BOOK REVIEW: 'THE SCHICKEL MOTORCYCLE'

I will confess to never having heard of the Schickel before finding the marque history for the company, written by the grandson of the founder, Ken Anderson. His book is 'The Illustrated History of the Schickel Motorcycle, 1911-1924; The First 2-Cycle Built In America' (Two Cycle Press, 2008), and thankfully his family has preserved a great archive of photographs, patent documents, and various motorcycles and parts, with which Ken was able to compile this most interesting history.

As mentioned, the Schickel was the first two-stroke motorcycle produced in the US, and has some very interesting features, including a slew of other firsts, including the first twistgrip transmission control (later to become common on small machines and scooters), the first rotating magneto spark advance, first hinged rear mudguard, a sprung front fork, and an aluminum gas tank which served as the top frame member, with tubing lugs for the lower and rear frame cast into the tank (see patent drawing).

Various aspects of his eventual production motorcycle were designed by Norbert Schickel (pictured above) while at Cornell studying engineering, and he built four experimental machines from 1907 -11. He was able to show a completed Schickel machine at the February 1911 Chicago Motorcycle Show, which garnered significant attention, which bolstered his decision to seek funding to begin series production.

He established his works in Stamford, Connecticut, in 1911, and hoped to equip the new buildings with enough tooling to produce his motorcycle by 1912, with a target price of $250. The first motorcycle made at the new factory was introduced at the Motorcycle Show in New York City on Jan.6, 1912, with the following specification:
- 30.5 c.i. motor (500cc), with a 'square' bore and stroke (3 3/8"), 5hp @ 3500rpm, top speed 50mph
- 3gal gas tank capacity, oil premix (1 cup oil/gallon), throttle and magneto controlled at handlebars, and a decompressor lever also on the 'bars.
- Pedal gear starting with band brake and optional coaster brake, and a belt drive with an idler pulley controlled by handlebar twistgrip. 57-inch wheelbase, 185lbs.
- Front fork was a patented short trailing-link design, with springs controlling both compression and rebound action.

Following this introduction, close to 70 dealers expressed interest in carrying the machine, and the author estimates that 75-100 were built that year.

In 1913, new models were added with larger (6hp - 600cc) engines and chain drive with clutch options (which retained the pedalling starter gear). Price for the deluxe all-chain 6hp model dropped to $235, and the 'Big Six' model became the best-seller of the four-model range.

In 1914, an optional 2-speed gearbox was available, but this was the year Henry Ford perfected his assembly-line production for the Model T, which allowed a car to be completed every 93 seconds, and dropped the price of the car from the original $850 (1908) to $480 by 1914. During this period, many small American motorcycle builders folded, as the only way to compete with the Ford was to build bigger and faster models (the route of Harley, Indian, Excelsior, Henderson, etc), or small utility lightweights which were significantly cheaper than a car.

Norbert Schickel's response was to design a lightweight motorcycle (95lbs) for sale at $100, with a 2.5 hp engine of around 200cc, and a bicycle-like rolling chassis. Many of the advanced features of the original 5hp model (cast frame/tank, sprung forks, clutch, starting pedals, adjustable spark) were dispensed with, and the little model was paddled off, and slowed down using a decompressor. The author claims it is "...possible to to come to an almost complete stop and then accelerate without stalling. To my surprise, when riding a 1917 Model with the same type of drive, I found it was easy to start and I was able to negotiate stop signs without stalling if waiting was not necessary."

In 1915, the company also introduced a motorized bicycle attachment (stinkwheel!) called the 'Resto Bike-Motor', for $25, utilizing the same engine, which could be attached to any bicycle.

An interesting publicity stunt was undertaken by M.E. Gale in June of 1915, in which a 'Big Six' chain-drive 6hp 2-speed model was attached to a 'prairie schooner' covered wagon (with motorcycle wheels replacing the original wooden spoke items). Gale set off with his family in tow from Stamford CT to San Francisco, with an expected travel time of 100 days. His two sons rode a Lightweight model with a twin saddle (side by side!). Gale was a professional rider who made his living performing endurance stunts for advertising campaigns. Whether he made it or not isn't mentioned!

