Hi Maggie and Pete and LilaQs
On 16 Jan 99, at 10:35, Hettinger wrote:
> I think it's related to that sitting and staring, tinkering and fixing,
> where you're working on the machine, but what's really affected is
> yourself and your relationship with the world.
I think this is what Pirsig is trying to get across with the idea of just sitting and staring
when you have a problem with the bike or car or computer or whatever. It's a calming
down process and a means of allowing your thoughts to organize themselves. When
you care about what you're doing and want to do it right you have to back off for a bit
and wait until you feel right in yourself again. When this occurs you can go back and
try some more. You may still not get it right but your chances are improved.
On 17 Jan 99, at 20:12, Pete Fisher wrote:
> Horse said:
> >
> >I was surprised at your use of the word addictive as I wouldn't have
> >thought of it that way - but you might be right.
>
> Probably not the right word at all. I suppose I meant that the staring at
> motorcycles starts to be something you find yourself doing without any
> *reason*.
I can think of two good reasons - relaxation and getting familiar.
Caring can be very addictive and if you're not careful you can get hooked on the hard
stuff - passion. You've got to watch those emotions!! :)
> Do you think it is possible to have that sort of relationship with a
> machine which you don't do any maintenance on yourself ( even if you
> have owned it for a long time ). I find that most riders who have all the
> work done on their machine by a bike workshop seem not to have quite the
> same feel for the bike.
>From my experience most people who do no work on their bikes have a different, often
less caring attitude towards them. Even simple things like changing the oil or plugs
yourself can start to establish empathy with the machine and that empathy can build
into a really good attitude.
> One exception is a friend of mine who is an
> artist. He owned a Moto Morini for many years. The only reason he parted
> with it was that he moved a long way from the only mechanic he trusted to
> work on it and was also worried about spare part availability. He now has
> a Yamaha Diversion. He loves it, but he still pines for the Morini.
I would have kept the Morini and bought a decent workshop manual and lots of parts -
or better still, an old crashed job. Lots of spares on those. One of the situations that
Pirsig uses to illustrate his friend John's lack of empathy with his machine is the loose
throttle. A temporary repair using a piece of beer can as a shim will prevent further
damage to the bike and make riding easier. The piece of beer can is a high quality
solution to a low quality problem but John is incapable of seeeing this. I've had an
almost identical experience and no amount of reason or persuasion was sufficient to
change my friends mind. The bike was unrideable - end of story. Static attitudes and
prejudices are unassailable by reason - sometimes people just have to learn the hard
way.
> I know what you mean. I could never part with one of my bikes which has
> been through some pretty major upheavals in my life for the last 17 years
> ( yes a Morini ). There have been few motorcycles that I have been totally
> glad to see the back of, but some caused fewer regrets than others.
Some bikes are like that. You don't really want to see them go but... and the
memories fade quickly!
Horse
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