Zen and the art of Motorcycle maintenance.

I'm thinking of buying a book on Amazon, and I was thinking of buying Zen and the art of Motorcycle maintenance, would any of you recommend it? Or would you think there's a better book to get on the website, that might be harder to find in local book stores?

 

I love Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. First time I read it I would read a bit and then think about it for a couple day before reading more... kind of marinated my mind in it.

 

I love books like that, but they are hard to come by.
I think I'm just going to go ahead and buy it.

 

Zen is a great book, I would highly suggest you reading it... you can probably find a cheap paperback for around $10.

 

Read this book. "Sometimes it is a little better to travel than to arrive."

 

RE: Sometimes it is a little better to travel than to arrive

That is EXACTLY what biking is about, and though I haven't read the book, it's something you get or you don't.

Travelling at 55+mph down the road with the wind in yer face and the breeze on yer knees. Pure bliss.

And of course the EPA wants to cut 0.02% of the pollution in North America by 30% by making radical changes to motorcycles and putting the bike biz out of business.

Try explaining to some bureaucrat spotted owl hugger that we don't WANT to zip around on an electric scooter, but a 1948 Knucklehead bobber, 1964 Panhead chopper or 1978 Shovelhead stroker. But they won't listen.

Can I get a picture of the exact spotted owl I would save by giving up my entire lifestyle?

I'd like to make the counter argument "ok, so we'll put out 0.0007ng of tetramethylwhatever and that'll kill the spotted owls. Fair enough, we'll just replace all of them with pigeons."

 

Bah, I drive a '68 Harley FLH Electraglide that belonged to my great-grandfather. He bought during the gasoline shortage in the 70s. Saves gas and it's zen.

 

You're not old enough to drive, but lucky you for getting that.

Those are getting to be worth ten grand and up.

I ride a 78FXE m'self. It's in rotten shape (auction buy - not made of money) but I ride while I'm fixing it

 

I have my permit... cops around here don't really care. There's only two deputies working the county at any given time... I know most of them.

 

If you ever wanna sell it IM me

 

Hope you both wear helmets! I am constantly amazed at the number of people who don't. I grew up around bikes, and rode them a lot in my youth.. so i am not one of those people who think of bikes as hell machines. I love them, but I also love my head being whole and not spattered on the road like a rotten cantalope!

 

I would even if it wasn't legally required.

And where it is, I am.

Mind you I wear a skid lid not one of those lame full face helmets

It always makes me laugh when I see squiddies on their rice rockets with a SNELL full face, T-shirt, shorts and flipflops

 

Daisie did you end up buying Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance? I hope you did, it's a classic for a reason. Fantastic book.

 

I did end up buying it, but I haven't yet recieved it. I'm assuming because of the Canadian and the U.S. holidays this week, it might take a bit longer.

I can't wait to get it!

 

freaking canadian shipping charges and wait period... grrrr! I feel for you, girlie!

 

It came today in the mail! I can't wait to start it!

 

A wonderful book that can change the way you look at life. Nice to see the the tread is back on track, too;it nearly disappeared in a load of Harley fumes.


In the book, of course, Pirsig doesn't ride a Harley - the modern day motrcycle equivalent of Ford re-introducing the Model T and trying to sell it as cool and retro! Why DO people fall for marketing ploys again and again? - indeed, the make of bike isn't important, nor is it what the book is really about!

The metaphysics of quality. Life. Existence. Values. And, really, it is two books in one, because on one hand it is a thorough voyage into metaphysics, and on the other a moving, brilliantly written road trip with friends on a - then - state of the art BMW R60, and Pirsig and his son on a little twin. Guess which of the two motorcycles needs the least maintenance? Magical stuff, I envy you reading it for the first time.....and the second.... and the third.....because you will find it is a book you need to go back to and each time discover something new and precious within it's pages.

You can read this book online at http://bonigv.tripod.com/toc.htm

 

"Zen & The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance" is a thought provoking look into a very interesting mind. His next book "Lila " is just as interesting and equally as thought provoking.

 

What an ignorant comment, that has nothing to do with the book.

I'm reading the book at the moment, I'll have to post again when I'm done.

 

I did the same thing! I loved it, a little slow to start, but I can say that about most books anyway. It's also the kind that you can read again, maybe years later, and get new things out of it.