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The Upper Half of the Motorcycle - wBW
Book Review
The Upper Half of the Motorcycle
On the Unity of Rider and Machine
by Bernt Speigel
Translated by Meredith Hassall
ISBN: 978-1884313752
Whitehorse Press 2010
189 pages
List Price: $29.95
Buy The Upper Half of the Motorcycle by Bernt Spiegel
webBikeWorld.com Book Review by Glenn W.
The Upper Half of the Motorcycle is without doubt the
strangest motorcycle book I have ever read.
I'm not saying that's bad -- in fact, there may be boundless information in
the book that is extremely valuable. It's just that I can't seem to
figure out how to extract it.
The book was not written by a racer or a magazine writer or by someone involved
in the motorcycle industry.
The author is a behavioral
psychologist who, according to his biography, specializes in "man machine
interface work".
Spiegel was the Director of the Institute of Industrial and Social Psychology
at the University of Göttingen, Germany in the 1960's,
doing research commissioned by Porsche and other auto companies.
He's also
a motorcyclist, and has combined his profession with his passion to write this
book.
Originally published only in German and, according to the publisher, very
popular in Europe (in its third edition and 9th printing), Die obere Hälfte
des Motorrads: Uber die Einheit von Faher und Maschine was recently
translated to English by Meredith Hassall.
It took several years to do so,
starting in 2006 and Whitehorse Press, who commissioned the translation, has now
released the book in English.
I'm so puzzled by this book that I'm not sure how to describe it. In
fact, I
guess I can't describe it -- I'm sorry! The only thing I have taken away
from it is that it's a high-level, deep discussion about the psychology of
riding, describing the way the human mind reacts to certain stimuli and how
information is then relayed back through to the physiology to do certain things
pertaining to riding a motorcycle.
In
the preface, the author explains that "This book is not about motorcycles per
se. Rather, it is about motorcycle riding and the motorcycle rider as a
thinking, acting, reacting human being with the unique ability to create, use,
and adapt tools, instruments, equipment and machines in an integrative way as
extensions, or components, of himself."
Alrighty then... Somehow, I get the feeling right off that this book will not
be read by the T-shirt, shorts and flip-flops set on their too-loud twins.
The book is divided into 5 parts, including "It's a Miracle That Motorcycling
Works at All"; "Mind and Gut"; "The Question of Karl V"; "What's Left for the
Head to Do?" and Objectives: Give Them a Try".
Sub-sections like "The man-machine system: a complicated matrix-patrix
relationship" and "When things get crowded in your head: limited channel
capacity -- in sensory perception and in actions" give you an idea of what's
to come.
Not enough? How about "The phenomenon of 'mysterious message'
transmission" or "Plateus and leaps forward"?
Sidebars such as "Orchestras, flocks and fish" opposite photos of a man
lowering a bucket from a scaffold and a person playing a cello are a couple of
small and obviously out of context examples of the content.
It all ties back to motorcycling -- I think -- but I just couldn't stick with
it enough to tell you how. There are a lot of words in this book
(literally), and I'm
not sure if the translation is up to snuff or the layout could have been
improved...certainly there are many illustrations but also a lot of black and
white text that is rather ponderous to peruse. But it is a heavy, heavy
read.
I just think it's all way too cerebral; not something to bring to the beach.
Or maybe it is?
Perhaps, in the winter, on one of those famed dark and stormy nights, a careful
reader will take the time and energy to absorb it all and distill the essence.
It will be like meaning.
That the book is so popular in Germany is a perfect illustration of culture
differences.
Sorry I can't say more. If I knew what this book is about, I'd tell you
-- believe me I would! I'm interested to hear from others who have been
able to get through it and can give us a better idea. Obviously,
this is not a learn to ride book like "Proficient Motorcycling", with quick tips
that can instantly improve your riding. It's a very, very deep take on the
psychology of riding that, quite frankly, will be beyond the patience of most
motorcycle riders.
I can't not recommend it -- in fact, you may want to try it yourself
.
If you do, please write to let us know how you liked it.
Review Date: July 2010.
wBW
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From "M.A." (8/10): "I am totally intrigued.
Many years ago I picked up "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"
thinking it had something to do with "motorcycle maintenance.
While not at all what I expected, it opened up a whole new world related
to philosophy for me. With that one book I moved from only reading
motorcycle magazines to reading the works of Plato, Aristotle, etc.
Associating motorcycle riding with the deeper aspects of our
physiological/psychological/philosophical nature has been a passion of
mine for many years. I am ordering a copy of this book!"
From "W.E." (8/10): "This is a peculiar motorcycle
book for North Americans because it talks about the systems and
subsystem of the rider and how the rider works, not just the motorcycle.
The author talks about the brain and functions of the brain. He
talks about how behaviour has to become almost subconscious in order to
flow smoothly and, in turn, contributes to smooth riding.
It treats the rider as an integral subsystem of the motorcycle.
The way the rider functions and how he integrates and uses tools is
discussed. These "round about" discussions do fit together when
the rider becomes part of the motorcycle or, more accurately, the
motorcycle becomes part of the rider.
Granted it's quite a different approach to motorcycling and maybe one
that is long overdue.
Finally, the author is described as riding with "ethereal smoothness."
I think reading this book would be helpful to find out what may have
contributed to the author's 'ethereal smoothness.'"
From "P.O." (8/10): "Upon reading your review, I
immediately ordered a copy from
Amazon
, as I’ve been looking for a book exploring such subject matter
for years. Back in 1965, when I was 20, I bought my first
motorcycle, a 200cc, 4-speed with clip-ons and the full
dolphin fairing offered by the importer in Schenectady, New York.
As I had only spent a few minutes on my college roommate’s BSA Star
350cc single, the Bultaco was a revelation, where one immediately felt
“one with the machine”, and it seemed I could go through all the
maneuvers almost as if without conscious thought. How delightful!--yet
how odd, I thought at the time, and ever since.
This book sounds like it deals with these sorts of motorcycle
philosophy/proprioception matters, and I look forward to reading it.
I feel that motorcycling is, indeed, a profoundly “odd” (and delightful)
feeling just in itself, and am glad to see some literature on the
subject.
P.S. I think my experiences with your web-site are getting like those I
have with the www.dealmac.com site, whose slogan is “Going Broke Saving
Money”. I just read your review of the
Teiz perforated leather jacket,
and immediately ordered one in white. The color should go well with the
1983 “50th Anniversary” model BMW R 100RT I own, and may reflect a bit
of the Texas heat as well."
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