Since this site doesn't let you post blog entries for 30 days after joining, I've got a bunch backed up. So for "today", in this, read "several weeks ago".
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So I've been reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance; and of course nobody is surprised.
I haven't finished it yet. But one of the themes seems to be that tending to something is an artistic, creative work. I think I understand what Harley guys mean now when they say "motorcycles are built, not bought".
Of course you buy the machine. But over time, if you do your own maintenance, it becomes a machine that you built. You choose what oil to put in, the tightness of the chain, the calibration of the brake and clutch levers. Do you keep the factory footpegs, kickstand, muffler, suspension, or swap them out for ones you think are better? Over time, the choices you make when tending to this bike will become manifest in how it responds when...