Books Archives | Wind Burned Eyes

Book Review – ‘The Art of the Vintage Motorcycle’ by Serge Bueno and Gilles Lhote

In The Art of the Vintage Motorcycle, Serge Bueno and Gilles Lhote dive deep into the stories and craftsmanship that elevated motorcycles from mere machines to cherished works of art. If there’s a book out there that captures the raw romance and untamed spirit of these two-wheeled legends, this one’s it.

As you turn each glossy page, you get the sense that Bueno and Lhote understand something rare and almost poetic about motorcycles—they’re pieces of history wrapped in chrome and steel, built by hands that aimed for something both functional and beautiful.

Book Review – Proficient Motorcycling: The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well by David L. Hough

Proficient Motorcycling: The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well by David L. Hough is widely regarded as a must-read for motorcyclists seeking to improve their riding skills and safety.

David L. Hough, an experienced motorcyclist and educator, brings decades of expertise to this manual, which covers essential riding techniques, risk management, and strategies for handling real-world situations on the road.

Book Review – ‘Hell’s Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga’ by Hunter S. Thompson

Hunter S. Thompson’s Hell’s Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga (the book that gives this blog its name) rides into town like a rumbling, oil-streaked Harley, kicking up dust and leaving you staring down the road after it, half-wondering what just happened. Thompson, the man who practically invented “gonzo journalism,” dives headlong into the chaos of California’s most notorious motorcycle club—the Hell’s Angels—like a daredevil at full throttle. What emerges is less of a documentary and more of a high-octane, first-person blitz through America’s shadowy underworld of beer, blood, and black leather.

Book Review – Jupiter’s Travels by Ted Simon

There’s a special breed of man who sees a road winding into the distance and feels the tug. Not just any road—the kind that stretches beyond the horizon, beckoning with the promise of something unknown. Ted Simon is that kind of man. And Jupiter’s Travels is the story of his response to that call—a 78,000-mile odyssey around the world on a 500cc Triumph Tiger that was more grit than grace, more heart than horsepower.

Book Review – Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig is not the kind of book you expect to find on a list of must-reads for motorheads. It’s not filled with the crackling excitement of tearing down a winding road on a vintage Triumph, nor does it offer tips on fine-tuning the carburetor on your ‘57 Chevy. No, Pirsig’s masterpiece is an entirely different beast. It’s part memoir, part philosophical treatise, and part motorcycle manual, wrapped in the serene hum of an engine at idle. And yet, for anyone who’s ever felt the pull of the open road, this book is essential reading.