I would like a lot of technical knowledge.

[Matrix]

Are there any books that I could buy that have technical knowledge of all parts of an ATV? I saw a book at a book store I was just at about tuning your bike for MX racing if I remember correctly. It had a lot of interesting knowledge but chapter 6 was about graphics, so I closed it up and put it down. Why does a book about tuning a bike for MX has racing have a chapter about graphics? Seems silly to me.

I dont want to just read my repair manual as that is not the knowledge I am looking for. I would like a book that explains how things work and why things work the way they do.

Anyone know of such a book or series of books?

[just ben]

if you wanna know how things work go get yourself a couple junk machines (bike,quad,moped,whatever)take them apart and put them back together. some things a book just cant teach.

[yamaha driver]

GONNA SAY THE SAME THING^^^^ thats problay the best book you will ever own. when i was younger i wanted to know the same thing so i took apart old weedeaters. since they are practly free at junkyards

[WIkid500]

http://www.vintagesnow.com/SledU_Folder/Two-stroke%20Tuner's%20Handbook.pdf

That's the two stroke tuners hand book...

I could never find the four stroke tuners handbook online so I bought it.... Good read.

You want to learn a lot find a local "back woods" type of guy with a machine shop that dabbles with pulling tractors,ect. My Farmer friend has taught me more than any book could ever pass along. A guy with a flow bench, a lathe, a mill and a bit of knowledge can teach you tons. Good luck it's a never ending adventure.

[El Camexican]

Try to make friends with a drag bike racer and you'll learn about motors, transmissions and clutches. Then buddy up with a road racer and you'll learn all about suspensions and jetting. Both are always looking for free help in the pits.

[mohadib]

Stickers and day glow jersies make you go faster!

[tri again]

Graphics and stickers etc?
To try to answer that part of the question, say nascar may not exist if it weren't for the advertisers
putting more stickers than paint on the cars. They pay big bucks for that.
Coca cola stickers on the space shuttle may have provided oodles of money.

The other is to sell a dream.
Prescription drug ads on tv say for sleeping pills show butterflies and rainbows
but the reality is the side effects.

It's all marketing and a way to make $$ to keep whatever alive.
Seems to be an essential part of almost any enterprise.

Games shows give away absurdly expensive prizes.
and you guessed it, the advertisers are happy to pay for it all so THEY can make more money.

Graphic designers like that can make over 100 grand a year, easily.
Photoshop and illustrator are the main keys.

yeah, my first car had everything wrong with it from head gasket to burnt valves to bad clutch , hydraulics etc etc.
Got it when I was like 13, worked on it for a couple years and drove it cross country 2 weeks after I got my license.

Get some dead lawnmowers or whatever for free and take 'em apart.

I always liked a show called something like origins of everyday things.

How people started farming instead of wandering and that led to irrigation and then water pumps, food preservation
and all kinds of stuff.
If I'm hearing your interest correctly.
There's also a guy with an online repair site for motorcycles that throws in philosophy and origins of design with his repair procedures.
If I can find it, I'll post the link.
Sadly, most invention came from necessity ....of wars.

[Matrix]

I understand the whole "street knowledge" stuff. I have plenty of junk mowers and mini bikes and chainsaws etc.. that I regularly take apart and what not which is where I have derived most of my knowledge from. I want to know why something works the way it should, hence, the technical aspect. I could simply go through life learning by default but then I would be nothing more than an inbred Hick, "if I put this thing in there I can make babies..." No I am sorry Jimbo, having babies with your sister is the reason your sons mother has 3 feet..

Also I understand advertising but I don't understand why making your bike look good is a whole chapter in a MX racing book...?

Thanks WlKid500 as that is almost exactly what I am looking for.

[Dirtcrasher]

I can't count how many things never got put back together :lol:

I got beat for taking the head of Dads street bike as well as dissecting his CB radios.

Lawnmowers are a great start, any mechanism that "does something" will help.

Watch the piston go around and what valve opens, rotate it again and see another valve open.

[dksix]

Matrix, don't under estimate the "hicks".

[zzmegad]

there is a ton of off road motorcycle books, tuning manuals and just all kinds of books out there, search amazon. not sure if i would put down a book just because there was a chapter on graphics, I see what you mean, but it's a part of motocross and not as simple as you might think, and its only one chapter,,bfd. Looks like Eric Gorr has a few books, cool i didn't know that...