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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.7
EAN num: 9780760332108
ISBN number: 076033210X
Label: Motorbooks
Manufacturer: Motorbooks
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 192
Printing Date: November 15, 2007
Publishing house: Motorbooks
Sale Popularity Level: 91369
Studio: Motorbooks
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Product Description:
There are millions of new motorcyclists hitting the blacktop every year. But being part of the American motorcycle culture takes more than just wanting to be cool. It takes a passion for the open road, freedom, and a lifestyle that even the best financing cant buy. This book, by someone who knows motorcycles as few do, provides a road map to biker culture for anyone new to the experience. Jay Barbieri explains everything a new rider needs to know to become a real biker. He begins with a brief history of motorcycles, and draws on his twenty-five years of riding experience for examples of what works and doesn't in this heady world. Most of all, he aims to spare new bikers the bad decisions neophytes typically make. With hundreds of motorcycle trips under his belt, there is not a mistake Barbieri hasn't made or a situation he hasn't encountered. By sharing the sometimes comical outcomes, he gives the new biker a head start to become more comfortable, credible, and knowledgeable about joining a community that is as much a part of American culture as baseball, hotdogs and apple pie.
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Rated by buyers 
-
Picked this up at a local bookstore because it looked entertaining. The author spends the very first chapter trashing Japanese bikes and saying that Harley is the end-all/be-all, and that anyone who rides a Japanese bike is a "wannabe." The book is loaded with F-bombs and anecdotes that center around being a drunken idiot on two wheels. Further, when people have posted poor reviews, the author has commented back like a screaming little girl, with atrocious spelling and grammar, to boot. I really pity his editor and proofreader... Colour me unimpressed.
There was very little "handbook" about this book, and Mr. Barbieri is the kind of goofball that I do my best to avoid. I've ridden a number of different Harleys and they are fine bikes, but the metric cruisers (Yamaha Road Star, Suzuki Boulevard, Kawasaki Vulcan, etc.) compare very favorably and in many ways, surpass Harley, and for about half the price.
I ride a Yamaha Road Star 1600. The only "wannabe" I wanna' be, is on my bike, out on the road. (And if some Harley rider, or ANY rider, was pulled over and having trouble with his bike, I would pull over and give him a hand.)
To real bikers who are steeped in the "culture," it's not WHAT you ride. It's the fact that you ride. Period. A bunch of us get together and trash-talk each other's bikes because some of us ride metric and others ride American. What we are passionate about and what's really important, is riding and the brotherhood of the road and the wind.
If some ignoramus feels the need to look down their nose at another biker for the machine that they ride, perhaps that says more about that person, rather than the rider.
As for the rest of the anecdotes, they were entertaining, I guess. I can hear stories like that from just about any of my buddies, and I can tell a few, myself.
In short, I don't feel that this book was anything even close to what its title suggests. Pretty disappointed with it, all the way around.
Rated by buyers -
This is a FUN read for everyone who rides but it lacks anything new. Jay comes across as trying too hard to be a "Biker", though, I believe he is one. He sets too many rules on being a Biker when being a Biker is about being yourself and an individual.
Rated by buyers -
This book has everything you need to know to be a poser.
The very first and most aggravating issue is the way the author
authoratively states that anyone who is not riding a Harley is not a real biker.
Let me tell you who a biker is, someone who knows the joy of the open road and the pain of road rash.
I can get both of those feelings on any bike.
Harley's rock, but they ain't the only good bike.
Another issue is the way that he continually spouts obscenities to seem more 'hardcore.'
What a poser.
The last issue I will state about this book for now is that it's a book... about how to be a "biker." Oh, wait, no it isn't. It ain't about how to ride, how to choose the proper bike for you, or anything about how to actually be a biker, no. Instead it's about how to fake your way into fitting an image.
An image that began with the film "The Wild One" where, by the way, Brando rode a British Triumph, not a Harley.
