This is the first motorcycle instruction book I have read from cover to cover that did not send me to sleep! Lee Parks knowledge of motorcycling is perhaps only surpassed by his mastery of the English language. The techniques described are clear, concise and easy to understand and have already had a positive impact on my riding ability. I would not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone interested in taking their motorcycling to the next level.

Total Control is an excellent learning resource for beginners. It covers so many topics, many that many newbies don't think about, but are very important for learning to ride. For example, the book covers ergonomics and how to do simple things to improve comfort and performance such as adjusting your levers up front to reduce wrist soreness, as well as adjusting foot rests and levers. If you're just new to riding, this is definitely one route to go about learning about riding. Terrific book, I would recommend it to any new rider.

I tore through this book (because i couldn't stop reading). Tons of great information from Lee Parks. He is truly an expert in the field of motorcycle racing and riding. His techniques will surely help you to become a better, faster, and safer rider.

This is a well written book that covers many aspects of riding and things that affect riding. Lee Parks gives good examples of how to handle yourself on a bike and how the bike will react to things. He gives detailed examples and instructions on how to improve your overall riding ability for beginners and experienced riders. Good pictures of correct and incorrect examples. I'm Glad that I bought this book.

I have heard such great things about Lee Park's riding clinics that I thought I'd try his book. I found it pretty basic. I was really expecting a lot more info about exactly how to improve your riding techniques. He gives a few exercises, but it's not very detailed about how to do them correctly, common mistakes, how to tell what you're doing wrong, how to fix a bad habit, etc. I'm sure he has all that info -- it's just not in his book. I guess you have to take his seminar before he unlocks the treasure chest of knowledge.

I bought this book as part of an ongoing effort to improve my riding, starting with myself. Lee Parks puts the information into an easy-to-understand format, which makes this book accessible to almost any rider. That said, this is NOT a beginner book. I've been riding for 30,000+ miles/4 yrs - an intermediate sport rider. I am good at cornering, and can drag my knees while also riding smoothly/calmly. This book does not cover basic motorcycle riding, and assumes you already have the necessary skills to go from point A to B. It teaches you ways of getting there more efficiently and much faster, and explains suspension setup, line selection, apexes, various types of corners, traction concepts, throttle control, trail braking, track days, even mental/physical fitness. It approaches the reader with the expectation that you are trying to improve your skills in high-intensity street riding (and hopefully) moving onto a track, where you can make better use of the information. Take a local MSF course, get familiarized with your bike, and then read this book.

If you own a motorcycle, or even plan on getting one in the near future this book is worth it's weight in gold!
It doesn't matter what type of riding you do, (or how long you've been riding).

From a college kid, this book is great!

Whether you are into sport bikes, racing, cruising, or whatever. If its on the street with 2 wheels and a motor, you need to get this book! The closest you'll come to having a one on one coach. Practice sessions are all worked out. Shows you how to critique your own performance. Skills on turning, body position, shifting, braking, and how to get the most efficiency out of your riding. How to go faster safely, and handling your bike on the road. It is ALL in here!

Think you know how to ride? Ready for that track day? Grab this book first and show yourself a few MORE new things you never knew. Though this book is for more advanced riders, newer riders will benefit by learning better habits, and breaking bad ones.

Get it, get it, get it!!

If you ride a sport bike and want to learn to lean it correctly/safely around curves, fast without jerks and changes in the arch, this is the best specialized book for you! Learn about the common reasons people crash like you have never heard it before--why we panic and what that causes, which ultimately results in a crash. And how to overcome it! Great book.

Purchased the book for my son whose passion is riding his sportbike on the track and hopefully race in the future. Read portions of the book myself and I have to recommend it to all who are sportbike aficionados. The book is to the point - dead center. Gives great pointers, helps you understand what you may be unable to articulate. Great read!

