Cult of Dualsport

Modern Motorcycle Technology

This book looks interesting. The blurb at Amazon says it covers dual sport bikes, but I suspect that's just for marketing purposes. There are no reviews yet. Who's going to be the first? 

Whether you ride a sport bike, cruiser, tourer, dual-sport, or off-road machine you’ll learn precisely how your bike works, which will help you keep your motorcycle in top condition.

Modern Motorcycle Technology: How Every Part of Your Motorcycle Works (Motorbooks Workshop)

Update: Here's a review.

Wrenching tips from Jasmine

Women Riders Now has a book review of "ABC's of Motorcycle Wrenching: Jasmine's Wrenching Tips."

The soft-cover book is an easy read -- it's only 80 pages. Its 13 chapters cover tools, pre-ride check, lights and electrics, batteries, filters, tires and wheels, cables, brakes ad so on. I like that there are accompanying black and white photos with captions pointing to things I need to know or that are referenced in the text. Plus, I like seeing Jasmine's pretty face and hands in the photos, not a grease monkey's.

New book on Dual Sport suspension setup

Do you have trouble setting up your bike's suspension? If so, this e-book from Dual Sport Riding may help. It's only available as a PDF download, and it's only $15.

From an email to the Cult announcing the book:

When I teach clinics, the most common questions are about suspension. Everyone knows how important good suspension is, but the certainty stops there. Most riders don't know whether their suspension is working well, nor how to adjust it, nor even what clues they should be looking for.

Hearing these questions from students led me to look for a system that could allow people get the best from their bike. For help, I turned to James Siddall of Super Plush Suspension, and formerly of several factory race teams. James has spent the last 10 years setting up suspension for some of the world's best riders, and reading their data to learn what is happening behind the sensations they feel. I asked questions, James answered them, and together we made a book that we think will help you understand your motorcycle better, and get the best from it.

From the DS Riding web site:

If any of these conditions describe your ride, there are improvements to be had:

• If you struggle to initiate a turn, or hold a line through a corner, or finish the turn as you want, suspension and chassis setup can help.
• If you lack confidence in a straight line over rough or loose or soft terrain, and feel like your bike is always trying to get away from you, suspension setup can help.
• If you bottom very frequently or almost never, your suspension is not set up right.
• If you involuntarily wince when you approach a certain type of obstacle on the trail, your suspension is not set up right.

The Mouse and the Motorcycle

This may have been the first motorcycle book I ever read, and although I don't remember exactly how it went, I have a distinct recollection of intense excitement. Who knows? Maybe Beverly Cleary is responsible... The Mouse and the Motorcycle.

Roost: Ms. Arthur's Classroom Blog. What a hoot! Steven said, "I think Keith is going to see Ralph with the motorcycle and teach Ralph how to use the motorcycle.Then the bellboy buys a cat then the cat see's ralph and chases him all over the hotel."

The Essential Guide to Dual Sport Motorcycling

The book might be good, but this review is terrible. I don't care if Malcolm Smith wrote the foreword, or whether, "Carl, in turn, acknowledges the book’s many contributors, including the Dust Devils Motorcycle Club of Reno Nevada, who’s curriculum this book is based on."

Hey, Northwest Rider! Get a larger typeface for your web site!

Zen and Now

I haven't read it, so you'll have to take someone else's word on the book: Zen and Now: On the Trail of Robert Pirsig and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Here's author Mark Richardson's  web site.

John Leland's review in the NY Times. No comment from me. Make up your own mind. Over at LiveJournal, a dude who goes by the moniker "staircasewriter" has a positively zen-like review -- less than 100 words. Listen to an interview with the author (RealAudio player required).

http://www.zenandnow.org/photos.php

Update: Original 1968 photos by Robert Pirsig, author of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance."

These 12 photos seem to be the only existing photos from that trip. Mr. Pirsig, when he sent me these photos, said that if he had known his book was going be so famous, he would have taken more photographs.

World's greatest motorcycle journeys

"It's at the Telegraph," I thought, looking at the link. "At least it's not the BBC or that other rag. But it's British. How good a list can it be? I mean, I lived there, and it's boring when you're not getting beat up by green-haired punks wearing Doc Martins." I clicked anyway.

Bloody brilliant! For a girl. ;) Get the book: Planet Earth's Greatest Motorcycle Adventure Tours.

'Mastering the Ride'

In the mail. "More Proficient Motorcycling: Mastering the Ride", by David Hough. Half of dualsport riding (well, for some of us anyway) is spent on the pavement. Since I'm not a master, and since I just acquired a street bike -- 2006 Kawasaki Concours -- I figured I'd read it. The Concours is pretty tame; certainly less aggressive than some of the other street bikes I've owned. But the older I get the more I know the less I know...

Evidence of complex psychological disorders

Someone actually took time to design this. But wait, there's more. Before you order these for your loved one, read this first.

New Book from Whitehorse Press

Not out yet: "The Essential Guide to Dual Sport Motorcycling: Everything You Need to Buy, Ride, and Enjoy the World's Most Versatile Motorcycles." Amazon says it's due in October 2008.

This book is written to help adventuresome motorcyclists buy, ride, and enjoy dual sport motorcycles, those versatile machines that are equally at home on the street and in the dirt. It is organized into four sections covering motorcycle selection, setup, riding technique, and specialized activities such as off-road touring and rallies.

Pro Motocross & Off-Road Riding Techniques is one of my favorite dirtbike books, and here's the Third Edition.