The Total Motorcycling Manual

Whether you’re a daily commuter, a weekend touring rider, or an off-road dirt fiend, this comprehensive guide from the experts at Cycle World magazine has the tried-and-true tips and tricks you need. Covers buying the right bike, riding safely, touring on two wheels, and maintaining and repairing your bike.

Every motorcyclist, from the weekend joyrider to the everyday commuter to the aspiring racetrack pro needs this book. In over 300 insider hits, experts from Cycle World magazine cover:
Gear: Including how to buy the best bike possible, evaluate a used ride, suit up for style and safety, and adapt your gear to a wide range of riding conditions.
Riding: Make the most of any situation, from navigating dangerous city streets and enjoying desert off-roading to holding your own on competitive tracks around the world (amps and pro-racer tips included!). Have fun, ride like a pro, and keep the rubber side down.
Repair & Maintenance : Tips for how to become your own repair shop—and how to avoid getting ripped off when you do need a mechanic. Also includes on-the-fly repairs, emergency fixes, and pro tips for maintenance routines to keep your bike running for years to come.

Contents include:

Choose a helmet
Choose a jacket
Choose the right gloves
Choose your riding boots
Clean a helmet
Choose electric clothing
Choose proper rain gear
Keep your feet dry
Maintain your gear
Choose dirtbike riding gear
Ten essentials you should have in your pockets
Stay warm on a bike
Stay cool on a bike
Stay dry on a bike
Pick racing leathers
Pick your essential equipment
Deal with an emergency (first aid)
Ten knots every rider should know
Clean your bike
Clean your faceshield
Pick up a bike that’s fallen over
Common rider hand signals
Motorcycle Vocabulary in Foreign Languages
Clean your bike
Theft-proof your bike
Choose a lock
Add lights to your bike
Sell a bike
Buy a used bike
Drink and ride
Shift without using the clutch
Blend in at Sturgis
Have a blast at Bike Week
Get a date with an umbrella girl
Ten best biker tattoos
Watch a race
Sneak into the pits
Ride in Europe
Ride in Vietnam
Tape your hands for racing
Adjust your lever positions
Dressing for the weather
Get on a bike for the first time
Go riding with kids
Be a good passenger
Favorite motorcycle books
What was the first motorcycle?
When to shift
Hot weather riding tips
Learn from every ride
Rent a motorcycle
Favorite motorcycle movies
Favorite motorcycle songs
Best bike destinations
Restart after stalling on a hill
Using earplugs
How to find a great road
Women and bikes
Choosing the right bike for a woman
Take a child for a ride
Carry a live pig on your bike
Hide a new bike from your spouse
Ride around the world
Speak biker
Dress like a biker
Cook on your bike
Eat while you ride
Ride the Ironbutt
Prepare roadkill
Ride the Globe Of Death
Ride on a tightrope
Get a job at Cycle World
Make a bike backfire
Drag sparks off your centerstand
Write a used-bike ad
What to say if someone wants to borrow your bike

Adjust a chain
Change a tire
True a wheel
Tighten a spoke
Change your oil
Fix a flat
Tow a bike
Patch a tube
Charge a battery
Basic electrical troubleshooting
Clean the rust out of a gas tank
Put a bike on a centerstand
Tie a bike down in a truck
Ship a bike in a crate
Get your bike ready for winter
Get your bike ready for riding season
Do a pre-ride check
Fix a stripped bolt
Remove a stuck bolt/screw
Adjust your clutch
Lube a cable
Change your jetting
Mix two-stroke fuel
Start a bike after it’s been submerged
Align your wheels
Set your air pressure
Set your suspension sag
Understand preload
Understand damping
Kickstart a

Mark Lindemann was an Associate Editor at the late, great Cycle magazine between 1982 and 1987, and has been in the motorcycle industry ever since. Proficient on both streetbikes and dirtbikes, his notes show he’s ridden over 750 machines on four continents, of which only a handful have actively tried to kill him. In 2012 he was the recipient of Cycle World’s prestigious Joe Parkhurst Award for embodying the spirit of the sport. In addition to his efforts at Cycle, his work has appeared in Cycle World, Motorcyclist, Supercycle, Garage, and Outrider Journal. Career highlights include outrunning a low-flying aircraft at Bonneville, a citation for riding at 134 miles per hour in a 25-mph zone, and being stitched together by a veterinarian after a streetbike crash. His garage is filled with more tools than should be allowed by law. Compared to his former fearless self, today he rides about as fast as an advancing tectonic plate.