The next chapters, 3 and 4, have a few different focal points. Like most of the book, the section breaks down into three “narrative” archetypes:
1) Practical. There is, despite Pirsig's protestations, quite a body of information about motorcycles (and zen) in the book (Not unlike the dizzying encyclopedia of info on whaling interwoven into Moby Dick...)
I will focus on some of this info, because it bears directly on our undertaking. For instance much of chapter 4 is about what to pack on a cross-country motorcycle trip, and Pirsig's advice is pretty good.
2) Expository. Much of the narrative is just that: narrative. A recounting, complete with dialogue, of the trip across the upper left of America by three friends and one of their children, accompanied by a growing mystery that eventually Pirsig calls on us, as the readers, to solve.
3) Interleaved between the first two types is the meat of the sandwich: the philosophical underpinnings that would captivate academics and populists alike, that would enrapt my young mind, and that would be hailed as new branch of philosophy - the Metaphysics of Quality.
But I am getting way ahead of myself. One of the things one must consider on any big trip is what to pack. I have spent enough time on motorcycles (including several periods of my life when they were my primary transportation) that I usually have at least a tank bag and a tail pack ready to go at almost all times.
I have pretty good pack lists for each one, and I know what goes into saddlebags when preparing for longer trips. I have camped out off the back of an Interceptor for nine days at a time, and even took the cycle to Pennsic for at least the first four or five years - THAT was an experience... (for those not in the know about Pennsic - here is a primer: https://abcnews.go.com/US/video/gostream-pennsic-wars-begin-32849773)
The photo above is from 2008 or 2009 - when I was actually going to Pennsic on a motorcycle - and I had a very rigorous packing ritual, because it isn't easy to camp off a motorcycle, let alone a sportbike.
1) Tank Bag - this is the first line of defense - the most accessible piece of luggage on the bike, and where all emergency material is generally stored.
Mine always contains:
- Rain suit
- tire repair kit
- maps (gps/phone)
- tire pump
- first aid kit
- sidestand "foot" for mud or loose ground
- rain cover for the tank bag
- batteries
- emergency lights
- snacks and fluids
- lighter/tinder
- jacket
- cleaners for helmet and visor
2) Tail Pack - This is where the essentials get stored, and this is the piece of luggage that most often leaves the bike at stops, and goes into buildings even if I am not staying long
- laptop
- camera
-iPad (if it's not being used for travel)
- notebook, pens, pencils
- bathing suit
- Dopp kit (toiletries)
- book or two
- backup hard drive and chargers, mouse, etc.
- tool kit
-emergency lights
- straps to turn it unto a backpack
- rain cover for the tail pack
- bungee nets
3) Saddlebags - I use these for clothing, almost exclusively; the two main and two outer compartments of my saddlebags haven't varied in years:
- five pairs of pants: 3) jeans, 1) khaki, 1) shorts
- five shirts, 3) tees 2) polos
- a fleece pullover for warmth
- 5) pairs of underwear
- 5) pairs of socks
- 3) ace bandages to wrap my leg over my socks
- 1) swimsuit
- 1) towel
4) Everything else gets bungeed to the Tail Pack or over the top of the Saddlebags, with bungee nets:
- Tent
- Bedroll (this is actually a 2/3 length, 1.5" thick, self-inflating sleeping pad. Pray for me)
- Sleeping bag (I don't currently have one - recommendations are welcome. I understand that around the Beartooth Pass, it may well get into the 30's even in late July.)
- Sometimes a spare towel.
Here is what Pirsig says I should have... although dated, and centered around his bike and situation, I feel like we are on the same page:
“What I have here is my list of valuable things to take on your next motorcycle trip across the Dakotas...
"...Most of the items are commonplace and need no comment. Some of them are peculiar to motorcycling and need some comment. Some of them are just plain peculiar and need a lot of comment. The list is divided into four parts: Clothing, Personal Stuff, Cooking and Camping Gear, and Motorcycle Stuff.
The first part, Clothing, is simple:
1. Two changes of underwear.
2. Long underwear.
3. One change of shirt and pants for each of us. I use Army “-surplus fatigues. They’re cheap, tough and don’t show dirt. I had an item called “dress clothes” at first but John penciled “Tux” after this item. I was just thinking of something you might want to wear outside a filling station.
4. One sweater and jacket each.
5. Gloves. Unlined leather gloves are best because they prevent sunburn, absorb sweat and keep your hands cool. When you’re going for an hour or two little things like this aren’t important, but when you’re going all day long day after day they become plenty important.
6. Cycle boots.
7. Rain gear.
8. Helmet and sunshade.
9. Bubble. This gives me claustrophobia, so I use it only in the rain, which otherwise at high speed stings your face like needles.
