R.I.P. Robert M. Pirsig

[clubman]

Passed away today, age 88, at his home in South Benwick, Maine. Million selling author of "Zen and The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance" More about life passages that turning wrenches, it was still thought provoking whether you were interested in bikes or not. 

[twowings]

His descriptions of mechanical processes and the human interaction with machines are words to live by...I guess my opinion of BMW riders was always colored by his insights into his BMW-riding friends...so long, Mr. Pirsig 

[webmost]

Just started reading his book a few weeks back. Gotta put it down and read something else and come back to it, is what you have to do.

[bad Chad]

I never really thought about reading Zen; should I?

[twowings]

It is a long slog if you find yourself not liking the author...the book is mostly a personal journey in search of Quality...the motorcycle sections are riveting reading for me...the sections where he deals with his mental illness are what the critics raved about but I preferred his deliberations on motorcycle maintenance and the human-machine interface...YMMV

It IS worth reading but not just a motorcycle travelogue by any means...HTH

[Chuck in Indiana]

I never really thought about reading Zen; should I?

You're a scholar, Chad.. why not?

[clubman]

Just started reading his book a few weeks back. Gotta put it down and read something else and come back to it, is what you have to do.

Excellent advice.

[Triple Jim]

Awww darn, he was an interesting guy.

Just started reading his book a few weeks back. Gotta put it down and read something else and come back to it, is what you have to do.

My method was to put it in the reading room, where I'd get about ten minutes farther through it each morning.  I actually just read it last year.

[bad Chad]

You're a scholar, Chad.. why not?

I shouldn't have said it that way, I have considered in passing reading it several times over the years, but never seriously. 

The pic of he and his son on a Honda 350?, really draws my attention.  I did a couple rides like that on the back of my Dads /7 in 81/82, important and cherished memories for me.

[wrbix]

Tried - but never could get through it. Seemed, IMHO, mostly self-absorbed drivel, boring to the point of nausea.
Let the flames begin.   

But R.I.P. nonetheless.

[radguzzi]

Oh, I had no idea that he was living in South Berwick...  Sad indeed.

Rest in Peace Robert. 

I shall go read Zen one more time, been years anyway.
 

[jas67]

I shouldn't have said it that way, I have considered in passing reading it several times over the years, but never seriously. 

The pic of he and his son on a Honda 350?, really draws my attention.  I did a couple rides like that on the back of my Dads /7 in 81/82, important and cherished memories for me.

Actual, a Honda 305 Superhawk, aka CB77.

[sign216]

I read it when I was 20 and didn't like it.
Read it again at 50, and now knew what he was saying.

It is deserving of all the accolades.

[oldbike54]

 Zen is a tricky book to read . Pirsig was really just exorcising his own demons . He spoke at Stephen F Austin U in 1982 , and he discussed the idea that the book wasn't really meant for commercial consumption . Even he wasn't sure what it really meant , and kind of laughed at the notion that the work had any great meaning . Self absorbed , well maybe , but in effect the novel was him talking to himself , and that type of writing always appears self  absorbed . He even said later that his own self perception of the trip was off.

 in the book he writes about how Chris (his son) didn't enjoy the adventure . Chris told him before he was killed by a mugger that he was surprised at that , stating he had greatly enjoyed the journey . If you REALLY want to delve into weirdness , try reading Pirsig's next book , titled Lila , now there is some true strange stuff 

   RIP Bob , and thanks for adding to my motorcycle experience , tell Chris I said hi .

 Dusty

[ITSec]

I've got about half a dozen books that are all ostensibly about motorcycling - but not really - sitting on top of the media column in my living room.

Zen is one of them. It sits next to Neal Peart's Ghost Rider, and Guevara's Motorcycle Diaries, to name a couple. It's easy to pre-judge or misunderstand any of them, but they're all worth reading.

Thank you, Mr Pirsig...

[kingoffleece]

Agree 100%.  Loved the book-read it 6 times as philosophy is a friend to me.  And that's the whole second part of the book.
The section on gravity being a ghost is a compelling thought if there ever was one.

The sub title says it all.  "An inquiry into values."

