The Hippie Take on Motorcycling

Ron 0:12

Any number of times when folks ask me what the podcast is about , I generally say it's a hippie take on motorcycling , and that's probably a very poor and too broad of an explanation . But by hippie take I mean , I don't know , laid back maybe a philosophical attempt to describe how much we love to ride , how much we enjoy being out on the bike . You know that it has meaning and you know I've been riding for so many years , just like you have , and again , I'm just trying to figure out more day by day . What does it mean to me to get out on the bike and be in this community of ours ? Well , it's just something really important . It's this constant search for peace of mind . I suppose Maybe that's just me , but I get feedback from others that , yeah , you kind of feel the same way . We're out on our bikes in a community of other riders , which is great , and we commune with mother nature , which is even better right .

Ron 1:14

More often than not , too , when I describe the podcast to people , they'll immediately say have you read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance ? And I respond yes , I have read the book , and I also have the audio version on Audible . Honestly , I think I understand the meaning of the book , I think after several readings and descriptions of it , but probably not near as well as others . But I think that the name of the book only captures a snippet of what it really tries to teach us . There's a lot of depth there . I think the beauty of the book too well like with any good book for that matter is it's open for interpretation and it means something different to different people , and I think that's great . So today I want to take a slightly different road , one that winds through the philosophy , the mechanics and the search , maybe , for peace of mind . We're diving into the book that's been on so many motorcycle riders' shelves , and maybe yours too

Introduction to Zen and Motorcycle Maintenance

Ron 2:16

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Persig . Now , if you read the book , you know it's not really about fixing your motorcycle at all , it's not really about maintenance , but maybe it's about our relationship with others and our relationship with life , or at least a better understanding of the combination of all those . If you haven't read the book , don't worry about it . We'll talk about the highlights here a little bit , but for now let's zip up your jacket and put on your helmet and let's talk Zen . Stay tuned . Thanks for joining me today , recorded in beautiful Loveland , colorado . Welcome to Peace , love Moto , the podcast for motorcyclists seeking that peaceful , easy feeling as we cruise through this life together . Are you ready ? Let's go . So here's the basics of Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance .

Ron 3:41

Robert Persig , the author , takes a cross-country motorcycle ride with his son , chris . It sounds like a travelogue , but it's really a philosophical journey , a chautauqua as he calls it , and that's an old term for storytelling and teaching . As he rides , he weaves together two worlds , a mechanical world and a philosophical world , and he suggests that we are most happy in life when we embrace both . He talks a lot about quality , not just in machines but in life , and honestly , that's what sticks with most of us , I think Sticks with me when we're out riding ,

Quality in Riding and Life

Ron 4:25

really riding . You know when all things are just right in the world . It's on those long , multi-day rides where I really feel it . It's those hours and hours at 70 miles an hour out on the open road , the engine and the tires just humming along . Your mind clears . That's quality , as he describes it , it's quality time . You might say . It's not the specs , it's not the particular bike that you're riding , it's your experience in that . That's quality and quality of time . I believe that I mentioned this experience , this feeling before , when I've been out on long rides and it feels , even though I'm cruising along at 70 , 75 miles an hour , going down the highway , it feels like I'm not moving at all , but rather the world is moving past me . I'm just perfectly still and it's like , too , that I'm forming a relationship with the bike beneath me , the machine that's connected to both of my hands , that's in contact with both of my feet , full contact with the bike , with the road and with myself . When we're out like that , maybe it's a relationship with our inner being .

Machine Relationships and Mindful Maintenance

Ron 6:05

Persig talks of the meaning of taking care of your bike , taking care of the machine that you love so much . One of the big ideas in the book is that maintenance on a motorcycle isn't something to be dreaded . It can be really satisfying , it can be joyful and even lead to mindfulness . You're honoring the process . I think it's about appreciation too . I mentioned recently how I'm a bit of a nut when I walk out to my garage sometimes , and I'll just pat my motorcycle on the tank and say thank you for the journeys that you've taken me on . I know what it's like , too , to be just so fully engaged in what I'm doing with a bike . Or I actually have a 1926 Ford Model T that was inherited from one of my uncles and I remember being underneath the car doing some work on it and in the garage and my wife comes out and she says you know , it's 11 pm . And I said , no , I was not aware of that . But I think it's the same thing . Sometimes we just get so entrenched in our minds that we're just fully engaged with the object In this case fully engaged with the machine , and it's wonderful .

Ron 7:43

So the author said that there's two ways of looking at a motorcycle as a collection of parts or as a single living system . Sound familiar . It's kind of like how we see people too , and even our own lives in this confusing time that we're living in right now . We're either fragmented or we're

Gumption Traps and Finding Flow

Ron 8:10

whole . We're either fixable or doomed . We're either collected or isolated . He reminds us the way you fix your bike is the way you live your life . You take care of things , you take care of yourself and you take care of others as best you can before problems occur , and then you resolve those problems , one at a time , as best you can , with a good heart . One of the things I love about the book , too , is how it doesn't pretend that life is easy .

Ron 8:39

Persig talks about gumption traps , as he calls it , those things that drain your energy and make you want to give up this stripped screw or the seized bolt on your bike , for example Even self-doubt . But he also talks about gumption builders , like a clean workspace , a good night's sleep , the right frame of mind . And again , that's just not talking about a shop , that's talking about our lives . That's talking about our lives . That's life advice . He says gumption comes from being in harmony with what you're doing , and harmony with others too . And when you're out of sync , the world will resist . And when we're in line or aligned , things will flow . And isn't that what we're looking for on the road , in the garage , in our relationships ? Aren't we looking for , hoping for a flow ? Aren't we looking and hoping for peace of mind ?

Ron 9:52

I know I am Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance doesn't give us all the answers , but I think it asks the right questions . What does it mean to care , to care about machines and to care about ourselves and to care about machines and to care about ourselves and to care about others ? How can we live with integrity in a world that seems so fragmented , especially today . Have you looked at the news lately ? Yeah , fragmented is a pretty good description . Fragmented is a pretty good description . So for Persig , the answer isn't just in philosophy , it's in the ride , it's in the doing , it's about being fully aware , fully in the moment , and for us maybe that's a lesson that each ride is a chance to connect Not just with the machine or with the road , but with something , something deeper , to connect with stillness , to connect with presence and , hopefully , to connect with peace of mind . It's that peace of mind that everybody's seeking right , and some of us , if we're lucky , we might find a little bit of peace of mind from the seat of a motorcycle .

Peace of Mind and Final Thoughts

Ron 11:28

Hey , if you enjoy this podcast , thanks a lot for telling your friends . I really appreciate your feedback . Send me an email anytime . Love to chat with you there or talk over Zoom or talk in person if we can . It's Ron at PeaceLoveMotocom . Until we visit again , ride safe , ride true , and ride with a little bit of zen . I wish you peace and I wish you love , thank you .