In 1917, due to increasing hostility towards Germans as WW1 heated up, the Shickel became the S.M.C. (Schickel Motor Company). The Company was recapitalized, and a new Flywheel magneto was added to the lightweight model. In 1918, the Lightweight was renamed the 'Getabout', but due to America's entrance into WW1, motorcycle sales ground to a halt. The company took on work making rocker arms for V-12 Liberty Aircraft Engines, for which they received quite a few honors.

At the end of WW1 in Nov. 1919, only ten US motorcycle manufacturers remained of the 100 or so which had existed previously, and Norbert realized that the car had put paid to his modest-scale motorcycle ambitions. In an unusual move, he renamed his Lightweight the 'Model T', and painted it all-black, just like the automobile which had levelled the motorcycle industry. I'm not sure whether to call this 'can't beat 'em/join 'em' thinking, or some kind of homage to the invincible Ford. The company struggled on with this model until 1923, when Shickel realized he wouldn't be able to raise enough capital to continue production, and he tried to sell the company and/or his designs to several of the big motorcycle concerns (Excelsior, Ace, Indian, etc). In 1924, he called it quits.

As an interesting postscript, in 1924 Schickel successfully sued Indian for infringement on his sprung front fork patent, and they paid him $1750 - $.15/motorcycle which 'borrowed' his design (10,000 total had been produced), plus $250 for non-exclusive patent rights. He also sued Harley-Davidson for stealing his hinged rear mudguard patent, and they paid him $.10/motorcycle for his design (40,000 total) plus $1000 for non-exclusive rights to his patent.

The book is available directly from Ken Anderson here.

BOOK REVIEW: 'THE SCHICKEL MOTORCYCLE'

I will confess to never having heard of the Schickel before finding the marque history for the company, written by the grandson of the founder, Ken Anderson. His book is 'The Illustrated History of the Schickel Motorcycle, 1911-1924; The First 2-Cycle Built In America' (Two Cycle Press, 2008), and thankfully his family has preserved a great archive of photographs, patent documents, and various motorcycles and parts, with which Ken was able to compile this most interesting history.

As mentioned, the Schickel was the first two-stroke motorcycle produced in the US, and has some very interesting features, including a slew of other firsts, including the first twistgrip transmission control (later to become common on small machines and scooters), the first rotating magneto spark advance, first hinged rear mudguard, a sprung front fork, and an aluminum gas tank which served as the top frame member, with tubing lugs for the lower and rear frame cast into the tank (see patent drawing).

Various aspects of his eventual production motorcycle were designed by Norbert Schickel (pictured above) while at Cornell studying engineering, and he built four experimental machines from 1907 -11. He was able to show a completed Schickel machine at the February 1911 Chicago Motorcycle Show, which garnered significant attention, which bolstered his decision to seek funding to begin series production.

He established his works in Stamford, Connecticut, in 1911, and hoped to equip the new buildings with enough tooling to produce his motorcycle by 1912, with a target price of $250. The first motorcycle made at the new factory was introduced at the Motorcycle Show in New York City on Jan.6, 1912, with the following specification:
- 30.5 c.i. motor (500cc), with a 'square' bore and stroke (3 3/8"), 5hp @ 3500rpm, top speed 50mph
- 3gal gas tank capacity, oil premix (1 cup oil/gallon), throttle and magneto controlled at handlebars, and a decompressor lever also on the 'bars.
- Pedal gear starting with band brake and optional coaster brake, and a belt drive with an idler pulley controlled by handlebar twistgrip. 57-inch wheelbase, 185lbs.
- Front fork was a patented short trailing-link design, with springs controlling both compression and rebound action.

Following this introduction, close to 70 dealers expressed interest in carrying the machine, and the author estimates that 75-100 were built that year.

In 1913, new models were added with larger (6hp - 600cc) engines and chain drive with clutch options (which retained the pedalling starter gear). Price for the deluxe all-chain 6hp model dropped to $235, and the 'Big Six' model became the best-seller of the four-model range.

In 1914, an optional 2-speed gearbox was available, but this was the year Henry Ford perfected his assembly-line production for the Model T, which allowed a car to be completed every 93 seconds, and dropped the price of the car from the original $850 (1908) to $480 by 1914. During this period, many small American motorcycle builders folded, as the only way to compete with the Ford was to build bigger and faster models (the route of Harley, Indian, Excelsior, Henderson, etc), or small utility lightweights which were significantly cheaper than a car.

