In honor of the 100th anniversary of the very first Tom Swift novels, the first 4 were rewritten to make them more accessible--and more appropriate--for today's readers. Racial slurs were replaced although the speech cadence of the only Black character was retained. Additional mechanical and science information was added and sentence structure was modernized and tightened.
In this 1st novel, Tom Swift, son of inventor Barton Swift, meets up with a very odd man who crashes a motor cycle in Tom's front yard. After buying it from the man, Tom fixes the vehicle up, gives it not only a good tune but enhances its electrical system and crates the first solid helmet. With his new acquisition, Tom sets out to ride all over the country near his home town but soon runs afoul of a gang of thieves who are out to steal his father's newest invention,
To complicate Tom's life, his personal adversary, Andy Foger, seems intent on bettering Tom's motor cycle with one of his own, or sabotaging Tom's if that is possible.
A strange tramp appears and disappears at the oddest times making Tom wonder if he is a good guy or a bad guy.
