Synopses & Reviews
Advance praise: “Just about everybody in the V-twin motorcycle aftermarket knows Jay Barbieri. Besides being a TV producer for American Thunder on SPEED Channel, Jay is genuinely into motorcycles. What you may not know if that Jay has a very quick wit and a great, though twisted sense of humor. He puts his many years of riding experience and a good dollop of that sense of humor to work in his Biker’s Handbook: Becoming Part of the Motorcycle Culture. If you are new to the two-wheeled lifestyle, do what Jay tells you and you'll be fine. If you're already a biker, you'll laugh your butt off because Jay’s accounts of the good, bad and ugly experiences of living the lifestyle ring hilariously true.”
Dave Nichols, editor of Easyriders and V-Twin magazines
“Having worked and partied with Jay for the last few years, I can attest to the fact that he’s a crazy bastard. As for his book, I heartily recommend it. It’s a great read, being both informative and entertaining. In his own free-wheeling way, Jay tells you what you need to know about bike events and the motorcycle subculture to fit right in and enjoy the ride. Definitely read it with a cold one at hand, in a place where you can laugh as loud as you want.”
Chris Maida, editor of American Iron Magazine
About the book:
There are millions of new motorcyclists hitting the blacktop every year. But being part of the American motorcycle culture takes more than just wanting to be cool. It takes a passion for the open road, freedom, and a lifestyle that even the best financing cant buy. This book, by someone who knows motorcycles as few do, provides a road map to biker culture for anyone new to the experience. Jay Barbieri explains everything a new rider needs to know to become a real biker. He begins with a brief history of motorcycles, and draws on his twenty-five years of riding experience for examples of what works and doesn't in this heady world. Most of all, he aims to spare new bikers the bad decisions neophytes typically make. With hundreds of motorcycle trips under his belt, there is not a mistake Barbieri hasn't made or a situation he hasn't encountered. By sharing the sometimes comical outcomes, he gives the new biker a head start to become more comfortable, credible, and knowledgeable about joining a community that is as much a part of American culture as baseball, hotdogs and apple pie.
Author Bio:
Born and raised in Stratford, Connecticut, Barbieri graduated from the Paier College of Art in New Haven with a B.F.A in Fine Arts (1986), the same year he bought his first Harley-Davidson. During the next ten years, his obsession with American motorcycles grew so much that he partnered with a biker friend from Traverse City, Michigan to open a custom motorcycle shop called Old Mission Scooters. In 2001 he moved to California to pursue his dream of combining his passion for motorcycles with the entertainment industry. By 2004 Barbieri was at the helm of SPEED Channel’s highest-rated and longest running motorcycle magazine show, American Thunder. Since he got his first Harley in 1986, Barbieri has racked up over a two hundred and fifty thousand miles on two wheels and has attended Daytona Bike Week and Sturgis over twenty times combined. In this book, Barbieri shares the lessons learned from his years of experience on the motorcycle to help all riders feel more comfortable, credible, and knowledgeable on the road.
Review
New York Daily News, Dec. 23. 2007
Nydailynews.com, Dec. 22, 2007
“For anyone who wants to take to the open road, these tips should save you some of the pain of learning from your mistakes.”
Petersen.org, October 2007
“With sometimes comical anecdotes from his 25 years of riding experience, Biker’s Handbook is full of useful tips on how to be part of the fun in the American motorcycle culture.”
Motorcycle-USA.com
“Readers are provided a sound foundation of dos and don’ts between vignettes of moto history … What helps bring Barbieri’s work to life are the abundant black and white photos. It was a smart move to give the reader a visual foundation of the friends and faces and places that have helped shape his past. They add validity to his stories. Toss in tons of cartoons and caricatures of him and his buddies in different predicaments and you’ve got a book that is visually entertaining and fun to read.”
Review
“Having worked and partied with Jay for the last few years, I can attest to the fact that he’s a crazy bastard. As for his book, I heartily recommend it. It’s a great read, being both informative and entertaining. In his own free-wheeling way, Jay tells you what you need to know about bike events and the motorcycle subculture to fit right in and enjoy the ride. Definitely read it with a cold one at hand, in a place where you can laugh as loud as you want.”
Chris Maida, editor of American Iron Magazine
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Nov. 18, 2007
JSOnline.com (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel), Nov. 19, 2007
“Even excluding the cheesecake picture of Michele Smith … bike enthusiasts will enjoy paging through the handbook.”