[Sheepdog]

I started "Zen..." because it seemed to be about motorcycles. When I finished it I didn't know any more about bikes, but I knew the difference between a dialectic and a rhetoric. I learned about Socrates and Phaedrus and that there is a world of difference between what is "excellent" to the world at-large and what your personal standards are. A tough read for sure, but great insights for folks who want to realize their potential.

It's like Ben Franklin said, "There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond...and to know one's self." Godspeed Mr. Pirsig.

[kingoffleece]

"And what is good, Phaedrus, need we someone to tell us these things?"

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

a good book, but very dense reading. Hard to run thru in a sitting, not really a page-turner....  I've enjoyed reading chunks over the years, often reading the same passages over and over.  It's a philosophy book, not a motorcycle book, and it goes down a lot easier if you approach it as such.  Between the connection to Montana, some really excellent passages, and my experiences with a mentally ill parent, I love it...  I'm on about my 4-5th copy, I keep loaning it out and never getting it back.

[LowRyter]

I never really thought about reading Zen; should I?

My old boss gave me a copy when I retired.  I've never gotten around to it.  Retirement is busy.

My boss was a nice guy, an AF Lt Col.  He made sure that my retirement announcement had this inscription:  "What a long strange trip it's been." 

yeah, I should read it.

[sidecarnutz]

It is a long slog if you find yourself not liking the author...the book is mostly a personal journey in search of Quality...the motorcycle sections are riveting reading for me...the sections where he deals with his mental illness are what the critics raved about but I preferred his deliberations on motorcycle maintenance and the human-machine interface...YMMV

It IS worth reading but not just a motorcycle travelogue by any means...HTH

Agreed! Well said!

[oldbike54]

 Pirsig was really just using motorcycles as a tool to explain how he learned to deal with life. No doubt the book is a tough read , and every time I read it it means something a bit different . To some extent he helped legitimize the idea that motorcycling is more than just riding a motorcycle . Or put another way ,

                                 Motorcycles are the lazy man's Zen

 Dusty

[ITSec]

Well, after all, the title is 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' - and not the reverse! 

[pat80flh]

       On more than one occasion, I have given copies of his book to promising young mechanics.

    That and  "The Sand Pebbles".

[slowmover]

I remember somewhere in the book he talked about "value rigidity"because he was cutting a beer can to use as a shim on his riding partners bike and his partner was appalled that he would even consider using non standard material on his BMW even though it was the perfect fix on the road.I thought at the time(at least 35 years ago) it was an intense study of the very nature of human reasoning.I have my old copy right here and will start reading tonight.

[JJ]

Tried - but never could get through it. Seemed, IMHO, mostly self-absorbed drivel, boring to the point of nausea.
Let the flames begin.   

But R.I.P. nonetheless.

First and fore most - R.I.P. Robert...and Godspeed. 

But as I recall back in the day, the book was definitely a real snoozer (IMHO) and it definitely "dragged", and I got through it, but it was'nt very uplifting at all (IMHO) 

[kingoffleece]

Might be time to try again.  Or not, as the case may be.

[sign216]

First and fore most - R.I.P. Robert...and Godspeed. 

But as I recall back in the day, the book was definitely a real snoozer (IMHO) and it definitely "dragged", and I got through it, but it was'nt very uplifting at all (IMHO) 

The book is more interesting once you know more of his life and what went on.  His mental illness and barbaric shock therapy, the beginning signs of mental illness in his son, and the son's tragic death, etc.

Like many good books, an accompanying text that fills in the gaps makes for a better understandings (at least for my limited mind).   

[JJ]

The book is more interesting once you know more of his life and what went on.  His mental illness and barbaric shock therapy, the beginning signs of mental illness in his son, and the son's tragic death, etc.

Like many good books, an accompanying text that fills in the gaps makes for a better understandings (at least for my limited mind).

Thanks for this info...I never knew any of this about him...so will research more now. No wonder...poor soul!

[Triple Jim]

His mental illness and barbaric shock therapy...

Agreed that indiscriminate use of shock therapy is barbaric.  On the other hand, it's still used today, and can give a person who is unable to cope with life, and who has not been helped by other treatments, a chance to be relatively normal.  Now it's known as electroconvulsive therapy, ECT.