What do you think?
Rate this book
Leanings: The Best of Peter Egan from Cycle World
Since his work first graced Cycle World magazine in 1977, Peter Egan has graciously taken his readers along on his adventures. The range of motorcycle riding reports cover runs along the Mississippi River to New Orleans for a tin of chicory coffee or flying to Japan to test-ride new Yamahas. In Leanings, Egan's favorite feature articles and columns have been reprinted for the first time, including his trip cross-country on a British twin with his wife and a journey on the abandoned Route 66, plus many more stories about the open road.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2002
13 people are currently reading
126 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 31, 2013
If you like motorcycles, read this. If your husband/wife/partner likes motorcycles, read this. If you think you might want to train as a journalist (any field, not just a bike journalist), read this. If you appreciate good writing, read this. If you like discussions and new ideas, read this. If you have a wry sense of humour, read this.
And then read 'Leanings 2' which I like even better.
I'm a sometime biker, and I've never owned a car, but I'm so impressed with Egan I am going to buy his collections of car journalism, too. Everyone should read this.
And then read 'Leanings 2' which I like even better.
I'm a sometime biker, and I've never owned a car, but I'm so impressed with Egan I am going to buy his collections of car journalism, too. Everyone should read this.
May 21, 2013
22 April:I am torn between devouring Egan's articles or savoring it over several months. He has vicariously satisfied my desire to take "the ride", while I commuted or ran errands or otherwise just used my bikes as basic transportation. He had Huck Finn fantasies, and I had Peter Egan and a bunch of other fantastic writers who satisfied my urges. Some days my commute from the suburbs of Maryland to the District were more than enough adventure for a lifetime. He is one of those people I wish I had met just to "chew the fat" and sigh that I never took that ride I wanted to take, but I am glad that somebody has and shared it with me.
29 April: Having my third cup of coffee and catching the weather report and a little news, I decided to read a bit more. Ah, riding in cold weather. Who in their right mind would do it? Well, Egan, his buddy Wargula, and me. Cold, heat, rain and everything else that the elements can throw at us are reasons the automobile ascended and dozens of motorcycle manufacturers fell by the wayside, especially after Mr. Ford began selling cars that didn't cost much more than a motorcycle. Given the choice, most people opted for some protection from the weather. Riders aren't "most people", and Mr. Egan knew his audience because he was it.
21 May: I couldn't allow myself to stretch this book any further. I raced through the rest of it yesterday and today, stopping every few articles to either catch my breath or ponder some aspect of Egan's observations and insights. This is, however, the second book in the past two weeks which has contained a quote that I could not track down. The other was in a book on education by a well established academic who should have known better. Perhaps Egan's error will be overlooked on his "lesser" level as a journalist, or the level of memoir, but the pernicious use of quotes attributed to very influential individuals which cannot be traced back, but have a certain ring of "truth" in them, call into question the non-fiction status of the remaining material. The case in point is this line: "Friedrich Nietzche once said, 'Without Italy, Germans would go crazy.'" (page 182) Nietzche did spend a great deal of time in Italy, and he was certainly crazy with general paresis, the effects of syphilis on the brain. I could not find this quote anywhere but in Egan's essay. OK, he is entertaining, and he writes well, and the "quote" fit the theme of his essay about an October excursion from Wisconsin to Mexico for a Pancho Villa Tour. When I see a quotation, I want to know the attribution is accurate, otherwise the writing is no longer memoir, it is fiction. As a motorcyclist, I know how much we love to swap stories. There is always a temptation to embellish, to drag in some detail that makes the story more interesting but less accurate. Still, there is plenty that is absolutely correct in these articles. Egan and I are both of a generation who were enthralled by the opening scenes from Lawrence of Arabia and wanted to ride motorcycles despite how the episode of the movie ended. We have all ridden through the rain unprepared, stuffed newspaper into our pants and sleeves for "insulation", wanted a bike that was beyond our means, but he has come closer to living the fantasy than I ever will. My bikes have all been practical transportation from here to there, and taking a ride just for the sake of taking a ride never appealed to me very much.
