Motorcycle Views

Motorcycle Books and Book Reviews - Page 3

By Walter F. Kern

Motorcycle books that every motorcycle rider should own

The following motorcycle books are personally owned by me and recommended to any motorcycle rider who wants to know more about motorcycles.

Some motorcycle books have also been personally reviewed. Most motorcycle books are available for sale on this site through amazon.com by clicking the title of the book. I receive no remuneration from Amazon for providing these links.

A - H: (Adventures => Honda)

I - R: (Illustrated Antique => Rigby's Roads)

S - Z: (Savvy Guide => Zen & the Art)

My own books are listed first as a convenience:

50 MORE Wild Motorcycle Tales: An Anthology of Motorcycle Stories by Walter F. Kern
Many readers have indicated that they wanted more motorcycle stories similar to those contained in the previous book, 50 Wild Motorcycle Tales. This new book gives 50 More Wild Motorcycle Tales for your reading enjoyment. Most of the stories were submitted to Motorcycle Views by visitors to the site. Walter lived and wrote 19 of these tales; eight of the 19 are fictional depictions of far-out motorcycle events that could happen. Jane Ann Kern wrote four stories before her untimely death. Some tales are short, and some are long. Each tale was intensively edited to provide a good reader experience. You'll find humor, risk-taking, adventure, two-up excursions, stupid tricks on bikes, winter riding perils, hazards while riding, and lessons learned. This book is available in a paperback edition and a Kindle edition from Amazon.com.
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Normal Secrets: A Search for Identity, Growth, Love, and Motorcycles - a memoir by Walter F. Kern
This memoir is a departure from the motorcycle themes of my previous four books. I grew up in Normal, Illinois, but had lived in New Jersey for more than 30 years when my father died at the age of 84. I was 54 at the time and soon learned that family secrets had been kept from me. Strange deaths, tragedies, indiscretions, and relationships lay in my past, totally hidden. It took me seven years to uncover these secrets from personal interviews, genealogical studies, public records, and cutting-edge scientific work done by worldwide experts. Along the way, I trace my own life path from wanting to be a mechanic to gaining a master's degree at MIT and working at a famous research laboratory. I also tell my own 50-year love story. The secrets are now known, and I thought it was time at the age of 79 that I should write this memoir to tell you all about my Normal Secrets. This book is available in a paperback edition and a Kindle edition from Amazon.com.
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Motorcycle Kick-Starts: Getting Started, Stories, Tips, and How-Tos by Walter F. Kern
This book gives a condensed view of motorcycling for new and returning riders. It's designed to whet your appetite for more while sticking to basic motorcycle information without overpowering you with details. The book is based on articles Walter F. Kern published on the Motorcycle Views Website. The book starts out telling you what motorcycles are and showing you how you might learn to become an active, safe rider. Then ten short motorcycle stories, written by actual motorcyclists, are presented. These stories allow you to observe some unusual things that happen to people who ride motorcycles. Between stories, some practical advice about motorcycles is given in the form of ten motorcycle How-Tos and ten motorcycle Tips that you will need to know to become a proficient rider. This book is available in a paperback edition, a Kindle edition, and an audiobook (Audible) edition from Amazon.com. The audiobook is also available for download from Audible or iTunes. You can listen to a 5-minute sample of the audiobook on Amazon.

Getting Started Riding a Motorcycle by Walter F. Kern
This book provides introductory motorcycling information for new riders to help push them into being safer riders. It's also intended for returning riders who have been away from motorcycling for many years. Paperback and Kindle Edition
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Motorcycle Haiku Poetry: An Anthology of Haiku Poems About Motorcycles by Walter F. Kern
This book is an anthology of motorcycle haiku poems. These poems were submitted to the Motorcycle Views Website over a 10-year period. The authors are motorcyclists from all walks of life. They have created short 3-line, 17-syllable haiku poems that reflect their love of riding motorcycles. Each poem has been paired up either with a motorcycle picture or a motorcycle tattoo. Each bike or tattoo picture is described, and then linked together to the poem. Some safety or riding tips and philosophy may also be included in the narrative. Paperback and Kindle Edition
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Savvy Guide to Motorcycles by Shirley Duglin Kennedy
I have read many books about motorcycles but few good books about the whole subject from the beginner's viewpoint. This is an excellent book. I was quite surprised by it. This is a book by a writer who also is a librarian and a beginning motorcycle rider. The combination results in a refreshing book of wide appeal to the motorcycling community. Paperback
Walter's Review

Street Strategies: A Survival Guide for Motorcyclists by David L. Hough
This book outlines nearly 75 commonly encountered problems that motorcyclists have to deal with on the road. It is a small book so you can take it with you to study. Learn the situations and how to stay out of them to protect your life.

This Old Harley (Town Square Book) edited by Michael Dregni
This 160 page book is loaded with black-and-white and color photos as well as original art of Harley-Davidsons. The book is an anthology of stories, tall tales, essays, and reminiscences by various authors describing their first Harley. Arlen Ness, Peter Egan, Melissa Holbrook Pierson, and others are featured. Hardcover

Ultimate Motorcycle Book by Hugo Wilson
Gottlieb Daimler built the first motorcycle in 1885. This book uses 600 color photos to display 200 bikes from every era and country. The descriptions of the bikes and their history make this a book you need for your library. Hardcover

Women and Motorcycling - The Early Years by Susie Hollern
Read the personal stories of women motorcyclists as they describe their involvement in riding motorcycles. Includes pictures of the women and their bikes.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values by Robert M. Pirsig
This widely quoted book relates the story of a summer motorcycle trip by a man and his eleven-year-old son. It compares life and philosophy with motorcycle maintenance. You'll want to read this several times. Here are some actual pictures taken by Pirsig on the trip that became the basis for the book. Paperback

A - H: (Adventures => Honda)

I - R: (Illustrated Antique => Rigby's Roads)

S - Z: (Savvy Guide => Zen & the Art)

More about motorcycle books

Walter's Books:

Click Picture for Walter F. Kern's Kindle, Paperback, and Audible Books