$25.25
Holiday Deal
· 37% off
was $39.99
Buy Now, Pay Later
As low as
$6
/ mo
Learn more
- – 4-month term
- – No impact on credit to apply
- – Instant approval decision
- – Secure and straightforward checkout
Ready to go? Add this product to your cart and select a plan during checkout.
Payment plans are offered through our trusted finance partners Klarna, Affirm, Afterpay, Zip, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. No-credit-needed leasing options through Acima may also be available at checkout.
Learn more about financing & leasing here.
Free shipping on this product
30-day returns
Learn more
FREE 30-day refund/replacement
To qualify for a full refund, items must be returned in their original, unused condition. If an item is returned in a used, damaged, or materially different state, you may be granted a partial refund.
To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.
View our full returns policy here.
Availability:
In Stock.
Arrives
Thursday, Nov 12
Recently Viewed
At a glance
- Condition
- New
- Dimensions
- 8.25 x 0.63 x 10.75 in
- Weight
- 1.75 lb
- Publisher
- Motorbooks
- Publication date
- December 15, 2016
- Edition
- Illustrated
- Language
- English
Description
Popular motorcycle journalist and author Mark Zimmerman brings a comfortable, conversational tone to his easy-to-understand explanations of how motorcycles work and how to maintain them and fix them when they don't. This practical tutorial covers all brands and styles of bikes, making it a perfect companion to the owner's service manual whether you need to use the step-by-step instructions for basic maintenance techniques to wrench on your bike yourself or just want to learn enough to become an informed customer at your local motorcycle service department. This book includes more than 500 color photos and a thorough index to make it an especially user-friendly reference for home motorcycle mechanics of all skill levels. Read more
Specs 9
| Publisher | Motorbooks |
|---|---|
| Publication date | December 15, 2016 |
| Edition | Illustrated |
| Language | English |
| Print length | 256 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0760352712 |
| ISBN-13 | 17 |
| Item Weight | 1.75 pounds |
| Dimensions | 8.25 x 0.63 x 10.75 inches |
No specs match.
Frequently asked questions
If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is:
Thursday, Nov 12
Yes, absolutely! You may return this product for a full refund within 30 days of receiving it.
To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.
View our full returns policy here.
To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.
View our full returns policy here.
- Klarna Financing
- Affirm Pay in 4
- Affirm Financing
- Afterpay Financing
- Zip Pay in 4
- Financing through Apple Pay
- Financing through Google Pay
Learn more about financing & leasing here.
Similar Products
Top Amazon Reviews
Not just Do-It-Yourself, but Understand-It-Yourself.
Well-organized, easy on the layperson's eyes but without talking down to us either. "The Essential Guide to Motorcycle Maintenance" is divided up into sections and subsections that make it both an interesting cover-to-cover read but also very easy to use as a fast reference when repairing on the fly, taking the "Teach a man to fish" over the "Give a man a fish" approach. If all you want to know is how to change a spark plug you can probably find a faster how-to online. If you want to know how to change the spark plug AND just what the spark plug is doing, why and how and what happens when it's not doing it right, this is the book you're looking for. My '03 Kawasaki Vulcan isn't a toy, it's a tool; my only mode of transportation in this poor economy averaging 2,000 miles per month. And if I can't afford a car I certainly can't afford a conventional motorcycle mechanic looking to squeeze my wallet for what isn't there. So when my work-out-of-the-backyard mechanic isn't available or my work takes me away from him for a few months, I want to be able to do a fair amount of maintenance and repairs myself. Or at least know what I'm talking about when I do go to the conventional mechanic. Especially being female, it's still a challenge for some mechanics to see women as anything but walking, gullible, bags of money. This book has been my first giant leap into that realm. For all the varied motorcycles and configurations out there, Zimmerman gives a solid, most-common overview. More importantly, he does a fantastic job explaining to the layperson just how the various components work. This way, when I have a weird power loss happening under specific weather conditions, I'm not just looking at a laundry list of possible suspects in my owner's manual (or the appendix of this book). I can also go back through paragraphs and sidebars about just what the engine needs, analyzing for myself what the symptom tells me the engine isn't getting, and from there, I'm better equipped to diagnose the likely problem(s) myself than just blindly "Try replacing A, B, or C." For any biker out there, male or female, looking to be a little less dependent on your local Super Acme Made Of Money MegaMotorsports service shop, for those looking to better maintain your bike (and trust me, the key to hitting 130,000 miles is maintenance, maintenance, maintenance), and for those who want to learn in plain English just what makes your dream machine tick, "The Essential Guide to Motorcycle Maintenance" will be your new best friend!