Norbert Schickel's response was to design a lightweight motorcycle (95lbs) for sale at $100, with a 2.5 hp engine of around 200cc, and a bicycle-like rolling chassis. Many of the advanced features of the original 5hp model (cast frame/tank, sprung forks, clutch, starting pedals, adjustable spark) were dispensed with, and the little model was paddled off, and slowed down using a decompressor. The author claims it is "...possible to to come to an almost complete stop and then accelerate without stalling. To my surprise, when riding a 1917 Model with the same type of drive, I found it was easy to start and I was able to negotiate stop signs without stalling if waiting was not necessary."

In 1915, the company also introduced a motorized bicycle attachment (stinkwheel!) called the 'Resto Bike-Motor', for $25, utilizing the same engine, which could be attached to any bicycle.

An interesting publicity stunt was undertaken by M.E. Gale in June of 1915, in which a 'Big Six' chain-drive 6hp 2-speed model was attached to a 'prairie schooner' covered wagon (with motorcycle wheels replacing the original wooden spoke items). Gale set off with his family in tow from Stamford CT to San Francisco, with an expected travel time of 100 days. His two sons rode a Lightweight model with a twin saddle (side by side!). Gale was a professional rider who made his living performing endurance stunts for advertising campaigns. Whether he made it or not isn't mentioned!

In 1917, due to increasing hostility towards Germans as WW1 heated up, the Shickel became the S.M.C. (Schickel Motor Company). The Company was recapitalized, and a new Flywheel magneto was added to the lightweight model. In 1918, the Lightweight was renamed the 'Getabout', but due to America's entrance into WW1, motorcycle sales ground to a halt. The company took on work making rocker arms for V-12 Liberty Aircraft Engines, for which they received quite a few honors.

At the end of WW1 in Nov. 1919, only ten US motorcycle manufacturers remained of the 100 or so which had existed previously, and Norbert realized that the car had put paid to his modest-scale motorcycle ambitions. In an unusual move, he renamed his Lightweight the 'Model T', and painted it all-black, just like the automobile which had levelled the motorcycle industry. I'm not sure whether to call this 'can't beat 'em/join 'em' thinking, or some kind of homage to the invincible Ford. The company struggled on with this model until 1923, when Shickel realized he wouldn't be able to raise enough capital to continue production, and he tried to sell the company and/or his designs to several of the big motorcycle concerns (Excelsior, Ace, Indian, etc). In 1924, he called it quits.

As an interesting postscript, in 1924 Schickel successfully sued Indian for infringement on his sprung front fork patent, and they paid him $1750 - $.15/motorcycle which 'borrowed' his design (10,000 total had been produced), plus $250 for non-exclusive patent rights. He also sued Harley-Davidson for stealing his hinged rear mudguard patent, and they paid him $.10/motorcycle for his design (40,000 total) plus $1000 for non-exclusive rights to his patent.

The book is available directly from Ken Anderson here.

BOOK REVIEW: 'JAPAN'S MOTORCYCLE WARS'

I'm keenly interested in the development of the Japanese motorcycle industry, and unlike many old bike aficionados, I don't have resentment against them for overtaking all others in the 1960's and 70's. Oddly, although I respect the level of technical sophistication that the Big Four (Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki) brought to motorcycle production, I generally find the machines to be devoid of 'soul' - perhaps because they just don't need me! But that's another subject.

Jeffrey Alexander has produced, in 'Japan's Motorcycle Wars' (UBC Press, 2008) a scholarly account of the deepest origins of the Japanese motorcycle industry, exploring a host of tangential issues which impacted the early and later development of the industry as a whole. The book is academic in tone and structure, and feels like a doctoral thesis; he explicitly states that it isn't meant to be a 'motorcycle book', and there are few exemplary photos, but anyone seriously interested in Japanese motorcycle history would find the book a rewarding read.

The gem of the book, interestingly, isn't the author's; it's a translation of a series of interviews conducted in Japan in 1972, of the Executives of several failed companies, and several interesting characters important to the Industry, including Kenzo Tada. These excerpts provide a diamond-hard insight to the ruthless and aggressive tactics used by successful companies to get ahead and stay there, including breaking agreements and cutting off supplies of vital components to competitors. The book also clarifies the attitude of the Japanese government, and agencies such as MITI (Ministry of International Trade and Industry) which promoted all industries post-war, whose influence gave a great boost to certain companies, most notably Honda.

