Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

The chapter begins with a group of friends traveling through the Central Plains toward the Dakotas on motorcycle. Though the narrator is usually accompanied by his wife on these trips, he is traveling with his 11-year-old son, Chris, along with the narrator’s friends, John Sutherland and his wife, Sylvia. They have been on so many rides together in the past that the couple and the narrator communicate with and understand each other through body language alone. Though the ride brings back memories for the narrator, he is aware that the others cannot understand the deep-seated emotions he has for the scenery and journey. The narrator also explains how different it is to witness the land from the viewpoint of a motorcycle rather than the boxed-in view of a car. Like watching TV, a person is simply a passing observer in a car. On a motorcycle, “you’re in the scene (5),” not watching it.

Though traveling to Montana, the group’s plans are indefinite. They travel by smaller roads as opposed to busy, impersonal ones, placing emphasis more on “enjoying good times” rather than simply “making good time.” People along the small roads seem to be more courteous and have time to be in the here-and-now, as opposed to those who have moved to the city.