Life Is A Road The Soul Is A Motorcycle

"I was on a lonely stretch of road. There were no lights other than the moon and stars, and I had not encountered any traffic in at least 10 minutes. Far ahead of me a figure stepped out of the brush and stood on the shoulder of the road. The figure was still far out of my headlight range, but was visible as a stunning and marvelous silhouette in the bright moonlight." Capturing the essence of the riding experience through a series of adventures and a candid look into the author s mind, this book explodes the myths and shows the reader something few books have before-the complex motivations of an avid motorcycle rider.

“What the PCT is to Cheryl Strayed, the open road is to Brooks-Dalton.”—Cosmopolitan A powerful memoir about a young woman whose passion for motorcycles leads her down a road all her own. At twenty-one-years-old, Lily Brooks-Dalton is feeling lost; returning to New England after three and a half years traveling overseas, she finds herself unsettled, unattached, and without the drive to move forward. When a friend mentions buying a motorcycle, Brooks-Dalton is intrigued and inspired. Before long she is diving headlong into the world of gearheads, reconsidering her surroundings through the visor of a motorcycle helmet, and beginning a study of motion that will help her understand her own trajectory. Her love for these powerful machines starts as a diversion, but as she continues riding and maintaining her own motorcycles, she rediscovers herself, her history, and her momentum. Forced to confront her limitations—new and old, real and imagined—Brooks-Dalton learns focus, patience, and how to navigate life on the road. As she builds confidence, both on her bike and off, she begins to find her way, ultimately undertaking an ambitious ride that leaves her strengthened, revitalized, and prepared for whatever comes next. Honest and lyrical, raw and thoughtful, Motorcycles I’ve Loved is a bold portrait of one young woman’s empowering journey of independence and determination.

There’s no getting around the allure of motorcycles. Since 1885, when Gottlieb Daimler mounted a gas-powered engine on a wooden bicycle, riders of all ages have been drawn to the exhilaration and terror of motoring in the open air on two wheels. Motorcycles have become ingrained in our culture. To some, they represent the ultimate expression of freedom. To others, motorcycles symbolize lawlessness and disrespect for authority. The Little Red Book of Motorcycle Wisdom is packed full of wise, witty, and edgy quotes on motorcycles and the people who ride them. Celebrities, literary giants, and athletes offer pithy and memorable comments on what they ride, where they ride, with whom they ride, how fast they ride—and, most importantly, why they ride. Read musings on bikes from such noteworthy folks as: Hunter S. Thompson Marlon Brando Robert Pirsig Evel Knievel Sonny Barger Ewan McGregor Steve McQueen Leonardo DiCaprio Paul Newman Bob Dylan Hugh Laurie Angelina Jolie T. E. Lawrence And dozens of others! There’s a reason why people the world over are passionate about a machine that has been dubbed “the perfect vehicle.” This book tells you why.

"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 Yorker In 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.

A girl’s gotta have a passion--why not a motorcycle? Like a love letter from the wild side of life comes this book from “chrome cowgirl� Sasha Mullins. A primer for women who ride, or want to, or might simply like to jumpstart their lives, the book covers the ground in a way that’s as entertaining as it is informative. Whether it’s how to ride, what to do to your bike, or what to wear, Sasha has the advice. What’s more, her bike savvy and street strategies pack powerful lessons, offering a friendly word from the wisecracking on how to get the most out of life’s wild ride. From choosing, maintaining, and repairing a bike to honing your vocabulary and checking your attitude, there’s something here for every woman who ever dreamed of saddling up and becoming an easy rider in control of her destiny.

In less than a year, Neil Peart lost both his 19-year-old daughter, Selena, and his wife, Jackie. Faced with overwhelming sadness and isolated from the world in his home on the lake, Peart was left without direction. That lack of direction lead him on a 5

A humorous, soul-searching account of an aging hippie who gives up his hard-won career, family, and home life to bike around the world in search of new experiences At age 45 Robbie Marshall had it all, or so it seemed. He had been married, had two children, and built up a successful advertising agency. So what on earth made him trade his suit for leathers, his office for the saddle of a great motorcycle, and his bulging appointment book for an out-of-date world atlas? The prospect of a new challenge held such overwhelming appeal that he was prepared to risk it all--his hard won career, the trappings of wealth, and the love of a good woman--for life on the road and a lifestyle completely removed from anything he had known before. And so he shook hands with his business partner, kissed his girlfriend goodbye, and rode off into the unknown. Over the course of this double or nothing adventure he came face to face with his own ignorance, enormous danger, and wracking loneliness as well as some of the best that human nature has to offer.

Read Matthew Biberman's posts on the Penguin Blog. "If you believe it is possible to fall in love with a motorcycle, you will love this book." -Jay Leno When Big Sid had a heart attack and gave up the will to live, his son Matthew Biberman panicked. Impulsively, Matthew promised his father that they would build a Vincati together. This fusion of two legendary motorcycles, the Vincent Black Shadow and the Ducati GT, a Vincati was considered near-impossible to build. But if anyone could do it, Matthew knew his father could. Big Sid was the mechanic to see about repairing Vincents for nearly sixty years. But now, Sid was old, busted up and broke. Matthew, despite sharing his dad's passion, had become a Shakespearean scholar. The two men hadn't spoken in years-but called a truce to attempt a shared dream. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance meets Shop Class as Soulcraft, in this heartfelt memoir that shows how two very different men built a legendary motorcycle, and along the way, discovered what it means to be father and son.