Many moons ago, noted photographer Gregor Halenda left me the following note as a comment: “Maybe we need a post about the best motorcycle books? Yes, we do. It’s something that needs revisiting every few years for those who’ve discovered riding but not fully discovered the magic. We’re a small group and those books help circle the wagons.” He’s right – and because he’s a man of action, he came up with an excellent list himself. So, are you looking for something to read, especially during the next few weeks when you hopefully have some time off? Come take a look.
Gregor’s list was so good that I couldn’t hack it up in a pretentious attempt to be an editor. So here’s Gregor’s list, with a bonus book for those of you that are well-read!
1. Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road – Neil Peart
. Neil Peart is responsible for my love of single malt scotch – if for no other reason this book is at the top of my list – thanks Neil! His personal story of tragic loss and how riding his motorcycle around North America allowed him to come to grips with it is one that gets at the heart of what it is to travel, to lose yourself in travel and to come out the other side.
2. Jupiters Travels: Four Years Around the World on a Triumph – Ted Simons
. The first, and probably still the best, book of adventure motorcycle travel I read when I started riding. Ted Simons circles the world on a shoestring and an old Triumph and the book is a distillation of everything you imagine a round the world adventure to be.
3. Blue Highways: A Journey into America – William Least Heat-Moon
. There’s absolutely nothing about motorcycles in this book and that’s okay. This book touches on how to travel – how to be open, how to let the magic of a trip come to you and how staying off the highways and out of the chains restaurants will make your trip deeper and more meaningful.
4. Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work – Matthew B. Crawford
. Another philosophy book that gets at the heart and value of getting your hands dirty and how that shapes you as a person. The author talks of the difference between blue collar and white collar work and how we are losing touch with the ability to understand our physical world. It gives value to working on your bike.
5. The Perfect Vehicle: What It Is About Motorcycles – Melissa Holbrook Pierson
. A book that tries to put on paper (very successfully) what it is about motorcycles that makes them so perfect. She does a great job of capturing the feelings and experience of riding and she rides a Moto Guzzi – how can you miss?
6. Against the Wind: A Rider’s Account of the Incredible Iron Butt Rally – Ron Ayres
. I’ve done a few 1000 miles days and they are hard, long and exhausting so the thought of stringing them together for ten days in a row is beyond my comprehension – that is until I read this book. I’ve gleaned many fantastic tricks to make my riding safer – not the least of which is checking into the “Iron Butt Motel” any time I get sleepy on a ride.
7. One Man Caravan – Robert Edison Fulton
. I equate this book to Jupiter’s Travels but Fulton did his trip in 1932 and I was struck that the essence of travel on two wheels and the vulnerability that it allows creates a bridge to your surroundings and to the people you meet on the journey even then.
8. Storm: A Motorcycle Journey of Love, Endurance, and Transformation – Allen Noren
. If you’ve ever met someone that didn’t understand motorcycles or if you’ve ever had a trip when things went bad then this story will resonate. The exploration of what it means to each person is interesting and well explored.
9. Techniques of Motor Cycle Road Racing – Kenny Roberts
. Roberts didn’t actually write the book – it was ghost written – but that takes nothing away from this hard to find book which details the experience of one of the greatest racers of our time. When I was racing this book meant the world to me.
10. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values – Robert M. Pirsig
. This is the classic novel given to any new rider. It is a book of philosophy more than it is a book of riding but the relationship of the two is intertwined and the descriptions of the work and riding are spot on. I wouldn’t read it twice but it’s important to read it once.
11. [Editor’s Addition] If you’ve somehow read all those before and are looking for something new, here’s one that’s just been released: “Malcolm! The Autobiography“. Edited by Mitch Boehm, this is the story of none other than Malcolm Smith. It’s full of stories of one of the legends in motorcycle racing, along with photos from noted cameraman Joe Bonello.
Liked what Gregor had to say? Learn more about him here at his website, or check him out on Instagram.
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