Motorcycle Mania : The Biker Book

Rating:
Summary: A disappointing effort that perpetuates stereotypes, myths.
Review: The problem with Motorcycle Mania is that the material in manyof the book's chapters reveals the authors of those chapters asdabblers who contributed material to a book covering a topic that is highly technical and sophisticated without having any real background in what they were writing about. They've heard the myths and stereotypes about motorcycling, and that's the perspective most have chosen to write from. In chapters by the book's editor, and others, the written material seems to support what these folks think motorcycling is about, rather than what they would actually have known it's about if they had done as little as read one of the motorcycle magazines regularly. The title alone, "Motorcycle Mania, the Biker Book," seems to promise us that between the book's covers we will find material skewed by sensationalism and by questionable pop-cultural sensibilitites. How bad, how incomplete, is the thought that went into this book? Here are two examples:! On page 124 we read, "There are few things that make you feel so sexy...as a shiny red Ducati 916...." Really? And again, on page 109, in a caption to a picture showing world champion Mick Doohan cornering in the traditional manner with one of his knee-sliders gliding along the pavement's surface, his Honda leaned way over, "Skidding on his knees to the finish line, Australian Michael Doohan...." One basic rule is that it's good when captions accurately illustrate what's happening in the picture they accompany. Rarely is that the case here. Too bad. Much was possible with this concept. Little was achieved. One star is too good for it.