Motorcycle Books: The Road to Mastery by Greg Widmar

Here in Pennsylvania, the past few weeks have been very wet and windy. This type of weather doesn’t lend itself to being outside and, with nothing else to do, I decided to reach for my Kindle and do a little reading. I don’t get the opportunity to read like I used to but I make an effort to finish a handful of books each year – most of which have been on business.

This time I wanted something different – something I could read for leisure without such a strong emphasis on self-improvement. This is when I punched MotoJitsu into the Kindle Search. If you aren’t familiar with MotoJitsu, it is a motorcycle training program in California that is run by Greg Widmar. Greg runs a popular YouTube Channel in which he teachers riders of all skill levels how to sharpen their skills on a bike.

Being that I’m starting my introduction to Motorcycles from the very beginning – I purchased The Road to Mastery: The Smart Way to Begin, Continue, or Redirect Your Riding Journey. At only $4.99, the Kindle Book seemed like an absolute steal.

Haven’t Reached The Starting Line

As it stands, my motorcycle journey hasn’t really began. I’m only in the planning stages – I haven’t been able to register for a rider education course, I don’t have a motorcycle, and I’m still virtually window-shopping for the right gear. To put it in terms of a marathon, I haven’t even stepped up to the starting line yet and I have a long and exciting road ahead of me.

Because of my place in all of this, I didn’t want a book that would be filled with technical information and drills. While I’m sure they would be fantastic to have in my toolbox, I have no way to put them into practice. Besides, what if I were to learn something that conflicts with my eventual rider education course? What I needed was a book that would begin where I’m currently standing – before the purchase of a shiny new motorcycle or elaborate gear. That is where this book really shines.

The Road to Mastery: The Smart Way to Begin, Continue, or Redirect Your Riding Journey starts at the very beginning and gradually steps through the process. Each chapter is short, to the point, and presented in a conversational tone that makes for easy reading. Rather than beating you over the head with facts and figures, the author talks from personal experience.

Chapter List

1. Get Your License
2. Motorcycle Gear
3. Choosing Your Motorcycle
4. Practice
5. Additional Courses
6. The Brakes
7. Mindset
8. Giving Back

Overview

At its core, this book is about the safest way to ride a motorcycle. There is a heavy emphasis on putting off those cool bike mods in favor of upgrading to safer riding gear and taking part in additional training courses to sharpen your skill set. On the surface you may think that this is a clever marketing tool to springboard potential customers into purchasing training. While that assumption wouldn’t be totally out of line – the author puts his money where his mouth is and offers an abundance of free training material on his MotoJitsu YouTube Channel. In my opinion, this garners Fast Eddie a lot of respect.

The final chapter in this book is entitled Giving Back and explains how you should be a steward for the motorcycle community. Of all the chapters in this book, this is the one that impressed me most. It goes on to explain that by being a better rider and always wearing the proper riding gear (no matter what) that eventually people will see you as an example. The rider that is always safe, routinely practices perishable skills, and is willing to offer a little help where they can.

When talking about books or other products, this is the point where I would touch on shortcomings. Where did The Road to Mastery fall short? That is tough to say because I feel that it is a fantastic primer for those thinking about getting their motorcycle license (as well as people like myself that want to get back onto a bike after a long time away).

If I had to point to one thing I wish were different it would be length. I enjoyed this book but wished it were longer. At just 46 pages, The Road to Mastery can easily be read in one sitting and in less than ninety-minutes. The funny thing though is that I can’t point to any one particular section ands say I really wish this portion was expanded.

Despite the short length of this book, I found it to be well worth the purchase price. I would most definitely recommend The Road to Mastery to anyone considering getting their motorcycle license or, like me, plan on getting back on a bike after a long time off. In fact, I enjoyed this book so much that I plan on ordering a Paperback so that I have a physical copy to lend to friends and family.

Purchase Your Copy

If The Road to Mastery: The Smart Way to Begin, Continue, or Redirect Your Riding Journey sounds like something you’d like to read – consider purchasing your copy through my Amazon Affiliate Link. It won’t cost you anything extra and it will earn me a few pennies to put towards producing more content just like this.