There are riders who will read this and put memorable passages from his articles into their stories, just to make them more interesting or get a laugh. I'll do that, but I'll attribute them with something like, "That reminds me of something Egan wrote.", and I will try to get it as correct as my memory will allow.
I forgive any errors of fact he may have made because he is so entertaining and enjoyable to read. I'll always be the biker who doesn't care much what his machine looks like, so long as the essentials work the way they should. Egan would cringe at such an attitude, but I will never own a Brit Bike, or one I need to scrounge parts for in obscure venues. I can always get parts for my Hondas without any trouble, and they just keep on running like reliable old hunting dogs.
29 April: Having my third cup of coffee and catching the weather report and a little news, I decided to read a bit more. Ah, riding in cold weather. Who in their right mind would do it? Well, Egan, his buddy Wargula, and me. Cold, heat, rain and everything else that the elements can throw at us are reasons the automobile ascended and dozens of motorcycle manufacturers fell by the wayside, especially after Mr. Ford began selling cars that didn't cost much more than a motorcycle. Given the choice, most people opted for some protection from the weather. Riders aren't "most people", and Mr. Egan knew his audience because he was it.
21 May: I couldn't allow myself to stretch this book any further. I raced through the rest of it yesterday and today, stopping every few articles to either catch my breath or ponder some aspect of Egan's observations and insights. This is, however, the second book in the past two weeks which has contained a quote that I could not track down. The other was in a book on education by a well established academic who should have known better. Perhaps Egan's error will be overlooked on his "lesser" level as a journalist, or the level of memoir, but the pernicious use of quotes attributed to very influential individuals which cannot be traced back, but have a certain ring of "truth" in them, call into question the non-fiction status of the remaining material. The case in point is this line: "Friedrich Nietzche once said, 'Without Italy, Germans would go crazy.'" (page 182) Nietzche did spend a great deal of time in Italy, and he was certainly crazy with general paresis, the effects of syphilis on the brain. I could not find this quote anywhere but in Egan's essay. OK, he is entertaining, and he writes well, and the "quote" fit the theme of his essay about an October excursion from Wisconsin to Mexico for a Pancho Villa Tour. When I see a quotation, I want to know the attribution is accurate, otherwise the writing is no longer memoir, it is fiction. As a motorcyclist, I know how much we love to swap stories. There is always a temptation to embellish, to drag in some detail that makes the story more interesting but less accurate. Still, there is plenty that is absolutely correct in these articles. Egan and I are both of a generation who were enthralled by the opening scenes from Lawrence of Arabia and wanted to ride motorcycles despite how the episode of the movie ended. We have all ridden through the rain unprepared, stuffed newspaper into our pants and sleeves for "insulation", wanted a bike that was beyond our means, but he has come closer to living the fantasy than I ever will. My bikes have all been practical transportation from here to there, and taking a ride just for the sake of taking a ride never appealed to me very much.
There are riders who will read this and put memorable passages from his articles into their stories, just to make them more interesting or get a laugh. I'll do that, but I'll attribute them with something like, "That reminds me of something Egan wrote.", and I will try to get it as correct as my memory will allow.
I forgive any errors of fact he may have made because he is so entertaining and enjoyable to read. I'll always be the biker who doesn't care much what his machine looks like, so long as the essentials work the way they should. Egan would cringe at such an attitude, but I will never own a Brit Bike, or one I need to scrounge parts for in obscure venues. I can always get parts for my Hondas without any trouble, and they just keep on running like reliable old hunting dogs.
December 22, 2021
I gave this book a 5 star rating not only because it was well-written and often hilarious, but also because it was so unexpected that I would find it so. Until I read this book, I was only an aspiring motorcycle owner, having put off my desire through 30 years of child rearing. This book rekindled my long-delayed aspiration and got me out looking for a bike to ride next spring. Even though Egan has a passion for any type of bike (touring, sport, off-road) and makes all appealing, Leanings confirmed my interest in the classic bike - the style used almost universally up until the 1970s but still being built today. I don’t think you need to be a motorbike enthusiast to enjoy Egan’s writing, which is just plain good. Now I have a used Triumph sitting in my garage just waiting for a warm day and a clear road.
