<P> In Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Pirsig explores the meaning and concept of "quality"; a term he conceives as undefinable . Pirsig's thesis is that to truly experience quality one must both embrace and apply it as best fits the requirements of the situation . According to Pirsig, such an approach would avoid a great deal of frustration and dissatisfaction common to modern life . </P> <P> In the book, the Narrator describes the "Romantic" approach to life of his friend, John Sutherland, who chooses not to learn how to maintain his expensive new motorcycle . John simply hopes for the best with his bike, and when problems do occur he often becomes frustrated and is forced to rely on professional mechanics to repair it . In contrast, the "classical" Narrator has an older motorcycle which he is usually able to diagnose and repair himself through the use of rational problem solving skills . </P> <P> In an example of the classical approach, Pirsig explains to the reader that one must pay continual attention: when the Narrator and his friends came into Miles City, Montana he notices that the "engine idle is loping a little", a possible indication that the fuel / air mixture is too rich . The next day he is thinking of this as he is going through his ritual to adjust the valves on his cycle's engine . During the adjustment, he notes that both spark plugs are black, confirming a rich mixture . He recognizes that the higher elevation is causing the engine to run rich . The narrator rectifies this by installing new jets with the valves adjusted, and the engine runs well again . </P> <P> With this, the book details two types of personalities: those who are interested mostly in gestalts (romantic viewpoints, such as Zen, focused on being "In the moment", and not on rational analysis), and those who seek to know the details, understand the inner workings, and master the mechanics (classic viewpoints with application of rational analysis, vis - a-vis motorcycle maintenance) and so on . </P>

Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance analysis