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2008 by Mary Wood
It is what is says
Format: Kindle
Ok - to be fair, this is seriously a guide to motorcycle maintenance. What I mean is that if you think this book is going to be an easy read on how to swap out your chain or calibrate your bowls, well, then yes, but recognize it is oh so much more. The guy who wrote this.... seriously? I cannot put words down with the amount of information this guy has in his brain about everything motorcycle, but the guy is no doubt just short of genius. I cannot fathom how he knows so much about it, but rest assured every little bit is included in this book. I gave up after 20 pages. I am still reading it, but I use it to put me to sleep at night. LOL I'm secretly hoping some of the stuff he writes sinks into my subconscious as I sleep. :) Anyway, the book does exactly what it says it does, so it gets 5 stars. Am I learning from it? Not much, but I'm trying. Sooo... much... information!
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2020 by SwimRich99
Excellent general maintenance guide
If you are able to do basic maintenance to lawn mowers and automobiles, then this guide is a definate plus to understanding the fundamental workings of motorcycles. You will still need an owners manual for your specific bike (for manufacturer recomendations, IDing replacement parts, etc.) but this Essential Guide is a big plus for helping to diagnose problems and a good guideline for "how to" kind of jobs before you actually get your hands greasy. It is written in a casual, easy to understand language, that explains not just how to do something, but why you need to do it, and how it effects the overall function of your bike.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2007 by M. Gilbar
Great book for the begginer and intermediate start their own wrenching
I've learn a lot from this book. It will not teach you how to do everything, but will always point you in the right direction. For me, this is the perfect starting point for those who want to know more about mechanics, and it will take away any fear that you might have of doing so. Very well written, and the author enthusiasm is very contagious. It goes well beyond the owner's manual, and it's the perfect companion for your bike's service manual. Great reference guide to have around. Hopefully, you will outgrown it after a while, but that only means that the book did it's job.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2013 by D. Bayer
Best motorcycle maintenance book ever!
Format: Paperback
Great book! All other positive reviews were true. The author explains how each system works, how wear happens, what maintenance should be done and how to do it, including what tools you'll need for this. The reading is enjoyable and feels like a conversation with the author and there are lots of photos in color and diagrams (very detailed). The author is honest about this book and tells you that you'll need your motorcycle's service manual in order to apply the knowledge he provides in the book applied to your machine. I'd buy it again a dozen of times!
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2017 by Alvaro B.
Well written book on general motorcycle functional theory; a must have if you work on your own bike!!!
Well written and very funny. Mark writes as if you are standing there BSing with him next to the bike and the work bench. Great general guidance on motorcycle repair, he even states that you must have a model specific manual to go along with his book but he gives you insight that manuals do not. Allows the reader to have more in depth concepts on how the motorcycle works and how specific systems function. Excellent section on troubleshooting saved me a weeks worth of experimentation time trying to narrow down an electrical issue. Thanks Mark, you wrote an excellent book and I will buy more that you've written!!!
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2013 by NorCalDave
Good mechanical introduction? Don't trust the electrical parts.
Format: Paperback
I am new to motorcycles, having ridden my first one last month. I got this book to learn about their care, maintenance, and customization. It's ok for that. This is written by a long-time mechanic who has worked a lot on older bikes, so a fair amount of attention is given to older models and technologies. That all seems fairly sound. The electrical stuff is bad. Note: I'm an engineer, but an electrical engineer. So while the mechanical portions seemed okay, I might simply not have known better. Regarding the electrical portions, however, I DO know better. Electrical terms are wrong. System descriptions are wrong. He doesn't seem to actually understand the difference between voltage and current, or how extremely high voltage in an otherwise fixed system means low current. How electricity works is misrepresented. He claims that the modeling of current flowing from positive terminals to negative terminals is an uncorrected mistake because scientists didn't care enough to change their understanding after they figured it out, rather than a deliberate convention to make math easier (the actual answer). He thinks he understands Zener diodes, but doesn't. He thinks he understands transistors, but doesn't. The old fish wives' tale of 'always disconnect the negative terminal first or you'll blow something up' lives on, here. [I know I'm new to vehicles, but if a circuit is broken then it's broken; no current can flow. And if the vehicle's chassis is connected to the negative terminal as a chassis ground, then it seems like you should remove the positive terminal first, because even if the negative terminal is disconnected then current could still flow from the (connected) positive terminal to the effective negative terminal via a short through the chassis]
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2021 by AM
I LOVE THIS BOOK!
This book on motorcycle repair is much more than expected. Aside from the great pictures, and needed information of the basic repairs most bikes will need. Mark goes into telling us about bolt ratings, measuring, tools etc. He breaks down the tasks of tire mounting, among other things, and shows us the tools he uses. This is more more than a cut and dry list of how-to's, Mark likes what he does, and shows us how to do it too. A much needed book, I'm glad I have mine.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2014 by TXPHOTO66