Proficient Motorcycling
The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well
David Hough

Sftbd., 8-1/4 x 11 in., 264 pp., b/w illus. $24.95

This book needs to be on the shelf of every motorcyclist, alongside Motorcycling Excellence. Over a period of more than 25 years, David Hough has written the column “Proficient Motorcycling,” first for Road Rider magazine and then for its successor, Motorcycle Consumer News. During that time, he has covered hundreds of topics relating to the skills needed for riding motorcycles safely on the streets. Generations of motorcyclists have grown up with the benefit of Hough’s wisdom, some owing their lives to advice dispensed in his columns. Here, for the first time is the distillation of Hough’s work, packaged in a coherent, well-organized book. If reading Motorcycling Excellence can be likened to getting your Bachelor’s degree in motorcycle riding, reading Proficient Motorcycling will earn you a Master’s degree.

More Proficient Motorcycling
Mastering the Ride
David Hough

Sftbd., 8-3/8 x 11 in., 256 pp., b/w illus. $24.95

One book could hardly contain all the words of wisdom written by David Hough over 850,000 miles of commuting and traveling by motorcycle. And readers of Proficient Motorcycling have been clamoring for more from this veteran motorcycle journalist who specializes in riding skills. So, author Hough has put together a second book, More Proficient Motorcycling, which goes deeper into riding skills and accident avoidance tactics, but also includes subjects never before published, such as lessons learned from long distance travel. As with the first book, More Proficient Motorcycling is chock full of interesting photos and illustrations, and the writing style is rider-to-rider, often with tongue-in-cheek wit. Readers of Proficient Motorcycling report that they are often amazed at how they have improved their riding and gained increased enjoyment just from studying one idea, or gaining valuable insight from a single illustration. Well, get your helmet buckled on tight, because More Proficient Motorcycling will accelerate your journey toward mastering the ride.

Street Strategies
David Hough

Sftbd., 6 x 9 in., 160 pp., b/w illus. $19.95

Regular readers of Motorcycle Consumer News will instantly recognize the Street Strategies name as David Hough’s illustrated “tip in a box,” which has appeared in every issue of this popular magazine for as long as anyone can remember. Now available in one easy reference, these collected tips make enjoyable reading for all enthusiasts who want to polish their riding skills. Each tip presents one common street hazard and how best to avoid it. This is street riding savvy at its best, explained by a master teacher and two-time winner of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s award for “Excellence in Motorcycle Safety Journalism.” Whether it’s crossing railroad tracks properly, taking a corner at speed, or avoiding road rage from an aggressive car driver, here’s a quick read that could save your life.

Sport Riding Techniques:
How to Develop Real World Skills for Speed, Safety, & Confidence
Nick Ienatsch

Sftbd., 8-1/4 x 10-1/2 in., 128 pp., color illus. $24.95

Modern sportbikes offer superbike performance, but demand superior riding skills to match. In this book, Nick Ienatsch—former AMA racing champion, internationally known moto journalist, and lead instructor at Freddie Spencer’s High Performance Riding School—leads motorcyclists through the tight learning curves toward mastering the subtleties of riding well on street and track. Starting with the basics of braking and steering, Ienatsch reveals the skills that can transform average riders into “on-board engineers” who can make appropriate use of the substantial speed, turning, and braking power of today’s sportbikes. The book includes chapters on the various ways a rider can influence steering, advanced throttle control, the fine points of trail braking, and picking out the right line in a turn. Practice drills to help build your own skills make this a practical how-to guide, while Ienatsch’s bench racing tales entertain as well as inform. Full-color stop-action photos catch expert riders in action on the latest sportbikes at the limits of traction (and beyond—for educational purposes only, of course), showing the dos and don’ts of sport riding. Ienatsch offers sage advice on how to use the track to test and stretch your riding skills and explore the upper edges of your bike’s performance in a controlled environment, as well as serving up some urban survival basics and life-preserving tips on group riding. As the author of the popular articles on “The Pace,” Ienatsch is a proponent of having fun responsibly, taking reasonable precautions to manage risk in order to return for more sport riding on another day. While Ienatsch focuses on the intermediate rider looking to get the most out of his or her high-performance sportbike, his advice is basic enough to be within reach of beginning riders. Sportbike Riding Techniques is a valuable addition to the bookshelf of any serious motorcyclist. “I believe in rider training and riding technology at all levels, whether you’re racing for the MotoGP World Championship or just enjoying a weekend ride. I know Nick has been writing about riding technique in the magazines for years, and I wholly endorse this book.” —Kenny Roberts, three-time Grand Prix champion and leader of MotoGP’s Team Roberts.

Motorcycling Excellence, 2nd ed. (due summer 2004)
The Motorcycle Safety Foundation

Sftbd., 8-1/4 x 10-1/2 in., 176 pp., color illus. $24.95

A remarkable source of riding wisdom, this all-new and expanded second edition of Motorcycling Excellence is the definitive reference for safe motorcycle riding techniques and strategies. This is the book for the motorcyclist who wants to do it right—it helps brand-new riders learn safe riding habits from the start and shows veterans how to perfect their riding skills.

In clear, step-by-step language with all-new color photographs and detailed diagrams and illustrations, Motorcycling Excellence covers basic and advanced street riding skills, group riding, proper riding gear, basic maintenance and troubleshooting, as well as basic off-road riding skills. Included are keys to stopping quickly, avoiding traffic hazards, executing evasive maneuvers, and countersteering for precise cornering. The new edition features tips from legendary racers Kevin Schwantz, Freddie Spencer, and Reg Pridmore, as well as sidebars on buying a bike and proper bike set-up (including basic suspension adjustments).

