What bike would you ride... Zen Route

[drbone641]

Throwing this out for input. My buddy is retiring next summer and asked if I would like to ride the Pirsig "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" route. Of course, the getting there and getting back will effectively invite a Round the Country trip. I have been looking for 'the' bike to ride for this trip. Comfort vs Character. Everything from K1600GTL, California Touring 1400, Stelvio, R1200RT, Old Airheads and a couple of old Eldorados have been considered. I know that I don't want to do the trip on my Air cooled Multistrada 1100s, because of the lack of protection alone. My neck can't take the beating and I don't think there are any more windshields out there to try. So, if you were going to do this ride and live with the bike for about 3 weeks and be 'about the zen' of the trip, what would you want to ride.
Trivial brain game, but I think the input might be interesting.
Thanks for taking the time
Bone

[Lannis]

Throwing this out for input. My buddy is retiring next summer and asked if I would like to ride the Pirsig "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" route. Of course, the getting there and getting back will effectively invite a Round the Country trip. I have been looking for 'the' bike to ride for this trip. Comfort vs Character. Everything from K1600GTL, California Touring 1400, Stelvio, R1200RT, Old Airheads and a couple of old Eldorados have been considered. I know that I don't want to do the trip on my Air cooled Multistrada 1100s, because of the lack of protection alone. My neck can't take the beating and I don't think there are any more windshields out there to try. So, if you were going to do this ride and live with the bike for about 3 weeks and be 'about the zen' of the trip, what would you want to ride.
Trivial brain game, but I think the input might be interesting.
Thanks for taking the time
Bone

What does "lack of protection" have to do with "zen"?      You're not SUPPOSED to be "protected", you're supposed to be "one" with nature and the environment in which you move.   

I only read the book once when it came out, but the only bike appropriate for this ride is a drum-braked airhead BMW, preferably a 500 or 600cc.

Lannis

[Testarossa]

Pirsig himself did the trip on a '64 Honda 305 Superhawk -- two up with his son. 

Authenticity requires something in that spirit.





His buddy rode a Beemer, with his wife pillion.

[zedXmick]

Around the country in 3 weeks.....I'd fly....

[Triple Jim]

Pirsig himself did the trip on a '64 Honda 305 Superhawk -- two up with his son. 

Authenticity requires something in that spirit.

Correct on both counts.

[Chuck in Indiana]

I would take the Aero Lario. For a Zen ride, you shouldn't be setting your cruise control, turning up the heated seat, etc. Just a motor and two wheels.. 

[Lannis]

Pirsig himself did the trip on a '64 Honda 305 Superhawk -- two up with his son. 

Authenticity requires something in that spirit.

......

His buddy rode a Beemer, with his wife pillion.

All right, then, a black and chrome Superhawk or a black and chrome Beemer ... !

Lannis

[oldbike54]

 Romantic as recreating the route on a Superhawk sounds , I'll bet that if Pirsig was going to do the trip today he would choose a much more modern motorbike . Memory says he actually took the "Chautauqua" in 1967 .  Remember , Pirsig himself said "The only Zen you can find on the tops of the mountains is the Zen you bring up there" .

 Dusty

[twowings]

Pirsig would choose the Stelvio...no question!

[Triple Jim]

Well, he could have chosen a BMW, but didn't.

[rodekyll]

He rode what he had.  You should, too.

[oldbike54]

 The man is still alive , heck , ask him 

 Dusty

[tazio]

GRiSO, throw on some soft bags and Marlin windscreen.
Take lots of pictures 

[Huzo]

Throwing this out for input. My buddy is retiring next summer and asked if I would like to ride the Pirsig "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" route. Of course, the getting there and getting back will effectively invite a Round the Country trip. I have been looking for 'the' bike to ride for this trip. Comfort vs Character. Everything from K1600GTL, California Touring 1400, Stelvio, R1200RT, Old Airheads and a couple of old Eldorados have been considered. I know that I don't want to do the trip on my Air cooled Multistrada 1100s, because of the lack of protection alone. My neck can't take the beating and I don't think there are any more windshields out there to try. So, if you were going to do this ride and live with the bike for about 3 weeks and be 'about the zen' of the trip, what would you want to ride.
Trivial brain game, but I think the input might be interesting.
Thanks for taking the time
Bone

In the spirit of the original journey, let me suggest a small Russian two stroke on pre mix fuel. As I understand (or not understand) it, the original trip was how you cope with the stories that spring from unusual solutions borne of confronting mechanical situations. If it's too easy, you'll end up doing the trip easy as and you'll not "taste" any of the flavours that are there to be savoured. But maybe I'm wrong...?

[oldbike54]

 Uh Huzo old buddy , Pirsig was trying to define quality , not torture himself 

 Dusty

[Testarossa]

The man, the kid, the bike.




The rest of the party:

[Jim Rich]

Wing ding.

[80CX100]

     I think for a trip like this, if you really are into the zen aspect,,, I would pick the simplest, rawest bike that the rider has a soul connection with,,,, that would vary with the individual rider.

     When I thought of what I'd ride, the first bike I thought of, was my first street bike, a 72? Kawasaki KZ400, I thought it had simple lines, similar to the Triumphs and BSAs of my youth, I only rode it for a month before an old lady ran into, and I subsequently traded it in on an H2 Triple.

     Out of the bikes that I have access to now, my biggest soul connection is with my CX100,,, so I'd fit higher bars on it, strap on the airhawk seat and my soft bags, and that would be the ride for me,,, and I'd make sure to bring a copy of the book with me, to read a little each day.

