The Cw Library
THE CW LIBRARY
American Motorcycles
GROWING UP IN THE MIDWEST, I SPENT MANY COLD winter days poring over my parents’ encyclopedias. The big, thick volumes were chock-full of fascinating information, and captured my interest for hours at a stretch.
I certainly would have enjoyed Tod Rafferty’s latest work, itself an encyclopedia. Its 256 pages are packed with short histories and color photographs of many strange and wonderful machines. Have you ever seen a Curtiss V-Eight? Or a Kokomo? How ’bout a Nelk? They’re all here. A large portion of the book, 58 pages to be exact, is dedicated to Harley-Davidson. No surprise, really. After all, The Motor Company has produced more motorcycles over the years than any other American bike maker. Indian, meanwhile, gets 42 pages (but with no mention of the new S&S-engined, fatfendered creation). For me, the preWorld War I boardtrackers are the most engaging. How courageous souls like Jim Davis, Maldwyn Jones and Jake DeRosier, to name but a few, raced those spindly machines at upwards of 100 mph on banked wooden ovals is beyond my comprehension.
Admittedly, the accompanying “An A-Z of American Motorcycle Manufacturers,” which includes thumbnail sketches of lesser-known makes for which no images were available, is a bit redundant. But not so the compendium of associations and museums, which serves as the book’s conclusion. Good stuff, all. Even made me a bit homesick. Matthew Miles
The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Motorcycles, Tod Rafferty, 256 pages, $25; Courage Books, 125 S. 22nd St., Philadelphia, PA 19103; 800/345-5359; www.runningpress.com
Original Kawasaki
THIS IS A PLAINSPOKEN BOOK OF DESCRIPTION, Establishing the correct colors, features and manufacturer modifications to the very successful 903cc Kawasaki Z-l series. Author David Marsden is an ac-
complished constructor and restorer who speaks with authority, tempered by English humor.
Need to be sure that the lower sliders on your restoration-project bike are correct for the model? Fearful that you have incorrect head nuts on your engine? Or just curious about detail development of these important models? This book will answer such questions, and it covers English, American and Japanese models. A wealth of photos, diagrams and lists of part numbers supplements the text. The restored machines illustrated are lovely to look at, each one a motorized Faberge egg rich with colors, metallic lusters and fine details.
Having no such project of my own at the moment, I found myself reading the book simply as a pleasing litany of that period and those models. Prospective restorers are given good advice by the author-to seek complete, stock machines with original parts as the basis of their work, rather than to lose time and money struggling with a modified bike or basket case.
Especially valuable is the chapter, “Owning and Riding the Z Series,” in which the author evaluates these machines frankly, directs attention to their shortcomings and what can be done about them, and provides information on safe operation.
Restorers need this book, and many others will want it. If you rode the Z-l, or if you just wish you had, this book brings the details of life with that machine into sharp focus. Kevin Cameron
Original Kawasaki, David Marsden, 112 pages, $36; MBI Publishing Co., 729 Prospect Ave., Osceola, W154020; 715/294-3345; www.motorbooks.com
Deadman’s Throttle
JASON STREET IS FEATURES EDITOR FOR MOTORCYCLE Monthly. His brother, Dale, with whom he has never gotten along, works at a rival publication, Cycle Journal. When Jason finds Dale dead on the side of the road, he suspects his brother’s bad habit of imbibing before riding finally did him in. But as an anonymous phone tip reveals, it was murder, the likely culprit being the irritated recipient of an unflattering product evaluation.
Whoa, there! I’ve gotten my share of angry phone calls and letters during my 12 years as a motojoumalist, but death threats? Not a one. I’ve also never accepted bribes, helped an ad salesman pitch a client or attempted to take out a fellow staffer during a test ride-not on
purpose, anyway. Yet this sort of far-fetched reality is the norm in Deadman s Throttle.
According to the back-cover bio, author Jerry Smith has served on the editorial staffs of Rider, Cycle Guide and Motorcyclist magazines. Not having worked at any of those titles, I can’t possibly comment on their editorial policies, but I suspect they aren’t much different than those of Cycle World. So shame on Smith for perpetuating stereotypes.
Which is not to imply that some of it doesn’t ring true: the ex-racer road-test editor, the inter-magazine dating, the staffers in plaster and businessmen who believe they can “buy” editorial. Or that Deadman s Throttle isn’t an entertaining read: Yes, the plot is as predictable as a John Grisham novel, but I’ve purchased worse at the airport newsstand-at least this one is about motorcycling. Just remember it’s fiction. Pulp at that. -Brian Catterson
Deadman’s Throttle, Jerry Smith, 189 pages, $13; Whitehorse Press, PO. Box 60, North Conway, NH 03860; 800/531-1133; www.whitehorsepress.com
