The Cw Librarry

THE CW LIBRARRY

Colin Edwards: The Texas Tornado

WITHOUT QUESTION, THE 2002 WORLD SUPERbike season, in which Honda's Colin Edwards roared from well back in points to wrestle the title from Ducati-mounted reigning series champ Troy Bayliss, will go down in history as one of motorcycle racing's crowning moments.

So, how did Edwards do it?

Well, you won’t find out through Bertie Simmonds’ new book, Colin Edwards: The Texas Tornado. Sure, Simmonds, whose résumé includes editorial stints at Britain’s Motor Cycle News, Bike and Two Wheels Only, dutifully tells readers where Edwards and Bayliss finished in each round, and that his subject never gave up in his quest for a second WSB championship. But the subterranean side of the story, in which Edwards and crew chief Adrian Gorst might reveal all, goes untold. Surely, there must be more to their title-winning tale than “steamroller momentum and a morale-boosting pre-race test before the final round,” as Simmonds suggests.

Die-hard fans of “The Texas Tornado” will enjoy learning about Edwards’ upbringing, his promising motocross career, his climb through roadracing’s ranks and his move to MotoGP with Aprilia. For anyone seeking a backstage pass to what may be remembered as Edwards’ finest hour, though, Simmonds misses the mark. -Matthew Miles

Colin Edwards: The Texas Tornado, Bertie Simmonds, 144 pages, $27; Haynes North America, Inc., 861 Lawrence Dr., Newbury Park, CA 91320; 800/442-9637; www.haynes.com

How To Set Up Your Motorcycle Workshop

WE GET A LOT OF BOOKS HERE AT CW, AND "How To's" ARE OFTEN SLOTTED onto a library shelf without so much as being read. I mean, c'mon, how interesting is reading about setting up a motorcycle workshop?

The answer is pretty interesting if, like me, you happen to be moving house and contemplating outfitting the garage for working on bikes. And so on a long international flight, I read this book from cover to cover. And learned...not a lot, to be honest, but it definitely made me think about some things I wouldn’t have otherwise.

Most motorcycle enthusiasts who perform their own maintenance will likely have learned most of the lessons this book has to offer on their own. But for those who are new to wrenching on bikes, it’s a wealth of information.

Author C.G. Masi leaves no stone unturned. A self-proclaimed “gypsy,” Masi has set up numerous home workshops over the years, and that experience shows. And because this is the second edition of the book (the first was published in 1996), he has an even greater wealth of experience to draw from now. He even goes so far as to discuss the “Temporary Workshop,” a glorified title for making roadside repairs–something he no doubt learned through his affinity for vintage Harley-Davidson Sportsters.

While there is useful information throughout, I found the most interesting reading in the eight “Profile” chapters, which include detailed floor plans of workshops ranging in size from a single-car garage to a two-story race shop (Yoshimura R&D, to be specific).

Good stuff–and highly motivational, too. While Masi’s writing style isn’t fancy, nor his photos, his enthusiasm is infectious. By the time I finished reading this book, I found myself excitedly sketching plans for my new home workshop. Which is exactly the point. -Brian Catterson

How To Set Up Your Motorcycle Workshop, C.G. Masi, 175 pages, $20; Whitehorse Press, PO. Box 60, N. Conway, NH 03860-0060; 603/356-6556; www.whitehorsepress.com

BMW R100RS

IT'S EMBARRASSING WHEN A spectator asks a question about the bike you're racing and you don't know the answer. That happened to me a few times at the BMW BoxerCup races at Daytona last March, and I was determined not to let it happen again when I competed in the Airheads Invitational at Talladega this past September.

And so I spent a few hours reading BMW R100RS by Bill Stermer. Part of the Whitehorse Press Motorcycle Collector Series, the 80-page paperback isn’t thick, but it diligently details the history of the Hans Muth-designed machine that is widely considered motorcycling’s first dedicated sport-tourer.

It’s all here, from the RS’s controversial debut in 1977 during which company bosses argued about using the Rennsport name on a non-racing bike, through the “Last Edition” models in 1984 (which, of course, weren’t), to the resurrection in 1988 and ultimate supplantation in 1993 by the R1100RS, first of the “Oilheads.”

You don’t have to be an R100RS owner to enjoy this book, as the first chapter contains a brief history of the Bavarian Motor Works that would interest any motorcycle enthusiast. Similarly, the chapter on “Making a Better Rennsport” suggests various aftermarket upgrades that would work on just about any air-cooled Boxer.

Author of Motorcycle Touring and Travel and a former staffer at Cycle and Rider magazines, Stermer is a lifelong Beemerphile who knows of what he speaks. As do I, now that I’ve read his book. So thanks, Bill, for keeping me from looking like an airhead. -Brian Catterson

BMW R100RS, Bill Stermer, 80 pages, $15; Whitehorse Press, P.0. Box 60,

N. Conway, NH 03860; 800/531-1133; wwww.whitehorsepress.com