Download or read book A Short History of the Motorcycle written by Richard Hammond and published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson. This book was released on 2016-10-06 with total page 496 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is it about bikes that leaves so many of us powerless to resist? This entertaining guide charts the history of the bike from its origin as a cheap means of transport to its modern incarnations: a symbol of rebellion, a high-tech racing machine and the rich kid's plaything. Richard Hammond, passionate biker and collector of bikes, looks at the machines that have propelled people across the world to work, to school - and occasionally to their doom. With his trademark expertise and wit, Hammond examines bikers of every type, from the happy farmer trundling through fields on his Honda Cub to the Hells Angel terrorising towns on their hog.