Gathering Speed - Tales of Motorcycles and Life

a book by

David A. Braun
aka Flash
aka The Nashville Flash
Denizen of Doom #412
Chain Gang Inmate F650#412

You can read some of the Tales as originally posted to rec.motorcycles.
The Tales in the book have been polished and many photos added.
Rebus Knebus and His Leap...
Pony Maples - A Colorful Character.
Isle of Memories - Heaven on Earth in the Irish Sea.
Team Casual - (Very) Amateur Roadracing.
Thumper - My (R26) BMW Single.
(A Real Long) Zielfahrt - The BMW 60 Year Rally.
People In Gray - Behind the Iron Curtain.
Gathering Speed - Tales of Motorcycles and Life contains Tales of Adventure acquired from touring the U.S.A. and the world, commuting, restoring, rallying, racing, wrecking, wrenching, and just generally absorbing life's lessons as delivered via motorcycles made by BMW, Ducati, Harley Davidson, MV Agusta, Vincent, and Yamaha, with an International Harvester pickup truck, an Amphicar and a machine gun or two thrown in for good measure. Boink for a look at the table of contents of the hundred ninety-eight page, soft-bound book, lavishly illustrated with eighty-some photographs.

Gathering Speed - Tales of Motorcycles and Life


Gathering Speed is available from commercial sources as well as directly from the publisher. It is product number 3715 in the Aero Designs (aka RiderWearhouse) catalogue. These folks are best known as the makers of the Aerostich riding suit. They sell and make many other fine motorcycle-related products.
Or...
Gathering Speed - Tales of Motorcycles and Life can be purchased through Amazon.Com via their marketplace, which means you get to go through a third party. The book still comes from me, but you get to pay more for it and it will not come with an autograph.

Whitehorse Press does not carry this book. To find out why, click here.


The best and only source to obtain a personalized autographed copy is to order directly from the publisher This can be done by mailing a personal check or online via PayPal (which allows use of Visa and Master Card) by clicking on the button after the desired "item" or by sending payment to the address below. No matter how you order, be sure to send an email or note with your correspondence detailing the personalization desired for the autograph. The price of the book including delivery and all applicable taxes is as follows:
Anywhere on Planet Earth via Surface...US$20 (In a plain manila envelope.) Send $20 (PayPal, check or money order) to Flash412 AT comcast.net
Anywhere in the USA via Priority Mail...US$23 (In a bubble envelope.) Send $23 (PayPal, check or money order) to Flash412 AT comcast.net
Canada or Mexico via Priority Mail........US$25 (In a bubble envelope.) Send $28 (PayPal, check or money order) to Flash412 AT comcast.net

(Note: Cover price is US$24.95.)
If you don't want to use Visa or Master Card via PayPal, mail payment to:
Bike Manuscript Works, LLC
POB 271643
Fort Collins, CO 80527-1643

For wholesale quantities or for questions, contact flash412 AT comcast.net.

This page is updated as necessary.

Boink to read reviews by Ged Martin, Shank, John Sloan, Roar Larsen, and Josh Fielek.
Reviews in print:
David L. Hough's review in the February 2002 issue of Motorcycle Consumer News.
Steve Johnson's review on the Chain Gang website.
Roland Slabon's review in the "Vintage BMW Bulletin."
Buddy Burnett's review in the BMW Motorcycle Club of Nashville Newsletter, "The Beemer."
John Flora's review in the "Indianapolis BMW Club News."
Micheal Pandolf's review in the BMW Riders Association of the Mid-South (BMW RAMS) newsletter, "The Shaft."
Al Cohen's review in the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America (BMW MOA) "Owners News."

Flash's BMW F650 Page

Flash's BMW Parts for Sale Page
C&DEA - Carol & David's Excellent Adventures - living in France.
Story Leavesley's Tale about riding my old bike to Tierra del Fuego
My treatise on rebuilding a failed BMW ignition trigger unit.
EDTA - What, How, Why, Where.
A (Bosch) Platinum Plug.
Riding in a Crosswind.
Do It Yourself Hotgrips by Eric Graudins.
Oh yeah, click here for some links...

Links to Personal Photo Albums
Below are a bunch of links to look at photos.

Click here to see my F650 in the French Alps
Click here to see where we lived in Grenoble, France.
Click here for the album from my Asia'00 trip (no motos).
Click here for Asia'00 Motos.
Click here for China Aug'02 Shanghai, Suzhou, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Kaohsiung and Taipei.
Click here for a look at some "Engrish" on leather jackets in Ueno, Tokyo, Japan.
Click here for a helicopter flight over South Korea (no bike content).
Click here to see my 100 mile commute to work via Monument Gulch, 10/20/2000.
Click here for some halves in Colorado.
Click here to see pictures of European Motorcycle Odyssey '99.
EMO99- Is some GPS-based stuff; maps and track logs and such having to do with EMO99.

The best things in life are ephemeral.
David Braun - Flash412 AT comcast.net - - DoD # 412