The Motorcycle Safety Foundations Guide To Motorcycling Excellence

A guide to enhance your safety on motorcycle riding.

This is the book for the motorcyclist who wants to do it right! The Motorcycle Safety Foundation's Guide to Motorcycling Excellence is the most complete and authoritative guide to motorcycle safe-riding techniques and strategies. More than one million students have completed courses developed by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, and this book is the culmination of what this leading rider-training organization has learned about teaching students of all ages and experience levels. It is the perfect refresher for anyone who has taken an MSF class and it will be an eye-opener for those who have not yet taken a formal training course. In a clear, engaging style with detailed diagrams and extensive full-color photographs and illustrations, the book covers rider attitude, proper gear, basic and advanced street skills, and performance, as well as skill maintenance and troubleshooting. Topics include how to stop quickly when necessary; avoiding traffic hazards; applying evasive maneuvers; countersteering for better control; traveling safely and skillfully in a group; identifying and fixing mechanical problems; riding smoothly at high and low speeds; maintaining momentum in off-highway riding; and much, much more. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation's Guide to Motorcycling Excellence is a remarkable source of riding wisdom and the definitive reference for the sport.

This best-selling book is also “#1 book in motorcycle safety” (Nielsen BookScan) and essential reading for all motorcyclists regardless of their years of experience. Author David L. Hough, a revered motorcycle author, columnist, and riding-safety consultant, lays out a clear course for all riders who want to sharpen their handling skills and improve their rides. This second edition, expanded and now in full color, offers new riders and road warriors the exact kind of advice they need to be prepared for anything when on the road, how to avoid accidents, and how to handle the unexpected. Hough, who began motorcycling in the 1960s, tackles every imaginable topic—from the mechanics of the bike, selection of the right-sized bike, and basic riding skills to night riding, group outings, and advanced survival tactics. In the chapter called “Motorcycle Dynamics,” Hough spells out the equipment needed and basic skills required to control a bike, and specifically keeping the rider’s safety and ability to avoid potentially injurious or fatal crashes. The author is outspoken and direct when it comes to safety, and he emphasizes the importance of the rider’s braking abilities and spells out how to improve them. The chapter offers six tried-and-true techniques for quick-stop tactics, critical for every rider to understand and master. He also addresses other vital skills that riders need to evaluate and improve, such as turning, maintaining balance and stability, and steering. He defines, compares, and analyzes the ins and outs of steering and control: direct steering, countersteering, push steering, out-tracking, coning, u-turns, and directional control. The chapter called “Cornering Habits” is a virtual master class in acceleration, deceleration, use of weight, throttle, leaning, and handling challenging terrain. Hough’s skill as a photographer and illustrator adds a graphic element to his books that leads to immediate understanding of the concepts he explains. The detail offered in each section of the book can only come from decades on the road, and the author is the consummate instructor, assigning homework to the readers in the form of exercises to practice and improve specific techniques that he outlines and illustrates in the text. Any rider who would venture out on the road without David Hough’s voice in his head takes an unnecessary risk with his own life. Proficient Motorcycling takes riders from long, snaking country roads right into the traffic of the big city, and Hough offers the best advice for riders dealing with the most challenging conditions, whether it’s road construction, snap-jawed intersections, skateboarders, or suddenly slippery road surfaces. A critical section of the book offers riders advice on how to deal with automobiles, including aggressive car drivers, oblivious SUV drivers, or “blind” truck drivers. The book offers the kind of first-hand experience that can literally save riders’ lives, as illustrated in the chapters “Booby Traps” and “Special Situations,” which offer evasive tactics and advice to avoid and handle everything from slick surfaces, curbs, and construction plates to ferocious dogs, hazardous wildlife, and difficult weather conditions. The final chapter of the book, “Sharing the Ride,” is geared toward experienced riders who travel together in groups or who travel with a second passenger on the bike. Topics covered are formation, packing for trips, communication between riders, sidecars, trikes, and more. The book concludes with a resources section of organizations, training schools, educational tools, and websites; a glossary of 80+ terms; and a complete index.

