books&DVDsbooks&DVDsbooks&DVDsbooks&DVDsbooksbooks Steve McQueen by Frederic Brun
For fans of the legendary Steve McQueen this book is a gem of images and information. Divided into six chapters, the volume comprises an introduction which looks at McQueen’s formative years in text before proceeding to The Pursuit of Speed, The Body as a Tuned Machine, Speed and the Silver Screen, Racing is Life, and McQueen’s Garage. Alongside the likes of OTT Arnie or the more predictable heart throbs like Connery, McQueen is a slightly
understated movie star/tough guy and perhaps all the more credible for it. Someone who more men can identify with and even imagine being, even though they are probably wrong.
The biggest question of biking film buffs is answered in this book. Did Steve McQueen really make that motorcycle jump in The Great Escape? The answer is sadly no, it was made by an astonishing look-a-like, Bud Ekins, who must have made McQueen think he was looking in a mirror. The truth is probably that McQueen could easily have handled the stunt as he was a highly accomplished rider and racing car driver but movie companies wouldn’t risk it - health and safety, even then. The book is more than a pictorial pastiche and endeavours to dig beneath the movie legend to expose the driving forces behind him, for which purpose it
draws on some potent quotes from the man himself. McQueen once said that speed was ‘his raison d’etre, his lifeline, the girl to whom he gave his all’. Though the book leans more to its subject’s relationship with cars than with bikes, it makes critical observations that resonate strongly with the free spirit that motivated McQueen and launched MAG. The author observes that: ‘The car has fallen from grace. Once regarded as an instrument of freedom and creative thinking, the car is now the bete noir of environmentalists and safety campaigners.’ He is so right there, ditto bikes. These reflections aside, if you tend toward jealousy of the
universally popular cool guy who has everything and is adored by women, then you might be slightly irritated by that aspect of this book, but it’s very good all the same. See
motorbooks.com £25. Mutch
Art of the Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Photography David Blattel, text Dain Gingerelli
variety of thoughtfully planned backdrops and the 12” by 10” hardback format and
heavyweight paper does them credit. Blattel is clearly a master of his craft.
This is probably the best Harley- Davidson picture book I’ve seen in terms of providing a succinct overview of the company’s models from the earliest days. Actually not quite the earliest. The oldest model listed is the 1911 Model 7 single cylinder which begs the question why didn’t they go right back to 1903? Nonetheless the pictures are spectacular with a great
For a Harley-Davidson enthusiast like myself it’s interesting to contrast the specification of the models which accompany each portrait together with a couple of hundred words of text that put the models in context. I was surprised to learn that a
1250 V-Rod weighs in at 643 pounds, just two pounds below my 1600 Dyna Glide, you certainly wouldn’t think it to sit on one but I don’t doubt the
Caring for your scooter by Trevor Fry
This is one of the clearest and most concise workshop manuals I have ever seen. Whereas some manuals intimidate you with their sheer volume, providing the impression that you need a diploma in mechanics to even read them, this one cuts to the chase. Its 80 pages are full of clear photographs rather than
50 The ROAD
fine line diagrams that you stare at for ages in an effort to match them to what your eyes are looking at on the bike. In this book there is no disconnect between the images on the page and the metal or plastic on your machine.
Familiarity is further assisted by using a scooter that has clearly covered miles and
actually needs servicing. Compiled by Trevor Fry and published by Veloce Publishing, this A5 softback comes with the endorsement of the RAC for whose services an owner with this manual will presumably have less need than they might. Available from Veloce Publishing at £6.36 or AMAZON. Mutch
accuracy as I’ve heard others express surprise on this front. I do question the 1968 Electra- Glide at 7,783 pounds however. No doubt a proof reader somewhere is kicking his shins blue over that one (naturally we have no typos in The ROAD). As an ex-owner I couldn’t help smiling at the old advertising blurb on the Shovelhead Electra Glide which promised ‘the precise engineering of a formula racer.’ I guess it was all relative – to something. To anyone sad enough to want to learn the numerous Harley- Davidson prefixes, this is a good source of information. Take for example the 2009 FLTRSE
CVO, enough with the letters already! What’s wrong with memorable names like Fatboy, actually at 847 pounds the FL etc might well qualify. I notice that horsepower is quoted for some models but not others which is a bit irritating and while we’re at it, who knows why we have gone back to hp from bhp?
Despite my cheap jibes and smug error spotting, this is a fabulous book produced by Motorbooks and approved by the Motor Company. Their website lists the price at $40US which is around £27 or 5,000,000 Euros by the time you read this. Mutch
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