For Begineers who want to understand the basiscs of their machine..

I found it very easy to follow in the most part, not to use on a certain bike, but with a bike manual it will be great help.

It covers a wide variety, but I sensed speceific hostility to my baby (Harley Davidson), but oh well, Loved by few, respected by many :).

Aside from the occasional spelling differences (tyre instead of tire, etc.) this serves as the perfect introduction to the inner workings of your bike. It's not too complicated, nor does it treat its readers as idiots; rather it's a great blend of information and photos that allow you to learn the core ideas behind the metal and plastic. What I really liked was the build up of old to new styles of all the various systems it covers. As the title plainly states this is a basics book, and it won't get you to the point of being a mechanic, but after reading this you should be able to begin a study of motorcycle repair without a problem. This is money worth spending if you aren't already educated about engine systems.

I'm a young(ish) woman who is absolutely new to the world of motorcycles. I bought this book from Amazon after reading through the posted reviews, and am pleased to say that it was an excellent purchase.


I really don't have anything to compare this book to, but I can say that it has been a wonderful introduction to the nuts and bolts of motorcycles. I never really understood what constituted an engine before picking up this book, but now I can talk intelligently on many mechanical matters with my grease-monkey mates. It's also a great reference when you're struck by a killer question about the intricacies of gear shifting, or whatever.


The book's only drawback, from my point of view, is that the text is rather dense, which makes it slightly daunting to sit down with. All in all though, my thanks and congratulations go out to the author.

This book is not and does not try to be a shop manual. What it is, is a well-done primer on the theory behind the various systems in a motorcycle. The chapter on engines was fascinating to me. It explains, in rough historical/chronological order, the development of various engine designs, and how each was a reponse to weaknesses in previous designs and how each one introduced it own problems (while at the same time older designs were tweaked in various ways to minimize problems). The design variations include number of cyllinders, number of crankshafts, orientation of cyllinders with respect to each other, orientation of the crankshaft with respect to the motorcycle, ratio of bore diameter to stroke length, various arrangements of valve trains, etc. Two stroke engines are also covered. Illustrations are extensive, but tend to be pulled from other books or from manufacturers manuals, so sometimes include unnecessary detail, especially in the carburation chapter (which was very complex and a little over my head). Some chapters (e.g., exhaust systems) were not as detailed as the engine chapter and were slightly disappointing.

I followed this book up with Keith Cameron's Sportbike Performance Hankbook, which explains some systems in more detail. Cameron's book is ostensibly a book for souping up your motorcycle, but in the end managed to convince me that I want to keep my bike stock unless I don't plan to use it on the street: the manufacturers generally know what they are doing.

One caveat about Motorcycle Basics Manual: the book was authored in England and uses U.K. terminology. A glossary at the end gives U.S. equivalents, but a few things are left out.

In the first review of this book are the words: "Don't expect this book to allow you to fix your bike."

This is absolutely true: this book is for people with little or no mechanic knowledge -- it's a great primer, but is NOT any use as a workshop reference.

If you already know something about bikes, this book will teach you little new (although it was nice to finally learn what a desmodromic valve was :)

I was delighted with this book for two reasons: one, it answered all the random questions I had from talking to bike owners or mechanics (What IS a desmodromic valve? How does a clutch work, exactly? Why is the exhaust pipe length critical to tuning a 2-stroke?). Two, I love illustrations, and these technical illustrations are top-notch. There are beautiful section and cutaway views of engines and subsystems, all properly detailled and labeled.

Don't expect this book to allow you to fix your bike. But expect to gain a better understanding of how things work, motorcycle design trends and influences (often from a historical perspective), and why things break and wear out. And that will pay off the next time you're talking to your mechanic, or the guy at the auto parts store.

This is a good buy. Plenty of technical detail on all aspects of a motorcycle. No padding (just information). The book also discusses variations on the models described. The only complaint I can think of (and its minor) is that it would have been nice to see some troubleshooting information on the topics discussed.

Few books ever go into details like this one. Let alone so clearly. This book explains how engines/carbs/exhaust/tires/suspension work, some of the history behind the developments...

Sportbike Performance Handbook is similar but more geared towards performance/racing.

This is an excellent introduction to the theory of motorcycle mechanics. It explains in great detail with clear and precise line drawings how the various parts of a motorcycle work, their function, and design evolution. If you want to learn to understand motorcycles in detail, start with this book!

Motorcycle Basics Manual is an excellent and fairly comprehensive explanation of how the major systems comprising a motorcycle work. It is clearly written and well illustrated with detailed line drawings. The general organization of the material is sensible, and each chapter leads off with an outline of what will be covered. Basic theory is followed by a brief engneering history, then design variations and their purposes are covered. This book does not take the place of a shop manual, but will certainly be a pleasant and informative addition to any weekend mechanic's libarary. It is much more ambitions than Motorcycle Owner's Manual by Hugo Wilson, for example, and for real enthusiasts,well worth the effort.