What do you think?
Rate this book
Motorcycle State of Mind
Why jump berms? Step over them.
Why lean into the wind? Drive a car.
Why ride a motorcycle? Every revolution of the wheel is an opportunity when you read between the lines. Explore, join the author as he tunes up. It’s a quick trip down the path of life. Nothing out of the ordinary. Perspective is everything.
Ride the Road to Joy. Scrape your state of mind.
Why lean into the wind? Drive a car.
Why ride a motorcycle? Every revolution of the wheel is an opportunity when you read between the lines. Explore, join the author as he tunes up. It’s a quick trip down the path of life. Nothing out of the ordinary. Perspective is everything.
Ride the Road to Joy. Scrape your state of mind.
217 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 10, 2023
7 people are currently reading
2 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 24, 2023
I always like a good memoir, and this one written by a pie-lovin’ motorcyclist didn’t disappoint. In it, author Michael Stewart and his cronies from Tony’s head from Canada down the West Coast of the U.S. Throughout the journey, Stewart rides, absorbs, expounds, socializes, criticizes, enjoys, and rides more.
I respect the author’s passion for motorcycling, and I think the ultimate lesson of Motorcycle State of Mind is that everyone should find his or her meaningful escape. The reason and the why for living go beyond just the everyday, after all. At the same time, Stewart is a deep thinker who isn’t afraid to bring up important world topics, such as the current war in Ukraine.
Stewart seems to be a well-read individual and is adept at resurrecting past explorers in history, people such as Sir Ernest Shackleton, to correspond with his own thoughts on today’s journeys via the all-freeing motorcycle. The dialogue among his friends and the strangers he meets, along with the stories he incorporates, make for an entertaining read.
As for the West Coast journey, Stewart’s cynical thoughts can be wearing at times, but his writing is uninhibited and fast-paced, like any good motorcycle ride. I found his term “road vomit,” which refers to all the stops and starts all drivers must deal with these days, to be spot on. The quick-witted memoirist faces a few scares on the road along the way, and he points out things that can be frightening to motorcyclists, moments on the road such as darting deers and fearsome, veering 18-wheelers.
“Every curve reveals a fresh view” is just one poignant line from Stewart in a memoir full of them. Though the book runs a little long toward the end, Motorcycle State of Mind is a worthy read – even if you never in your life hop onto a motorcycle to drive or ride.
I respect the author’s passion for motorcycling, and I think the ultimate lesson of Motorcycle State of Mind is that everyone should find his or her meaningful escape. The reason and the why for living go beyond just the everyday, after all. At the same time, Stewart is a deep thinker who isn’t afraid to bring up important world topics, such as the current war in Ukraine.
Stewart seems to be a well-read individual and is adept at resurrecting past explorers in history, people such as Sir Ernest Shackleton, to correspond with his own thoughts on today’s journeys via the all-freeing motorcycle. The dialogue among his friends and the strangers he meets, along with the stories he incorporates, make for an entertaining read.
As for the West Coast journey, Stewart’s cynical thoughts can be wearing at times, but his writing is uninhibited and fast-paced, like any good motorcycle ride. I found his term “road vomit,” which refers to all the stops and starts all drivers must deal with these days, to be spot on. The quick-witted memoirist faces a few scares on the road along the way, and he points out things that can be frightening to motorcyclists, moments on the road such as darting deers and fearsome, veering 18-wheelers.
“Every curve reveals a fresh view” is just one poignant line from Stewart in a memoir full of them. Though the book runs a little long toward the end, Motorcycle State of Mind is a worthy read – even if you never in your life hop onto a motorcycle to drive or ride.
October 30, 2023
I’m Northern Irish and here we have the unique sport of Road Racing. My earliest memories are of watching motorcycles race past my aunt’s house once a year for the local annual race in our area. It’s a lethal sport and today many of the smaller races have gone – too many deaths, higher insurance, new housing developments in rural areas, and the occupants of these don’t want to be a prisoner in their homes for one Saturday in the year.
But I grew up loving the sport and I now have a relative who competes in short circuit races, so I attend as many as I can. I love motorcycles, but I’d never get on one. I leave that to those that can. People such as Michael Stewart, the author of this book.
That is why I had to read it, and I am so glad I did because it is so much more than just a bloke taking his bike on a road trip. The expression ‘on-motorcycle’ is a state of mind. A resetting of balance in life, in the mind and in the soul. I can totally get it.
Stewart likens himself to the explorers of old – Shackleton, Columbus and the like – and he describes them as having the same ‘Gotta Go’ feeling he has.
Along the way he met some great characters – Mark and the World’s largest Spruce Tree. Officer Jimmy and Coach Marvin, and patty with her tale of Scooter Boy. And he learned about Unsinkable Sam. And me, a cat lover who lives near Belfast, had to learn about Unsinkable Sam from a Canadian author!
Speaking of cats – Rossi has got to be the coolest name for a cat. His owner, Max, who took his last ride.
‘Motorcycle State of Mind: Beyond Scraping Pegs’ is a must read even if, like me, you’ve never been or a motorcycle. Even if you don’t like bikes and you are content to be a ‘Cager’ – the term for car drivers - read this book. It might read like a bloke on a road trip but it is much more than that. It’s a state of mind.
But I grew up loving the sport and I now have a relative who competes in short circuit races, so I attend as many as I can. I love motorcycles, but I’d never get on one. I leave that to those that can. People such as Michael Stewart, the author of this book.
That is why I had to read it, and I am so glad I did because it is so much more than just a bloke taking his bike on a road trip. The expression ‘on-motorcycle’ is a state of mind. A resetting of balance in life, in the mind and in the soul. I can totally get it.
Stewart likens himself to the explorers of old – Shackleton, Columbus and the like – and he describes them as having the same ‘Gotta Go’ feeling he has.
Along the way he met some great characters – Mark and the World’s largest Spruce Tree. Officer Jimmy and Coach Marvin, and patty with her tale of Scooter Boy. And he learned about Unsinkable Sam. And me, a cat lover who lives near Belfast, had to learn about Unsinkable Sam from a Canadian author!
Speaking of cats – Rossi has got to be the coolest name for a cat. His owner, Max, who took his last ride.
‘Motorcycle State of Mind: Beyond Scraping Pegs’ is a must read even if, like me, you’ve never been or a motorcycle. Even if you don’t like bikes and you are content to be a ‘Cager’ – the term for car drivers - read this book. It might read like a bloke on a road trip but it is much more than that. It’s a state of mind.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews