Friday, May 13, 2011

The Police Riders Handbook to Better Motorcycling-book review.


Setting out on some advanced riding instruction, one of the first things the instructor recommended was to get a copy of this book.  This book has already established itself as a leading manual on motorcycling, and is a must for any biker who is interested in improving there skills and becoming a safer and better rider.  Hand in hand with some advanced rider training it re enforces what you will learn, and the diagrams are easy to understand.    

For a complete beginner I think this book would be hard going, and perhaps a little to understand, it helps to have a basic understanding of the motorbike and it's dynamics. Although saying that, everyone should  have one of these books close by.  The more you ride, the more you read, the more this book will become a part of your riding and that can only be a good thing.

The first chapter is dedicated to the mental aspect of riding a bike, before moving on to motorcycle control,observation, acceleration, cornering, signals, positioning and overtaking.  Each topic is comprehensively covered.

This is not a book you will read in one sitting.  It is a book which you will be consistently referring back to, and when some thing is not clicking it is a great resource to sit down and analyse your own riding.    It's style or writing is very forth right and too the point.  It is very technical.  And at times short paragraphs can carry a lot of info.   Hence I think it is important to read in small bits.  

Hand in and with David L Houghs book Guide to proficient motorcycling, both books compliment each other.  Although Davids book is easier to read from a technical and aspect, as well as  having good life based examples.  You can read a review of this book here  Proficient Motorcycling Book Review-Geoff James.  



The Police Riders handbook, is a handy small A5 size, perfect for carrying with you on the bike if going away.  And what a great time to analyse your own riding when you get a few days of uninterrupted miles.  There are many good biking books on the market, but I strongly recommend both these books as must reads.

The book is readily available from Amazon, or  Fishpond here in New Zealand.  Prices vary from place to place , so it pays to shop around for a copy.

5 comments:

  1. Roger mate, you've absolutely nailed it! Your second paragraph sums it up perfectly. It is a bit dry and technical but the fact that the UK Police and the IAM both use it as one of their core documents speaks volumes. It is indeed a "must read" and transcends riding on the left or right, just as David Hough's book does.

    You've done the motorcycling community a service.

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  2. Thanks Geoff, and thanks for mentioning that it transcends riding on either side, some thing I meant to mention, but an important point.

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  3. Will definetaly be looking this one up.I does not matter how much you think you know,you can always learn more. Thanks for sharing mate.

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  4. Sounds like a good book for the motorcycling library. I know with David Hough's book I go back and glean new stuff all the time. "How did I not see that on my last read through!"

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  5. A Fleabay search under 'Police Motorcycle' is also a fruitful source of new and pre-owned Roadcraft books. The postage from UK may be a bit lump but it may be another alternative for readers of your blog

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