Motorcycle Books and Book Reviews - Page 2
By Walter F. Kern
Motorcycle books that every motorcycle rider should own
The following motorcycle books are personally owned by me and recommended to any motorcycle rider who wants to know more about motorcycles.
Some motorcycle books have also been personally reviewed. Most motorcycle books are available for sale on this site through amazon.com by clicking the title of the book. I receive no remuneration from Amazon for providing these links.
A - H: (Adventures => Honda)
I - R: (Illustrated Antique => Rigby's Roads)
S - Z: (Savvy Guide => Zen & the Art)
My own books are listed first as a convenience:
Normal Secrets: A Search for Identity, Growth, Love, and Motorcycles - a memoir by Walter F. Kern
This memoir is a departure from the motorcycle themes of my previous four books.
I grew up in Normal, Illinois, but had lived in New Jersey for more than 30 years when my father died at the age of 84.
I was 54 at the time and soon learned that family secrets had been kept from me.
Strange deaths, tragedies, indiscretions, and relationships lay in my past, totally hidden.
It took me seven years to uncover these secrets from personal interviews, genealogical studies, public records, and
cutting-edge scientific work done by worldwide experts.
Along the way, I trace my own life path from wanting to be a mechanic to gaining a master's degree at MIT and working
at a famous research laboratory.
I also tell my own 50-year love story. The secrets are now known, and I thought it was time at the age of 79 that
I should write this memoir to tell you all about my Normal Secrets.
This book is available in a paperback edition and a Kindle edition
from Amazon.com.
Read a Page from the Book
50 MORE Wild Motorcycle Tales: An Anthology of Motorcycle Stories by Walter F. Kern
Many readers have indicated that they wanted more motorcycle stories similar to those contained in the previous book, 50 Wild Motorcycle Tales.
This new book gives 50 More Wild Motorcycle Tales for your reading enjoyment.
Most of the stories were submitted to Motorcycle Views by visitors to the site.
Walter lived and wrote 19 of these tales; eight of the 19 are fictional depictions of far-out motorcycle events that could happen.
Jane Ann Kern wrote four stories before her untimely death.
Some tales are short, and some are long. Each tale was intensively edited to provide a good reader experience.
You'll find humor, risk-taking, adventure, two-up excursions, stupid tricks on bikes, winter riding perils, hazards while riding, and lessons learned.
This book is available in a paperback edition and a Kindle edition
from Amazon.com.
Read a Page from the Book
Motorcycle Kick-Starts: Getting Started, Stories, Tips, and How-Tos by Walter F. Kern
This book gives a condensed view of motorcycling for new and returning riders. It's designed to whet your appetite for more while sticking to basic
motorcycle information without overpowering you with details. The book is based on articles Walter F. Kern published on the Motorcycle Views Website.
The book starts out telling you what motorcycles are and showing you how you might learn to become an active, safe rider.
Then ten short motorcycle stories, written by actual motorcyclists, are presented.
These stories allow you to observe some unusual things that happen to people who ride motorcycles.
Between stories, some practical advice about motorcycles is given in the form of ten motorcycle How-Tos and ten motorcycle Tips that you
will need to know to become a proficient rider. This book is available in a paperback edition, a Kindle edition, and an audiobook (Audible) edition
from Amazon.com. The audiobook is also available for download from Audible or iTunes. You can listen to a 5-minute sample of the audiobook on Amazon.
50 Wild Motorcycle Tales: An Anthology of Motorcycle Stories by Walter F. Kern
This book is an anthology of motorcycle stories. These 50 tales were submitted to the Motorcycle Views Website over a 13-year period.
The individual authors tell their own personal stories of what happened to them as they rode their motorcycles.
You'll find humor, risk-taking, adventures, 2-up excursions, stupid tricks on bikes, lessons learned, hazards while riding, and stories
told by returning riders. This book is available in a paperback edition, a Kindle edition, and an audiobook (Audible) edition from Amazon.com.
The audiobook is also available for download from Audible or iTunes. You can listen to a 5-minute sample of the audiobook on Amazon.
Read a Page from the Book
Getting Started Riding a Motorcycle by Walter F. Kern
This book provides introductory motorcycling information for new riders to help push them into being safer riders.
It's also intended for returning riders who have been away from motorcycling for many years. Paperback and Kindle Edition
Read a Page from the Book
Motorcycle Haiku Poetry: An Anthology of Haiku Poems About Motorcycles by Walter F. Kern
This book is an anthology of motorcycle haiku poems. These poems were submitted to the Motorcycle Views Website over a 10-year period.
The authors are motorcyclists from all walks of life. They have created short 3-line, 17-syllable haiku poems that reflect their love
of riding motorcycles. Each poem has been paired up either with a motorcycle picture or a motorcycle tattoo. Each bike or tattoo picture
is described, and then linked together to the poem. Some safety or riding tips and philosophy may also be included in the narrative.
