Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance

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Eugene Brad

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A friend just gave me this book to read. I haven't started it yet, haven't read a full book in at least two years. Anyone ever read this? And is it worth the time?
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I really loved the book. It's a philosophical book told in a narrative fashion, so keep that in mind. It's a book I recommend you keep forever and re-read it in several years. It's a book you'll get new ideas to ponder as you get older. I read it about 20 years ago(before kids) and then just read it again about 4 years ago and came away with so much more.

I would also recommend Jupiter's Travel's by Ted Simons.

John Adams told his son John Quincy Adams "Always have a book with you, because you're never alone when you have a poet in your pocket."
That always stuck with me and I find it to be so true.
 
I haven't read that but I remember my brother in law got it as a pressie. He thought it was some kind of workshop manual - he was even more disappointed when there were no pictures to colour in lol

+1 on Jupiter Travel its a cracking book

Tim
 
I read it when it came-out. I liked it. If your idea of literature is graphic novels, don't waste your time, you probably won't get very far before you give-up on it.

Pirsig uses the idea of riding and working on the mechanicals of a motorcycle to help him to deal with life's ups and downs. The relationship he has with his son is aided by working on the motorcycle. Pirsig deals with depression and waxes philosophically as he sometimes struggles to find the fortitude to go on.

I best-recall the "gumption traps" he writes about which can interfere with your being able to perform as you should. Life isn't easy or fair, you may be dealt a poor hand, but if you are to be a survivor, you need to draw from deep inside to get over the rough spots. Some people cannot, and their lives are often shorter than average, and end tragically. This is not a cotton candy and buttercups in a summer field type of book. It made me think of the book "Man's Search for Meaning," by Viktor Frankl, a concentration camp survivor who chose a difficult path to survive. Under horrible circumstances, he demonstrated his good nature every way he could to set an example of what a man can do to promote an example of how to live and how to treat others. One of Frankl's observations is closely-aligned with Pirsig's mental struggles: "'When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves." Fortunately for Frankl, his conduct helped to cause changes in his captors in the concentration camp. This contributed to his survival, though he lost his pregnant wife and other relatives there. https://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/080701429X

Give the book a chance, I doubt you will read it in a couple sessions, it's better if you break it up. I guarantee that you will get more out of it by re-reading passages as you go, and by re-reading it later. This will enhance your comprehension, and your ability to get the most out of it.

For something a bit less-weighty, I suggest William Least Heat Moon's book, "Blue Highways." The backroads of America will provide you with an enjoyment of life away from the rush of urban centers.

My oldest brother once gave me a book by a former editor for "Car and Driver," John Jerome, "Truck." He undertakes the refurbishment of an old pick-up, and comments on life along the way.
 
It's a fairly "heavy duty" book, not exactly a light pool-side page-turner you'll breeze through in no time. It gets a little esoteric in parts, and motorcycles are only tangentially related to the main plot of the book. It does kind of drag in a few areas, but on the whole I guess I enjoyed reading it.

If you want a more motorcycle-focused and easier to digest book, look up Daniel Meyer's "Life is a Road" series, I'd highly recommend all of them.
 
Or pick up the book Ghost Rider by Neil Peart, the drummer of Rush.
 
My sister just gave me an old copy of this book. I started reading it a few nights back. First impressions: this guy is an incredible writer with a lot a wisdom. He also really makes you appreciate the lifestyle that comes with riding a cycle, and the culture. I'm stoked about it.
 
I read it back in the mid 70's and wasn't impressed. I was hoping for some really good maintenance information, and he just seemed to go off-topic all the time.
 

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