A fifty year motorcycle racer shares insights into life and death from the seat of a racing motorcycle.

A lavishly illustrated and definitive look at the design evolution of the racing motorcycle. The dynamic between competition and design has always fueled the evolution of racing motorcycles and inspired astonishing feats of design and engineering. This book traces the development of the sport bike, from the earliest French motorcycles to the dominance of British machinery in the 1930s, the exotic Italian motorcycles of the 1950s and 1960s, the influence of American racing in the 1970s and 1980s, and today’s Japanese superbikes. More than fifty classic motorcycles—from Harley-Davidsons to Peugeots, Velocettes, Moto Guzzis, BMWs, Kawasakis, and Ducatis—are presented chronologically illustrated with stunning studio photographs that present the machines as works of art and wonders of design in themselves, accompanied by rare and beautiful archival images that place the subjects in the contexts of classic races, rallies, and motorcycle shows, and accompanied by essays revealing the legends behind the machines. Some of the championship motorcycles featured include the 1902 Manon, the 1922 Harley Davidson 8-valve, the 1935 Terrot 500, the 1948 AJS Porcupine, the 1954 Moto Guzzi V8, the 1965 Honda GP 250, The 1976 Suzuki RK67, the 1986 Cagiva GP, and the 1990 Ducati Supermono.

The Art of BMW Motorcycles presents the rolling sculptures that are BMW motorcycles in studio portraits, each bike accompanied by a short history of the machine. All the classic bikes are here--pre-World War II BMWs like the R5 that defined performance in that era; the military R12 that carried the Wehrmacht as it blitzkrieged its way across Europe; the R75M that accompanied Rommel’s Panzers in North Africa; the Earles-forked R69S that offered the perfect platform for mounting a Steib sidecar; the R90S café racer; and the GS (Gelände Sport) series that launched a dual-sport revolution. All the bike families are covered: the side-valve machines from the early years, the early overhead-valve performance bikes, the postwar Airheads and Oilheads, the four-cylinder and six-cylinder touring bikes, the early pushrod singles, the modern overhead-cam singles, the latest parallel twins, and inline-four cylinder sport bikes. From the first model, the R32 that launched BMW's motorcycle dynasty, to the latest (and fastest) model, the World Super Bike dominating S1000RR, this book captures nearly a century of motorcycling excellence.

85 years of classic BMW motorcycles, in brilliant color photographs, with detailed descriptions and a concise history of the legendary company's history.

This book is an account of the companies and individuals, who have played a major part in the design and advancement of motorcycle frame (chassis) performance. These independent companies began to spring up in the early postwar years, when motorcycle racing began to take place again. Due to the lack of available factory machines and the urge to improve performance of the now aged equipment, riders began to build their own frames around whatever engines were available. Success brought recognition, and people were soon wanting to buy winning machines, so fledgling companies began to spring up to satisfy the growing demand for custom chassis. Some of these companies soon began to grow, and others appeared in various European countries over the next few years. The state-of-the-art hand built frames were becoming a must for the discerning road bike rider, and so the independent motorcycle frame makers were beginning to put some designs into production, and a thriving business was beginning to emerge. In later years, with such a large choice of factory engines from around the world, the successful independent chassis manufacturers went from strength to strength and some are now producing highly prized road bikes, whilst building one-off machines as required. As the years have passed, one or two of the independent companies have disappeared, but in many cases their machines have become very collectable classics. The companies still thriving today, as well as producing modern machines with a wide range of engine options, are finding considerable business rebuilding and maintaining machines built in the earlier years. Some of the pioneer builders have become household names to the motorcycle fraternity, and those written about in this book include: Nico Bakker (The Netherlands), Bimota (Italy), Dresda Autos (United Kingdom), Egli (Switzerland), Harris Performance Products (United Kingdom), Hejira racing (United Kingdom), Magni (Italy), Maxton Engineering (United Kingdom), P&M Motorcycles (United Kingdom), Quasar (United Kingdom), Rickman UK (United Kingdom), Colin Seeley Racing (United Kingdom), Segale (Italy) and Spondon Engineering (United Kingdom). This book charts the history of these innovative companies with full specifications for many chassis, and is extensively illustrated throughout. A must for any motorcycle enthusiast, and a valuable reference for the trade.

The Art of BMW: 90 Years of Motorcycle Excellence presents stunning studio portraiture of the rolling sculpture that BMW has been creating for the past 90 years. Each bike portrait is accompanied by a concise, authoritative profile of the machine. All the classic bikes are here—pre-World War II BMWs like the R5 that defined performance in that era; the military R12 that carried the Wehrmacht as it blitzkrieged its way across Europe; the R75M that accompanied Rommel’s Panzers in North Africa; the Earles-forked R69S that offered the perfect platform for mounting a Steib sidecar; the R90S café racer; the K1 “flying brick”; and the GS (Gelände Sport) series that launched a dual-sport revolution. All the bike families are covered—the side-valve machines from the early years, the early overhead-valve performance bikes, the postwar Airheads and Oilheads, the four-cylinder and six-cylinder touring bikes, the early pushrod singles, the modern overhead-cam singles, the latest parallel twins, and inline-four cylinder sport bikes. From the first model, the R32 that launched BMW's motorcycle dynasty, to the latest (and fastest) model, the World Super Bike dominating S1000RR, this book captures nearly a century of motorcycling excellence.

This is the definitive story of Triumph, told through 130 years of its magnificent motorcycles. Created with support from Triumph and with a foreword from CEO Nick Bloor, The Art of the Motorcycle is a celebration of Triumph's most beautiful bikes, and an essential companion for any fan. With unprecedented access behind the scenes, the book tells the story of Triumph's motorcycles through the years, from the earliest models and much-loved classics to the most recent bikes. Features include: Entries on each of the greatest Triumph models Stunning photography throughout - including never-before-seen images Detailed technical information Early design sketches First-hand reports from the people who were there Other treasures from the Triumph archives With insightful, thoroughly-researched text, Triumph - The Art of the Motorcycle is the ultimate history of an enduring icon, told through its greatest machines.