The complete idiot's guide to motorcycles
Product Description: The book to drive biker fans hog wild. The most complete book on motorcycles covers everything from motorcycle maintenance and appropriate gear to safety tips, new rules and venues, recommended buys, and making the most out of trips on the open road. I t also includes a complete...
| Main Author: | Stein, John. |
|---|---|
| Format: | Books Print Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
New York, NY :
Alpha,
c2011.
|
| Edition: | 5th ed. / |
| Series: |
Motorcyclist (Los Angeles, Calif. 1912)
|
| Subjects: |
Table of Contents:
- Part 1: Biker Basics
- 1: Motorcycle mystique
- Thrill of the open road
- Bikes are beautiful
- Tao of two wheels
- Biker chic
- Art of motorcycles
- From wild ones to biker boyz
- Easy rider: the convenience of bikes
- 2: Brief history of bikes
- Humble beginnings
- Wild ones: the outlaws' conveyance
- Japanese invasion
- You meet the nicest people on a Honda
- Japanese hit the big time
- Baby boomers on (two) wheels
- Boomer boom
- Bust
- Risen hog: the resurrected motorcycle market
- 3: Types of motorcycles
- Split personalities: dual-sports
- Cruisers: the all-American bikes
- Power cruisers
- Sportbikes
- Pure-dirt
- Two-strokes: the screamers
- Four-strokes: the new power elites
- Street standards: a renaissance
- Ultimate behemoths: touring bikes
- Part 2: So You Want To Buy A Bike?
- 4: Choosing the right bike
- What do you want to do?
- Choosing a versatile motorcycle
- Getting a good fit
- Starting out small
- Starting out slow
- Best bets for new bikers
- New or used?
- Costs of cycling
- Insurance costs
- Maintenance costs
- 5: Anatomy of a motorcycle
- Nature of the beast
- Meeting the motor
- Belly of the beast: the bottom end
- Transmission
- Value clatter: the top end
- Inject or not to inject? Induction systems
- Clutch
- Rotating the rubber: drive systems
- In chains
- Getting the shaft
- Belt it out
- Putting it all together
- It's electric
- Bodywork
- 6: Start your engines
- Engineering
- Four-stroke
- Single
- V-twin
- Boxer
- Edward Turner's speed twin
- British triple
- Honda CB750: a four for the masses
- Inline-six
- V-4s
- Gold Wing
- L-twin
- Two-stroke
- 7: Buying your first bike
- Where to buy your bike
- Dealerships
- Choosing a dealer
- How's their service department?
- Classified ads
- Bulletin boards
- Motorcycle clubs
- Garages
- Internet
- What to look for
- Critical: condition
- Completeness
- What's it worth?
- Making the deal
- 8: Insider tips on buying a bike
- Minimizing maintenance costs
- Getting shafted
- Getting centered: the benefits of a center stand
- Hydraulically adjusted valves
- Getting the best deal
- To your credit: financing
- Getting insured
- Trading bikes
- 9: Getting the gear
- Helmets: keeping what you've already got
- How helmets are made
- Choosing the right helmet
- Safety first
- Getting a good fit
- In style: what to wear
- Looking good in leather
- Synthetic riding suits: ties optional
- Gloves
- Fancy footwear
- Extreme riding gear
- Rain gear
- Freezing to death: beating the cold
- Baked, boiled or fried: beating the heat
- Accessories: all the extras
- Windshields
- Saddlebags
- Tankbags
- Magazines
- Where to buy accessories
- Part 3: On The Road
- 10: Preparing to it the road
- Getting in your right mind: mental motorcycling
- Getting licensed
- Getting your learner's permit
- Getting your endorsement
- Motorcycle safety foundation
- Control freaks: how to ride a motorcycle
- Primary controls
- Secondary controls
- Preride inspection
- Checking the tires
- Looking at lights
- 11: Learning to ride
- Steering clear
- Starting the beast
- Ignition on
- Finding neutral
- Setting the choke
- Electric starting your bike
- Kick-starting your bike
- Taking off: the biting point
- Stopping what you've started
- Braking practice
- Parking the bike
- Shifting gears
- Throttle control
- Taking turns
- Taking the test
- 12: Rules of the road
- Driving in the U S A
- Be aware
- Active scanning
- Avoiding blind spots
- Jockeying for position: lane positioning
- Keep your forward view clear
- Tricks and trucks
- Use other traffic as protection
- Be seen
- Three R's: riding, reading, and reacting
