Customer Reviews

Stayin' Safe: The Art and Science of Riding Really Well

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Compared with David Hough's book, or the MSF 2nd edition, this comes off poorly. The writing style is dense and cutesey. The advice, if you can wade through the prose, is valuable, but is presented [ with illustrations] much better elsewhere.
One can only hope that Larry's Stayin' Safe Motorcycle training course is where he really shone - this book is intended as a memorial, but would have been more effective to have some of the course details thrown in.
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June '08 - I'm used to being wrong, occasionally --- but this time I was way off base !

It was when I gave the other two above mentioned books to a friend who is a new rider. I was left with Larry's book, and started reading it, by default, reluctantly.

The guy has really grown on me...the humor, the admission that he is not the world's greatest rider, his being another Larry, and sadly, hitting a deer - all of which we share, except that I walked, o.k., hobbled, away from the incident, and he did not.

Now, having replaced the gifted books in my library, I turn to Larry's collection of his columns for the humanity that leaps off the page, and the advice that just may let me get through another ride...safely.

Lots more stars...

The late Lawrence Grodsky wrote for magazines about motorcycles and safety. His book contains information not found elsewhere, including the Motorcycle Safety Foundation publications. His style is extremely readable, and easily understood. He did not avoid the potential safety issues, but rather brought them to light for examination. Most chapters contain introductions by his friends from the cycling world, which are valuable in their own right. It is unfortunate that we lost Larry, who gave so much and had much more to give. I highly recommend this book to those who might be considering biking, as well as greatly experienced riders.

It was a great loss when Larry left us. This book is a reprint of his magazine articles, and great reference for riding safe. Any safe motorcyclist should have this book on their shelf along with "Proficient Motorcycling".

This is a must read for riders of any and all experience levels.
Grodsky's lifetime of information as a student and instructor of the motorcycle is something any rider can make use of. His wrting style is easy to follow and has an eaganesque style that is humerous and humble at the same time. Sadly he died doing what he loved and we will no longer be able to extract more knowledge from his experiences.

I found Stayin' Safe to be a great read for anyone who enjoys motorcycling or is thinking about learning to ride. As a reader of Rider magazine I had read many of his articles, but never had them organized before. As a group they shed light on many of the topics we have all discussed during or after our rides in and interesting and enjoyable style. I liked the suggestions for practice and many of the anecdotes that illustrate the need for them. It made me realize, once again, how much I have to learn.Stayin' Safe: The Art and Science of Riding Really Well

Haven't gotten too far into it yet as it is very easy to put it down. So far very little of value as far as riding skills and safety such as its title would have you believe. I am hoping for more satisfaction as I continue through it. If I change my mind and it proves to have value I will see if I can revise this review. For now, I would hold off on spending your money on this one.

I'd say at least 75% of motorcycle riders should have this book, as Grodsky here touches on a lot of points that most riders have mistakes in or fail to take into consideration (like proper motorcycle wear!) So far, a few of his tips I've started working into my motorcycle 'routine' and I'm actually more comfortable while riding than I was before.

The only reason I docked this book a star is that a few of his articles, you'll notice that they talk about the same thing. At least once, I thought "Haven't I read this article before?"

This is a good addition to David L. Hough's book Proficient Motorcycling. In this book, Larry Grodsky explains lane positioning when encountering right and left turing motorists better than David.