Ultimate Motorcycle Book

Booknews

The usual DK opulence in a coffee-table book for the mildly enthusiastic. Covers the world from Adam and the snakecycle to today --all in 200 pp. Watch for it on the remainder tables if you'd rather pay $15. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Joe Collins

Lookin' for adventure in whatever comes your way? Wilson's book is colorful, it's loaded with photos of over 200 bikes, it's informative, and, most importantly, it's a blast. Along with historical tidbits about the earliest cycles during the 1890s and the use of bikes during both world wars, Wilson provides sections devoted to racing, touring, motocross, and customizing. U.S. bikes, headed by the estimable Harley-Davidson, are featured first, but classic British models such as Triumph and Vincent are spotlighted alongside Italian, French, and Scandinavian bikes, German military models, bikes from companies such as BMW and Hunch, and, of course, the Japanese giants: Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha. Full-color photographs virtually leap off the page, and their captions point out pertinent facts (a snapshot of a vivid red 1988 Electra Glide is highlighted by the bike's disc brakes and its separate gearbox). To top it all off, neophyte gearheads will swoon over the intricate graphics provided in a section that explains just how a motorcycle operates. For veteran bike enthusiasts as well as folks who've just recently discovered that they're "born to be wild."