More Proficient Motorcycling: Mastering the Ride

In a few words, after reading the first one -Proficient Motorcycling- one cannot expect less from this renowned author and experienced rider.This book deals deeper with concepts presented in the first one, concepts any reader-rider should have caught in mind and practised on the street after reading that. So this second part re-enforces and emphasizes basics ideas and fundamentals of riding safe as well as presents new optics on advanced motorcycling.I highly recommend it to you all bike enthusiasts who ¨eated-up¨ the first one in a week and conciously practised every drill described there.

David L. Hough's book "Proficient Motorcycling" showed me how little I really knew about the mechanical dynamics of a motorcycle. While I have been riding for a while, and am a safe rider, with Hough's book it has become a lot clearer about what a motorcycle is realing doing as I ride. Hough covers, in detail, many topics of safe riding, but he also helps you understand the mechanical dynamics of the motorcycle, in depth. By knowing what the machine wants to do under normal conditions, and under what conditions the machine fails us, we can better ride within the the margins of the bike's design and conditions. No matter how proficient you think you are already, Hough's book will help you understand what the machine is designed to do, and not do, and how important the rider is to it's safe operation. With the book in hand, plan on reading a chapter and wanting to go for a ride just to relate Hough's points to real riding.

This is a must read for any motorcycle rider, novice or experienced. The layout of the book is good and information easy to find. There is some overlap between the first book and this one (delayed apexing for example), though both are invaluable guides.The basic physics of bike handling are covered nicely and has a no BS approach.The book gives very good insight into safe cycling and has some practical exercises to try out as well.Problems: Topics like counter steering are split across multiple chapters. Though this is the only one I found, it would have been nice to have all in once nice block or chapter.Conclusions: For the street rider, both books by DLH are a must read. These books changed the way I look at street riding.

Written mostly for expert or experienced riders, Hough still comes off in language that riders of all levels can easily relate to and understand. Practically every subject related to riding is covered in great detail. He calls a few spades and is occasionally somewhat stern - but this is a book about riding safely and well, and I say it's welcome that someone takes it that seriously. He manages to avoid being obnoxious or preachy; that turns people off and I suspect he knows this.If the book has a major difference in theme from the first, it's that as you gain experience you'll find that the best way to improve is in the mental arenas of preparation, practice, and knowledge. Once you have gained enough experience to be able to physically ride, in other words, then you're able to REALLY start learning how to ride well. This book will set you on the road to make big improvements.There's just a ton of information here - from the mechanical aspects of apexing, trail braking, and panic stops, all the way to attitude, preparation, and dealing with breakdowns. The book is quite dense, packed with the same style of figures and pictures as the first book. As with the first one, this one is also well written. It might take a few reads to absorb it all!All in all a totally useful in-depth resource for riders who have at least learned the language and ridden for a while. Novice riders should get the first book, certainly - but this one won't put you off if you get both at the same time. It's like the ERC on your bookshelf!