I first read "A Twist of the Wrist 2: The Basics of High-Performance Motorcycle Riding", then I read this book. I greatly appreciated Twist of the Wrist for providing the geeky details and well-written descriptions of what was happening to the bike and rider when everything is working correctly (or not), but this book was able to add some more pictures that helped to clarify things which weren't clear to me from Twist of the Wrist.

There were some descriptions in Total Control that resonated better with me than what was in Twist of the Wrist, and vice versa. The same thing can be said for the drawings and pictures.

My recommendation: buy both books. If you don't like reading very much and want better step-by-step pictures, then Total Control is probably the better book for you. Once again, I strongly recommend buying both books - Total Control and Twist of the Wrist 2.

"Total Control" isn't the pinnacle of riding techniques. Hough's "Proficient Motorcycling," (both of them) and Ienatsch's "Sport Bike Ridng Techniques" are the hands-down winners in that respect. However, the book has some worthwhile content that other books don't cover. As a secondary source, it is well worth price. Some of his scrunched-up portrait photos would have a buzzard turn around and fly the other way.

If there was just one book I had to buy, this wouldn't be it, but I liked it. It had a lot of good things to say about mental attitude. There are some things I would of like to see him leave out, like his pictures. I am glad that I read it and will review it from time to time.

This book covers just about every aspect of riding from suspension set up to throttle control to riding strategies, it even includes a section on being a passenger. While I have yet to start doing the excercises included in the book, I have started using some of the techniques, and they do indeed increase your margin of safety. I also have more faith in myself, and in my bike. If you're planning on racing, while there is good information here, you may not be happy with this book, but if you're a street rider as I am, it's a great resource.

This book may be a good read for someone that is new to riding a sport bike, with only a very basic idea of how to ride. It does go into some good fundemental tips and techniques, he also reviews some riding gear, and setting up your ergo's. So, if this is the first motorcycle book you have ever purchased, and you have only been riding for a little while, and dont plan on being a hard-core knee dragger, then sure buy this book.

However, if you are an experienced rider, this book is flat out boring. I even caught myself shaking my head in disbelief at some of this guys points of view and advice. Plus this guy is just straight up a dork, he try's to be funny, but he really gets on my nerves.

Total Control: High Performance Street Riding Techniques is one of the best books I have read on the subject of performance motorcycle riding. It covers the subjects both from the technical as well as the practical. It is well illustrated with photographs and graphics and is written with some humor included as to not make the material covered as dry as it could have been!

The book breaks the wide subject of performance motorcycling down into small "bite size" chapters that fully cover the subject material without become overwhelming. The book contains many practical exercises that allow the reader to safely explore practicing riding skills basics. It uses examples of how riding is done on the race track to explain how to get the most enjoyment, safety, and performance out of a motorcycle on the street.

I have practiced and applied the techniques described in the book and found that the information is real-world and actually works. I found from reading the book that I was not looking far enough into turns. I practiced the method for taking turns that was described in the book and gained not only faster speed though the turns but also a better and more stable line through the turns. I now find myself riding faster and much more smoothly than before. Another thing I picked up from the book was shifting. I never thought too much about the importance of shifting gears quickly. With a little practice of the technique described in the book I am now shifting faster and smoother than ever. The results are, the bike stays under power more, my shifts are quick and precise, and again I am smoother and quicker than ever.

This book is well written and illustrated and provides practical and useful information that can improve your riding skills and safety. I highly recommend Total Control: High Performance Street Riding Techniques for anyone who rides and wants to improve their skills, safety and enjoyment of the sport!

I bought this book for my boyfriend. I read it,too. We met Lee Parks at the motorcycle show during the winter and got to personally thank him for a really useful/helpful book. He writes with a sense of humour.That comes in handy for a slightly jumpy beginner motorcyclist like myself. Get this book. You'll refer to it again and again!