Recent statistics show that approximately 12 percent of motorcycle owners are women and that close to 25 percent of motorcycle riders are women. While it’s still a male-dominated field, the number of female bikers has increased by more than 25 percent in just five years, showing that women have a strong presence on two wheels. In The Women’s Guide to Motorcycling, author Lynda Lahman, herself a motorcycle owner and rider, provides a comprehensive look at motorcycling techniques, street smarts, and safety concerns while addressing female-specific challenges as well as issues that all bikers face from a female point of view. INSIDE The Women’s Guide to Motorcycling Anecdotes from female motorcycle enthusiasts, riders, and owners, including the author’s own story Women as a growing presence among riders, including notable names of the past and present Motorcycle skills from basic to advanced, appropriate for bikers of all levels of experience and expertise The physical and mental aspects of riding Considerations for choosing a bike, such as seat height and weight distribution, and female-appropriate gear A primer on proper maintenance and dealing with mechanical problems Different types of riding, such as sport, racing, touring, long distance, and off road Getting more out of the sport through involvement in clubs, forums, charity events, and mentoring new riders

Riding motorcycles is fun, but author Ken Condon maintains that there is a state of consciousness to be achieved beyond the simple pleasure of riding down the road. Riding in the Zone helps riders find that state of being. It's the experience of being physically and mentally present in the moment, where every sense is sharply attuned to the ride. Your mind becomes silent to the chatter of daily life, and everyday problems seem to dissolve. You feel a deeper appreciation for life. Your body responds to this state of being with precise, fluid movements, you feel in balance, your muscles are relaxed, and it seems as though every input you make is an expression of mastery. This is "the Zone." Condon identifies all of the factors that affect entering the Zone and addresses each one individually, from the development of awareness and mental skills to mastering physical control of the motorcycle. At the end of each chapter are drills designed to transform the book's ideas into solid, practical riding skills. Riding in the Zone takes riders to the next level in their skill set.

A completely revised version of one of the best-selling motorcycle riding skills books of all time. Today's super high-performance bikes are the most potent vehicles ever sold to the public and they demand advanced riding skills. Get it right, and a modern motorcycle will provide you with the thrill of a lifetime; get it wrong and you'll be carted off in a meat wagon. The line between ecstasy and agony is so thin that there is absolutely no margin for error.Total Control provides you with the information you need to stay on the healthy side of that line, providing a training course developed and perfected through decades of professional training in Lee Parks' Total Control Advanced Riding Clinic. This is the perfect book for riders who want to take their street riding skills to a higher level. Total Control explains the ins and outs of high-performance street riding. Lee Parks, one of the most accomplished riders, racers, authors and instructors in the world, helps riders master the awe-inspiring performance potential of modern motorcycles. This book gives riders everything they need to develop the techniques and survival skills necessary to become a proficient, accomplished, and safer street rider. High quality photos, detailed instructions, and professional diagrams highlight the intricacies and proper techniques of street riding and the knowledge gained will apply to all brands of bikes from Harley-Davidson and Suzuki to Ducati and Kawaski to Honda and BMW and more! Readers will come away with a better understanding of everything from braking and cornering to proper throttle control, resulting in a more exhilarating yet safer ride.

From electronic ignition to electronic fuel injection, slipper clutches to traction control, today’s motorcycles are made up of much more than an engine, frame, and two wheels. And, just as the bikes themselves have changed, so have the tools with which we tune them. How to Tune and Modify Motorcycle Engine Management Systems addresses all of a modern motorcycle’s engine-control systems and tells you how to get the most out of today’s bikes. Topics covered include: How fuel injection works Aftermarket fuel injection systems Open-loop and closed-loop EFI systems Fuel injection products and services Tuning and troubleshooting Getting more power from your motorcycle engine Diagnostic tools Electronic throttle control (ETC) Knock control systems Modern fuels Interactive computer-controlled exhaust systems

A beginner's manual especially geared to the needs of entry-level riders, this book provides all the basic instruction necessary to become a motorcycle rider with an emphasis on the challenges faced by neophyte riders. Starting at neophyte level and evolving into a serious, intelligent expert, How to Ride a Motorcycle tells the reader how to be a motorcycle rider with a strong emphasis on safety and big-picture strategy ("think about it this way" as opposed to "do this.")