Paperback and Kindle Edition
Read a Page from the Book
Illustrated Antique American Motorcycle Buyer's Guide (Illustrated Buyer's Guide) by Jerry Hatfield
This book covers motorcycles made in the USA between 1900 and 1936. The first part of the book covers "The Big Three" motorcycle companies that were able to survive more than 25 years. The rest of the book covers the 1900-1915 era for the other motorcycles built during that period. The 128 marques discussed are rated using a 40-point scale. Paperback
Illustrated Bmw Motorcycle Buyer's Guide (Motorbooks International Illustrated Buyer's Guide Series) by Stefan Knittel and Roland Slabon
The first BMW motorcycle was the R32, introduced in 1923. The authors give descriptions, pictures, and specifications for most BMW models from 1923-1990. Included is the collector status rating for each model.
Investment Biker: Around the World with Jim Rogers by Jim Rogers
Jim Rogers and his girlfriend decided to ride their BMW motorcycles around-the-world. As a successful investor, he decided to check out the investing opportunities in each country. Their 65,067 mile trip took 22 months. Paperback
The Motorcycle Book by Alan Seeley
This is an excellent book for every motorcyclist, especially those wanting to know more about motorcycles. Many colorful pictures, illustrations, and diagrams. Covers: Which motorcycle, Getting on the road, Know your Motorcycle, and Looking after your motorcycle. Paperback
Motorcycle Haiku Poetry: An Anthology of Haiku Poems About Motorcycles by Walter F. Kern
This book is an anthology of motorcycle haiku poems. These poems were submitted to the Motorcycle Views Website over a 10-year period.
The authors are motorcyclists from all walks of life. They have created short 3-line, 17-syllable haiku poems that reflect their love of riding
motorcycles. Each poem has been paired up either with a motorcycle picture or a motorcycle tattoo. Each bike or tattoo picture is described, and
then linked together to the poem. Some safety or riding tips and philosophy may also be included in the narrative. Paperback and Kindle Edition
Read a Page from the Book
Motorcycle Kick-Starts: Getting Started, Stories, Tips, and How-Tos by Walter F. Kern
This book gives a condensed view of motorcycling for new and returning riders. It's designed to whet your appetite for more while sticking
to basic motorcycle information without overpowering you with details. The book is based on articles Walter F. Kern published on the Motorcycle Views
Website. The book starts out telling you what motorcycles are and showing you how you might learn to become an active, safe rider.
Then ten short motorcycle stories, written by actual motorcyclists, are presented.
These stories allow you to observe some unusual things that happen to people who ride motorcycles.
Between stories, some practical advice about motorcycles is given in the form of ten motorcycle How-Tos and ten motorcycle Tips that you will
need to know to become a proficient rider. This book is available in a paperback edition, a Kindle edition, and an audiobook (Audible) edition from Amazon.com.
The audiobook is also available for download from Audible or iTunes. You can listen to a 5-minute sample of the audiobook on Amazon.
Motorcycle Song by Diane Siebert
I don't run across a lot of children's books about motorcycles. When this book, "Motorcycle Song," was offered to me for review by Harper Collins Publishers, I was pleasantly surprised as soon as I opened it. Hardcover
Walter's Review
Motorcycle Touring and Travel: A Handbook of Travel by Motorcycle by Bill Stermer
Stermer wrote the first edition of this book in 1991, shortly after I took up motorcycling. I knew Bill from the Rider magazine rallies. I read the book from cover to cover. I learned a lot. You'll learn even more from this edition. Paperback
Walter's Review
See more books after the ads.
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Click Picture for Walter F. Kern's
Kindle, Paperback, and Audible
Books
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The Motorcycle Safety Foundation's Guide to Motorcycling Excellence: Skills, Knowledge, and Strategies for Riding Right (2nd Edition) by the MSF Staff
This book by the staff of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation is a good introduction to motorcycling. It's a must read before you take the MSF course. It discusses most concerns of new riders and prepares you to recognize the hazards of street riding.
The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
This is a charming book about a mouse named Ralph who meets a boy named Keith who has a toy motorcycle. Keith teaches Ralph special ways to make the motorcycle run. Ralph learns that fun and trouble go together. Paperback
Murder on the Trap by J. Preston Smith
Bon Sandifer is a Vietnam vet who rides Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Seems that lately someone from his past is seeking revenge on him by meticulously killing off Bon's family members. Paperback
Walter's Review
Normal Secrets: A Search for Identity, Growth, Love, and Motorcycles - a memoir by Walter F. Kern
This memoir is a departure from the motorcycle themes of my previous four books.
I grew up in Normal, Illinois, but had lived in New Jersey for more than 30 years when my father died at the age of 84.