Book covers a wide range of subjects including suspension set-up, rider attitude and fitness, conquering riding fear, motorcycle/rider aerodynamics. It concentrates on traction management, different ways a rider can conserve traction as curves are negotiated - places where many motorcyclists crash. Techniques are well described and diagrammed, and are applicable on the track as well as the street. Practice guides are included and parallel Lee's Advanced Riding Clinic course. Book makes a good supplement to the course. Both novice and experienced riders can gain valuable information from reading this book.

Top marks for a book well written. Being only new to the motorbike riding scene, this easy to read and understand book is great for the beginner. Has lots of hints and tips to take on board. I hightly recommend it for anyone wanting to learn the ride.

I was apprehensive of this book by looking at the cover and seeing a sport bike. As I began to read, however, it pertains to anything motorized on two wheels. It is well written and easy to understand and easily applicable to any given riding style.

The book is full of very useful information and techniques for street and track riding and is a great addition to any motorcyclist's collection of books on riding technique.

The thing that ruined it for me was the author's picture (head shot with different and sometimes goofy expressions) on each chapter's beginning... I found it a bit annoying.

Good read. A lot of focus on how to think about riding.
The author obviously put years of groundwork into this book.
Author of the "The Pace" (the bible of how to group ride)

I have been riding for almost 25 years and i just finished this book. I learned alot of information which will help me become a better and more confident rider. But it would be equally as beneficial to a new rider. It should be required reading to get your motorcycle license! Do not hesitate!

I went on a splurge and bought this and 3 other motorcycle books. I thought this one was great. Lee's writing style is simple and amusing. He gives you information and then explains how it works on the road as well as the track. It's nice to read something with exercises and ideas for the street rider and not just someone who's running wide open 6th gear turns on track days.

I bought this book because I am new to motorcycling. It is extremely informative and has great tips, and I've learned a lot. I felt more confident and used the techniques on my very next ride. Even though it's a great book and I highly recommend it, nothing beats actual seat time when you're learning to ride a bike though. Practice makes perfect!

This book offers plenty of good tips and techniques for street riding. Easy and understandable. I allso have Twist of the wrist 1 and 2. Allso good books, but to focused on racing. If your going to buy only one motorcykle book, this is the one!

I have been riding for 30 years, and this book was a refresher course for me on riding.
I find I am now analysing my own riding style, inputs and performance like never before.
I won't say I am faster, but I am definitely more in control.

There really can never be enough sound advice to anyone wanting to ride motorcyles on the roads today. If oyu believe you can learn something from the pros, then this book is certainly helpful.

These street riding skills will make you a better rider by explaining how to let science work for you. Have fun and hit the streets!

This is a great book, and a must have for anyone that actually wants to know how not to get in the way of the natural physics of the bike. I have gone through it more than once and try to apply new techniques each time I ride.

More importantly, I had the pleasure of taking the riding course with Lee Parker that teaches the techniques in this book. I have never had so much fun, and worked so hard, on two wheels. I am a scooter rider, and had a new 500cc bike that I wasn't very confident on. On the last lap of the day, after all the techniques had built upon themselves, I was so low in my turn that the centerstand was scraping the cement. You couldn't wipe the smile off my face for days. If you get the chance - take the course as well as buying the book.

If you apply the techniques he teaches in this book, and in the class, your riding will improve beyond your expectations. Enjoy, and be safe!

I have been picking up and reading all the material that I can find on motorcycle riding and safety. This is an excellent book on that subject and covers things that books like "Proficient Motorcycling", by David Hough (Another excellent book, by the way.) doesn't cover or doesn't go into in detail on. Even though it covers many of the same things, it's always good to cover it again with a different presentation. Even though I have no plans to race or to scrape my knees pads on the road going around corners, I enjoy reading about the how-to and I know it's improved my riding technique.

I have been riding street for about 15 years and found this book to be very informative and have great advice for all sportbike riders.

Very good book gives you detailed explanation on basic racing and street riding skills. Offers good learning schools and good gears also.
Highly recommended for people that want to go on the track, race or just ride on the street.

