Very beautiful for me

[K2-K6]

For the Velocette, it's great to have the bike you want and be able to ride out on it just when you feel like it.  I like seeing all the different bikes out at meets etc and be able to talk to the owners to find out more about them. A very nice bike.

On the book, I thought ultimately it was asking the question of should people be trained to pass the exams set for the subject ( purely theoretical)  or trained to do the job in a practical way that would enable the trainee to complete the tasks in real life situation.

The purely academic versus the vocational, or some mix of the two,  using the motorcycle, and running it correctly, as metaphor.

[MrDavo]

I found the book a bit like Moby Dick, working on two levels, the story and the philosophy. You can skip one and just do the other if you can't be bothered with it.

To continue with the threadjack I enjoyed Jupiter's Travels by Ted Simon. Going out of reach of the AA on any Brit bike is a brave thing to do. Of course when you break down (again!) somewhere in Africa, a blacksmith's shop is far more useful for fixing a Triumph than a Honda.

[masonmart]

Sorry, l didn't mean it to be a discussion of the book only that the love of classic bikes is explained in the philosophy of the book. The book is the story of a man who tries to define what quality is and why we have it. He explains his arguments in various situations in his life and the quality of writing and how it is judged is a key aspect. The applicability to bikes is where he discusses Classic and Romantic philosophy. People who tend to like classic bikes are very much Classicists who find quality in the bike and the relationship they have with it whereas romanticists like the wind in the hair and the journey on the bike and would prefer not to touch it.

What we see as classic is of course our own thing but my own feeling is Thruxton, Manx, Bonnie, Honda 4 and that the classic era ended circa 1980 with naked bikes. I don't think any faired bike is of the classic era although some will be investment grade (RC30/45). I personally don't like anything pre '60 especially with rigid frames as performance is still meaningful and from the mid 60's bikes tended to perform well. Most would probably disagree but I think the classic era maybe ended with the CB750 as this ushered in the very heavy muscle bikes with disc brakes that were less easy to do your own maintenance on.

Yes, breakdowns are a worry but the key is not to cane them. With modern oil though they'll do great mileage.

[MarkCR750]

I read it about the time my Suzuki GT500 took me from Toronto across Canada and the Northern US States to the Rockies and back in the Summer of 1976.

I think I got to page 10........then I used it to help light my campfires thereafter !

What I did 'learn' from it though....is that we are all different..........LOL.

And that paper makes good kindling.

[masonmart]

In loving classics and preferring to be a book reader not a book burner, I'm obviously not a real biker. I've read the book several times now and enjoyed it and learned more from it each time in terms of quality and mental illness.

[Moorey]

I don't think I would knowingly pick up a book with the word zen in the title. Maybe Prisoner of Zenda. 

[mike the bike]

Not even the Yorkshire version?

Zen and the art of fettling t'bike

[Moorey]

I might have a quick scan through it.  But more than likely not. I think the nearest a Yorkshireman might get is to mull it over for a bit. 

[K2-K6]

Wouldn't that be "zen and t'art of maintaining t'motorycle " 

[Moorey]

A bit of Yorkshire zen, An wi mek reyt films. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-Jdnb2Gz3c

[masonmart]

I don't think I would knowingly pick up a book with the word zen in the title. Maybe Prisoner of Zenda. 

The book title was a play on the classic book Zen in the art of Archery, another discussion of philosophy and psychology. I haven't read it but I believe it's very good. Sorry for being a bit serious but I really enjoyed Zen and the art and the bike Pirsig rode on his journey was a Honda CB77 which is one of my favourite bikes.

[masonmart]

A bit of Yorkshire zen, An wi mek reyt films. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-Jdnb2Gz3c

Amazing