This is the book collectors, restorers, and nostalgic fans of the
machines of our youth have been waiting to arrive After years of
extensive research through archives of motorcycle magazines, books,
and brochures from the classic era, the founder of the seminal
Tiddlerosis website has published his magnum opus on the subject.
The Tiddler Invasion covers many miles of two-wheeled motorized
nostalgia. Thousands of facts, figures, colors, specifications, and
even original prices are packed into more than 600 detailed pages.
The story of the invasion of the USA by small motorcycles and
scooters in the 1955-1975 era is told with enthusiasm for these
many wondrous little machines by someone who lived through that
special time in our nation's history. The book includes
approximately 180 charts of the popular models sold in the U.S.
during the period and well over 400 B&W photos. The author and
two major collectors of these special little bikes share nostalgic
personal remembrances of a wondrous time past. The focus of The
Tiddler Invasion is on the most common machines of the period,
mostly from Japan. Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Suzuki each have a
detailed chapter. Bridgestone, Hodaka, Tohatsu, and other early
brands share a chapter. The story basically begins with the arrival
of the Honda 50 in 1959 and ends with the release of the Gold Wing
in 1975. The tiddler era rose to prominence in the Sixties and
began its slow descent into obscurity as the Kawasaki Mach III, the
Honda 750 Four, and the Kawasaki Z-1 took over the U.S. motorcycle
market. The major brands from the USA are detailed in a chapter,
too. This group is of course dominated by Harley-Davidson,
Allstate, and Cushman, just as it was back then. There are no H-D
Big Twins here, but plenty of Hummers, Toppers, Super Eagles,
Mopeds and Twingles There were countless European brands and models
imported in the Sixties, but only those of significance are
included. As we all know, most of the European models were either
large road burners, obscure small Italian bikes and scooters, or
off-road competition machines. You will not find Nortons, Guzzis,
Maicos or Parillas here, but the European chapter is quite sizable
nonetheless. The most difficult element to communicate to a
prospective reader is the definition of the machines and parameters
included in this book. The concept of The Tiddler Invasion is
unique to the time and place. Although the 50cc machines began
Americans' rush to motorcycle dealerships, the market rapidly
expanded from that point. The smallest machines covered in the book
are the true tiddlers, but these little putt-putts for kids
comprised only the tip of the iceberg. Many classic 250cc sports
machines such as the Ducati Diana, Harley-Davidson Sprint H, Honda
Hawk, Yamaha YDS-2, Suzuki X-6, and Bultaco Metralla roar through
the pages of this book The Kawasaki Triples scream through it so
much you will choke on the two-stroke smoke The author has a thing
for the Honda Scramblers, as if they were dark-haired beauties in
bikinis or something. The kings of upswept exhaust pipes and
crossbrace handlebars get their own chapter. Once you have
possession of this book, you will never want to give it up. The
Tidder Invasion is not a coffee table book of pretty color
pictures. It is a reference guide crammed to the Snuff-or-Nots with
useful info for collectors and enthusiasts of small classic
motorcycles. The author began collecting motorcycle brochures and
magazines in 1962. Reproductions of and detailed information from
these sources are included in this extensive reference guide. The
author of this book is not a collector, a photographer, or a
restorer. He is a super-nerd who clearly loves these classic
machines. The earliest part of this book was written in 1985 on a
1959 IBM typewriter. Now with the help of modern computers, the
whole, wonderful, magical story of that very special era in
American history can finally be told
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