In a far-sighted series of moves (and in total contrast to Britian or the US), massive cash incentives were granted to companies willing to adopt new techniques which benefitted several industries at a stroke, and which rewarded the development of the Japanese economy as a whole. As an example, MITI gave Honda 400,000 yen to investigate whether die-casting would give more accurate results than sand-casting his aluminum parts, and a further y100,000 when the experiments worked. Honda calculated, as did MITI, that the payback point of installing the die-casting equipment would come when production leaped from hundreds to thousands of units per month. Cash infusions and consequent increases in the volume of motorcycles produced are all listed in the book, which mentions as well the boost (like an Archibald Low rocket in fact) to all the major industries when the US forgave Japan's war reparations debt.

Alexander makes an argument that the successful motorcycle manufacturers post-war had all undertaken technically challenging munitions contracts during WW2, in which their production lines (out of necessity) were designed for use by unskilled labor - all of the skilled labor having been called off to war. This gave Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, and Suzuki especially, a great advantage over their dozens of rivals, as they all had experience with mass-production techniques, where any part was interchangeable with another, without the need for fussy and expensive 'hand assembly'... and therein lay the doom of the handbuilt motorcycle.

There are a few choice anecdotes buried in the text: "Immediately after the war, Honda took some time off from manufacturing and whiled away the better part of a year drinking medicinal alcohol and working very little."... [Marusho] "signed an import contract with the owner of a Los Angeles sushi restaurant..." Monarch Motorcycles had dealers buying product "with a rucksack stuffed full of y100 notes...however, the promisory note appeared on the scene - and these notes were a problem." [!]

The photos are all from the book; photo 1. Fuji Rabbit production, 2. Honda Type A, 3. Tamagawa Olympia Speedway, Nov. 6, 1949 - Japan's first postwar motorcycle race, 4. Tamagawa - note first and third bikes are Meguro singles, using Harley forks (Meguro built Harley clones under license since the 30's), second bike is an Ariel Red Hunter clone, 5. Shiro-bai (white bikes), 1969, on Kawasaki 'BSA A10' clones, 6. 'You meet the largest people on a Honda'

Some fun facts;
- in the 1920's, Japan was Harley-Davidson's #2 export customer, after Australia. Soichiro Honda copied their system of dealer support for the motorcycles they sold.
- postwar, the Americans established motorcycle racing (with legal betting) in Japan, to encourage industry, and raise money for local gov't, the Japanese Red Cross, and m/c manufacturers. In 1950, six companies - Meguro, Rikuo, Cabton, Abe, Asahi, and Showa - split 4.6million yen in subsidies. A single US-sponsored race in 1950 netted over 1million yen, and each race was attended by 30,000 to 95,000 people.

BOOK REVIEW: 'JAPAN'S MOTORCYCLE WARS'

I'm keenly interested in the development of the Japanese motorcycle industry, and unlike many old bike aficionados, I don't have resentment against them for overtaking all others in the 1960's and 70's. Oddly, although I respect the level of technical sophistication that the Big Four (Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki) brought to motorcycle production, I generally find the machines to be devoid of 'soul' - perhaps because they just don't need me! But that's another subject.

Jeffrey Alexander has produced, in 'Japan's Motorcycle Wars' (UBC Press, 2008) a scholarly account of the deepest origins of the Japanese motorcycle industry, exploring a host of tangential issues which impacted the early and later development of the industry as a whole. The book is academic in tone and structure, and feels like a doctoral thesis; he explicitly states that it isn't meant to be a 'motorcycle book', and there are few exemplary photos, but anyone seriously interested in Japanese motorcycle history would find the book a rewarding read.

The gem of the book, interestingly, isn't the author's; it's a translation of a series of interviews conducted in Japan in 1972, of the Executives of several failed companies, and several interesting characters important to the Industry, including Kenzo Tada. These excerpts provide a diamond-hard insight to the ruthless and aggressive tactics used by successful companies to get ahead and stay there, including breaking agreements and cutting off supplies of vital components to competitors. The book also clarifies the attitude of the Japanese government, and agencies such as MITI (Ministry of International Trade and Industry) which promoted all industries post-war, whose influence gave a great boost to certain companies, most notably Honda.