I was 54 at the time and soon learned that family secrets had been kept from me.
Strange deaths, tragedies, indiscretions, and relationships lay in my past, totally hidden.
It took me seven years to uncover these secrets from personal interviews, genealogical studies, public records, and
cutting-edge scientific work done by worldwide experts.
Along the way, I trace my own life path from wanting to be a mechanic to gaining a master's degree at MIT and working
at a famous research laboratory.
I also tell my own 50-year love story. The secrets are now known, and I thought it was time at the age of 79 that
I should write this memoir to tell you all about my Normal Secrets.
This book is available in a paperback edition and a Kindle edition
from Amazon.com.
Read a Page from the Book
Orange County Choppers (TM): The Tale of the Teutuls by Paul Teutul Sr., Paul M. Teutul, and Michael Teutul with Keith and Kent Zimmerman
I think just about everyone has heard of the Discovery Channel series, American Chopper. It stars a family of chopper builders located in Montgomery, NY headed by a father, Paul Teutul, and his two sons, Paul Jr, and Mikey. They started their business out of Paul Teutul's basement where Paul and Paul Jr. collaborated on designing and fabricating six or seven so-called Basement Bikes. Orange County Choppers (OCC) was founded in 1999 and the Basement Bikes were its first products.
This book describes the life stories of the Teutuls as they grow and begin living the American Dream. Hardcover.
Walter's Review
Original Vincent Motorcycle (Original Series) by J. P. Bickerstaff
This is a 128-page historical account of the Vincent motorcycle after World War II. It is beautifully illustrated with full color pictures on almost every page. My personal favorites are the Black Knight and Black Prince series that were so far ahead of their time that few buyers were attracted. Contains closeups of bike features and many detailed descriptions. Hardcover
Outlaw Machine: Harley-Davidson and the Search for the American Soul by Brock Yates
Harley-Davidson began selling motorcycles in 1903. From the moment of the Hollister incident in 1947, motorcycles became tinged with evil. This book traces the history of Harley, its effect on culture, and the current scene. Hardcover
The Perfect Vehicle: What It is about Motorcycles by Melissa H. Pierson
This book is a scholarly search by a woman to understand why the motorcycle means so much to her. The elements of danger and risk have been present for a hundred years, yet devotees are compelled to ride. You'll enjoy this ride. Hardcover
Proficient Motorcycling: The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well by David L. Hough
David L. Hough has spent over 30 years writing articles about motorcycles and how their riders can learn to ride them safely. Now, he has compiled all these articles into this new book. This book should be read cover-to-cover at the beginning of the riding season by every motorcyclist. Paperback
Walter's Review
More Proficient Motorcycling: Mastering the Ride by David L. Hough
David L. Hough has written another book that digs deeper into the mysteries of motorcycling and uses subjects covered in Proficient Motorcycling. You don't ned to read the first book before you read this one but the author thinks it's a good idea. Paperback
Rebels With a Cause: We Ride the Harley by Gail DeMarco and R.W. "Reg" Kittrelle
This large book contains stories by Harley-Davidson owners including the famous such as Mary Hart, Mickey Rourke, Sonny Barger, Arlen Ness and Peter Fonda. Full color pictures and stories from over 60 enthusiastic riders describe the Harley lifestyle. Paperback
Rebuilding the Indian: A Memoir by Fred Haefele
The author buys a "basketcase" of Indian motorcycle parts. His quest for vintage parts to rebuild the Indian leads him to collaborate with collectors, bikers, and mechanics. In the process, he finds that he has re-created himself. Paperback
Walter's Review
Ridin' High, Livin' Free: Hell-Raising Motorcycle Stories by Ralph "Sonny" Barger
Sonny Barger of the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club has penned another best seller. His latest work is a collection of biker tales that cuts across the spectrum of biking. His 38 tales expertly collected and edited by Keith and Kent Zimmerman will amaze you, make you laugh, and reveal the inner workings of the biker lifestyle. Hardcover
Walter's Review
Rigby's Roads by Michael Charles Messineo
Jack Rigby is about to commit suicide. His life has splintered to the point that he has no control of it. He sits in his car just off the main road with a gun raised to his head. Then fate steps in and he is interrupted by a nearby gunfight between police and a biker gang. In a strange turn of events, he now fears for his life. One gang member is shot and struggles to reach Jack's car to get away. Jack befriends him and thereby begins an upward struggle to re-create his own life as he helps recover a bag containing secret codes important for the survival of the free world. Paperback
Walter's Review
A - H: (Adventures => Honda)
I - R: (Illustrated Antique => Rigby's Roads)
S - Z: (Savvy Guide => Zen & the Art)
=> Page 3: S - Z: (Street Strategies => Zen & the Art)
More about motorcycle books
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