An authoritative source for essential and practical information about motorcycle mechanics, road skills, and more, the book gives every cyclistnovice or expert, first-time buyer or long-time ownerfacts and advice. Readers will find comprehensive coverage on a wide variety of topics, such as dealing with a loved one who wants to ride, making the decision to ride or not, special concerns for women riders, and the rules of the road for all motorists.
From rice-burners to full-dress Harleys, Bennett discusses them all in a book that's not a tribute to the biker lifestyle but a complete examination of buying, maintaining, and riding motorcycles. He starts with a chapter of the pros and cons of owning a bike in the first place, and he includes sections on safe riding and sharing the road that are far longer than the ones on specific makes of cycle--a fact that further distinguishes his book from the usual motorcycle tome. Bennett's attention to detail is laudable--indeed, consider his section on used motorcycle best-buys required reading if you're suddenly possessed by the yen to buy a bike and head out on the highway--so the many with limited expertise and experience in the automotive arts who have taken up motorcycling in recent years will find his book a great help in protecting their investments and maintaining their new toys. If only the last chapter, "A Brief History of Riding," were longer, this would be the perfect motorcycle primer. Mike Tribby