Descriere: In a book that is "a must for anyone who has loved a motorcycle" (Oliver Sacks), Melissa Pierson captures in vivid, writerly prose the mysterious attractions of motorcycling. She sifts through myth and hyperbole: misrepresentations about danger, about the type of people who ride and why they do so. The Perfect Vehicle is not a mere recitation of facts, nor is it a polemic or apologia. Its vivid historical accounts-the beginnings of the machine, the often hidden tradition of women who ride, the tale of the defiant ones who taunt death on the racetrack-are intertwined with Pierson's own story, which, in itself, shows that although you may think you know what kind of person rides a motorcycle, you probably don't.
Autori: Melissa Holbrook Pierson | Editura: W. W. Norton & Company | Anul aparitiei: 1998 | ISBN: 9780393318098 | Numar de pagini: 240 | Categorie: Automotive
Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Clarkson gets under the bonnet in Clarkson on Cars , a collection of his motoring journalism. Jeremy Clarkson has been driving cars, writing about them, and occasionally voicing his opinions on the BBC's Top Gear for 20 years. No one in the business is taller. In this collection of classic Clarkson, stretching back to the mid-1980s, he's pulled together the car columns and stories with which he made his name. As coal mines closed and house prices exploded to a soundtrack of men in make-up playing synthesizers, Jeremy was already waxing lyrical on topics as useful and diverse as the perils of bicycle ownership, why Australians--not Brits--need bull bars, why soon only geriatrics will be driving BMWs, the difficultly of deciding on the best car for your wedding, why Jesus's dad would have owned a Nissan Bluebird, and why it is that bus lanes cause traffic jams. Irreverent, damn funny, and offensive to almost everyone, this is writing with its foot to the floor, the brake lines cut, and the speed limit smashed to smithereens. Sit back and enjoy the ride.
Dempsey Paul, Paul K. Dempsey
Two-Stroke Engine Repair and Maintenance
Publisher's Note: Products purchased from Third Party sellers are not guaranteed by the publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online entitlements included with the product.Get Peak Performance from Two-Stroke EnginesDo you spend more time trying to start your weed trimmer than you do enjoying your backyard? With this how-to guide, you can win the battle with the temperamental two-stroke engine.Written by long-time mechanic and bestselling author Paul Dempsey, Two-Stroke Engine Repair & Maintenance shows you how to fix the engines that power garden equipment, construction tools, portable pumps, mopeds, generators, trolling motors, and more. Detailed drawings, schematics, and photographs along with step-by-step instructions make it easy to get the job done quickly. Save time and money when you learn how to: Troubleshoot the engine to determine the source of the problemRepair magnetos and solid-state systems--both analog and digital ignition modulesAdjust and repair float-type, diaphragm, and variable venturi carburetorsFabricate a crankcase pressure testerFix rewind starters of all typesOverhaul engines--replace crankshaft seals, main bearings, pistons, and ringsWork ...
Samuel Hawley
Speed Duel: The Inside Story of the Land Speed Record in the Sixties
The quest for the land speed record in the 1960s and the epic rivalry between two dynamic American drivers, Art Arfons and Craig Breedlove. "Interesting and complex. . . .The best job I've seen done on the subject so far." -- Craig Breedlove Until the 1950s, the land speed record (LSR) was held by a series of European gentlemen racers such as British driver John Cobb, who hit 394 miles per hour in 1947. That record held for more than a decade, until the car culture swept the U.S. Hot-rodders and drag racers built and souped up racers using car engines, piston aircraft engines and, eventually, jet engines. For this determined and dedicated group, the LSR was no longer an honor to be held by rich aristocrats with industrial backing -- it was brought stateside. In the summer of 1960, the contest moved into overdrive, with eight men contending for the record on Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats. Some men died in horrific crashes, others prudently retired, and by mid-decade only two men were left driving: Art Arfons and Craig Breedlove. By 1965, Arfons and Breedlove had walked away from some of the most spectacular wipeouts in motor sport history and pushed the record up to 400, then 500, ...