Photos have surfaced from the actual motorcycle trip written about by Robert Pirsig in the book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Very, very cool. If you’ve read it, you know what an intriguing story it is as Pirsig and his son Chris along with another couple, Sylvia and John, take a cross country motorcycle trip and discover life. The book gets very deep into the idea of “Quality” as the core that binds everything together. This is a first rate philosophical book and you may find, as many have, that it stays with you for a very long time. I first read this book while in college, a great many years ago, and I would recommend that if you have not read it, you do so very soon.
The photos on this web site are captioned with related passages from the book and it solidifies the images you have in your mind. Neat site, nice photos.
On a side note, if you look at the photos, you’ll notice something else quite interesting. Pirsig and his son plus all of their luggage cross the country on a Honda 305cc CB77! (Corrected: Thanks, Todd) For all of the naysayers who insist monster engines and giant bikes are necessary for real motorcycling and touring, look at these photos and think again.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Zen Photo Gallery via Inside Bikes News Links are dead
The Kneeslider: Honda CB Motorcycles for sale
sfan says
What an absolute delight to see these pictures! I read the book in the early eighties when I was in college and touring on, by today’s standards, what was simple and small bikes (Honda 550K and Yam 650 Seca). I read Zen again four years ago as part of a kindled interest in philosophy. Pirsig’s story was an immensely personal one, and seeing these pictures really hits home with me.
todd says
un, it’s a CB77. I think the reason for the rumor of it being an R60 was because he mentioned his riding buddie’s R60. I’m glad to see the pictures (I think they’ve been shown before, at least the one you have shown) as it will help dispell the R60 myth and also the “monster engines” and “giant bikes” wife tale of touring bikes. heck, people have ridden around the world on Honda 90 stepthroughs and 125 vespas and 250 ducatis. I guess modern bikes aren’t as powerful as the old ones if you reportedly need at least 1200cc’s to hop on the freeway!
-todd
kneeslider says
Thanks, Todd. I looked at it to begin and thought 305, then I saw the picture title on the site and it said CB360, so I just went along. I should have known better than to do that. Dang, I hate that!
Anyway, it’s even better, cross country on a Honda 305cc CB77. So why do we need Gold Wings again?
RATTSBIKES says
Well I have toured across the Alberta plains British Columbia mountains and Sasketchewan praires and the North west USA all on a sinlge cyl TT500 Yamaha and a Honda XL 600, whats the idea of giving away my secrets? Bigger aint always better and the best tours are ones where you just go and have fun. I now own a 1976 KZ 750 B1 twin bigger and probably better for touring but still old and I can rebuild or fix anything on the side of the road?? How many newer bikes can do that if anything happens? And yes I have read the book many times over and have it on the screen as well in Ebooks, I love it it is a CLASSIC all the way.
Rid esafe all and have a great life as well
RATTS
Jack says
I have a love hate relationship with ZAMM…One one hand it opened my mind in dimensions that had been ‘undiscovered country’ till that time. However, it at the same time has set a high bar for discourse, that I have yet to find anyone who I can relate to on the level established by Pirsig.
This has been a disappointment similar to the mythical escapee from Plato’s cave who returns to tell of the great light that he has found only to be disregarded as foolish by the others who prefer to stay in the darkness of the cave.
Are there others who have had this mixed reation to this book?
,Jack