In a far-sighted series of moves (and in total contrast to Britian or the US), massive cash incentives were granted to companies willing to adopt new techniques which benefitted several industries at a stroke, and which rewarded the development of the Japanese economy as a whole. As an example, MITI gave Honda 400,000 yen to investigate whether die-casting would give more accurate results than sand-casting his aluminum parts, and a further y100,000 when the experiments worked. Honda calculated, as did MITI, that the payback point of installing the die-casting equipment would come when production leaped from hundreds to thousands of units per month. Cash infusions and consequent increases in the volume of motorcycles produced are all listed in the book, which mentions as well the boost (like an Archibald Low rocket in fact) to all the major industries when the US forgave Japan's war reparations debt.

Alexander makes an argument that the successful motorcycle manufacturers post-war had all undertaken technically challenging munitions contracts during WW2, in which their production lines (out of necessity) were designed for use by unskilled labor - all of the skilled labor having been called off to war. This gave Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, and Suzuki especially, a great advantage over their dozens of rivals, as they all had experience with mass-production techniques, where any part was interchangeable with another, without the need for fussy and expensive 'hand assembly'... and therein lay the doom of the handbuilt motorcycle.

There are a few choice anecdotes buried in the text: "Immediately after the war, Honda took some time off from manufacturing and whiled away the better part of a year drinking medicinal alcohol and working very little."... [Marusho] "signed an import contract with the owner of a Los Angeles sushi restaurant..." Monarch Motorcycles had dealers buying product "with a rucksack stuffed full of y100 notes...however, the promisory note appeared on the scene - and these notes were a problem." [!]

The photos are all from the book; photo 1. Fuji Rabbit production, 2. Honda Type A, 3. Tamagawa Olympia Speedway, Nov. 6, 1949 - Japan's first postwar motorcycle race, 4. Tamagawa - note first and third bikes are Meguro singles, using Harley forks (Meguro built Harley clones under license since the 30's), second bike is an Ariel Red Hunter clone, 5. Shiro-bai (white bikes), 1969, on Kawasaki 'BSA A10' clones, 6. 'You meet the largest people on a Honda'

Some fun facts;
- in the 1920's, Japan was Harley-Davidson's #2 export customer, after Australia. Soichiro Honda copied their system of dealer support for the motorcycles they sold.
- postwar, the Americans established motorcycle racing (with legal betting) in Japan, to encourage industry, and raise money for local gov't, the Japanese Red Cross, and m/c manufacturers. In 1950, six companies - Meguro, Rikuo, Cabton, Abe, Asahi, and Showa - split 4.6million yen in subsidies. A single US-sponsored race in 1950 netted over 1million yen, and each race was attended by 30,000 to 95,000 people.

BOOK REVIEW: 'HARLEY-DAVIDSON BOOK OF FASHIONS'

Rin Tanaka has outdone himself. The master of books on vintage clothing has published the definitive history of American motorcycle gear, 'Harley-Davidson Book of Fashions: 1910s - 1950s', after he was given free access to the Harley-Davidson Museum and Archives, with over 100,000 photographs spanning their entire history from 1908 to the present. H-D was one of the first motorcycle manufacturers to hire professional photographers to document their progress, and kept photographic and documentary records of their various lines of accessories which they offered from 1914, along with the entire run of The Enthusiast magazine and contributions from various dealers, clubs, and race promoters.

With access to such a vast array of totally cool stuff, Rin couldn't fail to make an outstanding book. His specialty has been a series of obsessive picture books documenting in chronological order various styles of motorcycle jackets ('Motorcycle Jackets: A Century of Leather Design' and 'Motorcycle Jackets: Ultimate Biker's Fashions'), helmets ('Motorcycle Helmet: the 1930s to 1990s'), t-shirts (My Freedamn! 3, 4), etc. He was also granted the rights to publish recently found documentation (photos and film) of Steve McQueen's foray into the ISDT, which he published as '40 Summers Ago' (and which I also highly recommend).

One doesn't really think of 'Fashions' per se when the name Harley comes up, but Rin makes a compelling case that their extensive line of Motor Clothing, produced for the last 90-odd years, has made a sartorial impact far beyond those who simply ride H-D motorcycles. The book, which is large format (11" x 14") and beautifully printed, moves between official publications / catalog photos, and shots of contemporary riders actually using the purpose-designed clothing and accessories in races, club events, official business, and the military. Each chapter focuses on a decade (1910s, 20s, etc), and shows the evolution of 'gear' as motorcycling itself changed and conditions demanded new and better products. He also explores how customization of clothing (and by implication, the bikes too) developed from various small accessories into the blaze of Kustom Kulture in which we now live.

