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The Immortals of American Motocross
By Larry Lawrence.
I am sure his list will be open for discussion. For example as an OG MXer, I would include Brad Lackey here, maybe Jim Pomeroy over say, Kent Howerton. BUT, always good to see a new well-done MX book.
$27 on Amazon.
Cool!
Yeah, never going to please everyone and it cant be "perfect".
But this looks nice!
Thanks for the Heads Up on this - I just ordered this at 2.55am on our OZ Friday, it's (supposedly ) here in OZ, and will get to me on Monday.
No Marty Smith either?
Blasphemy!
Great looking book!
The honourable mentions list could be interesting as there are so many deserving athletes but gotta cap the "Mt.Rushmore" list of legends right?
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Howerton had the most underrated career in MX/SX. He definitely deserves to be included in this list.
No Marty Smith means Larry Lawrence missed the very first Hero and Icon in U.S. Moto history. May be a great book, but I will not be spending my money on any MX hero book that does not include Marty.
No Karsmaker, or Weinert either? Gary Jones won the first four national championships, not there? No Tony D? No Marty Tripes? WTF?
Pomeroy is definitely the man (can't deny the first American to win a GP moto), but Howerton literally changed the way we ride motorcycles by figuring out you could slip the clutch in turns to keep the RPMs up, so I kind of agree with him getting the nod (not to say Bimbo couldn't have replaced someone else on the list, though).
Howerton was not the first to slip a clutch. No way, riders on Chapparals, Indians, Steens, and Hodakas were doing that on local tracks around here long before. Iconic yes cerainly, clutch slipping innovator no. One of the greatest - absolutely.
Just ordered this for my son's birthday. He was born in '94 so he just caught the tail end of MC & was all-in by the time RC dominated. It'll be good for him to see some of the riders that were my heroes, although leaving out Marty is a huge miss with a book like this. That guy was a rock star to us as little kids.
Anyway, thanks for the head's-up. I had no idea what I was getting him this year.
No Marty Smith is like leaving Roger Staubach out of a football list.
First American world champion, Brad Lackey?
He forgot Haiden Deegan. Lol.
Seriously though, I think a good argument could be made for Jett.
Hey, I had a squizz at the chapters of the book, and was a bit surprised at the riders 'missing' from it.
But, I'm not about to Not have it in my Library, because of that.
$34 AUD?Bargain.
Currently besides my bed, I've such 'obscure' moto books like " Pioneers Of Minnesota Motocross" by Bob Chase, and so on.
I love my Moto books. Well, books on a myriad of subjects . I've a Granny Flat attached to my main house, that I should ( well, Need To) rent out that's Entirely full of my Library of books.
Take it up with Howerton...
https://motocrossactionmag.com/mxa-interview-kent-howerton-on-life-getting-in-the-way-of-living/
MXA: YOU GET A LOT OF CREDIT AS THE RIDER WHO POPULARIZED SLIPPING THE CLUTCH OUT OF CORNERS.
Howerton: I invented that technique on the Husqvarna. Before that, riders would come into a corner and downshift, and then would shift up when they came out of the corner. I decided to carry a little bit more speed into the corner and not downshift. Midway through the turn, I would turn the throttle wide open and slip the clutch a little bit to carry more speed. It worked really well. When you carry a little extra momentum, it really makes a difference to stay in third coming out of a corner.
American World Champ = Early Retirement
Couldn't have said it better.
I literally had a dog name Roger and one named Marty.
What are your top 10 moto books? Be fun to see...
Pit Row
Brad mentioned in a few podcasts that for 1983 he wanted $1m salary.
Cagiva did offer $800k, but it wasn't $1m.
I don't think Suzuki and Brad were getting along too well given the non-factory configuration of the '82 bike. Don't have any other history notes, perhaps somebody does. I spoke to Pierre Karsmaker at the Boise Inter-AM a few years ago, he mentioned that '83 was a tough year, not much money being thrown around for rides.
Mate, that's too bloody hard an ask!
So many - covering So many aspects of Motorcycling.
