What It Is About Motorcycles

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• "This book, a polished, winding meditation on the theory and fractiousness of motorcycles, celebrates both their eccentric history and the wary pleasures of touring."—The New YorkerIn a book that is "a must for anyone who has loved a motorcycle" (Oliver Sacks), Melissa Pierson captures in vivid, writerly prose the mysterious attractions of motorcycling.

• She sifts through myth and hyperbole: misrepresentations about danger, about the type of people who ride and why they do so. The Perfect Vehicle is not a mere recitation of facts, nor is it a polemic or apologia. Its vivid historical accounts-the beginnings of the machine, the often hidden tradition of women who ride, the tale of the defiant ones who taunt death on the racetrack-are intertwined with Pierson's own story, which, in itself, shows that although you may think you know what kind of person rides a motorcycle, you probably don't. The Perfect Vehicle: What It Is About Motorcycles

• In the years just after World War II, motorcycles were the third largest source of foreign exchange for the United Kingdom, lagging behind only automobiles and Scotch whiskey. And yet, the British motorcycle industry was essentially dead by 1975. This is the first comprehensive examination of the demise of what was once not only the largest motorcycle industry in the world, but something that virtually defined a nation for decades. 

• With a critical look at business and trade practices, fresh information about the businessmen who built these companies and then ran them into the ground, as well as the engineers and designers who were brilliant and badly flawed, emerges alongside the full romance, beauty, and excitement of the machines and the top racers who rode them. 

• Combining archival material and new interviews with industry insiders and living legends, this objective investigation will fascinate enthusiasts and is a cautionary tale for the currently declining American automotive industry. Shooting Star: The Rise & Fall of the British Motorcycle Industry

• Driving down a country road, a flash of chrome catches your eye as you pass an old farmstead. Next time you roll by, you slow down and focus on a shed behind the house. Could that be? Good lord, it is! Hard on the brakes, quick reverse, and pull in the drive.

• Yep, it’s a vintage Triumph Bonneville peering forlornly from beneath a tattered cover. You’ve just begun the journey that fuels the dreams of every motorcycle collector: the long-forgotten machine, re-discovered. The Harley in the Barn offers 40-plus tales of lost Nortons, hidden Hondas, dormant Indians, and busted BSAs, all squirreled away from prying eyes but found by lucky collectors just like you. 

• Author Tom Cotter is not only a barn-find master, he’s also master of discovering the collectors with the best stories and the most outlandish finds. If you can’t pass a padlocked garage without wondering if there’s a great old bike stashed inside, this is your book. Hell, this is your life. The Harley in the Barn