February 3, 2022
Pure Peter Egan style. A trove of stories about living life and vintage motorcycles....
September 15, 2025
If you are like me (a teenager in the late 60’s/early 70’s, had magazine photo clippings of a yellow-tanked BSA Gold Star 500, a ISDT Penton, and a 1969 purple and white tanked Triumph t120r on the inside of your high school locker door, and rode a red Yamaha YSC1C 180 twin scrambler as your college transportation) you will LOVE this book. Egan writes with an easy style and he has a unique view of the world/sense of humor. What makes it even better is that there are a few stories in this book that took me back to reading the original entry in Cycle World magazine - and recalling all the (forgotten) pictures that were in the magazine.
February 2, 2021
the written equivalent of your grandparents' vacation slideshow. a small handful of interesting tidbits drowned out by lengthy, flimsy anecdotes that only beg the question "who cares?"
still, I wouldn't give it zero stars if that were an option. it might be shallow and unimaginative, but it's not lifeless. the guy is enthusiastic, if nothing else. just readable enough to prevent me from putting it to better use by throwing it at an oncoming motorcyclist.
file under: masturbatory writing (bad kind)
still, I wouldn't give it zero stars if that were an option. it might be shallow and unimaginative, but it's not lifeless. the guy is enthusiastic, if nothing else. just readable enough to prevent me from putting it to better use by throwing it at an oncoming motorcyclist.
file under: masturbatory writing (bad kind)
December 29, 2022
I've probably read 50 "travel" books and this is one of my favorites. It is specifically a motorcycle expert who travels. As a simple motorcycle enthusiast I enjoyed every page and will reread this book.
April 28, 2020
I love Egan’s columns and stories about motorcycles and cars. No disappointments here.
July 11, 2008
A collection of stories and articles published in Cycle World. You don't have to be a motorcycle fan to appreciate the wit and flair for telling road trip stories that make you want to get on the road and into the wilderness. But I am a motorcycle fan, and I can tell you that no one puts his finger on the things that rev motorcyclists up like Peter Egan.
June 22, 2008
Collection of 27 of the author's columns from Cycle World magazine. Entertaining and instructive, good for that cold winter evening when you just want to relax with a good book and a cup of hot cocoa.
Read
December 20, 2008Peter Egan is one of my favorite writers. He has a column in Cycle World Magazine (motorcycles) and a column in Road & Track (cars). This book is a compilation of his Cycle World articles. It is great.
April 5, 2013
Egan has a wonderful gift of placing you into his stories. I have read this book multiple times and love it still! I seem to like to read it in the dead of winter when I cannot ride my motorcycle in the cold winters here in Wisconsin.
May 12, 2013
Ever had the desire to tour the country by bike, but not had the time? Egan helps solace that ache with his vivid recollections of two wheeled journeys around the US and Europe. Short stories that help work weary bikers remember what we're working for.
January 12, 2016
Peter Egan is the best
I bought this book years ago and I am reading it for the third time after letting it sit for a couple of years. Peter is my age and we have a few similar interests. Motorcycles of all ages!
I bought this book years ago and I am reading it for the third time after letting it sit for a couple of years. Peter is my age and we have a few similar interests. Motorcycles of all ages!
Read
July 31, 2016Dammit.....I'm now on the hunt for a 2nd motorcycle because of Egans ramblings about lost loves (Motorcycles) and opportunities gone by.
Great book. On to the 2nd version of this, already purchased the 3rd as well.
Great book. On to the 2nd version of this, already purchased the 3rd as well.
April 23, 2008
Excellent book for anyone interested in the understanding "why motorcycles."
September 11, 2008
Egan has been my favorite motorjournalist since I first subscribed to Road & Track in middle school.
April 26, 2009
Entertaining writer (rider).
June 29, 2012
Excellent writer. Intelligent, humorous musings and stories about the simple love of motorcycling. Makes you smile, think, and laugh out loud.
September 27, 2010
Awesome book if you're into Motorcycles.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews