Author(s): Doug Mitchel

Automotive & Transport

This beautifully photographed volume surveys the Japanese motorcycles which have helped steer the American cycling habit since the late 1950s. Examples of first models, last models, and the most unusual Japanese machines to hit American shores are covered in detail with over 450 color photos and accompanying text. Almost every cycle shown is 100 percent original or has been painstakingly returned to its original form. The first machines from Japan were simple, lightweight units that could be ridden by anyone, and opened up new roads for the neophyte rider. As the years progressed, the offerings from the Japanese makers became the ones to beat.