Looking for 1980s sci fi , Alien pacifists contact earth billionaire/adventurer

[Fordy]

1980s book, Alien pacifists contact earth billionaire/adventurer, teach him how to change/metamorphosis his body. changed into dolphin on earth as a test. Parachutes onto alien planet and tries to cross the hostile planet on a motorcycle, alien pacifists throw obstacles in his path to test him, billionaire eureka moment, decides to change his body into a man sized winged dragon, captures a massive pterodactyl to use as transport and gains control of its mind but the pterodactyl fights this but also finds it does not have to live in loneliness so joins with the billionaire and they form a friendship

 

[Bick]

That sounds like some cracking pulp nonsense there Can't help you I'm afraid. If it was 50's I'd have said it was all mad enough to be van Vogt!

 

[Ursa major]

I've moved the thread here because it might get more attention from those who have a special skill for finding books from descriptions of their plots/characters/etc. than it would in the SFF Lounge

 

[chrispenycate]

Are you certain this isn't the thread (Found) Book where magic is alien psychic power. Aliens recruit richest man to help fight a war. ?

Threshold, David R. Palmer? (Threshold by David R Palmer)

The wWhyh'j is called Megonthaliä, the cat Memphus, and Peter Cory rides bikes and such.

his body. changed into dolphin on earth as a test. Parachutes onto alien planet and tries to cross the hostile planet on a motorcycle, alien pacifists throw obstacles in his path to test him, billionaire eureka moment, decides to change his body into a man sized winged dragon, captures a massive pterodactyl to use as transport and gains control of its mind but the pterodactyl fights this but also finds it does not have to live in loneliness so joins with the billionaire and they form a friendship

The aquatic body form is when they're collecting the ruby in China, the dragon thing he converts into works, the supersonic voor'flön he uses as a means of transport (a lot bigger than a pterodactyl) he calls Brunhilde. It fits. Please may I have another book I recognise?

Chrispy grin .

I did, however, while rooting around for details, discover that a sequel to this 1985 book was published this year - Special Education: TO HALT ARMAGEDDON: Amazon.co.uk: David R. Palmer: 9781948818513: Books Paperback – 30 Aug 2019

decides to change his body into a man sized winged dragon,

'A small dragon, to be sure - a length of about twenty-five feet, counting the tail, with a weight of about nine hundred pounds…

¿human sized? Perhaps in Texas.

 

[Ravensquawk]

Did it have a talking dog in it?

 

[Matteo]

1980s book, Alien pacifists contact earth billionaire/adventurer, teach him how to change/metamorphosis his body. changed into dolphin on earth as a test. Parachutes onto alien planet and tries to cross the hostile planet on a motorcycle, alien pacifists throw obstacles in his path to test him, billionaire eureka moment, decides to change his body into a man sized winged dragon, captures a massive pterodactyl to use as transport and gains control of its mind but the pterodactyl fights this but also finds it does not have to live in loneliness so joins with the billionaire and they form a friendship

Hmm...judging by that description, I think the book you really need to read is this one:

 

[Dennis E. Taylor]

I remember that book. The plot was a total red herring. They made a big deal at the beginning that some intergalactic menace was coming to devastate intelligent life in the galaxy, and the whole metamorphosis thing was to make people ready to form a defending army. Then the book ended when the protagonist made it back to the training base. The alien invaders never even made an appearance.

 

[Danny McG]

I remember that book. The plot was a total red herring. They made a big deal at the beginning that some intergalactic menace was coming to devastate intelligent life in the galaxy, and the whole metamorphosis thing was to make people ready to form a defending army. Then the book ended when the protagonist made it back to the training base. The alien invaders never even made an appearance.

@Fordy ....welcome to Chronicles, betcha didn't expect an answer from the Bobiverse guy!