Riding Skills Guide ─ Tips for Every Motorcyclist

You have your motorcycle. You have you gear. Now it’s time to ride. Whether you’re a brand-new rider looking for safety tips or a speed demon seeking insider track tips, this is the book for you.

The editors of Cycle World know everything there is to know about riding a motorcycle, and in this book they share all of their secrets. Here you’ll find hints for bike commuters, long-distance touring, off-road dirtbike maneuvers, and even professional racetrack riding. Simple step-by-step illustrations and awesome photos illustrate the points and pro tips bring you into the insider world on two wheels.

Table of Contents:

Break in an Engine
Perform a Pre-Ride Check
Know Your Transmission
Shift without the Clutch
Know Your Bike’s Limits
Improvise a Cruise Control
Don’t Disregard the Downshift
Countersteer Correctly
Don’t Get (Tank) Slapped
Master Trail Braking
Hit the (Engine) Brakes
Be a Good Passenger
Take a Ride with Junior
Encourage Kids to Ride
Split Lanes Safely
Commute Right
Avoid Target Fixation
Use Your Radar, Rider
Read the Radius
Read the Crown
Foil Bike Thieves
Lock It or Lose It
Ride in the Cold
Survive a Crosswind
Play in the Snow
Get Your Bike Wet
Beat the Heat
Survive in the Desert
Choose Your Colors
Tread Lightly in the Woods
Kick Up Some Dust
Ride Over a Log
Try a Trials Bike
Dustproof Your Goggles
Ride in the Mud
Prep Your Bike for Mud Riding
Ride in Sand
Tie 4 Essential Knots
Spend an Unplanned Night Outdoors
Start a Fire 3 Ways
Be a Night Rider
Navigate by the Stars
Ride Washboard
Filter Dirty Gas
Ride Flat Track
Ride in Swamps
Get the Holeshot
Pop a Wheelie
Pull a Stoppie
Pass in a Turn
Restart on a Hill
Lift Any Bike
Survive a Crash
Handle an Emergency
Understand Stopping Distance
Make an Emergency Stop
Handle a Skid
Ride a Racetrack
Make a Pro Pitstop
Hang Off
Drag a Knee
Ride on a Tightrope
Pack for a Trip
Cross Railroad Tracks
Ride on a Bridge
Tow a Trailer
Ride Around the World

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.