I follow pretty much All MC sport.
I've got Every Motocourse (Road Racing) Annual, now going into it's 51st year - and, early volumes of it are getting THOUSANDs of dollars for them. I've told my family to Really pay attention to my Library when I cark it - they'll get a lot of $$$ for so many of the books.
I was stunned to see the money asked for Allen Girdlers HD Flat Track / HD Racing soft covers I have.
When Honda Went Flat Track Racing is an amazing book.
Grand Prix Motocross: The 1972 World Championship Season is a good read.
I have a huge collection of Real Roads Racing related books , and treasure all the Joey Dunlop ones.
I've also got a huge amount of ISDT / ISDE / World Enduro related books.
Everyone here SHOULD have Robgvx's book - even though he's a Pommie Bastard!!!! ........😉 Hi Roberto!
Stolen Title - about Jaroslav Falta , is fantastic.
A Mann Of His Time , by Ed Youngblood is always on hand.
The John Penton book is great - the DVD too. .
Stealing Speed, by Matt Oxley is something every motorcyclist should read. I've also got a biography of Walter Kaaden - perhaps the most important engineer in relation to the 2 stroke - and, Matt Oxley's book is about the 'movement' of his ideas by Ernst Degner ( a very clever rider / engineer himself) to Japan / the Western MC world.
Britten - about John Britten and the V1000 is great - even though it's about a bunch of Dastardly Kiwis! And, it was a bunch - it was far from a one man effort.
A book about Shayne KIng / the King brothers would be great - cripes, I'm in danger of being accused of liking Kiwis - well no, I see it as Knowing Your Enemy ...... Bounders and Cads, the lot of them - (we Luvs Yuz , Kiwis!)
I've Hurricane - by Tom Madigan - a good coffee table one featuring Bob.
Ake Jonsson's 'The Technique of Motocross' with Vin Gilligan is a classic 'how to' book.
Anything about Sammy Miller is extraordinary - talk about a bloke who raced in so many 'types' of Motorcycle Sport - and, often on the Same Bloody Motorcycle, using different 'season' set ups. I truly dread his passing - look up You Tube for vids of him / his Museum.
'Endurance' - about Toby Price is quite the read - there's far, Far more to him, and his bloody haircut ( he's such a Dag ) - than just the Dakar.
I've been buying many books about Ducatis and Other Italian MCs, from Moto Itallienne for a few years now - they know they've got me on the hook, that's for sure.
Allan Cathcarts books are good - I've got so many of them.
I'd love to see a biography on Brad Lackey - if there's one, I've missed it. I've got the Brad Lackey 're-version / re-hash' of the Len Weed Motocross ( which I have, as well) book, Motocross Techniques and Training, but, nothing else on / by him.
Dave Thorpe's book - No Regrets ( and the Video ) - is pretty good, but it seemed to stop a bit quickly - no real mention of his CCM years, and not much on his Honda Team(s) he runs . Perhaps, I hope, that's to come.
As I've written so often, I'd love to see a Biography by / of Gary Semics - so few really know of his extensive career, going into Europe - and, his various writings I've seen over the years, have really shown he has writing talents.
One on Billy Liles would be fantastic - he did so much racing in the GPs, that few seem to be aware of.
I have to say, I've not come across a full on book / biography on Roger Decoster - I really hope he gets around to it.
The 2 'Rolling Thunder' books, about CCM - the first by Bill Lawless and the later one by Peter Henshaw are great - I'm a bit stressed about them, as I can't find them on my shelves - trying to remember who I may have leant them to.
'Four Stroke Finale - the Honda Trials Story' by Tommy Sandham and John Dickinson is a good read - about the development and success of the Honda Trials bikes - mainly the various RTL (aircooled) works bikes - through to around the end of the Steve Saunders era. The Title, was wrong - as when Dougie Lampkin and then, 'til now, Toni Bou eras show that there was no 'finale' to Honda's Four Stroke Trials ambitions and World Championships.
I've so many MC books - and so many Books in general. It's Out Of Hand.
