Product Description

An overview of Harley Davidson motorbikes which includes an eight-page catalogue with technical data and key innovations specified for each entry, cut-away diagrams of classic Harley engines , a history of the company, famous Harley owners and the use of the bikes in film. The author also goes behind the scenes to interview some of the longest-serving employees, offering a unique insight into the history of Harley-Davidson.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1589907 in Books
• Published on: 2000-04-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 192 pages

Customer Reviews

50 Lush Color Photos Are Worth More Than 50,000 Words
Although this book has many elements, its core is the Harley-Davidson as a design. The photographs are mostly of 50 different models, focused on the motorcycle alone, done with remarkable lighting to create exquisite detail and color. You will feel like you are visiting a museum of mint Harleys as you "stroll" from page to page while sitting comfortably in your favorite chair. The book is strengthened by some classic Harley photos that you have seen before, such as from Easy Rider. There is also a good overview of the development of the company, key technologies, and a timeline of when different bikes were introduced. For those who don't know about Harleys, you also have a glossary to help you interpret, and a list of contacts to help you get even more information.

"People remember their first Harley-Davidson." As Hugo Wilson points out, that's because "Harleys look different, sound different and certainly ride different to other motorcycles." One of the strengths of the book is that it provides many helpful details about the bases of those differences. I could literally "hear" a Harley every time I looked at one of the images. And now I know why they sound that way. You will, too, when you read this exciting book.

Harley-Davidsons clearly draw on our sense of adventure, our desire for freedom, and our need to be different. Mothers, if you don't want your children to grow up to be bikers, keep this book and all Harleys away! The lure of the open road will be irresistible after enjoying this volume.

I am not an expert on motorcycles but have spent many happy hours on them. I could feel the thundering power in my legs as I looked at the Harley in Terminator II, the 74FLHB Electra Glide in blue from 1965, the FLHS Electra Glide from 1988, the FLSTF Fat Boy from 1999, and especially the Buell X1 Lightning from 1999.

To me the best page was 184 where there is a cutaway of the famous V-twin engine, along with a good description of each element. This is the heart of what makes a Harley a Harley, and I was glad to learn more about this wonderful design.

After you have finished enjoying this book and taken a ride on your Harley to celebrate (don't have one yet? . . . well, start dreaming and saving . . .), I suggest that you think about other ways you can enjoy your spirit of adventure and desire for the open road. Riding a Harley doesn't get you all the exercise you could use. Are there any hiking trails that you could ride your Harley to? In that way, you could have a double adventure. Plus, you can have even more enjoyment with your family and friends while you hike. If you haven't hiked the Grand Canyon yet down to the Colorado River, that would make a great ride/hike combination. Just do it! -- (but do plan ahead, you'll enjoy it more if you do).

Be different and better!

Closer than most men will get to the real thing.
I bought this book for my husband who as the owner of two vintage H.D's is a self-proclaimed (if delusional) expert and irrepressable critic on the subject's main-stream literature. I was pleasantly surprised when he found it compulsive reading. Admittedly the high ratio of glossy photos to words played a part. He even used this book above all the others in his substantial library of bike-porn to choose the colour for his Electroglide's next paint job. Although the book only shows a small selection of models through the ages it appears to be more intelligent and knowledable in its choices giving the reader a glimpse of the more eclectic designs as well as the classically worshipped. The photos are stunning and the text informative yet brief (kind of a bluffer's guide to Harley's) Anyone buying this book or receiving it as a gift is bound to be fantasizing and longing for the real thing and although it could not possibly fulfill that desire it is probably the next best thing.