My riding has taken a huge jump in improvement since I got this book. It is simply the best in explaining the skills necessary to be in control. I would recomend it to any one who rides a motorcycle, not matter what level, it will for sure help you with improving. Great pictures too. Very well written.

Excellent book! It really helps you with some basic and some not so basic techniques. If you want to ride better, read and learn from the pros. Lee's approach is fun and educational. You won't be sorry if you pick this one up.

As I read this, I discovered things about controlling my motorcycle that I'd never intuitively figured out on my own. Even the info I got out of the MSF courses didn't touch the level of explanation and detail that Lee Parks offers in Total Control.

If you're on the fence about getting serious about taking control of your riding technique, get this book and you'll more out of your bike and every ride.

I started riding in january. As I became more confident I wanted some advice on improving my skills on our mountain roads. There is so much in this book to try out that I'm still learning what works best for me. At any level there is useful information. Ride safe!!!

I bought Nick Ienatsch's book Sport Riding Techniques, this book (Total Control), Proficient Motorcycling, the MSF book, and Twist of the Wrist. This is kind of a relative review of all of them.

As an experienced motorcyclist coming back into it, I found the books beneficial in the order they are listed above. For a new motorcyclist, I would say get the MSF book first, then get Sport Riding Techniques and Total Control. Before your first track day, get TOTW.

Sport Riding Techniques does the best job of explaining the physics of riding a motorcycle, although it manages to do so without being overly technical. I can see how Nick's writing style might not be for everyone, though. I work in a technical job, and he and I seem to sort of think alike, so his explanations were very clear to me. If you did well in science or social science in school, you will get more out of the book than if you were a poet.

Total Control is sort of a racer's perspective on street riding, and it is similar in content to Sport Riding Techniques, but I liked Sport Riding Techniques better. SRT is more detailed and more technical. They both have great information, though. I got a lot out of both of these books.

Twist of the Wrist is very track focused, and I really did not find that it had a lot to offer a street rider. Keith Code is a well known instructor and I would love to go to one of his track schools, and that focus shows in his book, which is dedicated exclusively to track techniques that may or may not translate well to the street. Both Total Control and Sport Riding Techniques do a better job of discussing track technique from a street perspective. I would only recommend TOTW to people who are actually going to race, or to people who really want to explore the mental side of high performance riding, as it has kind of a martial arts book feel and goes into mental preparation and mindset more than the others.

Proficient Motorcycling has lots of great information and is well written, but the production quality of my copy was terrible. Each page fell out as I turned it. I have its pages in a folder on my bookshelf, because I am not really sure what else to do with it. It is written by a very experienced motorcyclist, and it contains lots of good information, but the frustration of having the pages fall out and get out of order was really too much to tolerate.

The MSF book is targeted to new riders, and it really is a good read. It talks about the mindset necessary to ride defensively, and it covers basic motorcycle control and maneuvering. If you are just getting into motorcycling, it should definitely be your first book.

This was the first book on riding I have read. I was misled by reviews and rating of this book on amazon when I bought it, so I want to put my 2 cents in. I would recommend to read the following books first:

#1 Gary S. Jaehne "Sportbiking: The Real World"
#2 Nick Ienatsch "Sport Riding Techniques"
#3 Keith Code "Twist of the wrist II
#4 David Hough "Proficient Motorcycling"

If you will have time and money left, buy this one, though number of author's portrets in the book (about 30 counting only those without a helmet) is a bit excessive in my opinion. It is printed on a really good paper though...

If you're thinking of a part for your bike to put on your Christmas list, think about suspension. But, if you really want control of your bike get Total Control.