Review
Advance praise:
“Just about everybody in the V-twin motorcycle aftermarket knows Jay Barbieri. Besides being a TV producer for American Thunder on SPEED Channel, Jay is genuinely into motorcycles. What you may not know if that Jay has a very quick wit and a great, though twisted sense of humor. He puts his many years of riding experience and a good dollop of that sense of humor to work in his Biker’s Handbook: Becoming Part of the Motorcycle Culture. If you are new to the two-wheeled lifestyle, do what Jay tells you and you'll be fine. If you're already a biker, you'll laugh your butt off because Jay’s accounts of the good, bad and ugly experiences of living the lifestyle ring hilariously true.”
Dave Nichols, editor of Easyriders and V-Twin magazines
Synopsis
There are millions of new motorcyclists hitting the blacktop every year. But being part of the American motorcycle culture takes more than just wanting to be cool. It takes a passion for the open road, freedom, and a lifestyle that even the best financing cant buy. This book, by someone who knows motorcycles as few do, provides a road map to biker culture for anyone new to the experience. Jay Barbieri explains everything a new rider needs to know to become a real biker. He begins with a brief history of motorcycles, and draws on his twenty-five years of riding experience for examples of what works and doesn't in this heady world. Most of all, he aims to spare new bikers the bad decisions neophytes typically make. With hundreds of motorcycle trips under his belt, there is not a mistake Barbieri hasn't made or a situation he hasn't encountered. By sharing the sometimes comical outcomes, he gives the new biker a head start to become more comfortable, credible, and knowledgeable about joining a community that is as much a part of American culture as baseball, hotdogs and apple pie.
Synopsis
There are millions of new motorcyclists hitting the blacktop every year. But being part of the American motorcycle culture takes more than just wanting to be cool. It takes a passion for the open road, freedom, and a lifestyle that even the best financing cant buy. This book, by someone who knows motorcycles as few do, provides a road map to biker culture for anyone new to the experience. Jay Barbieri explains everything a new rider needs to know to become a real biker. He begins with a brief history of motorcycles, and draws on his twenty-five years of riding experience for examples of what works and doesn't in this heady world. Most of all, he aims to spare new bikers the bad decisions neophytes typically make. With hundreds of motorcycle trips under his belt, there is not a mistake Barbieri hasn't made or a situation he hasn't encountered. By sharing the sometimes comical outcomes, he gives the new biker a head start to become more comfortable, credible, and knowledgeable about joining a community that is as much a part of American culture as baseball, hotdogs and apple pie.
Synopsis
Barbieri explains everything a new rider needs to know to become a real biker. By sharing the lessons he learned the hard way, Barbieri gives the new biker a head start to become more comfortable, credible, and knowledgeable about the motorcycle culture.
Synopsis
This book, by someone who knows motorcycles as few do, explains everything a new rider needs to know to become a real biker.
Synopsis
This book, by someone who knows motorcycles as few do, provides a road map to biker culture for anyone new to the experience. Jay Barbieri begins with a brief history of motorcycles, and draws on his twenty-five years of riding experience for examples of what works and doesn’t in this heady world. With hundreds of motorcycle trips under his belt, there is not a mistake Barbieri hasn’t made or a situation he hasn't encountered. By sharing the sometimes comical outcomes, he gives the new biker a nearly risk-free way to become more comfortable, credible, and knowledgeable about joining a truly American community.
About the Author
Jay Barbieri hosts a weekly segment on
Speed TVs “American Thunder,” the longest-running TV motorcycle magazine, and is the supervising producer for “Chopper Nation” and “The Million Dollar Biker Build Off” on
ESPN2 and “The Great American Poker Run” on Chicago Super Station
WGN. He lives in Hollywood, California.
Table of Contents
Dedication
Introduction
Chapter One
Get it Straight: American Motorcycles
Chapter Two
How to Be a Cheap SOB Without Looking Like One
Chapter Three
Planning a Trip: This Time it Doesn’t Mean Finding the Guy With the Best Dope
Chapter Four
Time to Get Going, But How?
Chapter Five
Pack it In
Chapter Six
Don’t Be “That Guy” . . . You Know Exactly What I Mean!
Chapter Seven
F&%k the Midlife Crisis
End of the Road