Pros: Covers most anything you can think of, AND he's written a sequal!
Cons: I haven't yet memorized it.
The Bottom Line: If you do not already have this book, go get it. It has more useful stuff per page than any other general motorcycling skills book I have ever read.
hularider's Full Review: David L. Hough - Proficient Motorcycling: The Ulti...
Hough's easy to read guide to motorcycling is a classic - well written, thorough, and timeless. The book covers a wide enough spectrum of situations a rider will encounter that by understanding and practicing each technique the rider should be able to survive most imaginable (and some unimaginable!) situations.
IMO, if you can only afford one book on how to ride a bike, this is the book.
Hough explains the basic physics of how a motorcycle moves in easy to understand terms, neither talking down to the reader nor talking over the average reader's head.
The book is organized into sections on risk and risk management, dynamics (the aforementioned physics), Surviving in traffic, hazards, special situations such as rain and wind, riding in groups, and riding with a passenger.
He also has some pretty kewl charts and graphics. My favorite is the one showing how likely you are to smack specific parts of your head/helmet on the ground in a crash. The most likely impact site, if your head touches the ground, is your right lower mandible - 19.4% of impact locations are there. Makes me glad I wear a full-face!
Another thing I like about the book is the quiz on page 28 - I scored 75 in managing my risks - the goal is 80. I'll keep working on it. I don't mind being called a wuss because I like to ride safely - I'm more interesting in REACHING my destination than I am in looking kewl while I get there! I do truly believe the information in this book can help a person do that!
Hough also spends some time discussing road rage, its causes, and avoidance techniques. In this era of ever-increasing traffic and agression in which people use their cars as weapons, the advice he gives makes good solid sense.
Another hazard Hough gives some serious attention to is loose dogs. This is the first (though there may be others) book I have seen devote pages specifically to this danger. He explains it, discusses the dangers, gives survival tactics, and even has a chart showing the body language of dogs and if they are likely to attack.
I could go on and on praising this book, but basically, I just want to say that if you ride, no matter what your experience level, this is a good think to have on your shelf.
Oh, yeah - I also want to mention something I learned in college - this kind of book becomes even more useful if you make notes and comments to yourself in the margins and glue or tape in relevant newspaper clippings, magazine articles, etc. Then it grows into a personalized encyclopaedia just for you.
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