dain gingerelli

"Motors For Nothing (Kicks For Free)" is not a typical motorcycle book. It's a non-fiction anthology by motorcycle journalist, racer and enthusiast Dain Gingerelli about the bikes he's ridden, raced, tested, and even crashed, since he took up the two-wheel sport in 1965. The book has its origins in 1971 when Dain earned his first paycheck as a motorcycle magazine staff writer. Since that time he's been editor for six national motorcycle publications, allowing him to ride and test countless motorcycles, many of which compose the book's chapters. MFN recounts many of Dain's more colorful experiences of what it's like to be a member of a motorcycle magazine's editorial staff.

MFN won't teach you how to become an editor, nor does it give inside tips on how to race, or even ride, a motorcycle. Instead, MFN is a vicarious journey on two wheels in which you'll ride alongside world champions Eddie Lawson and Kenny Roberts at Willow Springs Raceway, test ride factory race bikes including Lawson's Yamaha YZR500 at Riverside Raceway, Freddie Spencer's Honda Superbike at Willow Springs and Ricky Graham's factory Honda RS750 flat-tracker on the legendary San Jose Mile. You'll also know what it's like to be the first American to ride exotic pre-production motorcycles at Japanese manufacturers' private test tracks, and if you've ever wondered what it's like to have the headlight blow out while riding 160 mph in the dead of night at an exclusive test track in Texas, you can find out by reading MFN.

"Motorcycling is a passion," said Daingerous Dain. "Either you get it or you don't. And motorcyclists with that passion will get what Motors For Nothing is all about. Those without the passion won't understand it. And those are the people that I feel sorry for." Motors For Nothing is available now through Amazon.com.