This is the definitive, comprehensive guide to motorcycle design. Tapping a deep well of knowledge and a lifetime of experience, motorcycle racer and historian Mick Walker sheds light on the evolution of one of the world's ultimate status symbols and style icons--a development owing as much to history, politics, and technology as it does to image, lifestyle, and design. In a survey that ranges from the late nineteenth-century pioneers like Gottlieb Daimler and Hildebrand & Wolfmuller to present-day manufacturers--Harley Davidson, Ducati, Honda, BMW, Aprilia, and Triumph--Walker sets each...

Who are these bikers? Are they those hard-living, leather-clad, tattooed guys often associated with images of the Hells Angels and Satan's Sinners? Or are they those clean-cut, suit-and-tie wearing riders with the sporty...

After VE Day in 1945 the British population returned enthusiastically to the road. But the cost and availability of both vehicles and fuel led to the post-war scene being dominated by motorcycles, most of them ex-military machines, eagerly snapped up for everyday use in an age when a family car remained just a dream for many. The British industry, meanwhile, was exhorted to 'export or die', and until well into the 1950s the majority of new British bikes were sold abroad. During this period, the industry - the largest and most important in the world - continued to develop new and exciting...

Laverda launched a 500cc twin cylinder 8-valve machine namedthe Alpina in 1977, it was renamed Alpino and Zeta in the USA. Models covered: Alpina, Alpino, S, 500T, Zeta, Montjuic, 500 Sports, Roadster & Formula 500. Included are road and comparison tests, riding impressions, performance and technical data plus articles on racing. Advice is offered on acquiring a good used 500 twin.

For almost half a century the Bristol-based Douglas marque was a stalwart of the British motorcycle industry, and was famed for its flat-twin engines. Douglas: The Complete Story is a detailed account of the motorcycles from the Douglas company from 1907 until 1957. The author delves deep into the design, production and use of these classic British bikes.

MV Agusta's classic four-cylinder dominated Grand Prix racing for a decade from 1956. When it was replaced by the new triple in 1966, Count Agusta decided to make the Four available in limited numbers as a production bike. To prevent privateers converting it into a Grand Prix racer that may embarrass the factory, he stipulated it should be 600cc and have shaft final drive. The touring 600 eventually evolved into the 750 Sport and GT, and finally the America, but MV Fours were always built in extremely small numbers. As befit an engine that handed multiple World Championships to John...

The Commando was the main bike in Norton's range from 1968, and was produced until the demise of Norton Villers Triumph in 1977. The bike featured the unique 'Isolastic' system that rubber-mounted the engine and protected the rider from the twin-cylinder's vibrations. The model range provided the rider with a choice of touring and sporting models, as well as offering special police machines and off-the-shelf production racers. Commandos feature strongly in today's classic scene, and offer excellent performance and spares availability, as well as a vast range of improvements and updated...