Rated by buyers -
This is quite possibly the worst book ever. However, since I have not read every book I won't state that as fact. Based on the books I have read, this was by far the biggest waste of my time and money. If ZERO STARS were an option, I would rate it accordingly. It simply does not reflect the bikers I know or would even remotely want to be associated with. If the author's circle of friends is the "Motorcycle Culture" kindly count me out. However, since there is apparently a portion of the motorcycling community that actually thinks along the same lines as the author (as of 8/22/08 seven reviewers had given this book 5 stars!) I hope the author writes many more books so as to keep his like-minded readers at home thereby making the streets a safer place for the rest of us.
If you are interested in improving (or learning) cycling skills read the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's guide and read either or both of Peter Egan's 'Leanings' books if you want some amusing and interesting stories about motorcycles (and not just Harley's). Yes, all three books will cost roughly 3 times more than the Biker's Handbook, but you'll probably get 10 times the enjoyment.
Rated by buyers -
This book makes the claim to be a beginner's guide to the "Biker Culture". Jay Barbieri suggests this book will help the reader to fit into the culture avoiding common newbie fo-paws. Being a 31 year veteran biker myself passionate to riding, I looked forward to receiving my copy of the "Biker's Handbook" in the mail. After reading Barbieri's' s reflections and insight, I hoped to pass it on to a couple of friends just joining the riding populace for some entertaining pearls of wisdom; especially on biker "etiquette", symbolism, history, etc,
Barbieri's book falls quite short of hitting the mark. His recounting of motorcycling history is often flawed (even details of the origin of the "1%er") and generally discounts the role of any other brand of motorcycle other than HD. While historical perspective may not be a big deal in many other `recreational' (as referred nowadays) pastimes - and some errors may seem "minor" - that history is deeply interwoven into at least what the "Harley-type" subculture of motorcycling is. This books' advice may seem `real' to casual riders in the Weekend Biker world, but is not insightful into the culture of riders who actually do "Live to Ride". Sadly, it fails to give much insight into the passion if not the soul of riding many new riders are often drawn to. (For example, Barbieri advises shipping the reader's bike to a rally or renting a bike there, apparently not understanding that the Ride is almost (if not more) important than being there.)
Not all of Barbieri's points are off target. Some of his tid-bits and advice merely reflect his independent and personal style which is central to the culture. However in other areas ... if some of the advice he gives is taken, a rider may find him/herself taking unnecessary or even dangerous risks. From the accurate-but-obvious (Outlaw Club members are not your buddies: treat them with caution and respect), to the misinformed (...don't wear fingerless gloves or vests), to absolute B.S. (...wear GLASS eye protection ... and his instructions on braking), a significant amount of the advice this `handbook' gives should be considered with caution at best. And what Barbieri omits is often just as important - like the many midlife newcomers that buy a Harley and immediately hit Sturgis (or other large Runs) without having the basic necessary skills to ride in the packs that they will inevitably find themselves swept up in.
Take a motorcycling course, learn braking (etc.) there, and give yourself a year before a large Meet. Please.
Finally, and perhaps most alarmingly, beyond the very first few chapters on getting started Barbieri's book devolves into a disjointed collection of anecdotes recalling his fond memories of him and friends partying and riding drunk and/ or stoned. Peppered throughout those tales he cautions in effect. `Don't do what I do (did)' - but damn this was fun.
Suds and smoke has been and is definitely part of the subculture. However there is no place for it on 2 wheels. And there is so much more going on at Sturgis (et. al.) than just the drunken anecdotes he presents.
Thankfully this book is a short-read. "Important" one-liners from the text are frequently pulled out and retyped in large print ...full-page drawings often illustrate again the text the reader has just read ... and several chapters have a `review" in the margins or at the end ... again restating what the reader just read.
On balance, there isn't much there.
I can't recommend this book or even pass my copy on to others. Here's (sincerely) hoping for a second and more accurate edition - the time is ripe for a book like this. This may be a good book on becoming an uninformed RUB -Rich Urban Biker (he even gets that wrong - using the term "Rubes" throughout the book) that enjoys playing with expensive toys. But if one wants a mini course on what the "Biker Culture" is all about, sadly this isn't it.
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