10 Must-Read Books for Bikers

Sadly, we can’t ride our motorcycles 24/7, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t read books about them when we’re not riding, or sleeping of course unless you’re really good at multitasking.

Now and again in the office of motorbike buyer WeBuyAnyBike, we like to have a chat about our favourite motorcycling books. It’s got to the point where the list is growing into a pretty big one, so we thought we’d share them in a blog post!

A World According to Foggy by Carl Fogarty

I feel it’s only fair to add my most recent read as the first one! I don’t read much, but I took this book on holiday a few months ago. I’m not sure if it was the added cocktails, but I had a good laugh at some of Foggy’s stories. This is a very ‘down to earth’ read, a great autobiography! This list is in no particular order. However, I feel that this book is very deserving of its number one spot.

Life of Evel

This is actually a book that none of us have read. After reading some reviews, we couldn't resist featuring it here. Evel sounded like a right character in his heyday. When I heard about this book, I was very intrigued.

Today there are many famous stuntmen who have been influenced by Evel. One of these is Travis Pastrana; last year we wrote about the time he took on the fountains at Ceasar's Palace.

Hutchy: Miracle Man

Ian Hutchinson is a local legend to us; his hometown of Bingley is probably about half an hour from our office. This is also one that I haven’t read (as I said, I don’t read much), but it seems quite popular in the office so I’m probably going to add this to my hit list once I’m done with the old ‘Daredevil’s’ read.

Guy Martin: My Autobiography

Mr Martin has many books, but we could only pick one. Every now and again I find myself stumbling upon Guy Martin videos on YouTube. Like many people, I just love his character!

If you like a good laugh and you’re not too serious, I say read it. If you do choose to read it, make sure Guy’s voice is switched on for every word, it’ll make it more entertaining.

That Near Death Thing: Inside the Most Dangerous Race in the World

This is a very well written book; an ideal read for anyone who is curious as to simply why the biggest names of the TT choose to ride the most dangerous route in the world every year. It has chapters focused on the lives and careers of huge racing legends; John McGuinness, Guy Martin, Michael Dunlop and Conor Cummins, along with the odd brief mention of other popular racers like Ian Hutchinson. This book was written around the TT years 2010 and 2011.

John McGuinness: Built for Speed

I’ve never met Mr McGuinness, but he seems like a very humble fellow. In his book, Built for Speed, you can expect many stories on how he made his way to the top throughout his 20-years of racing. John first took on motorcycles at the tender age of 3. When you flick through the pages of his book, you’ll soon learn about how he got into the sport.

The Story of Motorcycling Legend, Barry Sheene

If you want a book that will pull on your heartstrings, this is definitely one for that. Here we have a story written by Steve Parrish about one of his best friends and a treasure to the motorcycle industry, the late Barry Sheene.

This book is written with passion from a true friend who misses Barry dearly.

A Biker’s Life by Henry Cole

Here we have a completely different side of the motorcycling TV presenter. In this book, readers see cole in a completely different light as he holds no boundaries to the words he writes. According to reviews, this can be quite a ‘marmite’ situation; it completely depends on how you feel about the ‘F’ word! Out of all the books on this page, this one simply doesn't give one. Aside from that, you can expect the chapters to tell you all about Cole’s life, from fighting addiction to going on life-changing adventures with his motorbike.

Lone Rider by Elspeth Beard

Elspeth Beard was the first British lady to travel around the world by motorbike on her own, and here is her story. This novel is an iconic book for any adventurer, telling stories from all of the places she’s visited, with moving moments supporting her along the way. Beard shares all as she looks back on a trip that she took 20 years ago, a definite must-read for anyone wishing to travel the world by motorcycle.

Hells Angels Motorcycle Club
Author: Andrew Shaylor

Photographer, Andrew Shaylor, gives us all an insight on what it is like to be in a club like Hells Angels. Andrew spent some time with a few branches of the UK chapter, shooting candid shots and learning all about what life is like to be a club member of the HAMC; I'll have to treat myself to this book. On this blog you can find some pictures that Shaylor took whilst he was interviewing the Hells Angels.

Are we missing some books?

We know that there are hundreds of books with motorcyclists as their target audience. Do you feel like we're missing something? Feel free to add your favourite one below!