Sportbike Performance Handbook (Motorbooks Workshop) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "To appoint yourself project leader on your own bike is exciting, but then you need a plan that you can actually carry through..." (more)
Key Phrases: downdraft angle, orifice limitation, piston feet, John Owens Studio, World War, Eddie Lawson (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Coax maximum performance from your sportbike! Cycle World columnist and performance guru Kevin Cameron goes deep inside the world of power and speed, offering his insight on how systems work as well as how modifications and aftermarket trickery translate into more power and better handling on the street or at the track. Component by component, Cameron describes the secrets of speed in minute detail. Sportbike Performance Handbook is your key to building the perfect two-wheeled weapon!

Book Description

For a decade, Cameron’s bestselling Sportbike Performance Handbook has been helping readers and riders define performance improvement plans and put them into motion--building better, faster, more powerful bikes.  This new edition does everything the first did, and more, bringing bikers up to date on the dramatic changes that have swept sportbike technology in the past ten years.  It covers changes to fuel management, suspension, tire technology, brake systems and more.  This is the essential tool for anyone looking to coax maximum performance from a sportbike.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Motorbooks; First edition (May 14, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760302294
• ISBN-13: 978-0760302293
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #357,680 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT! A MUST-HAVE for any two-wheel enthusiast..., August 31, 1998

By A Customer

For fans of Kevin Cameron's "TDC" column in Cycle World magazine, this is your book! Kevin possesses a unique ability to take the most complex topics related to motorcycle technology and make them not only understandable but also *enjoyable* to read. Even if you're not a fan of race replica machines, don't let the title, "Sportbike Performance Handbook" keep you from considering it. Kevin covers every major motorcycle system, in most cases without regard for the genre. So whether you ride the latest Yamaha YZF1000-R1 or a Honda GL1500 Gold Wing, if you're interested in maximum performance there's something here for you.

Kevin doesn't take the approach, "for this bike, use these components and settings." Instead, he uses thorough explanations to educate the reader about how and why things work. Then the reader can choose performance modifications that match his riding style, pocketbook and maintenance tolerance. Throughout the book he encourages the reader to be realistic about his expectations and to match the mechanical changes with improvements to his riding ability.

With the information in this book you'll be able to make your bike exactly the way you want it, and more importantly understand how and why you made it that way.

This is the book we all hoped Kevin would write someday...

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most comprehensive motorcycle performance manual to date, October 23, 1998

By A Customer

Sportbike enthusiasts have been waiting for years for this book. Exceedingly well written, with clear and concise diagrams and explanations on every type of performance modification available. From aftermarket pipes to big-bore kits, from nitrous cannisters to titanium fasteners and magnesium wheels, this text answers all the definitive questions on how to upgrade your motorcycle, and more importantly, which upgrades are actually helpful rather than mere gimmicks. I was impressed with Cameron's depth of knowledge in regards to motorcycle physics and engineering--he is careful to explain how motorcycles work, and the physics behind performance-enhancing modifications, yet he does so in a fashion that any non-engineer or mechanic can understand. I highly recommend this book for all motorcycle owners contemplating any of the host of aftermarket upgrades for their bike, or for the beginning or experienced racer who wants to know how to obtain maximum engine performance. Not to mention that this book is an enjoyable read for any motorcycle enthusiast who wants to know more about the science and development of the motorcycle.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a must have for all motorcycle gearheads!, November 16, 1999

By A Customer

I have never let anybody touch one of my bikes and I have been working on others for 8 yrs or so and this book still taught me a great deal on information in a easy to read format,,, this is a must for beginners and advanced mechanics or do-it-you selfers