The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well - Proficient Motorcycling

I owned and rode motorcycles over 30 years ago. I had both dirt bikes and road bikes and was comfortable riding in all conditions. I sold my last road bike shortly after starting a family. Recently, I purchased another motorcycle and since I had let the motorcycle endorsement on my driver's license lapse, I enrolled in ABATE Basic Riders Course, which is affiliated with Motorcycle Safety Foundation to earn it back. This book was praised by the instructors as a source for further reading. I purchased it and started reading and found it to be excellent. It is easy to read, the author explains everything in plain english, and the photos are relevant to the subject matter. If anyone asks me about it, I will highly recommend they buy it for themselves.

I Read this book right before I got my motorcycle license and during a 4-day motorcycle safety course. DON"T LEAVE HOME ON YOUR MOTO WITHOUT READING IT FIRST. A lack of imagination to the myriad negative consequences caused by pure ignorance or lack of emphasis on self preservation is a hallmark biker freedom rant, of which is complete nonsense to me. This book reveals so much, thanks David!

This book has lots of information on riding techniques, bike physics and avoiding trouble. Being an informed rider increases the odds of being a healthy rider at the end of the day.

My brother had a motorcycle accident that may of been avoidable. When he went to the doctor, amoung other things, the doctor took out his RX pad and wrote the name of this book on it and said read it.

I have now given a copy of this book to three of my riding freinds. Each has read all or parts of it and have said thanks.

I only came across this book due to the regularity of recommendations I'd get from other riders. For that, they deserve some sort of commendation for outstanding citizenry, as reading this is a potential life saver.

I was expecting a tiny novel-style paperback, but was pleasantly surprised to open the package and find a large, full-color, and beautifully illustrated book inside. I can only wish manuals of this caliber would be standard issue for motorcycle and class c drivers alike. The road would be a much safer and pleasant place to drive.

Motorcycles can be a safe, economical means of transportation. But it requires a lot of skill and caution to stay safe and avoid eating others' mistakes. Studying this book and applying its lessons can give you confidence and make you safer, plain and simple.

The binding is, unfortunately, rather badly done. I didn't have any pages come completely out, but there are loose ones that will come out eventually. No matter, the content is good enough to make the poor manufacturing something to overlook.

new rider, took the riders edge course offered at local Harley Davidson as well as read this book carefully. This book is a must read for riders of all levels. Years later, I still observe situations outlined in this book and am prepared and ready to react.

I just earned my motorcycle lic, and appreciate the thorough explanations of how a motorcycle rides and how to ride in real-world conditions safely. I'd guess even veteran riders would learn a few things from reading this book.

I would have given this book 5 stars except for the repetitiveness. I think the book vould be 25% shorter and convey no less useful information. I would have also liked to see even more diagrams as I am a visual learner.

Here's to your rubber side staying down.

I am still reading this book, but am finding that it has a lot of useful information in it. I purchased this one after the Nick Ienatsch book and from what I've read thus far, I think this one is a better read. I also picked up the Twist of the Wrist II DVD, which is good. This book would be great in DVD format for those of us who don't like to read so much. Nonetheless, I believe it is worth buying.

Highly recommended for those fairly new to motorcycling. Written in an easy to read and entertaining style, like a collection of magazine articles. It's not very technical. A few points are covered again and again, namely countersteering and delayed apex turns. If you're an experienced biker and you've taken the advanced MSF course, there's probably not too much new information for you here. But if you want a good explanation on why bikes need to steer to the right to begin a turn to the left, this book has it.

Brilliant writing. I have been riding for almost a decade. Its on my shelf and I keep reading it over and over again. Read this book and you will improve your riding skills, no matter how many years you have been riding.

I just earned my motorcycle lic, and appreciate the thorough explanations of how a motorcycle rides and how to ride in real-world conditions safely. I'd guess even veteran riders would learn a few things from reading this book.

I would have given this book 5 stars except for the repetitiveness. I think the book vould be 25% shorter and convey no less useful information. I would have also liked to see even more diagrams as I am a visual learner.

Here's to your rubber side staying down.

I am still reading this book, but am finding that it has a lot of useful information in it. I purchased this one after the Nick Ienatsch book and from what I've read thus far, I think this one is a better read. I also picked up the Twist of the Wrist II DVD, which is good. This book would be great in DVD format for those of us who don't like to read so much. Nonetheless, I believe it is worth buying.

Highly recommended for those fairly new to motorcycling. Written in an easy to read and entertaining style, like a collection of magazine articles. It's not very technical. A few points are covered again and again, namely countersteering and delayed apex turns. If you're an experienced biker and you've taken the advanced MSF course, there's probably not too much new information for you here. But if you want a good explanation on why bikes need to steer to the right to begin a turn to the left, this book has it.

Brilliant writing. I have been riding for almost a decade. Its on my shelf and I keep reading it over and over again. Read this book and you will improve your riding skills, no matter how many years you have been riding.

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This book is better than the MSF course you took (or will take). It's not a replacement, nor is it meant to be. It is a furtherance of your motorcycling education.

