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.

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.

"With a new introduction by the author"--Jacket.

“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.

Jupiter's Travels -Ted Simon's astonishing 4 year motorbike journey around the world The book that inspired Ewan McGregor's Long Way Round In the late 1970s Ted Simon set off on a Triumph and rode 63,000 miles over four years through fifty-four countries in a journey that took him around the world. Through breakdowns, prison, war, revolutions, disasters and a Californian commune, he travelled into the depths of fear and reached the heights of euphoria. He met astonishing people and was treated as a spy, a welcome stranger and even a god. For Simon the trip became a journey into his own soul, and for many others - including bikers Charley Boorman and Ewan McGrergor - it provides an inspiration they will never forget. This classic text, which has informed a whole genre of travel writing in the thirty years since it was first published, will never be bettered for sheer adventure, passion, humour and honesty. Brought up in England by a German mother and a Romanian father, Ted Simon found himself impelled by an insatiable desire to explore the world. It led him to abandon an early scientific career in favour of journalism, and he has worked for several newspapers and magazines on Fleet Street and elsewhere. Ted Simon is also the author of Riding Home and The Gypsy in Me.

The building of a vintage Indian Chief motorcycle is more than the restoration of a bike?it?s the resurrection of a dream. Rebuilding the Indian chronicles one man?s journey through the fearful expanse of midlife in a quest for peace, parts, and a happy second fatherhood. Fred Haefele was a writer who couldn?t get his book published, an arborist whose precarious livelihood might just kill him, and an expectant father for the first time in over twenty years. He was in a rut, until he purchased a box of parts not so euphemistically referred to as a ?basket case? and tackled the restoration of an Indian Chief motorcycle. With limited mechanical skills, one foot in the money pit, and a colorful cast of local experts, Haefele takes us down the rocky road of restoration to the headlong, heart-thrilling rush of open highway on his gleaming midnight-blue Millennium Flyer.

After the loss of her mother, Harley can barely handle her grief. But the start of summer marks new beginnings, and Harley leaves for a cross-country road trip to scatter her mother's ashes with Dean, her friend (with benefits). The two ride by motorcycle, reconnecting with people who knew her mother along the way. But it's not long before Harley realizes she's pregnant...with Dean's child. And as Harley learns that her mother faced similar choices during her own pregnancy, Harley must come to terms with her mother's past to make a difficult decision about her own future.