The Essential Guide to Motorcycle Maintenance

I am new to motorcycles, having ridden my first one last month. I got this book to learn about their care, maintenance, and customization. It's ok for that. This is written by a long-time mechanic who has worked a lot on older bikes, so a fair amount of attention is given to older models and technologies. That all seems fairly sound.The electrical stuff is bad. Note: I'm an engineer, but an electrical engineer. So while the mechanical portions seemed okay, I might simply not have known better. Regarding the electrical portions, however, I DO know better.Electrical terms are wrong. System descriptions are wrong. He doesn't seem to actually understand the difference between voltage and current, or how extremely high voltage in an otherwise fixed system means low current. How electricity works is misrepresented. He claims that the modeling of current flowing from positive terminals to negative terminals is an uncorrected mistake because scientists didn't care enough to change their understanding after they figured it out, rather than a deliberate convention to make math easier (the actual answer). He thinks he understands Zener diodes, but doesn't. He thinks he understands transistors, but doesn't. The old fish wives' tale of 'always disconnect the negative terminal first or you'll blow something up' lives on, here. [I know I'm new to vehicles, but if a circuit is broken then it's broken; no current can flow. And if the vehicle's chassis is connected to the negative terminal as a chassis ground, then it seems like you should remove the positive terminal first, because even if the negative terminal is disconnected then current could still flow from the (connected) positive terminal to the effective negative terminal via a short through the chassis]

Excellent reading for anyone interested in how every component on a motorcycle functions, as well as anyone interested in working on motorcycles. It took me a long time to read this from front to back, but what a wonderful journey for this gearhead! Well done, Mr. Zimmerman! And thank you for sharing so much of your mechanical experiences with us.

Ok - to be fair, this is seriously a guide to motorcycle maintenance. What I mean is that if you think this book is going to be an easy read on how to swap out your chain or calibrate your bowls, well, then yes, but recognize it is oh so much more. The guy who wrote this.... seriously? I cannot put words down with the amount of information this guy has in his brain about everything motorcycle, but the guy is no doubt just short of genius. I cannot fathom how he knows so much about it, but rest assured every little bit is included in this book. I gave up after 20 pages. I am still reading it, but I use it to put me to sleep at night. LOL I'm secretly hoping some of the stuff he writes sinks into my subconscious as I sleep. :) Anyway, the book does exactly what it says it does, so it gets 5 stars. Am I learning from it? Not much, but I'm trying. Sooo... much... information!

I recently purchased this book for my son-in-law, who just acquired his first motorcyle. I already bought one for myself 5 or 6 years ago. I was originally drawn to this particular maintenance and repair manual after reading the great technical columns written by the author, Mark Zimmerman in Motorcycle Cruiser magazine for many years. He is an amazing resource for motorcycles of all kinds and his insights and instructions are clear and to the point and should be easily understood by all levels of do-it-yourselfers and "wannabe" mechanics. If you plan to have motorcycles for any length of time, this is an excellent reference to add to your collection.

New rider here with minimal motorcycle experience. I read this book looking for a simple explanation of how motorcycles work and this book made it easy to follow. The chapters are broken down and they build on each other. Along with reading this book I also used YouTube videos to see this book come to life. Overall great book and easy to read, left feeling like I just started my first semester of motorcycle class.

If you're like me and would like to stop feeling completely helpless and ignorant when your bike doesn't start or makes funny noises, this book can become your bible. Book offers not only simple instructions and accurate descriptions but also lots and lots of pictures, diagrams and illustrations. A must have for inexperienced, the curious, the dumb owner, people working on a moto project, people low on $$$ with a bad bike, etc. You will not regret your purchase. I'm also really happy with the quality of the book.

Great book! All other positive reviews were true. The author explains how each system works, how wear happens, what maintenance should be done and how to do it, including what tools you'll need for this. The reading is enjoyable and feels like a conversation with the author and there are lots of photos in color and diagrams (very detailed). The author is honest about this book and tells you that you'll need your motorcycle's service manual in order to apply the knowledge he provides in the book applied to your machine. I'd buy it again a dozen of times!

I purchased it based on other's reviews but I am not so excited about it. Not bad, bud similar to other maintenance books, not significantly better.

This book is very simple and in the text you are constantly advised to refer to the workshop manual for your bike.If you want an overview it's adequate but don't expect to be doing any real work based on this books content, just skip it and buy the relevant workshop manual for your bike.

Brilliant easy read, you can visualise the engine parts well before you see the illustrations, gladly recommend it to anyone hoping for insider knowledge on how motorcycles work

Good easy book to follow for beginner's

Arrived within timeline set, book is in fabulous condition and exactly what I was hoping for. A great resource for ‘wrenching’ on the bike.

This is a very well written book for those who don`t have experience with mechanics. Easy language and lot of tips only an experienced mechanic can provide. I recommend to use youtube channels which provide animations as a support for learning. Thanks Mark for this excellent book!