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Big Sid's Vincati
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Big Sid's Vincati Hardback - 2009

by Biberman, Matthew

A father and sonbuild a legendarymotorcycle and,along the way,reconstruct theirrelationship in thismoving memoir

When his father had a near-fatal heart attack and gaveup the will to live, Matthew Biberman panicked. Impulsively,Matthew promised his father, an expert motorcycle mechanic, thatthey would build a Vincati motorcycle together. The Loch Nessmonster of motorcycles, a Vincati-half Vincent, half Ducati-had never been completed in North America. Building a Vincatiwas considered, at best, a fool's errand; at worst, an expensive wasteof motorcycle parts.

But for nearly sixty years, "Big Sid" Biberman was themechanic to see to refurbish and repair motorcycles, especiallyBritish-made Vincents. If anyone could build a Vincati, it was BigSid. Despite sharing his father's passion for motorcycles, his sonMatthew lacked Big Sid's mechanical gift, gave up on tools, andbecame a Shakespearean scholar. As adults, father and son barelyspoke. But after his father's brush with death, Matthew vowed tolearn the techniques that had made Big Sid a legend among bikers.Reminiscent of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, BigSid's Vincati is an irresistible combination of step-by-step motorcycleconstruction mixed with a powerful story of fathers and sons, andshows not only how the Bibermans built their Vincati (which wasfeatured in Cycle World and Classic Bike) but also how the two menreconstructed their relationship, one motorcycle part at a time.


Summary

A father and son build a legendary motorcycle and, along the way, reconstruct their relationship in this moving memoirWhen his father had a near-fatal heart attack and gave up the will to live, Matthew Biberman panicked. Impulsively, Matthew promised his father, an expert motorcycle mechanic, that they would build a Vincati motorcycle together. The Loch Ness monster of motorcycles, a Vincati-half Vincent, half Ducati-had never been completed in North America. Building a Vincati was considered, at best, a fool's errand; at worst, an expensive waste of motorcycle parts.But for nearly sixty years, "Big Sid" Biberman was the mechanic to see to refurbish and repair motorcycles, especially British-made Vincents. If anyone could build a Vincati, it was Big Sid. Despite sharing his father's passion for motorcycles, his son Matthew lacked Big Sid's mechanical gift, gave up on tools, and became a Shakespearean scholar. As adults, father and son barely spoke. But after his father's brush with death, Matthew vowed to learn the techniques that had made Big Sid a legend among bikers. Reminiscent of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Big Sid's Vincati is an irresistible combination of step-by-step Motorcycle construction mixed with a powerful story of fathers and sons, and shows not only how the Bibermans built their Vincati (which was featured in Cycle World and Classic Bike but also how the two men reconstructed their relationship, one motorcycle part at a time.

From the publisher

A father and son build a legendary motorcycle and, along the way, reconstruct their relationship in this moving memoir
When his father had a near-fatal heart attack and gave up the will to live, Matthew Biberman panicked. Impulsively, Matthew promised his father, an expert motorcycle mechanic, that they would build a Vincati motorcycle together. The Loch Ness monster of motorcycles, a Vincati-half Vincent, half Ducati- had never been completed in North America. Building a Vincati was considered, at best, a fool's errand; at worst, an expensive waste of motorcycle parts. But for nearly sixty years, "Big Sid" Biberman was the mechanic to see to refurbish and repair motorcycles, especially British-made Vincents. If anyone could build a Vincati, it was Big Sid. Despite sharing his father's passion for motorcycles, his son Matthew lacked Big Sid's mechanical gift, gave up on tools, and became a Shakespearean scholar. As adults, father and son barely spoke. But after his father's brush with death, Matthew vowed to learn the techniques that had made Big Sid a legend among bikers. Reminiscent of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"," Big Sid's Vincati" is an irresistible combination of step-by-step motorcycle construction mixed with a powerful story of fathers and sons, and shows not only how the Bibermans built their Vincati (which was featured in "Cycle World" and "Classic Bike") but also how the two men reconstructed their relationship, one motorcycle part at a time.