Total Control is a book written by Lee Parks and published by Motorbooks International. I saw this book in the store and purchased it. I'd never heard of the book but I'd heard of Mr. Parks. Lee was the editor of Motorcycle Consumer News for five years. Prior to that he finished second in the 1994 AMA 125 Championship and after his stint with MCN he formed a team and won the 2001 WERA Lightweight Endurance Championship on an 1999 Suzuki SV 650. Lee still races a part time schedule.

Okay, maybe you want to be a racer and maybe not. This book is not written for just for racers but if you would like to become one the book will get you prepared to make the next step to track riding. Lee, after years of requests, decided to fill a niche. He designed the class for the riders that had gone through the MSF course and Experienced Rider Course of the MSF program but were not ready to get on a track. Parks put together a course called the Advanced Riding Clinic. Over years of running the clinic the author slowly honed a series of exercises, which have been compiled in this book. This book is much different from other books such as those by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation or some of the other nationally known riding instructors. The chapter with ten steps to cornering will give you the most complete understanding of how to turn possible, short of a physics class.

I recently spent three hours on the phone with the author. I wanted to get some more detail on a few things and, hopefully, have him provide insight on some items the book didn't cover. First, I wanted to know what topic was toughest to teach a rider or a racer. Lee said it depends on the individual, which is why it's important to have personalized instruction. You have to get people to change their mindset about how they approach riding and why they should or should not perform actions in one way or another. Anything done incorrectly causes multiple problems. Doing things correctly will resolve multiple problems. He went on to say that lots of people fight the bike and doing so causes fatigue, which leads to mental errors, which leads to more physical errors.

I went on to ask him if it was better to go through a racing school and go straight to racing or if it was better to do track days and, after spending a lot of time on the track, venturing into racing at a later date. He insisted it's better to do track days long before racing. His reasoning was that racing doesn't allow riders to practice their techniques. Track days allow riders to focus on improving their riding skills without the pressure of trying to finish well in the race. He also said you generally what you pay for in riding instruction. Most track days will offer instruction but provide little if any. So, research the track organizations thoroughly. Parks added that you should plan which items you want to work on during your track day. Take someone with you who can watch you, all day, and help you with notes or feedback after each riding session.

As with anything, Lee emphasized that repetition helps to make an activity less taxing on your conscious mind. His example was walking. The author states that for most people walking is an unconscious activity, or, an activity that requires so little thought that the mind is free to concentrate on other things. Riding must be practiced extensively and you should only practice one item at the time until it becomes second nature. Once comfort is achieved with one area of riding another may be practiced. This allows the mind to be open to instantaneous events rather than being preoccupied with events that have not occurred. It allows the rider to be much more relaxed.

I wanted to know if he had any tips for cold weather riders like myself, because he's a native of Illinois. His tip? Lower tire pressures thee to five pounds below manufacturers' recommendation for street riding. Lower pressures cause the tires to flex more, the temperature to increase faster, and higher temperatures to be sustained during cooler weather. That is not to say tires will get hot in the winter or, that tire pressure should be allowed to stay low year round. Tire pressures must be monitored weekly and manufacturers' tire pressures should be followed during warmer months.

Lee is a funny guy, some stuff that was the funniest I wouldn't print. I did, however, want to know which motorcycle magazine editor was the fastest because he knows them all. In true diplomatic form he was honest enough to say that it would probably depend on the bike. Each editor has a favorite bike and has spent more time on some bikes than others resulting in a high degree of comfort on a particular bike or class of bike. Mr. Parks said he prefers small displacement bikes because he isn't worried about constantly breaking the tire loose in a turn or on acceleration.

One final item I'll pass on is the advice he would give fledgling racers. While he is working on an upcoming book, which will address racing as a separate topic, he gave the following pointers.
1. Buy a used racing bike. All the work has been done.
2. Make sure the bike is working correctly as far as the carburetion, transmission, and suspension settings. Even if you have to pay someone to help you, you'll be miles ahead.
3. Have realistic expectations. No matter how good you think you are on the street, it will all change at the track. Be consistent. Don't try to make monumental improvements at one time.
4. Don't skimp on riding gear. The inexpensive gear is going to destruct and you don't want to destruct with it. The most expensive gear is cheaper than the least expensive skin graft or bone pinning.

