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CompanionHouse Books

Proficient Motorcycling: The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well, Updated & Expanded 2nd Edition (CompanionHouse Books) The Must-Have Manual: Confront Fears, Sharpen Handling Skills, & Learn to Ride Safely

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Description

Essential reading for every motorcyclist! Learn all about:Riding city streets and country roadsDealing with common and uncommon hazardsAvoiding manmade hazards and canine pursuersSurviving nature's challenges: rain, wind, heat, coldSafely riding in groups and carrying passengersWearing the most protective clothingProficient Motorcycling is a must-have for all motorcyclists—regardless of experience!Author David L. Hough, an author, columnist, and riding-safety consultant who began riding in the 1960s, lays out a clear course in this book to sharpen your handling skills for a safer, more enjoyable ride. This second edition, updated, expanded with more valuable tips, and now in full color, offers new riders and experienced bikers alike the advice you'll need to be prepared for anything on the road. Learn how to avoid accidents, handle the unexpected, and arrive safe.288 pages tackle every imaginable topic: bike mechanics, selecting the right-sized bike, basic riding skills, night riding, group outings, advanced survival tactics, and more. The chapter "Motorcycle Dynamics" explores the equipment and skills required to control a bike, preserving your safety and avoiding injury or fatal crashes. The author is a nationally renowned motorcycling expert and is outspoken and direct when it comes to safety, emphasizing the importance of braking abilities, showing how to improve them, and providing 6 tried-and-true techniques for quick-stop tactics critical for every rider to master.Explore vital skills to evaluate and improve, such as turning, maintaining balance and stability, and steering. The details of steering and control are defined and analyzed: direct steering, countersteering, push steering, out-tracking, coning, U-turns, and directional control. The chapter "Cornering Habits" is a virtual master class in acceleration, deceleration, use of weight, throttle, leaning, and handling challenging terrain.The detail offered comes from decades on the road, and the author is the consummate instructor, assigning "homework" exercises to practice and improve specific techniques. Venturing onto the road without David Hough's voice in your head could be taking an unnecessary risk with your own life!Proficient Motorcycling takes you from long, snaking country roads right into the traffic of the big city, offering the best advice for dealing with the most challenging conditions, like road construction, snap-jawed intersections, skateboarders, suddenly slippery road surfaces, aggressive car drivers, oblivious SUV drivers, and "blind" truck drivers. Over 300 photos, illustrations, and diagrams accompany the easy-to- understand instructions and concepts.This crucial guide offers first-hand experience that can literally save riders' lives! "Booby Traps" and "Special Situations" offer evasive tactics to handle slick surfaces, curbs, construction plates, ferocious dogs, hazardous wildlife, and difficult weather conditions. "Sharing the Ride" is geared toward experienced riders who travel together in groups or with a passenger on the bike, covering formation, packing for trips, communication between riders, sidecars, trikes, and more. Explore resources for organizations, training schools, educational tools, and websites, a glossary of 80+ terms, and a complete index.Do you want to blast around twisty mountain roads, ride through miles of desert, or go on a weekend-long group ride? Do you want to commute to work on your motorcycle, handling aggressive drivers and construction zones with ease? Whatever your motorcycling goals, whether you're a novice riding for the first time or a seasoned road warrior, this lively manual is a must-have resource to improve your skills and get safely to your destination! Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ CompanionHouse Books; Updated & Expanded 2nd edition (November 12, 2013)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1620081199


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 98


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.25 x 0.75 x 11 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #31,640 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #4 in Motorcycles (Books) #4 in Motor Sports (Books) #9 in Driver's Education (Books)


#4 in Motorcycles (Books):


#4 in Motor Sports (Books):


