If you’re a motorcycle and/or car do-it-yourselfer, chances are that you have at least one Haynes Manual somewhere in your home or garage. While the Internet is great for bringing together clusters of like-minded weirdos who all love that one discontinued Honda model you do, OEM shop manuals and Haynes books will always have their place, right?
The Haynes organization certainly hopes so. Founder John Haynes formally retired from his family business in 2010, and eventually died at the age of 80 in 2019. While Haynes has long had a robust YouTube channel that mostly focuses on car repairs, it seems the shift to digital publishing is ramping up. In December, 2020, Haynes announced that it will no longer publish print workshop manuals for new vehicles.
Thankfully, Haynes will still continue to print and publish its extensive back catalog of manuals. For now, at any rate. The company was quick to clarify this point on Twitter. Don’t worry, vintage vehicle fans—print versions for older vehicles won’t disappear completely.
Instead, the Twitter thread reads, Haynes is “currently in the process of creating a new automotive maintenance and repair product that covers around 95 percent of car makes and models—an increase of around 40 percent over our current Workshop Manual coverage.”
“This will provide you, our loyal enthusiasts, with a greater choice than ever before and we will reveal more in due course. Far from being the end of the road, we are ensuring that Haynes will continue well into the 21st century,” the thread concludes.
It’s worth noting that Haynes currently has a digital product called Haynes Manuals AllAccess. It’s only available in certain regions, and appears to be aimed more at professional workshops and garages than individual enthusiasts. You can choose from Cars, Motorcycles, or Cars & Motorcycles access that includes every single Haynes Online manual available in your chosen category. Some videos are included, and all the Clymer Motorcycle manuals are included if you purchase motorcycle access.
However, one year of access for either Cars or Motorcycles is currently priced at £399, or nearly $536. If you go for the Car & Motorcycle package, a year’s access is £599, or $804. It’s unclear if Haynes is planning to offer more enthusiast-friendly tiers to this existing program, or if the digital shift it’s talking about will be something else entirely—but surely, it has to be a bit different than what’s already available if it’s going to work for most enthusiasts.
More DIY:
Sources: Twitter, Canada Moto Guide, Haynes Manuals AllAccess