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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 921
EAN: 9781594630538
ISBN: 1594630534
Label: Hudson Street Press
Manufacturer: Hudson Street Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 288
Publication Date: April 30, 2009
Publisher: Hudson Street Press
Studio: Hudson Street Press
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Product Description:
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.
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This book was recommended by a good friend, as we are both engaged or stalled(?) in the rebuild of rare classic motorbikes. Big Sid holds a special place in the world of motorcycling and I had always assumed that he was long into a comfortable retirement. Motorcycling, a solitary pursuit, seems to place unusual stresses on family life. The story opens with the description of a hardy bunch of guys in post-war America including the main character Sid Biberman. Their passion for the best in motorcycling leads to each buying a Vincent motorcycle, an expensive and fully life committing act.
As the chapters develop you feel the stress of an all encompassing hobby on family members and the hidden flaws of post-war American society. This is no "Leave it to Beaver" story. Sid's dreams prove elusive and the costs of dreaming become apparent. Fast forward fifty years and you witness the changing role of the motorcycle in the American psyche, the rebuilding of a family, and the changing nature of work. Relatively few people work with their hands today and we are less of a society for it.
Vincent motorcycles are rare and very expensive and therefore each one has a documented life. In fact, most owners understand that they are caretakers of a machine that must be ridden fast and will outlive them. Big Sid has seen or worked on nearly all of them. I could never afford such a bike but after reading this book I have begun making dangerous plans to buy one. Buying a Vincent is incredibly irresponsible, but may be just the commitment that gives a truer meaning to an otherwise ordinary life. A superb read, well written, and totally absorbing. I would give this book to any motorcycle enthusiast you know as they will immediately understand. For non-motorcyclists this book offers an explanation of a sport that defies explanation. Even the best writers often struggle to explain "why" when discussing motorcycles. Matthew Biberman gets it right. Highly recommended! Todd in Detroit
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Really enjoyed the story of how years of dysfunction are overcome through the communication required around the construction of the motorcycle. While I don't know anything about motorcycles, I could still enjoy the book while learning a little bit about them. Well done.
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Big Sid's Vincati is a well-told story of the rebuilding of a father-son relationship that unfolds while the two collaborate on building a rare and unique hybrid motorcycle. The Vincati utilizes vital components from what seem to be two very different motorcycles: the engine from a Vincent, the legendary English road machine, and the frame from a Ducati, a sleek Italian bike manufactured some two decades later. The father and son likewise seem to be two very different people: Sid, a truly legendary mechanic and motorcycle restorer and Matthew, a well-schooled and accomplished professor of English literature. As an incentive to recover from a near-fatal heart attack, the son proposes to his father that they undertake the Vincati project, something accomplished only six times previously and never before outside Australia. As Sid recovers, Matthew is left to begin the project by a worldwide search for all the necessary parts. Soon Sid is able to work alongside Matthew and the two commence rebuilding a relationship damaged during childhood as they bring the Vincati to life. The two processes are not without some severe bumps and unforeseen obstacles, but both are brought to fruition. Ironically, while repairing one relationship, the insatiable appetite of the Vincati for the precious commodity of time imperils Matthew's relationship with his own wife and child. And just when the bike was thought to be finished, a twist of fate stands ready to disassemble the whole process. The final obstacle is overcome by calling on love, experience and wisdom. In the end, the monumental achievement of the finished Vincati reflects beautifully the symbiosis that has been developed between father and son, and between son and family.
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I've known Big Sid since he befriended me during my Navy days in Norfolk, VA back in the 1960s. I've been a lifelong motorcyclist, like Big Sid, although I've never owned a Vincent, much less a Vincati. Sid has instilled a respect in me for the marque and the machines that he so dearly loves. We've remained in contact via phone and internet for these last 40 years, concentrating mostly on motorcycle technical subjects.
Until reading 'Big Sid's Vincati' I've never known or understood much about the life experiences that created his interest and skills. Matthew's writing illuminates the past and explains the present Big Sid and their wonderful creation -- The Vincati! I've been able to see the progression of the bike during several visits to Louisville and to read about Peter Egan's ride and subsequent article in Cycle World, along with a centerfold picture! The English magazine, Classic Bike, later carried a story about the bike albeit told by a different author and photographer.
But the Vincati is only an object of two men's determination. The real beauty of the story is the cross pollination of their personalities throughout the crises of health and despair they conquered together. There's plenty for any technical guru, and much more for those of us with sons.
My two sons and I completed our ONLY and first motorcycle trip last summer to Nova Scotia and it was an awakening all three of us. I gained respect for their views and expectations all along the way. I suspect they picked up up on some of my idiosyncrasies too, maybe even understanding some of them a bit better. I couldn't help but find comparisons througout the book. I wish I had been able to read 'Big Sid's Vincati' years ago.
Ray Nielsen
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terrific. written with enthusiasm and a commitment to staying real. i wholeheartedly recommend this book.
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