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Author, Motojournalist, Riding Skills Instructor
 | Motorcycle Electrical Book | |
Testimonials and Reviews
Wing World magazine, November 2007 issue, article by Stu Oltman, Senior
Technical Editor -- Complete Review
Of all the potential maintenance or repairs one might face, electrical problems are
usually the most difficult and time consuming. This happens because unlike broken
mechanical parts, one can’t normally look at wires, switches or other electrical devices
and see why they’re not functioning correctly. Diagnosing electrical faults isn’t an
intuitive thing. In fact, many professional mechanics would rather run for cover than be
assigned the task of diagnosing and repairing these problems, and lots of home
mechanics have accidentally “let the smoke out of the wires” after installing an
electrical accessory. As a young mechanic, I came to realize my own shortcomings in
this area and sought out material to bring myself up to speed. Unfortunately, most
books on the subject back then were intended as college or trade school texts and
assumed a level of knowledge not possessed by most high school grads. Further, the
math involved quickly convinced most novice readers that the subject was beyond
their understanding. I wish this book had been available back then.
Tracy Martin is not an electrical engineer. He’s a fellow who started out as a lab
technician for a turbocharger manufacturer and was often faced with the need to
repair prototype ignition and fuel injection systems – systems for which no official
repair literature was available. So, one might say, he was dragged kicking and
screaming into the world of electricity and electronics. Applying what he’d learned to
his own vehicles progressed to teaching other technicians when electronics became
common on cars and bikes. With that background, and because of his ability to make
the complex simple, Tracy found himself in demand as an instructor with corporations
such as Sun, Allen, Nissan, and Snap-on Tools. Now, home mechanics and
professionals alike can benefit from Tracy’s experience as he covers such subjects as
tools, test procedures, batteries, ignition, fuel injection, and charging systems. He
even shows the reader how to decipher faults without becoming hopelessly entangled
in the maze of spaghetti known as wiring diagrams. They’re easy to navigate – once
one knows how. Speaking of knowing how, it’s much easier to determine when a
component isn’t working correctly when one knows how that component is supposed to
operate. Tracy takes care of that with discussions of ignition coils, points, starters,
regulators, relays, etc.
Math? Don’t sweat it. Mr. Martin uses only the most elementary math, and purely for
the purpose of describing the relationship between voltage, resistance, and amperage
– knowledge without which no mechanic, pro or not, has a prayer of actually
diagnosing a fault by means other than trial and error. You say you don’t even know
what the terms voltage, resistance, and amperage mean? Then this book is for you.
With plenty of clear diagrams and photos, Tracy brings the reader slowly and
painlessly up to speed; each chapter builds on knowledge presented in the previous
one. Those who already have a reasonably good understanding of electricity will enjoy
the discussion of modern Electronic Engine Management Systems – the sensors
involved, how they interact with the bike’s computer, how they work, and the tools
necessary to diagnose faults through waveform analysis.
Will this book make the reader an expert? No. What it will do is provide the reader the
essentials necessary to gain diagnostic skill through understanding and practice.
Practice doesn’t make perfect, unless it’s perfect practice. I recommend this book
highly for both the home mechanic and professional technicians.
Technical Editor -- Complete Review
Of all the potential maintenance or repairs one might face, electrical problems are
usually the most difficult and time consuming. This happens because unlike broken
mechanical parts, one can’t normally look at wires, switches or other electrical devices
and see why they’re not functioning correctly. Diagnosing electrical faults isn’t an
intuitive thing. In fact, many professional mechanics would rather run for cover than be
assigned the task of diagnosing and repairing these problems, and lots of home
mechanics have accidentally “let the smoke out of the wires” after installing an
electrical accessory. As a young mechanic, I came to realize my own shortcomings in
this area and sought out material to bring myself up to speed. Unfortunately, most
books on the subject back then were intended as college or trade school texts and
assumed a level of knowledge not possessed by most high school grads. Further, the
math involved quickly convinced most novice readers that the subject was beyond
their understanding. I wish this book had been available back then.
Tracy Martin is not an electrical engineer. He’s a fellow who started out as a lab
technician for a turbocharger manufacturer and was often faced with the need to
repair prototype ignition and fuel injection systems – systems for which no official
repair literature was available. So, one might say, he was dragged kicking and
screaming into the world of electricity and electronics. Applying what he’d learned to
his own vehicles progressed to teaching other technicians when electronics became
common on cars and bikes. With that background, and because of his ability to make
the complex simple, Tracy found himself in demand as an instructor with corporations
such as Sun, Allen, Nissan, and Snap-on Tools. Now, home mechanics and
professionals alike can benefit from Tracy’s experience as he covers such subjects as
tools, test procedures, batteries, ignition, fuel injection, and charging systems. He
even shows the reader how to decipher faults without becoming hopelessly entangled
in the maze of spaghetti known as wiring diagrams. They’re easy to navigate – once
one knows how. Speaking of knowing how, it’s much easier to determine when a
component isn’t working correctly when one knows how that component is supposed to
operate. Tracy takes care of that with discussions of ignition coils, points, starters,
regulators, relays, etc.
Math? Don’t sweat it. Mr. Martin uses only the most elementary math, and purely for
the purpose of describing the relationship between voltage, resistance, and amperage
– knowledge without which no mechanic, pro or not, has a prayer of actually
diagnosing a fault by means other than trial and error. You say you don’t even know
what the terms voltage, resistance, and amperage mean? Then this book is for you.
With plenty of clear diagrams and photos, Tracy brings the reader slowly and
painlessly up to speed; each chapter builds on knowledge presented in the previous
one. Those who already have a reasonably good understanding of electricity will enjoy
the discussion of modern Electronic Engine Management Systems – the sensors
involved, how they interact with the bike’s computer, how they work, and the tools
necessary to diagnose faults through waveform analysis.
Will this book make the reader an expert? No. What it will do is provide the reader the
essentials necessary to gain diagnostic skill through understanding and practice.
Practice doesn’t make perfect, unless it’s perfect practice. I recommend this book
highly for both the home mechanic and professional technicians.
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Wing World Review