I'll admit I don't have much time to sit down with a good book these days. My style of reading is more bite-sized rather than getting stuck in and reading it cover to cover. Having two kids under 5 kinda does that to your reading time.
So when Kiwi Bikers, 85 New Zealanders and their motorbikes by Ken Downie arrived on my desk, like most great coffee table books, it became a quick escape from the day to day grind. A quick flick through the pages of Kiwi Bikers has proven as reinvigorating as a cup of coffee.
Seriously, this book is just as much about the stunning photos as it is about the captured people and bikes.
The book's subjects cover a wide variety of Kiwi motorcyclists and bikes. From reigning world champion MX rider Courtney Duncan to one of 10 Britten V1000 motorcycles (and this one isn't the bike from Te Papa), the book casts a wide net.
Kiwi Bikers, 85 New Zealanders and their motorbikes hit the shelves late last year as a full hardback chock full of glossy images of (you guessed it) Kiwi Bikers and their motorbikes. It's a simple premise and author/photographer Ken Downie has done a brilliant job of capturing the New Zealand motorcycling landscape.
Considering how cliquey we motorcyclists tend to be, the simple variety of people and their bikes from around Aotearoa is incredible and a nice reminder that there is far more variety of two-wheeled transport out there than we might at first think.
If there was ever a perfect addition to your coffee table book collection, this would be a contender.
Kiwi Bikers, 85 New Zealanders and their motorbikes is available at all good booksellers and is priced at $65.