Building your own bike from motorcycle parts is cheaper than buying one new and is a whole lot of fun. When you are done, there is nothing like the satisfaction of driving around on a machine you built with your bare hands.

Your first bike project can be a daunting task even if you've done repairs or custom work already. Advice from someone who's been through it can save you a lot of time and frustration and there are plenty of books to help.

How to Build a Kit Bike

Custom bike kits are a great choice for your first chopper. In this book by Tim Remus, you get a complete inventory of motorcycle parts so you don't have to worry about missing something or making sure different pieces match up. All you have to do is put it all together and paint it.

This book illustrates step-by-step the construction of four kit bikes. And "illustrates" is the right word because this book is packed with pictures that let you see how every step is going to progress. It includes advice on tools and techniques that are invaluable for a first project.

Although it is a good introduction and overview, some of the information is a bit superficial. It's a good start but not useful for anyone who has already built a bike. It's no replacement for getting down and dirty with motorcycle parts. You'll still make some mistakes, but you'll make a lot fewer after reading this book.

How to Build a Cheap Chopper

Like the book above, this book by Tim Remus carefully illustrates the build of 5 bikes. However these aren't kit bikes but rather bikes built from parts.

Most of the builds involve getting cheap Harley parts from junked donor bikes. The most expensive example is built with all custom chopper parts, but even this one will cost far less than buying a bike new.

Like Remus's other book, this one provides a solid foundation to the new bike builder but is no substitute for experience. It's a basic how-to manual that educates you on the basic concepts.

How to Paint Your Motorcycle

Once you assemble your motorcycle parts into a bad ass street machine you still need to paint it. You could take it to a paint shop, but then you could have just bought a new bike.

In this book, JoAnn Bortles shows you how to give your bike a professional paint job. She draws on her own extensive experience and is free with stories of personal mistakes. The book has a great conversational tone that makes it fun to read. It's a comprehensive reference of techniques from basic preparation to elaborate bodywork.

Whether you want just a quick coating of black or you want to try your hand at painting flaming skulls, or even if you just want a good read while waiting for the pros to paint your bike, this is a great addition to any bike builder's library.

800-262-1954 http How to motorcycle service manual for maintenance, troubleshooting and repair on your Harley-Davidson FXD Dyna Series Twin Cam 88, 96 and 110 models from 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 model motorcycle. From the basics like changing the oil and filter to...

...read the full Harley Davidson Books review of: Clymer Manuals Harley Davidson FXD Dyna 2006 2011 Twin Cam 88 96 110 Motorcycle Shop Manual

This book does not focus on the Harley-Davidson "lifestyle," nor is it a corporate history. Rather, it is a close-up look at several of the motorcyles that have been Harley-Davidson's "greatest hits" over the past 90 years, telling why these bikes have such appeal. 220 photos & illustrations, 200 in color.

800-262-1954 How to motorcycle service manual for maintenance, troubleshooting and repair on your Harley-Davidson FXD Dyna Series Twin Cam 88, 96 and 110 models from 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 model motorcycle. From the basics like changing the oil and filter to planning...

...read the full Harley Davidson Books review of: Clymer Harley Davidson FXD Dyna 2006 2011 Twin Cam 88 96 110 Models Motorcycle Repair Manual

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The name Harley-Davidson is synonymous with the US motorcycle industry. It is now, after more than a century of operation, one of only two US-based manufacturers to survive. Although the company's origins are older, 1903 is generally regarded as the year when the company's first motorcycle was produced. Three years later, the company's first factory was opened. By 1917, and the US entry into World War 1, Harley-Davidson had been making motorcycles for more than a decade and, during the USA's relatively brief involvement in that conflict, no fewer than 20,000 motorcycles were supplied to the military helping the company to become the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world by 1920. Surviving the Great Depression, Harley-Davidson was to become one of the prime suppliers of equipment again when hostilities resumed, producing no fewer than 90,000 motorcycles for US and Canadian forces during World War 2 with a further 30,000 going to the Soviet Union as part of the Lend-Lease program.

In Military Harley-Davidson, Pat Ware explores the Harley-Davidson motorcycle in military service from the earliest days onwards. Providing initially an overview of the company and its history from 1903, the bulk of the book concentrates on the range of models produced by the company and how they were exploited for military use. Whilst the book concentrates primarily on those motorcycles produced for use by the Allies in World War 2, the continuing military role of the Harley-Davidson in other theaters postwar is also covered. Alongside the narrative and a fascinating selection of images, the book also includes a full technical specification for each of the models discussed.

The Harley-Davidson is one of the great names in the history of motorcycles with a fan-base that extends worldwide. The role of the company in the provision of military hardware is a less well known but fascinating part of the history of the company and its products. This book will be of interest to Harley-Davidson fans and owners and all motor cycle enthusiasts, military historians, wargamers and preservationists.

REVIEWS

"Far and above the best book on the Harley that I have found. Definitely one to add to the library."Armorama.com, 04/08

A must-read for every biking enthusiast, this richly illustrated book chronicles the history and successes, near failures and survival of Harley Davidson, the most famous name in American-made motorcycles. Photos.

Webster's bibliographic and event-based timelines are comprehensive in scope, covering virtually all topics, geographic locations and people. They do so from a linguistic point of view, and in the case of this book, the focus is on "Harley-Davidson," including when used in literature (e.g. all authors that might have Harley-Davidson in their name). As such, this book represents the largest compilation of timeline events associated with Harley-Davidson when it is used in proper noun form. Webster's timelines cover bibliographic citations, patented inventions, as well as non-conventional and alternative meanings which capture ambiguities in usage. These furthermore cover all parts of speech (possessive, institutional usage, geographic usage) and contexts, including pop culture, the arts, social sciences (linguistics, history, geography, economics, sociology, political science), business, computer science, literature, law, medicine, psychology, mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology and other physical sciences. This "data dump" results in a comprehensive set of entries for a bibliographic and/or event-based timeline on the proper name Harley-Davidson, since editorial decisions to include or exclude events is purely a linguistic process. The resulting entries are used under license or with permission, used under "fair use" conditions, used in agreement with the original authors, or are in the public domain.