Modern Motorcycle Mechanics

Testimonials

Those Prairie Boys
The legacy of the great Nicholson Bros. of Saskatoon
is recounted in a must-have new book.

Click here to read the review of Prairie Dust, Motorcycles and a
Typewriter published in Canadian Biker magazine.

CBC Radio One
Click here to listen to CBC Radio One's Michael Enright reading his essay about Modern Motorcycle Mechanics and my book about J.B. Nicholson, Prairie Dust, Motorcycles and a Typewriter. In this rites of spring treatise he puts Nicholson in the same category as Robert M. Pirsig. Indeed.

AGV Backmarker: “Modern Motorcycle Mechanics” isn’t modern any more. And a warning about a contemporary problem

Click here to read an article on Modern Motorcycle Mechanics and my book Prairie Dust, Motorcycles and a Typewriter from roadracerx.com.

“Modern” Influence From a Bygone Era
By John Wenkoff of Calgary Classic Motors

My trek into the vintage motorcycling hobby began as many do, with an old bike that needed some repairs in order to ride. Having a mechanical aptitude and knowledgeable friends helped, but ultimately I needed an “official” guide that I could study and leaf-through on my own time; therefore without direction, I purchased the ubiquitous Hanyes manual and a spare parts book for my 1971 Triumph 650. As an additional resource, I would quite often find myself involved in internet chat board banter as well.

The internet proved itself a place where I could easily get fifty responses to a technical question – all different and 90 per cent incorrect. After about a year of owning my Triumph a learned friend, suggested that I consult “The Bible” for instruction when I was attempting to set the valve clearance on my bike – my reply was simple and confused because I did not know what he was referring to. Shortly after, I purchased a copy of Modern Motorcycle Mechanics (1974) by J.B. Nicholson of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

I was pleasantly surprised by Nicholson's personal, insightful, and matter-of- fact prose combined with real technical instruction. The book covers all makes and models of the period (1920s – 1974) and at times makes value judgements as to the superiority of certain brands and practices: all highly enjoyable. I am convinced that Nicholson personally rode and rebuilt every motorcycle mentioned in the book – a thought confirmed in the legend.

Aside from technical repair advice, Modern Motorcycle Mechanics offers extensive riding and maintenance instruction that apply to every bike from the 1920s to the current day. It is some of these non-techncal sections that I enjoyed the most and actually took the most from. Nicholson's section on the absurdity of the Chopper Craze would “aggravate” Mr. Paul Teutul.

John Wenkoff

An Oldie but a Goodie
J.B. (Bernie) Nicholson’s Modern Motorcycle Mechanics
By Mike Brown (Excerpted with permission from Walneck’s Magazine Dec. 2008. Brown is also the author of Building Budget Brits.)

If I were allowed to keep only one of what’s now hundreds of technical manuals, books and publications that sit grease-stained in my home library, I’d put a death grip on J.B. Nicholson’s Modern Motorcycle Mechanics. While still the product of human hands and consequently imperfect as all earthly products must be, no one on the planet has ever done a better job covering mechanical repair in such a broad scope of what’s now considered classic motorcycles. Last updated in 1974, MMM as I will henceforth refer to it has been called “the motorcyclist’s bible” for good reason.

From BSA to Yamaha, Nicholson has something for everyone.
Unlike many technical publications that simply organize, illustrate, and regurgitate mechanical knowledge, MMM is the product of extensive hands on experience, refined over decades.

Every reference I’ve read or heard about Nicholson always includes “gentleman” and many included “genius.” Perhaps the greatest gift Nicholson possessed was the ability to translate technical processes into simple procedures, a gift one can really appreciate if he’s ever tried to figure out a typical owner’s manual. Nicholson also produced hard data where too many others simply said things like “replace if worn” and for this reason alone MMM is worth owning as a reference source.