Motorcycle (Reaktion Books - Objekt) (Paperback)

by Steven E. Alford (Author), Suzanne Ferriss (Author)
Key Phrases: target design, women motorcyclists, motorcycle design, Second World War, Hells Angels, New Zealand (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Motorcycle takes you from the motorized bicycle to the life cycle of Bosozoku gangs; from the concept of `flow' to leather and sexuality; from Broughs to toughs to white-gloved Motor Maids. Like a good motorcycle ride it leads you into new territory and gives you a fresh sense of familiar terrain. International in scope, informative and provocative, it opens up the field of motorcycle culture and design."-Ted Bishop, author of Riding with Rilke: Reflections on Motorcycles and Books (Ted Bishop 20070614)

"An exploration of the ''fact, myth and legend of the motorcycle.''"-Cycle World (Cycle World )

"Through their wide-ranging study of history, technology, literature, film, fashion, and aesthetic design, Alford and Ferriss have created the most extensive, perceptive, and rewarding inquiry yet into the role of the motorcycle and our fascination with it."--Ed Youngblood, past president of the American Motorcycle Association and editor of Motohistory (Ed Youngblood )

Product Description

Easy Rider. Motocross Grand Prix. James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause. The motorcycle is a global icon of untamed freedom, symbolizing a daring and reckless lifestyle of adventure. Yet there are few books that chronicle how and when this legendary vehicle roared down the open road. Motorcycle explores the roots of the rebel’s ultimate ride.
After early incarnations as a nineteenth-century steam-powered bicycle and multi-wheeled vehicles, the modern motorcycle came into its own as a cheap, mobile military asset during World War I. From there, it rapidly spread through modern culture as a symbol of rebellion and subversive power, and Motorcycle tracks the symbolic role that the bike has played in literature, art, and film. The authors also investigate the international subcultures that revolve around the motorcycle and scooter. They chart the emergence of American biker culture in the 1950s, when decommissioned fighter pilots sought new ways to satiate their desire for thrill and danger, and explore how the motorcycle came to represent the untamed nonconformity of the American West. In contrast, smaller scooters such as the Vespa and moped became the utilitarian vehicle of choice in space-starved metropolises across Europe and Asia. Ultimately, the authors argue, the motorbike is the exemplary Modernist object, dependent on the perfect balance of man and machine.
An unprecedented and wholly engrossing account, Motorcycle is an essential reading for the Harley-Davidson roadhog, bike collector, or anyone who’s felt the power of the unmistakable king of the road.

(20070625)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Reaktion Books (January 3, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1861893450
• ISBN-13: 978-1861893451
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #652,715 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars "Motorcycle", March 1, 2009

By	TigerLady "motojournalist" (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This book explores the motorcycle as a design object, from its humble beginnings as a bicycle with a motor bolted onto it, through a century of design evolution and innovation to modern times. It turns a wide-angle lens on the history and development of the machine, and how people have reacted to it--both those who love it and those who hate it.
It focuses beyond the tunnel vision of the American landscape and bike industry to an international, multileveled, and complicated story, and rescues the motorcycle from triviality (in the US) by treating it as a serious engineering feat which has polarized societies since its inception.
A good companion read is Steven L. Thompson's "Bodies in Motion."

5.0 out of 5 stars Vrooom!, December 13, 2008

By	L. Wolf, (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

MOTORCYCLE is a fascinating look at this compelling "objekt" of power and beauty,and its great significance not only as a machine but as an aesthetic and pop cultural icon. The authors have provided interesting historical and social insights in their look at the motorcyle, and their lively prose is punctuated with compelling photographs. Alford and Ferriss have done a thoughtful,sophisticated job of analyzing the impact of the motorcycle on cultural imagination--and our ideas about motion, freedom, gender, and the future--as well as illustrating its importance in art, design, literature and film. Clearly, the motorcycle is much more than the sum of its parts, as this ambitious and well-wrought analysis shows. It makes one want to put on some goggles and hit the open road--with the book in one's pack, of course! Vroooom!

5.0 out of 5 stars Intelligence meets motion, December 5, 2008

By	TJT (Texas) - See all my reviews

The book Motorcycle is for all those who want to know everything there is to know about the role that motorcycles have played (and continue to play) in the world's culture. My own fascination with them began in the early 1960s as I envied those fellow teenagers who had mopeds and Honda 50s. Freedom, cool, and speed are the words that come to my mind when I think of those days.

What is fascinating about this book is that it is everything you would expect a book about motorcycles not to be .... highly relevant and intelligent. Bring your brain ... it's a book to savor.