusty horse was finally supplanted by the newfangled motorcycle. This process of mechanisation gathered pace during the interwar years and in particular for the military motorcycle between 1925 and 1939. By the outbreak of the Second World War the motorcycle had become an important part of the military inventory and was deemed 'suitable for WD (War Department) requirements'. When it was first published in 1995, this fully illustrated book was unique in looking at all military motorcycles of British origin known to have been tested mainly by the Mechanical Warfare Experimental Establishment (later called the Mechanisation Experimental Establishment). This edition is fully revised and updated and includes three new chapters, covering standard parts, bike markings and paint schemes.

This best-selling book is also "#1 book in motorcycle safety" (Nielsen BookScan) and essential reading for all motorcyclists regardless of their years of experience. Author David L. Hough, a revered motorcycle author, columnist, and riding-safety consultant, lays out a clear course for all riders who want to sharpen their handling skills and improve their rides. This second edition, expanded and now in full color, offers new riders and road warriors the exact kind of advice they need to be prepared for anything when on the road, how to avoid accidents, and how to handle the unexpected. Hough, who began motorcycling in the 1960s, tackles every imaginable topic--from the mechanics of the bike, selection of the right-sized bike, and basic riding skills to night riding, group outings, and advanced survival tactics. In the chapter called "Motorcycle Dynamics," Hough spells out the equipment needed and basic skills required to control a bike, and specifically keeping the rider's safety and ability to avoid potentially injurious or fatal crashes. The author is outspoken and direct when it comes to safety, and he emphasizes the importance of the rider's braking abilities and spells out how to improve them. The chapter offers six tried-and-true techniques for quick-stop tactics, critical for every rider to understand and master. He also addresses other vital skills that riders need to evaluate and improve, such as turning, maintaining balance and stability, and steering. He defines, compares, and analyzes the ins and outs of steering and control: direct steering, countersteering, push steering, out-tracking, coning, u-turns, and directional control. The chapter called "Cornering Habits" is a virtual master class in acceleration, deceleration, use of weight, throttle, leaning, and handling challenging terrain. Hough's skill as a photographer and illustrator adds a graphic element to his books that leads to immediate understanding of the concepts he explains. The detail offered in each section of the book can only come from decades on the road, and the author is the consummate instructor, assigning homework to the readers in the form of exercises to practice and improve specific techniques that he outlines and illustrates in the text. Any rider who would venture out on the road without David Hough's voice in his head takes an unnecessary risk with his own life.
Proficient Motorcycling takes riders from long, snaking country roads right into the traffic of the big city, and Hough offers the best advice for riders dealing with the most challenging conditions, whether it's road construction, snap-jawed intersections, skateboarders, or suddenly slippery road surfaces. A critical section of the book offers riders advice on how to deal with automobiles, including aggressive car drivers, oblivious SUV drivers, or "blind" truck drivers. The book offers the kind of first-hand experience that can literally save riders' lives, as illustrated in the chapters "Booby Traps" and "Special Situations," which offer evasive tactics and advice to avoid and handle everything from slick surfaces, curbs, and construction plates to ferocious dogs, hazardous wildlife, and difficult weather conditions. The final chapter of the book, "Sharing the Ride," is geared toward experienced riders who travel together in groups or who travel with a second passenger on the bike. Topics covered are formation, packing for trips, communication between riders, sidecars, trikes, and more.
The book concludes with a resources section of organizations, training schools, educational tools, and websites; a glossary of 80+ terms; and a complete index.

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 fool couldn't ride the Vincent Black Shadow more than once, but a fool can ride a Ducati 900 many times, and it will always be a bloodcurdling kind of fun. That is the Curse of Speed which has plagued me all my life. I am a slave to it. On my tombstone they will carve, IT NEVER GOT FAST ENOUGH FOR ME.' - Hunter S. Thompson Sons of Thunder, Neil Bradford's exhilaratingly high-octane collection of motorcycle writing, makes a persuasive case for the unique excitement and emotional experience offered by one of mankind's greatest inventions. Featuring full-throttle tales by T.E. Lawrence, Roald Dahl, Melissa Holbrook Pierson, Robert Hughes and many others, and ranging from Hunter S. Thompson's rip-roaring prose to lyrical contributions from Ted Hughes, Thom Gunn and Robert Pirsig, the groundbreaking Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance author, Sons of Thunder is a thrilling tribute to the pleasures and perils of riding this awesome machine.

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.