A family member recently gave me 'Let's Ride – Sonny Barger's Guide to Motorcycling' as a gift. If you're like me, you look at the cover and think to yourself, “Hmm, what can a drinking, drugging outlaw biker teach anyone about safe & skilled riding?”.

After giving it a read, I was very impressed with the depth, breadth, and insight of the material covered in the book (some credit must also go to co-author Darwin Holmstrom).

It's an easy read and a proverbial 'page-turner' that's tough to put down, although experienced riders may choose to skim some of the introductory chapters on 'types of bikes' & 'the fundamentals of riding'. With 20 years riding experience, I sure learned some new stuff, and had some old stuff reinforced, including:
- Selecting, evaluating, and setting-up a bike that will match your riding style
- Basic maintenance
- Situational awareness & where accidents are most likely to occur
- Types of hazards & how to avoid
- Steering & braking techniques
- Wet riding
- AGATT
- The importance of on-going professional rider training
- Motorcycling as a lifestyle, and the social prejudices motorcyclists are subject to

Absent is any discussion on the old 'loud pipes save lives' debate!

It's also interesting to note that Mr Barger is no fan of Harley Davidson, but his patriotism kept him riding them until Victory motorcycles became available. He added that if they were made in the USA, his first choice would be BMW or Honda! He also has some good things to say about dual-sports & super-motos!