     I remember reading the book and I realize everyone takes something different from it,,, what stuck with me, was the adage,,, everything in life, can be defined in one word, "quality",,,, and that "mediocrity" just doesn't cut it.

     ps to the OP, re your neck problems and the buffeting,,, I've had similar, very painful issues,,, I finally broke down and bought a high tech aerodynamic Shoei helmet late last year(paid more for it,than the bike I rode all summer),,, the helmet made a huge difference, expensive but worth it,fyi

    Kelly

[Shorty]

If you want the bike to be the trip, take any Tonti Guzzi with an Swannee Aerofoil. It will take center stage, and provide a backdrop of lovely sound to sooth your soul as you travel.  If you want to glide effortlessly and silently through your travels, and seem to be flying without mechanical means, take a BMW K75, with, um, a Swannee Aerofoil fairing.

[Triple Jim]

Uh Huzo old buddy , Pirsig was trying to define quality , not torture himself 

But Huzo is not wrong about using maintenance of the motorcycle during the trip to illustrate philosophical points he wanted to make.

[webmost]

Throwing this out for input. My buddy is retiring next summer and asked if I would like to ride the Pirsig "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" route. Of course, the getting there and getting back will effectively invite a Round the Country trip. I have been looking for 'the' bike to ride for this trip. Comfort vs Character. Everything from K1600GTL, California Touring 1400, Stelvio, R1200RT, Old Airheads and a couple of old Eldorados have been considered. I know that I don't want to do the trip on my Air cooled Multistrada 1100s, because of the lack of protection alone. My neck can't take the beating and I don't think there are any more windshields out there to try. So, if you were going to do this ride and live with the bike for about 3 weeks and be 'about the zen' of the trip, what would you want to ride.
Trivial brain game, but I think the input might be interesting.
Thanks for taking the time
Bone

KLR650 for total simplicity. Big tank for long range, too.

If you can't take buffeting, remove the wind screen. Screen cause buffeting. Wind separates round the screen and slaps back together on your head. Without a screen, it separates round your head and slaps back together in a place you already left behind. It's that simple, really.

[oldbike54]

But Huzo is not wrong about using maintenance of the motorcycle during the trip to illustrate philosophical points he wanted to make.

 True , but he was riding a high tech bike for its era , not some old leaky smoky 2 stroke Soviet era junk . When Pirsig fixed something he expected it to stay fixed .

 Dusty

[Testarossa]

True , but he was riding a high tech bike for its era , not some old leaky smoky 2 stroke Soviet era junk

True. The Honda was high-tech even compared to the Beemer. How many mass-produced bikes had overhead cams in 1964? Velocette, Norton, Ducati. Anyone else?  Honda probably made more OHC bikes than those other three brands combined.

[Triple Jim]

True , but he was riding a high tech bike for its era , not some old leaky smoky 2 stroke Soviet era junk . When Pirsig fixed something he expected it to stay fixed .

Oh absolutely.  I would certainly recommend an old small displacement Honda to capture the original feel of the journey.  Heck, a couple years ago a guy rode to the Deals Gap 2-stroke meet on a Kawasaki KE100.  He started in Chicago.  Somehow these days there's a feeling that you need a big heavy motorcycle to take long trips.  Many a Kaw S2 has gone coast to coast.

[RinkRat II]

  Remember the old saying "You can never go home again" so don't look at it as re-doing anothers journey. Make your own zen with a capital Z.......
    Asphalt eating comfort and speed.

   


image album hosting



 That'll make a memory or two!


    Paul B

[oldbike54]

 Honestly , a late model CB 500 F probably captures the spirit better than anything . But , like RK said , it isn't about the motorcycle .

 Dusty

[Huzo]

True , but he was riding a high tech bike for its era , not some old leaky smoky 2 stroke Soviet era junk . When Pirsig fixed something he expected it to stay fixed .

 Dusty

i'd like to believe that he didn't "expect" anything... I'd have thought that he dealt with what arrived at the time and allowed himself to be carried in the moment while digesting the beauty that each moment presented. Or something...

[Tom H]

If I had to take a bike on a long trip, a nostalgic type ride. It would be my Eldo. It's an easy choice, not the most comfy or best handling, but it just works.

Tom

[drbone641]

Exactly what i thought would come from this group. Mid 70s Airheads have kept coming up on my screen. I kept my Buddies R65 after his jet crash in Vegas, for about a year, until his brother was old enough for it. I really never enjoyed riding it, either due to the memories, or the lack of horsepower, so the R65 is out. Thought about a CB750 as it was my first street bike back in 1978. I would love to do naked like Pirsig, (great pics Testarossa) , but my neck is really chewed up from too many weird g loads, AND, I like a nice quiet cockpit due to severe tinnitus. Also, our trip will be about 4 times longer than the Pirsig jaunt, so comfort is a factor. Bad neck, ringing ears...getting older has been interestingly full of paybacks. As for taking my Multi, while I love the bike, it just doesn't have that 'it' factor for the trip. My buddy is riding a Victory, however I have never had a cruiser type bike, which led me towards a Cali14. I do believe that the quality aspect of Pirsig's trip has been covered in plastic and replaced with ridiculous dependability, which leads me back to German rides. K1600GTL fits my reach and feels great, I just am not sure that I'm ready for the German Gold Wing. Great input  The looking and deciding is interesting tho

[azguzzirep]

Two thoughts :

First, without consideration of anyone else's bike, I'd ride my V700.(or my EV)

Secondly, considering someone else's bike, I'd use something similar in size, speed, capasity, so the trip could be more in synch.

or like what Teddy Roosevelt said, "use what you have...etc"