Click a cover, buy a book. Or several.
It's not getting any easier to make a living as a motorcycle journalist. Some of my peers have sold out and are now in the 'branded content' business. I'll be honest with you: I probably couldn't make a business of that kind of writing even if I wanted to, because I've been too outspoken for too long and by now I've alienated almost every OEM! Other writers have set up digital 'tip jars' on their web sites. I say, Patreon, schmatreon! If you want to reward me for writing, you deserve to get something for your money. Buy a book for your moto-shelf, or as a gift for your favorite biker who reads. Not sure if your friend reads? Well, does he poop? If so, he'll definitely love one of my Bathroom Books of Motorcycle Trivia.
Here's what Amazon customers have to say about my books...
On Motorcycles (16 reviews averaging 4.8/5 stars)
'Whyaduc' wrote, "Unfortunately, we are not blessed with an abundance of accomplished moto-journalists. Mark has a talent for telling a good story plus he has access to people and places that gives him a lot of information that the average motorcyclist does not have. Mark is an excellent writer with a passion for motorcycles. I hope that he keeps writing for a very long time. I loved this book!"
Riding Man (58 reviews averaging 4.7/5 stars)
'GeoUser' wrote, "A deep and wonderful read about the paradox between the high and almost holy achievement of competing at the Isle of Man, and the obvious dark side of instant serious injury or worse if you're not skillful enough, don't have an excellent memory, or the stars just didn't align for you. Anyone you loves motorcycles and the freedom they bring, and recognizes that exhilarating paradox even in ordinary riding, will love this book. For me it was cover-to-cover almost in one sitting."
Bathroom Book of Motorcycle Trivia (87 reviews averaging 4.3/5 stars)
'Rachel P' wrote: "Bought this as a gift for my bf and he loves it. He’s a Honda man so I’m hoping it has enough Honda info. He keeps it in the bathroom and seems to enjoy it."
A new era dawns for harley-davidson
Harley-Davidson’s 2021 Pan America represents a surprising turn onto a road less taken for the legacy manufacturer.
Few experts expected that H-D’s first ADV bike would rival high-tech marvels like the BMW R 1250 GS or Ducati Multistrada, but it is. It’s as if the Buffalo Bills decided, “We’ll play that European ‘football’ too,” joined the Premier League and were immediately competitive with Manchester.
What’s new at Langlitz leathers? Nothing
My profile of Portland’s iconic Langlitz Leathers shop.
If you’ve never been to Langlitz, you owe it to yourself to drop in then next time you’re in Portland. Just don’t blame me if you drop a couple of grand on a custom jacket!
Motorcycles With One Foot in the Future and One in the Past
The Halcyons from Janus Motorcycles, assembled in an old dry cleaner’s shop in Goshen, Ind., look like machines built back in the town’s heyday.
The hook for this cool story is that many of the components are manufactured by Amish fundamentalists, whose religion prohibits them from even riding motorcycles.
A Deadly Blaze in the Alps Made a Biker a Hero and Tunnels Safer for All
Twenty years after the Mont Blanc Tunnel Fire, I revisited my most famous story, ‘Searching for Spadino’ and spoke to civil engineers around the world. The result was my first ‘editor’s choice’ story for the Times.
That additional research also forced me to dramatically correct the journalistic record. I wrote a second story about Spadino that became Columbia Journalism Review’s most popular feature of 2019. To read the CJR story, click here.
Katy Perry dropped a seven-figure gift in Harley-davidson’s lap
Christmas came to Milwaukee a few months early when Katy Perry decided to write a song called ‘Harleys in Hawaii’.
But just how much was that song, and her social media promotion, worth to Harley-Davidson? I interviewed several experts in the field of ‘influencer marketing’ and got answers from ‘a lot’ to ‘a helluva lot’. (Not in those exact words.)
Looking for an older post?
From 2011 until 2018, I put up hundreds of posts on motorcycle topics, which are still available here.