As for magazines - a few years back, I just had to face up to reality, and I sent out around 11 tonnes of them to recycling - by using my, and around 7 of my neighbours recycling Otto (80kg limit each pick up) bins, for a a couple of months. It still saddens me, but, it had to be done - though, I've got Thousands, still.
Seems this is a book that ignores the earlier period.
Omits the first American winners of the US 125, 250 and 500 GPs.
And Magoo.
Hmm.
Great to see your enjoyment of books Bear. My family and I are voracious readers, my wife, the kids, and grandkids. Fiction, nonfiction, doesn't matter. We do have a library, fireplace, bay windows, knotty pine, the whole deal, it is a sanctuary. A couple of my favorite motorcyclist books that were conspicuous by their absence on your list were "Riding Man" by Mark Gardiner, "Leathered" by John Hopkins, and "motorcycle Traveler" by Peter Starr. All these books are about personal triumphs over very dark problems through motorcycling; I highly recommend them even to non-riders.
Just ordered 3 copies
Oh, I've got Mark Garners book - And the DVD, 'One Man's Island'. I just looked over from my welding table, and I can see it poking out from behind my 'puter monitor. On the cover, his bike has Padgett's signage on it.
Now there's a Bloke / Family - The Pagetts - that I'd dearly love to see a book or two about. Huge backers of Road Racing, for Decades now, and one of the Very few companies who are HRC part sellers.
Hoppers book I've yet to get - a real talent, but he's put himself through the ringer, with some of his 'habits'. It's sort of why I've held of on getting it, as I think it goes deep into his issues.
Peter Starr - what can you say about that bloke, he really brought MCs to many more than just us freaks - dozens of Movies / TV by him. - I've Motorcycle Traveler like you. I've been trying to find that Book and DVD set of 'Taking It To The Limit', for a while now.
I've an Enormous collection of DVDs, too - They live in my Workshop - taking up a Lot of room. I've Got to have 'hardcopies', I think I've only ever bought one thing to play purely through my 'puter.
I nearly always carry a book or two with me - the last few years, I do much of my reading while on the train to Sydney Uni, where I teach 'Baby Engineers' to actually Do Manual, Hands On Engineering, a couple of times a week. They've Brains The Size Of Planets, and make me realize my limitations / my fading intellect, but , they mostly, initially, are pretty hopeless with the actual 'making' of things. It's great to help youngsters, and, they / the Uni have become accustomed to the Grumpy Old Man who dresses only in Blue Work clothes ( it's my way of combating some of my students contempt for 'Blue Collar Workers' - It gives some of them a bit of a wake up call to be 'informed' by a B.C.W ), and who hares about faster than most people, while on Crutches! I endeavor to make them far more well rounded - same thing goes for much of my work OS, with a few manufacturers.
And, I always come back from the City of Sydney, after raiding a few Book Shops, with a volume or two.
One I recently read, was 'Hiroshima Men' . It's Absolutely fascinating, following various people / projects tied in with the Atomic Bombings. Not just US centered, among various chapters, it follows a Japanese family. And, reading things things like how the B-29 program, and overall cost of production of them, was just as / more costly than the Bomb program itself - hard to believe, but, that's what it said. And, other things; like Paul Tibbets being much more than 'just' the Pilot of the Enola Gay.
I Highly recommend it.
I've all of Peter Egan' books - even his Car related ones, and I'm no great Car enthusiast. He's a wonderful writer. I only recently got his one about flying around the USA in a small 'plane : "Landings In America', though I've yet to read it. There's a bit of a line up of other tombs ahead of it.
I've most of Kevin Cameron's books , having read his columns in Cycle, and Cycle World for decades, and I watch Every Cycle World video with he and Mark Hoyer - they tend to go 'off track' with many an episodes subject, but that makes it even better. Kev is a Treasure. Hoyer's pretty 'cluey', as well
Anyway, I do go on a bit. It's 4.04am here, as I've been messing with a Ducati Swingarm project, it's time for bed.
I thought the same thing!
Thanks for the input Bear, Cameron and Egan are great.
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