Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Phædrus, our narrator, takes a present-tense cross-country motorcycle trip with his son during which the maintenance of the motorcycle becomes an illustration of how we can unify the cold, rational realm of technology with the warm, imaginative realm of artistry. As in Zen, the trick is to become one with the activity, to engage in it fully, to see and appreciate all details — be it hiking in the woods, penning an essay, or tightening the chain on a motorcycle.