Biker's Handbook

There are millions of new motorcyclists hitting the blacktop every year. But being part of the American motorcycle culture takes more than just wanting to be cool. It takes a passion for the open road, freedom, and a lifestyle that even the best financing cant buy. This book, by someone who knows motorcycles as few do, provides a road map to biker culture for anyone new to the experience. Jay Barbieri explains everything a new rider needs to know to become a real biker. He begins with a brief history of motorcycles, and draws on his twenty-five years of riding experience for examples of what works and doesn't in this heady world. Most of all, he aims to spare new bikers the bad decisions neophytes typically make. With hundreds of motorcycle trips under his belt, there is not a mistake Barbieri hasn't made or a situation he hasn't encountered. By sharing the sometimes comical outcomes, he gives the new biker a head start to become more comfortable, credible, and knowledgeable about joining a community that is as much a part of American culture as baseball, hotdogs and apple pie.

Auteur

Born and raised in Stratford, Connecticut, Jay Barbieri graduated from the Paier College of Art in New Haven with a B.F.A in Fine Arts (1986), the same year he bought his first Harley-Davidson. For the next ten years, Barbieri worked in the music industry, where his most public and noteworthy triumph was his involvement with \u201cCHANT,\u201d the most successful classical-pop crossover album in music history. During these years, his obsession with American motorcycles grew so much that he partnered with a biker friend from Traverse City, Michigan to open a custom motorcycle shop called Old Mission Scooters. In 1996 Barbieri struck out on his own to found the first Internet recording label, J-Bird Music Group. In 2001 he sold his interest in J-Bird and moved to California to pursue his dream of combining his passion for motorcycles with the entertainment industry. In 2004 Barbieri was at the helm of SPEED Channel\u2019s highest-rated and longest running motorcycle magazine show, American Thunder. Since he got his first Harley in 1986, Barbieri has racked up over two hundred and fifty thousand miles on two wheels and has attended Daytona Bike Week and Sturgis over twenty times combined. He has had the opportunity to ride with and meet other bikers such as Jay Leno, Tim McGraw, Big Kenny from Big and Rich, Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry from Montgomery Gentry, Vince Neal of Motley Cr\u00fce, Rick Allen of Def Leppard, Neal Schone from Journey and NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, to name a few.