Legendary Motorcycles: The Stories and Bikes Made Famous by Elvis; Peter Fonda; Kenny Roberts and Other Motorcycling Greats

Basem Wasef

Motorbooks, Oct 15, 2007 - Transportation - 176 pages

Motorcycles are mythic, far more than mere transportation, but some are in a class of their own, truly legendary machines. There are the Triumphs: James Dean’s, Marlon Brando’s in The Wild Ones, the one Steve McQueen took over the fence in The Great Escape. There are Evel Knievel’s and Elvis’s Harleys, the Easy Rider Stars ‘n’ Stripes bike, and T. E. Lawrence’s Brough Superior SS100; Von Dutch’s Condor, Craig Vetter’s Mystery Ship, and Mike Hailwood’s Honda RC162. These are just some of the machines that have made motorcycle history, and that make this book a feast for the eyes and a fact-filled odyssey for the motorcycle aficionado.

Illustrated with commissioned photographs and historical images, the book profiles the bikes--not just the models but the actual motorcycles--that have achieved legendary status in the last century. Their stories, told here in detail for the first time, make up the story of the motorcycle in American culture.

See Motorbooks author Basem Wasef interviewed by Jay Leno on JayLenosGarage.com: http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/jays-book-club-basem-wasef/1168295/

About the author

Basem Wasef's fascination with all things automotive spans back to his childhood in London, where he was known to sing Happy Birthday to his extensive collection of Matchbox cars. Though his enthusiasm has taken him from the Arctic Circle to Modena in pursuit of extraordinary and exotic vehicles, he can't imagine living anywhere but car-crazed Los Angeles.Tom Cotter writes regularly for Road & Track, and has a deep-seated love for automotive rescue. One of his best-known saves, a neglected Shelby Cobra, was chronicled by Peter Egan in Road & Track. Tom has been in and around cars all of his life, and built up one of the most successful PR agencies in motorsports, with a client list that includes Lowe's, McDonalds, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Dodge, Pontiac, BMW, John Deere, UPS, General Foods, Sears, and that Speed. The lifelong auto enthusiast is co-chairman of the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance. Cotter resides in Davidson, North Carolina, with his family and a garage full of collector cars.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Legendary Motorcycles: The Stories and Bikes Made Famous by Elvis; Peter Fonda; Kenny Roberts and Other Motorcycling Greats
• Author: Basem Wasef
• Contributor: Jay Leno
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Motorbooks, 2007
• ISBN: 0760330700, 9780760330708
• Length: 176 pages
• Subjects: Transportation / Motorcycles / History; Transportation / Motorcycles / Pictorial