Motorcycle Electrical Systems: Troubleshooting and Repair: Amazon.ca: Tracy Martin: Books

Book Description

Publication Date: Feb 15 2007 | Series: Motorbooks Workshop

A motorcycle’s electrical system can be daunting to even the most adept home mechanic. And yet, the more complex these systems become—and the more important to a motorcycle’s function—the more useful, even critical, it will be to know something about them. That’s where this book comes in with a user-friendly guide to understanding, diagnosing, and fixing the electrical systems and components that make a bike run . . . or falter.

Veteran technician Tracy Martin explains the principles behind motorcycle electrical systems and how they work. He details the various tools, such as multimeters and test lights, that can be used to evaluate and troubleshoot any vehicle's electrical problem. And in several hands-on projects, he takes readers on a guided tour of their vehicle’s electrical system, along the way giving clear, step-by-step instructions for diagnosing specific problems.

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Product Details

Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Motorbooks; First edition (Feb 15 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0760327165
ISBN-13: 978-0760327166
Product Dimensions: 23 x 1.1 x 28 cm
Shipping Weight: 499 g

Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #66,903 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Review

Cycle News, March 7, 2007

“Martin simplifies the complex language and operations of electrical systems of motorcycles so that the diagnostics and repairs can be done with ease.”

WebBikeWorld.com, March 2007

“What is important is to use the book to develop a basic knowledge of electricity, how it works and how it helps our motorcycles live and breathe. Then when the time comes, I think it is reasonable to expect that with a little brushing up, you’ll be able to solve many of the electrical mysteries that would have you stumped in the past.”

Iron Works, May 2007

“Tracy Martin explains the principals behind 12 and 6-volt motorcycle electrical systems. Electrical theory is kept to a minimum as the author focuses on a more practical, hands-on approach to explaining an otherwise complex topic.”

Tourexpo.com, May 29, 2007

“Author Tracy Martin presents a fun, easy-to-understand talk on how electricity works on your motorcycle, how to read a wiring diagram and covers the basics of 12-volt motorcycle electricity.”

American Rider, December 2007

“It’s written in a friendly, conversational manner in layman’s language, not dry engineer-speak … I co-authored an electrical troubleshooting manual for Haynes some years ago, so I have some experience with this subject. Mr. Martin has done an excellent job providing the basic principles involved with motorcycle electrical systems in an applicable, practical and useful manner … We recommend it for anyone who works on Harleys, or wants to learn more about how they work.”

Motorcycle Consumer News, October 2007

“Provides a sound foundation for any enthusiast to work on their electrical systems … His explanations and illustrations are both clear and concise, and the flow of the book is geared towards building the confidence level of the reader … Tracy’s 25 years of experience in the automotive field resonate through the pages of the book, and give credibility to his explanations and assessments. I’d recommend it for both the library and the workshop of any enthusiast.”

From the Back Cover

Motorcycle electrical systems can be a mystery to the weekend mechanic and even to the experienced professional. No longer shall you fear the mass of wires under your fuel tank or seat or behind your headlight. Motorcycle Electrical Systems: Troubleshooting and Repair explains the principles behind motorcycle electrical systems, describes how they work, and reveals proper testing tools and techniques to find out where the problem’s source is.

From Ohm’s Law to reading wiring diagrams to specific electrical scenarios, author and motorjournalist Tracy Martin takes you on a guided tour of your motorcycle’s electrical system. Martin details the various tools, such as multimeters and test lights, that can be used to evaluate and troubleshoot any bike’s electrical system, dishing out handy tips to help you banish your electrical gremlins.

Don’t get lost in the dark again. The knowledge contained in Motorcycle Electrical Systems: Troubleshooting and Repair is your best tool for understanding your electrical system and diagnosing problems with your motorcycle.

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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Motorcycle Electrical Systems. Troubleshooting and Repair. Jan 10 2008

By R. P. Clegg

Format:Paperback

First off the book is well written and well laid out. Electrical systems by far are the worst systems to troubleshoot. You can't troubleshoot unless you know and understand electrical theory. Mr. Martin has done a great job of using simple (yet effective) illustrations to get the message across. Because one can not see electricity, test tools are required. Note, without the tools in this book, which can be expensive, you will not be able to do any of the troubleshooting. You will also need the service manual for your particular bike to perform the diagnosis, and to read the wiring diagrams. Still, this book does show you how to hook up the leads to test the system, and (even more important) what the readouts mean. The book gets 5 stars for making a complex subject a bit easier to read.
Note. The author has another book similar to this one on Automotive Electrical Systems. Do not buy both unless you want to, (I did), because there is an extensive amount of duplication. So, if you ride a motorcycle, get this book.

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4.0 out of 5 stars great for the beginner Mechanic like myself.. Jan 19 2010

By A. Khalifa

Format:Paperback

If you do not know anything about Electrical wiring and debugging, this book just fits the bill.

Thanks to this book, I did wire my own heated gear (after calculating my load properly), Air Horn, and I debugged a few issues with my rear tail light.

The book paid its price back many times and I am now the proud owner of a Voltimeter !, how cool is that for a geek like myself with a beat up HOG ? :).

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com ^(beta)

Amazon.com: 4.4 out of 5 stars 23 reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A good instruction manual with only a few faults July 30 2008

By JRC1515 - Published on Amazon.com

Format:Paperback

The book is straightforward and easy-to-read. It covers various aspects of critical test instruments, electronic components, troubleshooting techniques, and shortcuts. It has a chapter with practice problems designed to improve the reader's ability to use circuit diagrams. In particular, the sections on testing by voltage drop and using wiring diagrams are particularly useful.
The book is a bit marred by a few (not too many) mistakes and weak explanations. The author gets the relationship between dwell angle and point gap backwards, and at one point he describes a test method as "place the red lead here, and the red lead here". He clearly meant one of the leads to be the ground (black) but it could prove confusing to the target audience. He gives short shrift to CD ignitions and magnetos. His states his coil testing procedures will work on all coils, without clarifying if that includes capacitive coils as well as inductive types (CD coils are a special case, as they do not have 12 volt primaries). His stator testing heuristic -wattage divided by four equals output AC voltage- is useful but given without information as to why the rule-of-thumb holds true.
These lapses are not indicative of a lack of knowledge on the author's part, but point toward a need for a better review of the draft manuscript prior to publication.
Even with faults, I give the book a "B+". It is worth reading, with the caveat that a reader may have to crosscheck a topic with another source if it just doesn't seem right.
It goes without saying the best use of the book is to read and study it *before* the information is needed. Absorbing the knowledge during an emergency repair situation is difficult at best, impossible at worst.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Motorcycle Reference Feb 9 2007

By Zina Deretsky - Published on Amazon.com

Format:Paperback

I bought Tracy Martin's other book on automotive electrics, and as a motorcyclist, I was really excited when this book came out. It's more of the same high quality of work. He's got a real knack for explaining concepts in plain language I can understand easily. His illustrations are also very easy to follow. This book is great because there are lots of new material on motorcycle specific topics such as battery tenders, accessories, rebuilding starters, points ignition (where else can you find a current book that covers points???), and fuel injection.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Motorcycle Book Feb 4 2007

By MC Dirt Guy - Published on Amazon.com

Format:Paperback

I don't do much with electrical stuff on my motorcycle, usually take it to the dealer. This book made made it easy to understand the electrical system on my bike. I like the chapter on wiring diagrams. This chapter really explained how to read the wiring diagrams. Good info on motorcycle batteries as well. I would recommend the book, even if you don't plan on doing your own electrical repairs.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 23 reviews 4.4 out of 5 stars

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