Book Review

BOOK REVIEW

IT IS A RARE occasion when one of the "really big" book publishers dips into the motorcycle field; when they do, books like this are exactly what one expects of them. It is general in the extreme, and deals with motorcycling from the absolute cold start. The author has obviously never seen CYCLE WORLD, but that's outside of the realm of good criticism.

Repeated attempts are made to dissuade the reader from feeling that he is really dealing with motorcycles, and some of the instruction in the how-to-ride chapters gives some questionable advice. On the whole, however, it is an excellent book for the novice rider and does fill a need. It is written in a simple, direct, often humorous style, placing emphasis in most cases where it belongs.

The authors are Madison Avenue motorcyclists, an even smaller minority than the Hell's Angels. The book is non-technical and deals in a large part with motorcycle safety, probably its singly most important service to the reader. It has been so many years since I was a beginner on bikes that I don't care to remember, but had I such a volume at the time, it would have been most useful.JCP