Details

  • Title Big Sid's Vincati
  • Author Biberman, Matthew
  • Binding Hardback
  • Edition FIRST EDITION
  • Pages 288
  • Language EN
  • Publisher Hudson Street Press, New York
  • Date 2009-04-30
  • ISBN 9781594630538

Media reviews

"If you believe it is possible to fall in love with a motorcycle, you will love this book. It's a guy's romance novel with mystery, adventure, and real passion."
-Jay Leno

"I don't think you need to be a motorcycle enthusiast to lose yourself in this book. It is an open-handed classic about living and love, with a heart as big as a Vincent V-twin engine."
-Mark Knopfler, musician and former Dire Straits frontman

"First of all, while this is a book chock full of interesting mechanical wizardry and a tribute to a true legend in motorcycling, calling it simply a "motorcycle book" is a bit like calling Field of Dreams simply a "baseball movie." Because in this remarkable tome, father and son learn a lot about life and each other while creating a dream come true motorcycle."
-Greg Harrison, Antique Motorcycle, www.antiquemotorcycle.org

"Every motorcycle has a story. The Vincati is an extraordinary one and Big Sid's Vincati seals its place in motorcycle history."
-George Barber, The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum

"A heartfelt and beautifully written story of a family and the meaning of motorcycles in their lives--and the meaning of one particular bike that brings a father and son back together during difficult times. The enthusiasm is dangerously contagious; it'll make you want to go right out to the garage and restore your own bike--or build one."
-Peter Egan, journalist and columnist for Road & Track and Cycle World

"Motorcycles are many things. Obsession; thrill; the church at which a certain tribe worships. But did you know they are a solace, too? In joining two of the greatest machines ever conceived, Matthew Biberman and his father made something greater than any single bike: a transcendent story about machines that is really about love."
-Melissa Holbrook Pierson, author of The Perfect Vehicle

"If you can come away from this book--this opportunity to see up close what Sid Biberman and his son are made of, without a new respect for how a piece of machinery can come to life and take along with it the lives of a family, you didn't pay close enough attention. A beautiful story."
-John Healy, editor, Vintage Bike magazine

"The average American male spends half a lifetime making peace with his father. Big Sid's Vincati describes how a quest to reconstruct one mythic motorcycle can wildly accelerate that process. A rewarding read for anyone who's ever loved a man, or a motorcycle."
-Aaron Frank,editor-at-large, Motorcyclist magazine

"There are precious few well written motorcycle books; this is one of them. It's the human stories behind each machine that make them fascinating. This is a great tale that will resonate especially with people like me, whose love of motorcycles was sparked by family."
-Hugo Wilson, Editor, Classic Bike

"A splendid motorcycle tale about unlikely things coming together: an imperfect past with an uncertain future, a professor of Shakespeare with a mythic speed-tuner, and a stylish Euro-bike with the most iconic motorcycle in the world."
-Fred Haefele, author of Rebuilding the Indian

"There are few times when a man has a passion for a machine like Sid Biberman has for Vincents. What makes Big Sid's Vincati especially beautiful is that in this case, the son has taken the time to write down that love in words for others to appreciate."
-Denis Manning, BUB Enterprises

"By no means just for bike nuts, this is an absorbing and often poignant story. Matthew Biberman paints a sensitive and touching picture of his father Big Sid, a man with a remarkable empathy for quirky machines."
-Mick Duckworth, journalist and author of TT100 and Ace Times

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Big Sid's Vincati: The Story of a Father, a Son, and the Motorcycle of a Lifetime
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Big Sid's Vincati: The Story of a Father, a Son, and the Motorcycle of a Lifetime

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Big Sid's Vincati: The Story of a Father, a Son, and the Motorcycle of a Lifetime

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Big Sid's Vincati: The Story of a Father, a Son, and the Motorcycle of a Lifetime

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Big Sid's Vincati: The Story of a Father, a Son, and the Motorcycle of a Lifetime

Big Sid's Vincati: The Story of a Father, a Son, and the Motorcycle of a Lifetime

by Biberman, Matthew

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Big Sid's Vincati : The Story of a Father, a Son, and the Motorcycle of a Lifetime
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Big Sid's Vincati : The Story of a Father, a Son, and the Motorcycle of a Lifetime

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Big Sid's Vincati : The Story of a Father, a Son, and the Motorcycle of a Lifetime
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Big Sid's Vincati : The Story of a Father, a Son, and the Motorcycle of a Lifetime

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Big Sid's Vincati : The Story of a Father, a Son, and the Motorcycle of a Lifetime
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Big Sid's Vincati : The Story of a Father, a Son, and the Motorcycle of a Lifetime

by Biberman, Matthew

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Big Sid's Vincati : The Story of a Father, a Son, and the Motorcycle of a Lifetime
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Big Sid's Vincati : The Story of a Father, a Son, and the Motorcycle of a Lifetime

by Biberman, Matthew

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by Matthew Biberman

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Big Sid's Vincati: The Story of a Father, a Son, and the Motorcycle of a Lifetime

by Matthew Biberman

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