The 600 photographs are luscious and beautifully reproduced, and lots of surprises turn up, such as this 'Harley' Board Track racer which uses a Cyclone engine with one cylinder blanked off! Rin isn't a technical virtuoso, and misses many fascinating tidbits (like the Cyclone hybrid) in his descriptions, nor is his English erudite, but he knows his gear, and he has the eye of a designer. He's clearly had more help with the text in this book than his previous efforts (especially the 'My Freedamn!' series, which have wonderfully awful writing), as it mattered more I'm sure to H-D to have a well-written historical account. But, as you flip through the book, the images are solidly emphasized, while the text is minimal - there are times when a bit more exposition would be welcome, but in truth I imagine that few people have a total grasp over the enormity of the Archive and all the details represented.

The first edition has just come out this August, and the print run is 10,000 copies - huge by motorcycle book standards, but with H-D attached to the project, I imagine this book will sell out, as have most of Rin's other works. Cost is around $80, and dealers can be found through MyFreedamn.com, or google it!

BOOK REVIEW: 'HARLEY-DAVIDSON BOOK OF FASHIONS'

Rin Tanaka has outdone himself. The master of books on vintage clothing has published the definitive history of American motorcycle gear, 'Harley-Davidson Book of Fashions: 1910s - 1950s', after he was given free access to the Harley-Davidson Museum and Archives, with over 100,000 photographs spanning their entire history from 1908 to the present. H-D was one of the first motorcycle manufacturers to hire professional photographers to document their progress, and kept photographic and documentary records of their various lines of accessories which they offered from 1914, along with the entire run of The Enthusiast magazine and contributions from various dealers, clubs, and race promoters.

With access to such a vast array of totally cool stuff, Rin couldn't fail to make an outstanding book. His specialty has been a series of obsessive picture books documenting in chronological order various styles of motorcycle jackets ('Motorcycle Jackets: A Century of Leather Design' and 'Motorcycle Jackets: Ultimate Biker's Fashions'), helmets ('Motorcycle Helmet: the 1930s to 1990s'), t-shirts (My Freedamn! 3, 4), etc. He was also granted the rights to publish recently found documentation (photos and film) of Steve McQueen's foray into the ISDT, which he published as '40 Summers Ago' (and which I also highly recommend).

One doesn't really think of 'Fashions' per se when the name Harley comes up, but Rin makes a compelling case that their extensive line of Motor Clothing, produced for the last 90-odd years, has made a sartorial impact far beyond those who simply ride H-D motorcycles. The book, which is large format (11" x 14") and beautifully printed, moves between official publications / catalog photos, and shots of contemporary riders actually using the purpose-designed clothing and accessories in races, club events, official business, and the military. Each chapter focuses on a decade (1910s, 20s, etc), and shows the evolution of 'gear' as motorcycling itself changed and conditions demanded new and better products. He also explores how customization of clothing (and by implication, the bikes too) developed from various small accessories into the blaze of Kustom Kulture in which we now live.

The 600 photographs are luscious and beautifully reproduced, and lots of surprises turn up, such as this 'Harley' Board Track racer which uses a Cyclone engine with one cylinder blanked off! Rin isn't a technical virtuoso, and misses many fascinating tidbits (like the Cyclone hybrid) in his descriptions, nor is his English erudite, but he knows his gear, and he has the eye of a designer. He's clearly had more help with the text in this book than his previous efforts (especially the 'My Freedamn!' series, which have wonderfully awful writing), as it mattered more I'm sure to H-D to have a well-written historical account. But, as you flip through the book, the images are solidly emphasized, while the text is minimal - there are times when a bit more exposition would be welcome, but in truth I imagine that few people have a total grasp over the enormity of the Archive and all the details represented.

The first edition has just come out this August, and the print run is 10,000 copies - huge by motorcycle book standards, but with H-D attached to the project, I imagine this book will sell out, as have most of Rin's other works. Cost is around $80, and dealers can be found through MyFreedamn.com, or google it!