This book should be used as a supplement to your MSF course and your riding. I read it as a refresher a couple times a year, mainly before long rides, and I retake the MSF class every two-years.

If you are new to riding, or an old hand, this is a book you should read.

This book is extremely informative and definitely worth buying. I am a beginner and I have learned so much just from reading this book.

The only thing wrong with it is the binding is horrible! I have had this book for about a week and the pages I have read have come completely loose from the binding! They are falling right out. I am going to have to tape every page to the next page to keep from losing them. I am very dissappointed about that since it is an excellent book and very beautiful,and one to keep for a long time or pass along to others, but it's not going to last long and the tape is going to make it quite ugly compared to its perfectly new state.

This book starts out with the sobering statistics regarding motorcycle accidents and fatalities. Put the fear God in me and helps a newbie understand that it isn't all fun and games till you high side over a car roof or down a canyon curve.
His explanations on how to safely operate a motorcycle have been extremely helpful and when I am riding, David's words are resonating in my head as I approach a situation which he dealt with in full detail in the book. A must read for all new cyclists.

Excellent book and delivered quickly. If you ride motorcycles, you owe it to yourself to read this book. It could very well end up saving your life, but at least it will teach you the proficient way to ride (as much as a book can).

I found this instruction manual a fabulous read. It answered a lot of questions that I didn't even know existed. If you want to know what makes your bike do the things it does, balance itself, corner, grip the road, handle differently with extra weight, counter steer and other things then read this book. YOU WILL BE AMAZED AT WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

Whether you are new to riding motorcycles or experienced this book is a MUST READ. The author goes into much more detail on important aspects of riding including counter steering, braking, emergency swerving, ATGATT and more. He does not just tell you to, for instance, counter steer, but he shows you why it works. This is one of those books that is good to have around long term. Periodically I will open it up and just go over part of the contents as a refresher.

Whether you are wondering what line to take through a curve, how to BEST go through an intersection, when you should brake and when you shouldn't, this is the book for you. If you have a relative or a good friend that is new to motorcycling, do him/her a favor and get this book. You could just save their life.

Bought this book hoping to get insight regarding motorcycle safety after I took the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's course. It is an excellent supplement to what I learnt in the MSF class. It gives more safety information than their book, "Motorcycling Excellence". ( I highly recommend both books) The book uses high quality paper and full of high resolution photographs. I keep this book on my coffee table and reread on a regular basis, as you can't be too safe.

I use this book to constantly review and refresh my riding techniques. I seem to find something new every time I read it. Goes with out saying, that the more prepared you are in understanding your bike and your riding technique, the safer you will be on the road.

I just bought a new motorcycle after about 18 years out of the saddle and decided I needed to brush up on some riding tactics. I bought "Proficient Motorcycle" by David Hough to give me the refresher I needed.

The book itself is solid stock, with nice thick high quality gloss paper. The cover is even thicker paper that folds inward at the edges to prevent wear as you thumb through the pages. The binding is glued and threaded with fourteen strong stiches... high quality all around.

But wait... do you like sticky gooey residue all over the back cover of your books? No, you say? Well, you may be a little disappointed then. The "Free 144 Bonus Pages" is actually a CD-ROM attached to a plastic holder on the back of the book. The CD has a huge yellow warning sticker on it, "If you break this seal you cannot return the book". Ok fine. The problems start when you go to "break the seal". You have to literally destroy the plastic sleeve to get the CD out, which requires you to pull it from the back paper cover. This will rip some of the back cover off with it. And now there is a sticky adhesive mess all over the back cover that will stick to the back page when you shut it. I had to put tape all over the back cover in order to "seal in" all the adhesive residue from the advertisement CD.

And that's what the "144 bonus pages" are... advertisement for the Motorcycle Consumer News magazine. You get three old issues with plenty of oppurtunities to subscribe. They should have left this out, no one want this CD and it destroys the book cover.

So, a little worse for the wear, I cracked open the book and read it from cover to cover.

The information contained was useful and enjoyable to read. But the "enjoyable to read" part actually has an expense to it. The motorcyle lingo and the off-the-cuff casual nature will put you at ease, but when this style sours into heavy sarcasm, it can be confusing.

For example, on page 38 shows a photograph of a couple on a motorcyle wearing the lid-style helmets. Perfectly legal and popular where I live. The caption says, "You don't really need a real helmet if you are clever enough to avoid crashes." Yes, pretty obvious sarcasm but possible misleading.

There is other questionable language in the text also. Sometimes Hough will refer to crash victims as "road stains". That's always tacky, regardless of context. On more than one occasion he refers to scruffy bikers that like to wear black leather with metal studs as "terrorists" and at other times as "biker trash". This is type of language is not funny and not necessary.

Those negatives aside, however, I really enjoyed the writing style. Hypothetical characters like "Interstate Al" and "Biker Bob" are not only enjoyable to read about, but made me think of their situations when I was out on the road. This is a very effective teaching tool that I found enjoyable and informative.

Overall, I think this book is worth the money. The information is very valuable and it is presented in a enjoyable way. I am without a doubt a better rider after reading "Proficient Motorcycling". I am even thinking about buying Hough's next installment, "More Proficient Motorcycling". I may have pointed out a few negatives about the presentation here, but I am happy I bought and read this book, and my overall impressions are positive.

