Ah, the middle of winter. That time of year when the bike's been tucked away in the garage for a couple of months, the bench racing and silly season are all done and spring seems forever away. Unless you live in the sunny south and can ride all year, or the far north where you can plow off a lake and have some two-wheeled fun, there are not many moto-activities to do right about now. I always try and catch up on my reading over the winter months, and this year the bookshelf is full of good material.
When I was in the hospital, my friends and family sent a steady stream of books for me to peruse. The trouble was, the injuries to my face had done a job on my eyesight. It was a few months before I could read again, but in the meantime books on tape were a godsend for the hours spent in bed. Eventually my eyesight improved to the point that I could read large-print books, and by that time I was in a rehab center. I was so happy that I stayed in my room for a whole weekend and read a full novel cover to cover. By the time I could see well enough to start on the growing pile of books, I was spending three hours a day strapped to a CPM (continuous passive motion) machine to get some range of motion in my elbow, so I had plenty of time to spare. But it still seems that I've been catching up ever since then. The stack covers everything from racing to philosophy and then some.
The first book I saw in the hospital was "The Competition Car Data Logging Manual" by Graham Templeman, which was sent by my friend James Lickwar from the Star Motorcycle School. It's a hands-on data acquisition book with a lot of material that applies to motorcycles, and it taught me a few tricks that will come in handy with our own testing. I was happy to get this particular book, not so much because it was something to read but because the unspoken/unwritten message was "hey, this is something you can still do so you'd better get started." It was just the kick in the pants I needed at the time.
Darwin Holmstrom of Motorbooks sent a trio of that publisher's offerings, all three of which offer something a bit different from the usual motorcycle fare. "Endless Horizon: A Very Messy Motorcycle Journey Around the World" by the always controversial Dan Walsh (who occasionally writes for Motorcyclist) is his first book. "Riding on the Edge" is John Hall's story of the Pagan motorcycle club. And "Bristol's Bastards: In Iraq with the 2nd Battalion, 136th Infantry of Minnesota's National Guard" by Nick Maurstad and Holmstrom is about Maurstad's difficult time in Iraq.
My cousin Barry from England sent over a box of some books that I hadn't seen over here. "Barry: The Story of Motorcycling Legend Barry Sheene" by Steve Parrish and Nick Harris, and "Stalker! Chris Walker: The Autobiography" are about British racers, one past and one present. Both are quite entertaining, although the Barry Sheene story is a bit sad as it dwells on his battle with cancer. "Foggy on Bikes: Learn to Ride Like a World Champion" by Carl Fogarty is still on the unread pile, but looks promising. And "These are the Days that Must Happen to You" by Dan Walsh is the UK version of Motorbooks' Endless Horizon.
David Bull, the publisher of my book, gave me a nice sampling of his fantastic collection of moto-books. "The Grand Prix Motorcycle: The Official Technical History" by Kevin Cameron details 500cc and MotoGP bikes from the beginning of the series in 1949. "Racing in the Rain" by John Horsman, "Mark Donohue: Technical Excellence at Speed" by Michael Argetsinger, and "Can-Am Challenger" by Peter Bryant are compelling reads about racing on the automobile side.
Another book on the to-read pile is "To Dakar and Back: 21 Days Across North Africa by Motorcycle", written by one of my Canadian friends Lawrence Hacking. This book covers his adventures in the Paris-Dakar rally as he became the first Canadian to finish the race in '01. Dwain M. DeVille sent me a copy of his book "The Biker's Guide to Business", which details how entrepreneurs can combine their work and play. And a nice gentleman from Florida, Chris Schultheiss, read about my plight and sent a copy of "Reach for the Sky: The Story of Douglas Bader, Legless Ace of the Battle of Britain" by Paul Brickhill. Bader lost both legs in a flying accident, yet went on to become an ace in World War II; his story is very inspirational and can motivate anyone to pursue a dream.
Finally, as I was gathering up the books mentioned here for a picture, I found one that somebody must have given me in the hospital but I'm not sure who. Fittingly, that book is "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert M. Pirsig and I'm almost ashamed to admit that I've never read it. That one is definitely next on the to-read list.
If you're stuck for something to do over the winter months, hopefully you'll find some good ideas here. I know I've got my work cut out for the next couple of months at least.