Free Downloads Race Tech's Motorcycle Suspension Bible (Motorbooks Workshop)
Suspension is probably the most misunderstood aspect of motorcycle performance. This book, by America’s premier suspension specialist, makes the art and science of suspension tuning accessible to professional and backyard motorcycle mechanics alike. Based on Paul Thede’s wildly popular Race Tech Suspension Seminars, this step-by-step guide shows anyone how to make their bike, or their kid’s, handle like a pro’s.Thede gives a clear account of the three forces of suspension that you must understand to make accurate assessments of your suspension’s condition. He outlines testing procedures that will help you gauge how well you’re improving your suspension, along with your riding. And, if you’re inclined to perfect your bike’s handling, he even explains the black art of chassis geometry. Finally, step-by-step photos of suspension disassembly and assembly help you rebuild your forks and shocks for optimum performance.The book even provides detailed troubleshooting guides for dirt, street, and supermoto--promising a solution to virtually any handling problem.
Series: Motorbooks Workshop
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Motorbooks; First edition (June 19, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0760331405
ISBN-13: 978-0760331408
Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 0.6 x 10.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (124 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #54,985 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #5 in Books > Engineering & Transportation > Automotive > Motorcycles > Repair & Performance #10 in Books > Engineering & Transportation > Automotive > Racing #34 in Books > Engineering & Transportation > Transportation > Owner's Manuals & Maintenance Guides
I was a bit shocked when I read this book and saw the scope of its contents. Even more shocking, it was written in a way that I could comprehend. I've spent tweny-plus years trying to figure out motorcycle suspensions, and now, thanks to this book, I finally get it. But perhaps most shocking of all was the negative review below, which was more of a personal attack on co-author Lee Parks than it was a useful review. I've met Mr. Parks--I took his Total Control riding course and found it extremely useful. Granted, Mr. Parks may not be the easiest person to like and he can come off as slightly abrasive at times, but he clearly knows his business, and he's a top-notch writer, which shows in every page of this book.
Race Tech's Motorcycle Suspension Bible by Thede and Parks was a joy to read and useful as a reference. MC suspension has always bugged me as to how exactly it works and more importantly how to get it to work on the various motorcycles that I owned and have owned. The book really explains how forces in suspension work in theory and is able to translate this info to how to adjust and or modify suspension. The trouble shooting and test chapter was especially useful for me to get my sport touring bike adjusted for my weight and riding style--the owners manual offered no help at all. The section on how to take apart forks and add aftermarket parts is easy to understand and has lots of great pictures that show what is inside. With the help of this book I will attempt to change springs and valveing on my son's WR250F Yamaha. I did not want to try to do this job before, having the book as a reference and guide will make the job possible for me to do instead of taking the bike to the dealer. Highly recommended!!!!
This book is Fantastic.If you are looking to understand the inner workings & theories on motorcycle suspension I do not think you will find a better book. Having just a little mechanical knowledge and an inclination to liking mechanical/technical subjects you will find it easy to comprehend. If you have no mechanical aptitude, nor basic motorcycle riding experience, obviously you should pass on this.At first glance the books contents may seem overwhelming. But if you read carefully, and make sure you comprehend the concepts BEFORE you turn to the next page (I re-read some pages a few times and studied the diagrams closely) you will find that by the end you have a wealth of knowledge and understanding on the subject.Suspension tuning it seems is kind of a "black art". The right tools, years of experience, experimentation, and knowledge are needed to be a good suspension tuner. If you are looking for a good start to doing any suspension work yourself this book gives you a big leg up on the subject. If you're looking to have someone else do suspension work for you this book is invaluable as you will be well versed in understanding what YOU are looking for, and you will be better prepared to speak the "language" of the subject, as well as judge a good tuner from a "tinkerer".
DO NOT purchase the Kindle format of this book. The illustrations are always out of sync with the written topic and makes the effort of learning twice as hard. I found myself jumping from picture to text many times and having to find my way back through line of discussion again.Other than that, it has enlightened me with what was once a totally alien concept to me: suspension. Bought this as a learning kit for my entry into full suspension mountain bikes and it has been sufficiently helpful, albeit, at a steep learning curve. There are big chances of comprehension gaps for a total beginner like me: I've lost count of the number of times I found myself staring blankly at the ceiling, drawing in the air just to make the illustration jive with what I comprehend it to be.This book would be perfect if it came with animation (via links to YouTube maybe) to explain crucial suspension workings.
Worth the money. Very practical.If you want really understand the hows and whys of suspension this is a great book.If it was possible to gain real world experience by reading, this would be one of the books that would be ableto transcend reality and make it happen.Excellent read and a great reference to have on hand.The book covers the basics through the advanced topics well.Lots of good pictures, diagrams, and illustrations. These reduce the anxiety factor a lot.After the theory there is a large section on actual tear down of different forks and shocks.Step by step photos. Covers dampening rod forks, inverted cartridge forks, emulsion shocks, reservoir shocks, progressive shocks, and more.If you are redesigning or doing major chassis modifications on a street bike you will also wantTony Foale's "Motorcycle Handling and Chassis Design the Art and the Science" to compliment this book.Good riding to you.
This book will educate you on the basics of suspension function and how to do some basic tuning. Personally I would have liked a more in depth book that covers more of the math and engineering theory behind suspension systems. Overall the book teaches the average person what they need to know about suspension basics, but for someone who already understands suspension, you'll be left looking for more detail. Also, I found the constant plugs for race tech products a bore. The books teaches you some things but leaves you dependent on racetech.comFor example, the book doesn't cover how to calculate spring rates, it instead refers you to the online Race Tech spring rate calculator.... lame.The book also doesn't go into creating your own custom shim stack, instead it refers to to race tech gold valves....I have to say the suspension rebuild instructions are pretty cool, but any service manual has those too.I just think if you're going to call it the suspension bible, it should include a lot more information. This is more like motorcycle suspension for dummies.
Race Tech's Motorcycle Suspension Bible (Motorbooks Workshop) How to Restore Your Motorcycle: Second Edition (Motorbooks Workshop) How to Master Airbrush Painting Techniques (Motorbooks Workshop) Airbrush Painting: Advanced Techniques (Motorbooks Workshop) How to Rebuild and Restore Classic Japanese Motorcycles (Motorbooks Workshop) How to Paint Your Car: Revised & Updated (Motorbooks Workshop) How to Restore Your Chevrolet Pickup (Motorbooks Workshop) How to Repair Your Car (Motorbooks Workshop) Chevelle SS Restoration Guide (Motorbooks Workshop) 101 Harley-Davidson Evolution Performance Projects (Motorbooks Workshop) How to Build a Traditional Ford Hot Rod (Motorbooks Workshop) How to Build and Modify GM LS-Series Engines (Motorbooks Workshop) Ultimate Auto Detailing Projects (Motorbooks Workshop) How To Paint Flames: Second Edition (Motorbooks Workshop) How to Make Your Car Last Forever: Avoid Expensive Repairs, Improve Fuel Economy, Understand Your Warranty, Save Money (Motorbooks Workshop) Nitrous Oxide Performance Handbook (Motorbooks Workshop) How to Restore and Maintain Your Vespa Motorscooter (Motorbooks Workshop) Four-Stroke Motocross and Off-Road Performance Handbook (Motorbooks Workshop) 101 Projects for Your Porsche 911, 996 and 997 1998-2008 (Motorbooks Workshop) Corvette, 1966-1982: Shop Manual (Motorbooks Workshop)
