Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Learning to ride a motorcycle is fun and can be stressful too. Taking an MSF course is a great way to learn the basics that you will need down the road. Better to learn them now than to learn them in the split second you need them!

There are a lot of great books out there to read and learn from that will help any rider (new or experienced) ride better.

Total Motorcycle has a great free Beginners Guide to Motorcycling Handbook: http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/school.htm that I would hope all new riders will take the time to read.

For books, I suggest:

Proficient Motorcycling by David L. Hough. - I've read it twice now and keep learning new things as I read it. Great for all riders.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Motorcycles - Another great guide, don't let the title fool you. It is full of good stuff to read and learn.

Does anyone else have some good book suggestions?

Mike.

More Proficient Motorcycling - is has a lot more "how to" examples that the first book. (I've read that and the 2 you recommended.)

If you don't have a lot of motorcycles in your background (ie. noone in your family rides, etc.), I picked this up at the library but liked it so much bought a copy: Motorcycling for Beginners by I.G. Edmonds, published in '72. It includes photos and diagrams and discussions on how the engines (2-stroke and 4-stroke) work. That section somewhat de-mystified the motorcycle. The discussion goes into a little more detail than Motorcycling Fundamentals by Chris Wright; another seventies book recommended to me by many motorcyclists, but really difficult to find.

I don't know squat as my MSF is two weeks' away, but these older books discuss learning to ride less powerful motorcycles than are available today, which seems to affect the tone of the safety maneuver discussion. Either that, or newer books devote more ink to how much trouble what's in your head can get you in. But the cookbook-like instruction in both these seventies books appeal to me at this time. In another two weeks post MSF, I'll probably have a modified opinion.

2 fantastic book

Smooth Riding "the Pridmore way"- by Reg Pridmore

Sport Riding Techniques-by Nick Ienatsch

Both of these books are very detailed with excelent pictures and commentaries relating the information into real life situations. Highly Recommended

Proficient Motorcycling and More Proficient Motorcycling ar both great books!

Street Strategies by David Hough is another great book. Each page describes a different potential hazard and how to avoid/deal with them.

Total Control.....High performance street riding techniques

by Lee Parks

keysman wrote:Proficient Motorcycling and More Proficient Motorcycling are both great books!

Going to agree with ya, here. Hough made some excellent books with these two, I highly recommend them.

Another vote for the venerable Mr. Hough. I've read Proficient Motorcycling. Anyone want to loan me More Proficient Motorcycling?

I'd also agree with Total Control by Lee and Proficient Motorcycling. I got this suggestion from the one of my local group while we had a parking pratice. I bought the books and love it. This is good for both Sportbike and Cruiser style.