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Excellent for beginners and riders alike, you'll learn something new or at least review a lot of useful ideas
Proficient Motorcycling 2nd Edition Hough's Proficient Motorcycling is probably the best single book to read for beginners. Many reviewers have regarded Proficient Motorcycling as mandatory for all riders, and should be included with a motorcycle purchase. I agree completely, because Hough does an excellent job explaining the concepts. He doesn't just write, he includes basic physics diagrams, and lots of color photographs to drive the points home. He doesn't get lost in technical jargon, although you will notice some differences in his style compared to Keith Code simply because Code is writing to improve your road course racing skills more than traffic skills. That said, the physics apply in either case, and Hough's book is a excellent primer. Counter-steering, front braking, safety equipment, statistics, and road hazards are all covered in Proficient motorcycling. Hough doesn't focus on pivot steering or using just the front brakes as much as Code. Like I said before, Hough is more concerned about typical hazards one encounters on the road, and the skills needed to survive in that setting. However, pivot steering is hinted by Hough when he describes an exercise to improve U-turns or tight turns. Basically the outside peg is used as a pivot point during a turn, as described by Keith Code. Hough just mentions using the outside peg to position your body which is a similar idea. Hough does mention using the front brakes, but not to the extreme as Code. Many of the concepts covered in Proficient Motorcycling are covered in operator's manuals provided by the state when taking the written exam or road test. There are lots of good tips, and Hough doesn't skimp on covering typical road hazards. He talked about canines, soda cardboard boxes, crossing railroad tracks properly, rough roads, etc... Needless to say, it is a sobering look at riding. I came into motorcycles looking at the radical super sport and sport bikes (race replica stuff, such as the Suzuki GSX-R1000 or Yamaha YZR-F1) but the more I researched and read, the more dangerous it seemed. Hough doesn't let you forget that you only have 2 wheels with limited contact patch and traction compared to an automobile. Hough and Code both recommend using ear plugs for higher speed riding due to the wind noise that is known to cause hearing loss. Some states may have regulations against this, but it makes sense. I cannot stand the wind noise from driving a convertible on the highway, let alone riding a motorcycle with a limited windscreen and insulation! Overall: 5/5 stars ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2011 by Chaz Turbino
    • Comprehensive guide to motorcycling!
Must read for any motorcyclist looking to learn or brush up on your skills and knowledge to be safe on today's public roads.
Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2024 by MG
    • Great Information, Flawed Presentation
I just bought a new motorcycle after about 18 years out of the saddle and decided I needed to brush up on some riding tactics. I bought "Proficient Motorcycle" by David Hough to give me the refresher I needed. The book itself is solid stock, with nice thick high quality gloss paper. The cover is even thicker paper that folds inward at the edges to prevent wear as you thumb through the pages. The binding is glued and threaded with fourteen strong stiches... high quality all around. But wait... do you like sticky gooey residue all over the back cover of your books? No, you say? Well, you may be a little disappointed then. The "Free 144 Bonus Pages" is actually a CD-ROM attached to a plastic holder on the back of the book. The CD has a huge yellow warning sticker on it, "If you break this seal you cannot return the book". Ok fine. The problems start when you go to "break the seal". You have to literally destroy the plastic sleeve to get the CD out, which requires you to pull it from the back paper cover. This will rip some of the back cover off with it. And now there is a sticky adhesive mess all over the back cover that will stick to the back page when you shut it. I had to put tape all over the back cover in order to "seal in" all the adhesive residue from the advertisement CD. And that's what the "144 bonus pages" are... advertisement for the Motorcycle Consumer News magazine. You get three old issues with plenty of oppurtunities to subscribe. They should have left this out, no one want this CD and it destroys the book cover. So, a little worse for the wear, I cracked open the book and read it from cover to cover. The information contained was useful and enjoyable to read. But the "enjoyable to read" part actually has an expense to it. The motorcyle lingo and the off-the-cuff casual nature will put you at ease, but when this style sours into heavy sarcasm, it can be confusing. For example, on page 38 shows a photograph of a couple on a motorcyle wearing the lid-style helmets. Perfectly legal and popular where I live. The caption says, "You don't really need a real helmet if you are clever enough to avoid crashes." Yes, pretty obvious sarcasm but possible misleading. There is other questionable language in the text also. Sometimes Hough will refer to crash victims as "road stains". That's always tacky, regardless of context. On more than one occasion he refers to scruffy bikers that like to wear black leather with metal studs as "terrorists" and at other times as "biker trash". This is type of language is not funny and not necessary. Those negatives aside, however, I really enjoyed the writing style. Hypothetical characters like "Interstate Al" and "Biker Bob" are not only enjoyable to read about, but made me think of their situations when I was out on the road. This is a very effective teaching tool that I found enjoyable and informative. Overall, I think this book is worth the money. The information is very valuable and it is presented in a enjoyable way. I am without a doubt a better rider after reading "Proficient Motorcycling". I am even thinking about buying Hough's next installment, "More Proficient Motorcycling". I may have pointed out a few negatives about the presentation here, but I am happy I bought and read this book, and my overall impressions are positive. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2008 by Amazon Customer
    • Staying safe
Excellent information on how to traverse on to wheels
Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2024 by David A East
    • IMPORTANT STUFF IN HERE!
If your new to riding, getting back into it, or been riding for years this is a great resource. I ride because I like the freedom it offers and because it helps me clear my head and relax. It's my therapy if you will. f you ride you have probably accepted the fact that our choice places us at a higher risk of injury or death, it's a simple fact. We don't have a steel cage around us to protect us from others like those in cars or trucks. As riders, it's OUR RESPONSIBILITY to get where we are going safely and unscathed. We may have the right of way at times but if we crash, we ALWAYS lose. This book, as well as the second in the series, has tons of tips, strategies, and pointers to help us stay safe. Read it, learn it, and apply the information inside. It's well written and easy to understand with numerous diagrams and photo's. We owe it to ourselves, our families, and friends to be safe. ATGATT ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2020 by Amazon Customer
    • Excellent book
The best book I've run across when it comes to motorcycle safety. Recommend for new riders as well as veterans. I've been riding for many years but there are some great tips and reminders even for veterans.
Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2024 by Max M. Thomas
    • Putting the FUN in FUNDAMENTALS
As an “old newbie” (started riding at 49 y.o.!), I’m thankful for this book as a starting reference. It’s a comprehensive read/study guide that not only outlines “how-to” but (more importantly) “WHY-to”. An outSTANDING book, written by someone who obviously enjoys riding, while appreciating the nuances (sharing the data and the physics) that promote effective, SAFE riding. Buy it. Read it. Re-read it … and keep it shiny side up. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2024 by AKO D. BRADFORD
    • Amazing book 📖
Finished this book last week good advice ✅️ Excited to be a new rider soon.
Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2024 by Brianna

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