Motorcycling Excellence is based on the latest curriculum developed by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, whose courses have introduced more than one million students to motorcycling and sparked a lifelong passion for many. The book describes training-tested techniques for riding well—the culmination of what the MSF has learned about teaching students of all ages and experience. It is the perfect refresher for anyone who has taken an MSF course and will be an eye-opener for those who have not yet discovered them.

Smooth Riding the Pridmore Way
Reg Pridmore with Geoff Drake

Sftbd., 8-1/4 x 10-1/2 in., 160 pp., color illus. $24.95

Former AMA racing champion Reg Pridmore, known worldwide for his popular CLASS Motorcycle Schools, brings his decades of experience on the track, street, and classroom to the readers of this new riding skills book. A long-time proponent of the value of smoothness, control, and body-steering, Pridmore’s insightful text explains how the techniques that helped him win championships can help everyday motorcyclists and budding racers become better, safer riders. Sections on street strategies and riding gear make this a comprehensive how-to riding skills book for anyone looking to improve their skills. An ideal follow-up to beginner how-to-ride books like Motorcycling Excellence. After reviewing the basics, Pridmore shows advanced students how to focus on control in cornering, braking, and acceleration. There are also chapters devoted to riding psychology, throttle management, shifting and body positioning, as well as tips on bike setup and plenty of information on traffic techniques and accident avoidance. Pridmore illustrates points with colorful anecdotes from his own riding, racing, and teaching career.

“I believe that being smooth isn’t just an artful or elegant way to ride the bike, though it is those things, too,” Pridmore writes. “You need to be smooth before you can go fast, and you need to be smooth to be safe. I also put a lot of emphasis on ‘body steering’—using subtle weight shifts to initiate turns, rather than being forceful with the handlebar”.

Ride Hard, Ride Smart
Ultimate Street Strategies for Advanced Motorcyclists
Patrick Hahn

Sftbd., 8-1/4 x 10-5/8 in., 144 pp., b/w/c illus. $24.95

Ride Hard, Ride Smart is a practical, hands-on survival guide for the average motorcyclist. A vast wealth of information is bound into one chapter and one simple concept—the “three degrees of separation”—that sets the stage for the rest of the book. The three degrees of separation are riding strategies, training and skills, and protective gear. The author rates motorcycle risk and riding on a scale of one to ten. Using the three degrees of separation, a rider can get the risk level down to a controllable level, creating the safest possible situation on a moving motorcycle.

Sportbiking
The Real World 1 & 2
Gary Jaehne

Sftbd., 5-1/4 x 8-1/4 in., 91 pp., b/w illus. $15.00
Sftbd., 5-1/4 x 8-1/4 in., 163 pp., b/w illus. $15.00

For those new to sportbike riding or for those advanced riders looking to pick up a few pointers, author Gary Jaehne explains what to do, what not to do, and why. With safety as the focus, these books explain the author’s basic philosophies, techniques, and concepts as they relate to sportbike riding on the street. Each chapter in the first volume includes Actual Riding Experience sections to depict different riding situations. The second book builds on these ideas, and provides tune-up tips for both rider and machine, especially as the latter topic relates to setting up your suspension properly for performance riding. Jaehne has garnered numerous race wins and championship finishes and has proven himself to be competitive in the world of Endurance Racing. Gary’s instructional skills have been developed through his work as a riding instructor on the staff of dP Safety School, which conducts motorcycle track schools at all of the major racetracks in Northern California.

Leanings:
The Best of Peter Egan from Cycle World Magazine
Peter Egan

Hdbd., 7-1/2 x 9-1/2 in., 160 pp., b/w illus. $24.95

Since his work first graced Cycle World magazine in 1977, popular motojournalist Peter Egan has graciously taken his readers along on his adventures, whether they involved riding along the Mississippi River to New Orleans for a tin of chicory coffee or flying to Japan to test-ride new Yamahas. Twenty-seven of Peter’s favorite columns are reprinted in this book, including his take on how many motorcycles are truly necessary, the nearly lost art of kickstart, how to survive a Wisonsin winter no-riding season, the magical link between dogs and deer and winding roads, and a look back at the great Bob Dylan crash. Peter is one of us and his love of classic and modern motorcycles, good friends, nice guitars, blues music, and the simple adventures of life give his writing a distinct and familiar voice that reminds us all why we ride.

The Essential Guide to Motorcycle Maintenance
Mark Zimmerman

Sftbd., 8-1/4 x 10-1/2 in., 256 pp., color illus. $29.95

Ever wonder how your motorcycle works? Wish you could keep your machine running and fix it when it doesn’t? Does your owner’s service manual leave you scratching your head in confusion? The Essential Guide to Motorcycle Maintenance shows you how to perform basic and essential maintenance tasks with more than 500 easy-to-follow color photos and illustrations. By maintaining your bike on a regular basis, you’ll develop a feel for the health of your bike and learn to deal with little problems before they become big or potentially life-threatening. Veteran motorcycle mechanic and popular author Mark Zimmerman makes difficult subjects easy with his comfortable conversational style and humor. He includes detailed background on how each system of your bike works and what maintenance tasks are required, what tools you’ll need, and how to get started. This practical, common sense guide covers all brands and styles of bikes, making it a perfect companion to the owner’s service manual. Includes hundreds of helpful tips for changing oil, changing brake pads and brake fluid, changing tires, maintaining your chain and sprockets, adjusting your suspension, troubleshooting, and lots more. Whether you need to use the step-by-step instructions to wrench on your bike yourself or just want to learn enough to become an informed customer at your local motorcycle service department, this user-friendly reference will help you extend the life of your motorcycle, enhance your mechanical skills, and spend more time on the road.