From First Ride To The Road Ahead. A book by Steve Krugman
A Blacktop Book Review…
In 1977 I bought a brand new Foxi GT Moped. My very first powered vehicle. It was a blast as a 15 year old to cruise around town, to school and explore more of my county. Just before I turned 17 I sold it and bought my first car a 1970 VW Bug. From 1979 to 2004 I was a cage rider always yearning to throw a leg over a bike again.
It was 25 years almost to the day that I twisted a throttle once again. This time on a brand new Harley-Davidson Road King Custom. As the dealer finished prepping the bike my palms were itching to grab the bars.
Along with the thrill and excitement of riding, is the complex science of riding. Balance, centrifugal force, momentum, weight transfer, and more that a good rider should understand. If you are considering riding, if you haven’t ridden in years, or if you are a seasoned rider, I suggest you take a course on riding. There are insights that you may not have considered, or terms you will learn for the thing you already do. As a seasoned rider, you may have experiences to offer to the class as well. If you take a course or not, Please, please pick up Steve Krugman’s book The Art and Craft of Motorcycling by Motorbooks. (Note I was not paid to write this article other than offered a copy of the book to review).
This book reminds me of the VW Primer “How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive, Repairs and Maintenance for the Complete Idiot” that I had when I bought my first car. Steve’s book is full of great tips, fun illustrations (by Benedicte Waryn) and awesome information that speaks to you, not AT you.
What’s that? You ride a scooter? Perfect.
Many of the same physical qualities of riding a big bagger bike are also true for scooters. There are wonderful “Scooter Notes” throughout the book to define scooter specific concepts such as: “With smaller wheels comes less ability to overcome obstacles.”
This one sentence sums up the feelings I felt the first time I stepped through my first scooter. A bit top heavy yet fun to zip around town. That is what I found as special in this book, giving a name and reason for what you experience riding a moped, scooter and/or motorcycle.
I couldn’t believe the torque as I twisted the throttle that first day on my Harley. I damn near fell off! I held on, stayed on the saddle and rode off to the second day of my M1 Motorcycle Training Course.
I hope you find the is article interesting and may consider this book as a gift to a rider or for yourself. It is a book I know I will be picking up again and again.
