Motorcycling For Dummies

by Bill Kresnak

Few activities offer more fun and excitement than motorcycling, but to get the most out of it, there's a lot you need to know. From buying and maintaining a bike, to riding safely, to finding great places to ride, "Motorcycling For Dummies" puts you on the road with savvy and style, whether you're male or female, new to riding or an experienced vet.This fun, practical, and informative guide gets you geared up and ready to ride You'll get plenty of help in selecting the right bike and step-by-step instructions on performing routing maintenance tasks. You'll also find out how to develop safe riding habits and, maybe most important of all, fit in with the biker crowd. Plus, this indispensable resource shows you advanced riding techniques, offers travel tips for long-distance rides, and even helps you get your kids started in motorcycling. Discover how to: Buy a new or used bikeSelect safe, tough riding gear, from helmet and jacket to boots and pantsGet proper training and learn essential riding skillsInsure your bikePass even the toughest licensing testTry your hand at cruising, touring, sports biking, and moreGet involved in motorcycle clubs and eventsDeal with dangers on the roadCustomize your bike to improve both style and performance

Complete with lists of great biking events, organizations, people, and even movies, "Motorcycling For Dummies" gives a whole new meaning to the term "easy rider."

Genres: Nonfiction, Motorcycle

368 pages, Paperback

First published April 28, 2008

About the author

Bill Kresnak is a popular motojournalist with more than 35 years' experience riding all types of motorcycles. He is government affairs editor at American Motorcyclist magazine, a publication of the American Motorcyclist Association.

Source: Dummies Store

Reviews

[Vicky Griffith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know. Dummies books seem lame. But this was a great primer for me -- brand new to motorcycles and wanting to better understand the machine and best practices. Not the only book you should read on the topic but a great start.

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect book for a n00b like me.

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book because I really want to learn how to ride a motorcycle but I didn't want to go into my first day of class without knowing anything, not a single thing, about bikes. I didn't have any friends with motorcycles at the time to talk to them about it. So, I bought this book to try to at least learn a little bit.

Some of it is a little technical and I'm going to have to go back through it and put a post-it note on the pages where I need to do a little bit more research, but otherwise this book was very instructive. Now I actually do have friends with motorcycles and I'm not completely lost when they are talking about their sleds.

I can't speak as to how it would be for an experienced rider, but as a person who only rode as a PASSENGER for the very first time under a month ago, it was extremely informative.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall it has a lot of great material for those really new to the market, but I was hoping had some more intermediate and advanced material towards the end - which it did not.

If you're thinking about buying a motorcycle, this will be for you - otherwise it's skim-worthy material.

[Melanie Santiago · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had some helpful info but definitely very surface-level. Doesn't talk much about parts of a bike or give many tips on how to ride, but the book does give great resources for classes, certifications, gear, etc.

[Janne Järvinen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tries to be everything for everyone, and fails. All the subjects this book touches on, are better covered in more narrowly focused books. It's hard to imagine who this book would really be for.

This book tries to cater to both motorcyclists and non-motorcyclists at the same time, and I don't see the point in that.

It's not all bad, though. The information is good, although some of it is presented in a cringe-worthy manner.

[Sam · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only made it a couple chapters in. This book is a Harley kool-aid drinkers Bible. You can only be a biker if you spend thousands of dollars on clothing so every single item you have has the logo. Then you have to spend an hour putting on all your cool stuff to go riding. You're not a real biker unless you follow suit! I love Harley's but these credit card weekend warriors are a joke!

[Big AL Vitt]

not bad to give you some basic stuff about riding, worth the read especially right before a basic riding course, which essentially provides similar info, but gets you ahead of the game before the class starts.

[Christy Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all the new stuff I learned. Being new to motorcycling, this was a great book for me to read.