- Identify hazards
- Watch the front tires
- Safety zone
- 13: Steering through sticky situations
- Intersection encounters
- Types of intersections
- Moving through intersections
- Stopping at an intersection
- Leaving an intersection
- Turning in intersections
- Avoiding dangerous intersections
- Lifesaver
- Blind spot
- Turning left
- Turning right
- Freeway riding
- Lane positioning
- Changing lanes
- Rain grooves
- Splitting lanes
- Riding in the twisties
- Traction: a sticky matter
- Gravity is your friend
- Dangerous debris
- Don't panic
- Cornering lines
- Vanishing point
- 14: Special situations and emergencies
- Riders on the storm
- Night rider
- Two for the road
- Oddball corners
- Increasing-radius curves
- Decreasing-radius curves
- Multiple curves
- Crowned roads
- Surface hazards
- Group riding
- Group riding techniques
- Avoiding group mentality
- SOS: emergency situations
- Losing traction
- Impact: hitting or being hit
- What to do after an emergency
- How to raise a fallen bike
- 15: Doing it in the dirt: riding off-road
- Form is function: posture
- Going uphill
- Going downhill
- Ledges and embankments
- Things that go bump in the road
- Surface conditions
- Sliding through sand
- Wheeling in water
- Riding in rocks
- School
- Preserving your off-road access
- Part 4: Living With A Motorcycle
- 16: Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance
- Tools of the trade
- Essential shop manual
- Keeping the shiny side up: supporting the bike
- Oil: your bike's blood
- Checking the oil level
- Changing oil
- Air filters: clearing the sinuses
- Batteries: an electrifying experience
- Keeping cool
- Chain maintenance
- Checking the tension
- Adjusting the chain
- Cleaning and lubricating your chain
- Shaft maintenance
- Cleaning up
- On ice: storing your bike
- 17: Rx: repair
- Take it in or do it yourself?
- Where the rubber meets the road: tires
- Removing the rear wheel
- Removing the front wheel
- Screeching halt: brakes
- Checking brake pads
- Replacing brake pads
- Checking shoes
- Replacing shoes
- Brake-lever adjustment
- Bloody mess: bleeding the brake lines
- Chain and sprocket replacement
- 18: Customizing and collecting
- Why customize?
- Comparing customs
- Choppers
- Cafe racers
- Street fighters
- Custom sport bikes
- So you want to customize your bike
- Classic, collectible, or just old? Collecting motorcycles
- Collector's choice
- What do you like?
- What's your mechanical skill level?
- What's your budget?
- What constitutes a classic?
- Future classics?
- Part 5: Motorcycling Community
- 19: Join the club: motorcycle clubs
- How motorcycle clubs were born
- Types of clubs
- Off-road and trail-riding clubs
- Racing and sport bike clubs
- Antique-motorcycle clubs
- Make- or model-specific clubs
- Touring clubs
- Locale-specific clubs
- Female motorcyclist clubs
- Age-specific clubs
- Spiritually oriented clubs
- Activity-oriented clubs
- Socially active clubs
- Profession-related clubs
- Creative clubs
- American motorcyclist association
- Finding a club
- 20: Open road: touring and rallies
- Any bike is a touring bike
- Planning a trip
- Touring range and fuel stops
- Preparing your bike
- What to bring?
- Clothes make the motorcyclist
- Tools you'll use
- Safety first: first aid
- For the scenic routes: photographic equipment
- Protective gear
- You can take it with you: packing your bike
- Luggage
- Camping
- Loading up
- Pacing yourself
- Motorcycle madness: rallies
- Major rallies
- Daytona Bike Week
- Black Hills Motorcycle Rally
- Laconia Motorcycle Week
- Other rallies
- 21: Trikes and electrics
- When three wheels are just right
- Trikes through the ages
- Three-wheeled combinations
- Trikes: one wheel in front
- Reverse trikes: two wheels in front
- Sidecars: motorcycle + sidecar
- Safety is still a priority
- Rise of the electric voodoo machines
- Understand your motivation
- It takes energy to move
- No such thing as a free ride (yet)
- Electric-bike technology
- Batteries
- Electric motor
- Controller
- Transmission
- Regenerative braking
- Should I ride electric?
- Appendixes
- A: Biker's buying guide to new bikes
- B: Biker's buying guide to used bikes
- C: Resources
- D: Cycle babble glossary
- Index.