Read any good motorcycle books?

[VladTepes]

Aside from the GSX1400 service manual, of course...


One of the best I've ever read is "Around Australia the Hard Way in 1929" by Jack Bowers.

link

 

Precis:

Here is a true adventure story about two young men from Sydney who, in 1929, decided to take a holiday with a difference and ride right round Australia on a motorcycle. This was a feat that had never been done before, which was not surprising as travelling conditions in the outback in those days were often hard and hazardous. It was not an expedition to be undertaken lightly.

With the boundless optimism of youth they bought a 7/9hp FD magneto model Harley-Davidson motorcycle - the grandfather of today's big twins - fitted a stout wooden box on the sidecar chassis to house their gear and the relief rider, and set out to conquer the continent with just sixty pounds in the kitty and neither a watch nor compass between them.

As the Depression was already looming, they were unable to interest any sponsors in their venture and the only support they received was a jumper apiece from the Harley-Davidson agents.

Seven weeks and over 15,000 km later they returned travel-strained and triumphant. Not only had they achieved their goal and been the first to circumnavigate the continent by motorcycle but they had done so in record time for any motorised vehicle. On the way the two young pioneers had endured just about every imaginable hardship and danger and survived through sheer guts and resourcefulness. A great tale of men and their machine: of courage and mateship in Australia nearly 70 years ago. It makes fascinating reading today.

Actually close to 90 years ago now !



Bloody great reading. Highly recommended !

[VladTepes]

Another fantastic read, even better than the film, is "The Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey" by Ernesto "Che" Guevara.

The Motorcycle Diaries (Spanish: Diarios de Motocicleta) is a memoir that traces the early travels of Marxist revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara, then a 23-year-old medical student, and his friend Alberto Granado, a 29-year-old biochemist. Leaving Buenos Aires, Argentina, in January 1952 on the back of a sputtering single cylinder 1939 Norton 500cc dubbed La Poderosa ("The Mighty One"), they desired to explore the South America they only knew from books.

During the formative odyssey Guevara is transformed by witnessing the social injustices of exploited mine workers, persecuted communists, ostracized lepers, and the tattered descendants of a once-great Inca civilization. By journey's end, they had travelled for a symbolic nine months by motorcycle, steamship, raft, horse, bus, and hitchhiking, covering more than 8,000 kilometres (5,000 mi) across places such as the Andes, Atacama Desert, and the Amazon River Basin. The diary ends with a declaration by Guevara, born into an upper-middle-class family, displaying his willingness to fight and die for the cause of the poor, and his dream of seeing a united Latin America.

The book has been described as a classic coming-of-age story: a voyage of adventure and self-discovery that is both political and personal

above from Wikipedia, more here:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Motorcycle_Diaries_(book)

It's an absolute cracker, with some very funny experiences in it, and well told.

Some quotes from the book:

“His wife spotted the danger in our resolutely bohemian ways.

"You have only one year left before you qualify as a doctor and yet you're going away? You have no idea when you'll be back? But why?"

We couldn't give precise answers to her desperate questions and this horrified her...”

“The bike struggled showing signs it was feeling the strain especially in the bodywork which we constantly had to fix with Alberto's favored spare part - wire.”

“An accordion player who had no fingers on his right hand used little sticks tied to his wrist; the singer was blind; and almost all the others were horribly deformed, due to the nervous form of the disease [leprosy] very common in this area. With light from the lamps and the lanterns reflected in the river, it was like a scene from a horror movie. The place is lovely.”

[Kiwifruit]

"Kiwi on a Konig" is the story of Kim Newcombe and the development of the Konig outboard engine. A book I could not put down.
Quite an insight into the dangerous world of the Continental Circus, motorcycle GP racing of the time.

Edited to add:

This is the life story of Kim Newcombe, a little known Kiwi mechanic who in 1973 came second in the 500cc grand prix motorcycle championship. It is an account of how one individual with a determination to back himself could achieve what many would have regarded as the impossible. This book takes the reader on an intimate voyage through the times and places Kim lived and raced, offering a unique insight into the world of grand prix racing in the early seventies and the men and women who travelled with the Continental Circus. It is a time remembered by many, in spite of the dangers, as the golden age

and a relevant link to the man and the bikes:  http://www.koniggrandprixracers.com/kim-newcombe/

[gsxbarmy]

I have read "Confessions of a Kiwi Motorcyclist" by Paul Fris, who was actually a GSX1400 owner on the old org.

[seth]

all the guy martin books are very good reads 

[Sweaty]

Casey Stoners "pushing the limits" is a great read IMOO.
I should add, that I have only ever finished 2 books in my life & the other was "Lord of the flies" because I was forced too at school 

[VladTepes]

If you haven't already make sure you read


It's one of the most enjoyable and interesting biographies I've read.

book review:  https://www.webbikeworld.com/barry-sheene-1950-2003-biography/

find it on ebay
here in the UK
here in Australia

[Sweaty]

Just ordered it 

[Dusty ST]

I enjoyed The Street Riding Years: Despatching through 80s London by Chris Scott, anyone who read 'Bike' magazine in the late 70's and early 80's will recognise the man, the bikes and some of the stories.

[Mister Fishfinger]

I enjoyed The Street Riding Years: Despatching through 80s London by Chris Scott, anyone who read 'Bike' magazine in the late 70's and early 80's will recognise the man, the bikes and some of the stories.

Good call, I've just ordered that.

I also really enjoyed "Lone Rider" by Elspeth Beard. The first British woman to go round the world on a bike, back in the early 80s before GPS and mobile phones. Very well written in my humble opinion.