Motorcycle: Evolution, Design, Passion [Hardcover]

Mick Walker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 23, 2006

This is the definitive, comprehensive guide to motorcycle design. Tapping a deep well of knowledge and a lifetime of experience, motorcycle racer and historian Mick Walker sheds light on the evolution of one of the world's ultimate status symbols and style icons—a development owing as much to history, politics, and technology as it does to image, lifestyle, and design. In a survey that ranges from the late nineteenth-century pioneers like Gottlieb Daimler and Hildebrand & Wolfmüller to present-day manufacturers—Harley Davidson, Ducati, Honda, BMW, Aprilia, and Triumph—Walker sets each model within its historical context and outlines the main technological and stylistic innovations that make each bike unique.

(2007)

Editorial Reviews

From The New Yorker

This illustrated history charts the design and engineering developments that shaped the modern motorcycle. Walker shows how the vehicle's evolution from the steam-powered bicycles of the eighteen-sixties was influenced by technological innovations in the airplane and auto industries, and also by lessons that manufacturers learned from the world of motor racing. Modern "superbikes" can traverse the Sahara and reach speeds of a hundred and seventy-five miles per hour. While it helps to be up on basic internal-combustion workings (a glossary is provided for those who don't know their camshafts from their crankcases), even the mechanically maladroit can enjoy the copious images, which feature such curiosities as snapshots of early sidecars - one a fully enclosed camper, big enough to sleep in, another a policeman's jail cell on wheels, for instantaneous imprisonment.
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Review

Charts the design and engineering developments that shaped the modern motorcycles... even the mechanically maladroit can enjoy the copious images.

(Leo Carey New Yorker 2006)

A worthy addition to anyone's moto library.

(Adrian Blake Toronto Sun 2006)

Completely brilliant... one of the best books I've ever read on the evolution of motorcycles.

(Road Racer X 2006)

If you're either a motorcycle enthusiast or a librarian catering to such, make it a point to consider Motorcycle: Evolution, Design, Passion.

(Bookwatch 2008)

Lavishly produced.

(Carolyn Dougherty Journal of Transport History )

A 'picture book' with a great many excellent photographs... These photos alone make the book worth its price.

(David Reilly SAH Journal )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press (August 23, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801885302
• ISBN-13: 978-0801885303
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #187,965 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #27 in Books > Professional & Technical > Automotive > Motorcycles > History

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ideal gift for a motorcycle enthusiast, January 5, 2007

By 

Helen J. Casper (Fort Lauderdale, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Motorcycle: Evolution, Design, Passion (Hardcover)

We bought this for my father for Christmas. He's a motorcycle enthusiast and just loves the beauty of the machines themselves. He loved this book. The pictures are vibrant and just beautiful. The book is also laden with interesting facts and history. "Motorcycle: Evolution, Design, Passion" is a great addition to any motorcycle fan's library.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very nice book, especially for the price., December 28, 2008

By 

Webhead (Mississippi, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Motorcycle: Evolution, Design, Passion (Hardcover)

I got this book as a Christmas gift for my dad who is a motorcycle enthusiast. It's very nice. It has lots of historical data about all types of motorcycles. The best part by far is the pictures. Very, very nice pictures from all eras of the motorcycle spanning many different styles. The pictures are high quality and all of the color pictures are quite pleasing to the eyes.

A great book for any motorcycle fan.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's an oversized, definitive guide to motorbike design, October 6, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Motorcycle: Evolution, Design, Passion (Hardcover)

If you're either a motorcycle enthusiast or a librarian catering to such, make it a point to consider MOTORCYCLE: EVOLUTION, DESIGN, PASSION. It's an oversized, definitive guide to motorbike design and goes beyond the usual showcase of bikes to tap into the wellspring of knowledge and life experience of motorcycle racer and historian Mike Walker. Motorcycle history and evolution are covered in a particularly notable set of vintage photos and historical review, making for a unique and valuable collection addition.