Motorcycle Handbook (Chilton's Total Service) [Paperback]

Chilton (Author)

Book Description

Series: Chilton's Total Service | Publication Date: August 1, 1998

This complete motorcycle handbook includes sections on buying a bike, break-in, riding gear, engine maintenance, chassis maintenance, accesorizing, detailing, troubleshooting, and motorcycle tools.

Product Details

• Paperback: 500 pages
• Publisher: Delmar Cengage Learning; 1 edition (August 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801990998
• ISBN-13: 978-0801990991
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,769,214 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must buy book., February 20, 2000

By 

Bob 101555,[e-mail] (Istanbul, Turkey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Motorcycle Handbook (Chilton's Total Service) (Paperback)

This is a "must buy" book for anyone who rides a motorcycle. There are two reasons for this statement. First, if you are the kind of person who takes pride in keeping your bike running at its best, then there are chapters on everything from changing your oil to doing your own tune ups. Even if you hate the idea of getting grease under your fingernails there are chapters on the best way to breaking in your new engine. (Something I could not find in my owners manual!) To the best way of keeping your machine looking like new. And much more. There is also a wealth of information on planning trips and buying the proper gear. By all means take this book with you on all trips greater than one day. I would hate the idea of trusting my life to some lawnmower mechanic in some small town. The second reason is the name Chilton. For 30 years, the first purchase I have made after getting a vehicle has been a Chilton manual. My manuals always seem to end up grease stained, dogged eared, and swollen from moisture, but they have always keep me on the road and saved me money. All Chilton manuals, this one included, are well organized, easy to understand with clear photos and drawings. And all of them contain an extensive troubleshooting sections. This alone is worth the price of the book. How many times have you be hit with a large repair bill for a part you could of changed in ten minutes and only cost 5 dollars?

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Useful Resource- But Not A Substitute for Other Sources, July 13, 2000

By 

"souther_g" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Motorcycle Handbook (Chilton's Total Service) (Paperback)

Chilton's Motorcycle Handbook is a very good resource. It is, however, very broad in range and narrow in scope. Which is to say that a wide variety of topics are covered, but none of them are incredibly detailed. If you are in the market for a book on general motorcycling, I'd recommend The Motorcycle Safety Foundation's Guide to Motorcycling Excellence. If, however, you want information on how and why your bike works as well as maintenance tips, there is no substitute for a shop manual or, if the shop manual is unavailable, a Clymer book for your model. This book would be of interest if you are interested in killing all those birds with one stone using a less adequate substitute.

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A strange combination; better books are available, March 7, 2001

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Motorcycle Handbook (Chilton's Total Service) (Paperback)

This book combines step-by-step repair and maintenance and troubleshooting sections with chapters on choosing a motorcycle (mainly a series of pictures of different bikes with short comments), choosing riding clothing, accessorizing your bike, and other miscellaneous topics. It's written in an opinionated first-person style. I found it somewhat superficial.

For learning how a motorcycle works, I would recommend "Motorcycle Basics Manual" published by Haynes; for repair step-by-steps, get the manual for your make of bike; for souping up your bike, "Sportbike Performance Handbook" is more informed and explains the why and how behind the conclusions; for riding wear and technique, I'd recommend Hough's "Proficient Motorcycling." After reading these, if you just have to read something else, this book is not bad.