Well conceived, in this book David Hough applies his tons of biking experience to set a tone of safety first for riders. Well put together and occasionally humorously written. These skill sets Hough teaches if applied will help any rider to avoid common mistakes that can lead to disaster. Recommended reading for all bikers.

For starters if you ride a motorcycle and you don't read and or subscribe to Motorcycle Consumer News your missing out. MCN is the source of the material in this book. Awesome read and a must have for any motorcyclist no matter what he or she rides. My one and only beef with this book is the binding. It fell apart the first time I read it. i took it to Kinko's and they rebound it for me using a spiral bound so it was easier to leave open to the instructional bits when I was taking mental notes or praticing a certain move at the local high school.

I agree with all the 5 star ratings. The publisher listened, the new publication doesn't lose pages, the photos, mostly color, are completely relevent and show a situation to avoid. If they look like plain ole pictures perhaps you need to reread the section the picture is in. I'm 5 and have ridden since I was 16 and there were things here for me to learn. I like to say it's all about the ride, and for me, making it home to ride again.

A little bit stuffy, on the conservative side. Wouldn't be appreciated by one percenters. A little too much technical info. Not necessary and hard to understand sometimes. Those things aside, though, it was definitely worth the money. Solid information.

This book WILL save your life. I have been riding since 1968 and didn't think I needed to read a cycle safety book...boy was I wrong!!! I am COMPLETELY impressed with Mr. Hough's thorough knowledge and advice on safe cycling. PLEASE buy this book (I am NOT in any way related to the author), any one who rides a motorcycle can benefit from Hough's wisdom.

Basically, it is book that is composed of many articles about safe riding. It is an enjoyable read. However, I would recommend using your money to take a motorcycle safety foundation course where you can practice the riding skills.

Hough writes in a very engaging and relatable style, and I thoroughly enjoyed a few of his books by now. The messages may be a bit repetitive, but he presents many good scenarios, reviews and analyzes and gives the reader key take-aways, especially targeted for the touring crowd. Not a track how-to, just a good skills enhancer for the day-to-day.

This is a well rounded read, it covers everything from A to Z. This book might be a little much for the experienced rider but it never hurts to touch on some of the things you use everyday. For a new or inexperienced rider there is a wealth of information. If you ride a trike there's even a few chapters for you. Overall a good book

The title accurately describes the content. Nicely organized and well written with features on different riding scenarios. Outstanding illustrations and descriptions of how to increase your riding skill and safety. A nice mix of technical information, practical advice and easily understood instruction.

Emphasizes the most important thing about riding safely, always making good use of what's between your ears, not just what's between your legs.

The quality of the book itself is also first rate. The layout is nice with excellent print quality on a matte, heavy weight paper stock. All the photos, illustrations and diagrams are high quality.

If this book was required reading for motorcycle buyers, it would probably save more lives than helmets do. Includes a bonus CD with 144 additional pages of valuable tips.

The attention to the micro-seconds on riding safely in myriad situations is incredible. I've had the MSF courses, but this is way above and beyond that. The return on the 20 buck investment in the book can be a long and safe riding experience.

On the material book itself - like some others, I find the binding a dismal failure. Page 39 came loose in my hands as I turned the page. I'm thinking about putting the whole book in a 3 ring binder, since the book itself will not withstand repeated readings. That's a shame considering the delivered value of the subject matter.

David Hough does for the road rider what Keith Code does for the track rider. Hough takes everyday riding situations and analyzes them from all perspectives. He does not get bogged down in silly definitions or other diversions. He is straight forward and thorough.
I have been riding for more than 20 years. Many of the things that Hough discusses were things that I learned the hard way. This book is filled with good common sense suggestions. This is by far the best book for any street rider - even better than the MSF book.

Last year (2009) David was (well-deservedly) inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. He's been studying, observing and analyzing motorcyle skills and safety for many years. I've heard him speak at countless rallies and read his books. When two of my adult children decided they wanted to become riders, my first act was to provide them with a copy of Proficient Motorcycling.

I recommend this book to friends who express an interest in riding and to anxious parents who aren't sure they want their child on a two wheeled beast. The book is full of excellent statistics, data and information about how to stay safer on the roads and have more fun doing it. The author's writing style is very approachable and entertaining.

The book most likely to save your life while motorcycling.
You won't learn the fastest cornering technique for the track. But you will lean an enormous amount about how motorcycles handle and what to look for on the road so you can live to ride another day.

I've read several books on motorcycle "safety", but this is THE BEST - I'd give it 6 stars. The author has a veteran's approach to motorcycling, and has "been there - done that". I've recommended it to many friends, and loaned it out more times than I can count. I want to read this once a year - it's filled with great information. If I only had one "motorcycle skills" book in my library, this would be it.

I always recommend this to anyone showing interest in motorcycle riding. I have been riding since 1973, and I understand the fact that we can all learn something new, none of us know everything. Require your loved one to read this before they need it. I encourage you to read it as a fellow motorcycle enthusiast.