This book is an easy read and I recommend it as a primmer. There is a lot of goods and useful information (which all riders should know - not just sport bike riders.) It is really for anybody who wants to ride better. The cover of the book says it all...

I really enjoyed the wealth of information on techniques for both the street and track. Along with the practice drills and the insight from a professional point of view, I believe the book will give any motorcyclist a better riding experience.

I have been riding since 14 yrs. of age (47 now). And then I quit riding for about 20 years, Bicycles instead. So when I bought my new BMW 1150R for the first month or two I was a little nervous in traffic, getting used to the bike. So I have been riding the bike for 1 1/2 years now, and thought I knew it fairly well.

Then I bought the "High Performance..." Book and within a week my whole cornering technique inproved & evolved, without even really trying. It was natural, I have yet to realize the potential of this bike and this book made me understand that....

This is simply an excellent book. The techiques it presents for turning, braking, U-turns, driving with pigeons and so on are really excellent and works perfectly.
The initial chapters explaining the physics involved in driving are explained in order to be understood for everyone but at the same time are very technical and deep. You actually understand how your bike works.
It has a lot of illustrations and photos that help a lot the examples. A lot of them show the Correct and Incorrect way to do some particular exercise, so you can check both easily.

The book shows a lot of Sport bikes on their pictures, but it's not written only for sport bikes. The techniques and explanations works with any kind of bike.

My only warning: I don't think this is a good book for total novices, it's better to have some mileage before you read it.
But it certainly is an EXCELLENT book for any rider with a couple of months of experience.

I like the chapters for Fear, Concentration, and Attitude. I am amazed about the things about life I learn in these chapters, especially in a bike book.
It will be good if the book include topics like, street riding at night, riding in the rain, riding in the rain at night, riding in strong wind, tips for short riders like me (160cm).
I ride CBR600 F3.
Thanks

I got this book a couple years ago, and use it regularly a a reference and riding guide. As most of the previous reviewers, I have read most of the other books out there, and still rate this the best by far. The author also teaches a class, ARC, Advanced Riding Clinic, which I was able to take from Mr. Parks on 10/15/05. As much as I loved the book, the class was even better, and really helped me understand the concepts in the book at a much deeper level. Get the book, and if you can, take the class. Neither will disappoint you.

illustrations, logic and presentation style are all tops.

great gift for any motorcycle enthusiasts coffee table or restroom!

If you can't learn anything from this book then you are a very informed motorcyclist. I really had very little interest in about half of the book and the subjects covered. But the other half contained either things I didn't know or things I need to remind myself of on a regular basis. This is a book I'll keep and reread the highlighted parts once a year.

The book was great, and completely worth it. My riding took a leap in no time. I completely recomend this book, I loved reading it and I love riding. Make sure if you get it to read it starting with chapter 1 and read everything, dont skip around.

I bought this book blindly (no retailers stock any bike books anywhere near me) based on the reviews here. I'm more than happy that I made the choice that I did.

As a background, I've been riding for 18 of my 25 years, but I needed some help with certain techniques. I feel that I'm a good rider, but I know that this book will improve my riding tremendously. It's incredibly easy to read and doesn't get boring or condescending. In some parts, it's downright funny. I managed to read this book in a matter of two days, and that was at work!

The strength of this book is that it's a good "mid-point" book between the beginner's books and the racing technique books. Certainly, beginners AND racers could learn a lot from Lee Parks, but this is exactly what I was looking for - explanations of WHY to do certain things in certain situations, as well as HOW to perform them. If you've got a basic understanding of how to ride a bike, along with some experience riding, this book is for you. I'm reading it for the second time this week, and I'm already picking out points that I missed or glossed over during the first read-through. It really is that good.