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Review ------ 'Another good title in an enjoyable series' --Burton Mail A basic guide to what does what and why, and how to keep it that way! Includes hybrid and battery-electric machines. It won't make you a master mechanic but gives an understanding of fundamental principles and processes. This booklet is part of a series published by Veloce for the Royal Automobile Club in the UK which will reward readers commitment to wanting to help themselves by learning more about their bike with a 20% discount on their next service call! It is small enough to take along but obviously you'll want to read it before you ever need it! A motorcycle looks simple enough but modern ones are quite complex and have more things going on that are no longer in plain so a novice would do well to learn its inner workings. The book assumes no prior mechanical knowledge and many illustrations (mostly supplied by manufacturers, with some close-ups borrowed from other Veloce books) make it plain and simple to see what does what and how one thing translates its activity to another. Beginning with a discussion of the different types of bikes the book devotes most of its pages to descriptions of processes in the engine, and a shorter section to the transmission. These two parts are in fact so clear that anyone with a need to know about engines from lawnmower to automobile would benefit from them. One chapter deals with bike-specific parts (frame, suspension, wheels etc.) and another with electrics. A 2-page Help Yourself section is really more about preventive action and sounds/smells to pay attention to rather than specific troubleshooting tips. A brief Glossary explains bhp, torque, mpg, HT, TDC, stoichiometric ratio and ECU, and there s an Index. Henshaw was editor of Motorcycle Sport & Leisure magazine before becoming a freelance contributor to a number of transport-related magazines from bikes to tractors and has written some 20 books. He doesn t own a car and uses a bike year-round so you know he knows how to keep em running. Now you will too. --bookshop.com About the Author ---------------- Peter Henshaw was an enthusiast for anything with wheels from an early age everything from bicycles to 500hp tractors. He was Editor of Motorcycle Sport & Leisure for five years before going freelance and now contributes to a whole raft of transport magazines including Motorcycle News (motorcycles), Twist & Go (scooters), A to B (cycling) and Tractor (as it says...) as well as The Telegraph. He s also written over 40 books, including 20 about bikes. He s an all-year round motorcyclist who does not own a car.