Night falls early and creates a contemplative atmosphere in winter. Lots of reading by the fireplace and longing for longer days. Why ride a motorcycle? is a recent contemplation by Basem Wasef, and it made me think of other musings on the topic. The best of the bunch is arguably Melissa Holbrook Pierson's The Perfect Vehicle, another is Pirsig's classic Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Allen Noren's lesser-known Storm is a moody exploration of the topic, encouraged by relentless rains during a lengthy tour of the Baltic Sea region. What are your favorite articles and books that describe what is is about riding a motorcycle?
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Carla King
Carla King is a trailblazing travel writer, memoirist, and publishing coach dedicated to helping authors transform their stories into polished, professional books. Renowned for her solo motorcycle adventures and as a pioneer in online travel blogging, Carla’s memoirs and essays capture the power of personal storytelling. With a Silicon Valley background in tech writing, she combines creativity with efficiency, offering clear, actionable guidance to nonfiction and memoir authors. Through her books, courses, podcasts, and partnerships with writing and publishing organizations, Carla empowers writers to achieve their publishing goals with confidence and expertise.
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I would be remiss if I didn’t say American Borders is one of my favorites. (A shameless plug for a friend.) The Perfect Vehicle was great as was Zen. Can’t forget Ted Simon’s books. Gary Paulsen, “Pilgrimage on a Steel Ride” gets to the soul of motorcycling.
But, I think the best book that explains motorcycling and motorcyclist attitudes is a book by William Graham Carrington, “Cowboys with Chrome Horses.” After reading this book, I understood why I went back and forth from horses to motorcycles to horses to motorcycles in my youth. I’m stuck with motorcycles now.
Brent