Bike Fever

Lee Gutkind's memoir of motorcycling, and an ode to the solitude, independence, and exhilaration of the open road

Few things loom as large in our imaginations as the idea of a cross-country trip, exposed to the elements and open to whatever challenges lie around the bend. In the early 1970s, looking to experience and explain the allure of the road trip, Lee Gutkind embarked on a long motorcycle road trip, documenting the misadventures and magic that he found along the way. He writes of the men whose journeys continue to resonate, from Lawrence of Arabia to the Hell's Angels. He explores the appeal of the motorcycle—his vehicle of choice—and its historically loaded place in the American imagination. And he revels in the country's diverse and striking landscapes, as seen while moving through woods, plains, mountains, and deserts.


An inspiring and evocative tribute to the power of the journey, Bike Fever is a classic rendering of the unique freedom wrought by a motorcycle and a long highway.