"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" is a 1974 published book by Robert M. Pirsig. As he states in the introduction of the book:"it should in no way be associated with that great body of factual information relating to orthodox Zen Buddhist practice. It's not very factual on motorcycles, either.".
The reason why I mention the book here is that it contains many subjects of motorcycle maintenance that makes sense. E.g. when he explains working on a bike, a Japanese motorcycle maintenance manual starts with:"Assembly of Japanese bicycle require great peace of mind.". We all know that when you have to repair something and you are stressed by some reason, there is a great chance that something goes wrong due the state that you are in. You can't find the tool again you used one minute ago, you break something being not cautious or you forget a bolt that need to applied before you assemble all the parts.
This book might be a bit over top for ordinary bike owners (like me) since it deals with philosophical aspects (on the quality) of live. It tells a story of a father and a son who are riding on a holiday from the east to the west of the US. During this trip it becomes clear that things from the past are influencing the memory and state-of-mind of both. The maintenance of motorcycles is woven into the story and many examples are very familiar of anyone that is doing their own maintenance. Nice detail: father and son travel together with another couple. That guy is riding a 1966 BMW R60/2 while Pirsig seems to ride a Honda Superhawk CB77.
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