Standard Catalog of American Motorcycles 1898-1981: The Only Book to Fully Chronicle Every Bike Ever Built [Paperback]

Jerry Hatfield (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 8, 2006 | Series: Standard Catalog of American Motorcycles

The resurgence of interest in motorcycles, with more than 1 million new sales in 2004, is reminiscent of the revved up days of the 1970s. In this new reference novice riders, vintage collectors and hobbyists get coverage of every American-made model, pre-war to present day, to roll off the line and onto the pavement.

From vintage models like the Flying Merkel and Excelsior motorcycles to the tried and true Indian motorcycles and evolutionary Harley-Davidsons, this guide captures the technical details and history of American motorcycles like nothing else. Collectors, historians and motorcycle enthusiasts will find technical specifications including performance figures, horsepower, weight and more for help in identification. A collection of 1,200 crisp detailed photos also assists with identification, and offers inspiration for these enduring vehicles.

-Every model from pre-war to today is included to give collectors the most comprehensive coverage

-1,200 detailed photos help motorcycle enthusiasts with bike identification

-Includes technical data on hard-to-find models

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Krause Publications (February 8, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873499492
• ISBN-13: 978-0873499491
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #884,239 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, but flawed, August 17, 2007

By 

Clamdigger (Pahoa, Hawai'i USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Standard Catalog of American Motorcycles 1898-1981: The Only Book to Fully Chronicle Every Bike Ever Built (Paperback)

To be brief: This is a wonderful book for those who love the really old and rare motorcycles of the pre-WW2 era. I don't know of anything else in print which even comes close to the scope and depth of this work. So buy a copy!

Unfortunately, the other, more critical reviewers are also correct: there are surprising gaps in this historical review - even where the author obviously intended to provide the missing material - and there are errors of fact. The publisher needs to hire some better editors, and the author really should produce a corrected, more genuinely comprehensive 2nd edition ASAP.

My greatest disappointment with this edition was the book's cheap paperback production: The content, mostly old ads and photos of really rare bikes, fully deserves glossy paper and the highest quality reproductions to preserve this information. I personally would be happy to pay twice as much for such a volume.

But all criticisms aside, what we have here is still invaluable. If you are a fan of old mototcycles, you will want this book - even in such a flawed edition.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Inaccurate research., April 30, 2006

By 

James E. Buis "Jim Buis" (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Standard Catalog of American Motorcycles 1898-1981: The Only Book to Fully Chronicle Every Bike Ever Built (Paperback)

The book in general is full of inaccuracies. For example, the section on the Rokon Trail-breaker is mostly fiction. The author attributes the creation of the Trail-breaker to J.B. Nethercutt and his two sons. This is absolutely false. Charles Fehn of Thousand Oaks, California invented it not the Nethercutts. Nethercutt owned the company that was its first mass producer not its inventor.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic American Motorcycles are all here to view!!!, May 12, 2010

By 

Winston Blakely (bronx, n.y. United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Standard Catalog of American Motorcycles 1898-1981: The Only Book to Fully Chronicle Every Bike Ever Built (Paperback)

I purchase this item mainly as a reference tool for an upcoming

art project that has storytelling pages which would include

motorcycles from the 1930's. What I got was an excellent

bargain and a great book with amazing detail.

I admire the history of the American Motorcycle and the pictures

this volume display. It's very useful as a tribute to the

early invention of the vehicle and shows wonderful progression

to what we know today as the modern motorcycle.

Excellent book to have on hand to learn and explore,regardless

of whether you like motorcycles or not.