10. Goggles. I don’t like windshields because they also close you in. These are some British laminated plate-glass goggles that work fine. The wind gets behind sunglasses. Plastic goggles get scratched up and distort vision.
“The next list is Personal Stuff:
Combs. Billfold. Pocketknife. Memoranda booklet. Pen. Cigarettes and matches. Flashlight. Soap and plastic soap container. Toothbrushes and toothpaste. Scissors. APCs for headaches. Insect repellent. Deodorant (after a hot day on a cycle, your best friends don’t need to tell you). Sunburn lotion. (On a cycle you don’t notice sunburn until you stop, and then it’s too late. Put it on early.) Band-Aids. Toilet paper. Washcloth (this can go into a plastic box to keep other stuff from getting damp). Towel.
Books. I don’t know of any other cyclist who takes books with him. They take a lot of space, but I have three of them here anyway, with some loose sheets of paper in them for writing. These are:
a. The shop manual for this cycle.
b. A general troubleshooting guide containing all the technical information I can never keep in my head. This is Chilton’s Motorcycle Troubleshooting Guide written by Ocee Rich and sold by Sears, Roebuck.
c. A copy of Thoreau’s Walden… which Chris has never heard and which can be read a hundred times without exhaustion. I try always to pick a book far over his head and read “ it as a basis for questions and answers, rather than without interruption. I read a sentence or two, wait for him to come up with his usual barrage of questions, answer them, then read another sentence or two. Classics read well this way. They must be written this way. Sometimes we have spent a whole evening reading and talking and discovered we have only covered two or three pages. It’s a form of reading done a century ago…when Chautauquas were popular. Unless you’ve tried it you can’t imagine how pleasant it is to do it this way.
I see Chris is sleeping over there completely relaxed, none of his normal tension. I guess I won’t wake him up yet.
“Camping Equipment includes:
1. Two sleeping bags.
2. Two ponchos and one ground cloth. These convert into a tent and also protect the luggage from rain while you are traveling.
3. Rope.
4. U. S. Geodetic Survey maps of an area where we hope to do some hiking.
5. Machete.
6. Compass.
7. Canteen. I couldn’t find this anywhere when we left. I think the kids must have lost it somewhere.
8. Two Army-surplus mess kits with knife, fork and spoon.
9. A collapsible Sterno stove with one medium-sized can of Sterno. This is an experimental purchase. I haven’t used it yet. When it rains or when you’re above the timberline firewood is a problem.
10. Some aluminum screw-top tins. For lard, salt, butter, flour, sugar. A mountaineering supply house sold us these years ago.
11. Brillo, for cleaning.
12. Two aluminum-frame backpacks.
Motorcycle Stuff. A standard tool kit comes with the cycle and is stored under the seat. This is supplemented with the following:
A large, adjustable open-end wrench. A machinist’s hammer. A cold chisel. A taper punch. A pair of tire irons. A tire-patching kit. A bicycle pump. A can of molybdenum-disulfide spray for the chain. (This has tremendous penetrating ability into the inside of each roller where it really counts, and the lubricating superiority of molybdenum disulfide is well known. Once it has dried off, however, it ought to be supplemented with good old SAE-30 engine oil.) Impact driver. A point file. Feeler gauge. Test lamp.
Spare parts include:
Plugs. Throttle, clutch and brake cables. Points, fuses, headlight and taillight bulbs, chain-coupling link with keeper, cotter pins, baling wire. Spare chain (this is just an old one that was about shot when I replaced it, enough to get to a cycle shop if the present one goes).
And that’s about it. No shoelaces.
It would probably be normal about this time to wonder what sort of U-Haul trailer all this is in. But it’s not as bulky, really, as it sounds.”
Excerpts From: Robert M. Pirsig. “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.” iBooks. https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/zen-and-the-art-of-motorcycle-maintenance/id360625670?mt=11
The things driven most home to me are these: 1) He was doing all this for two people - on a bike much smaller than the one I will be riding.* 2) Motorcycle technology has changed so much in the intervening half-century that the machines bear only a passing structural resemblance to one another, and this has both positive and negative connotations. 3) The explosion of backpacker-specific camping and mountaineering gear since this time has made doing this infinitely easier, and I am grateful. When i started camping off a motorcycle, back in 2006, i had at least one insight, which was that the lighter and more compact my gear could be, the better off I would be, and that surely, no one had developed a need for light and compact gear like the modern backpacker. So my tent is a Kelty Gunnison 2, which while it requires that the two people who are supposed to be able to share it are at least friendly, if not engaged, for me myself and I it is just fine. I actually have a collapsible stool WITH A BACK that I can take with because it folds up so small and light. I have never packed a mess with me, and haven't yet decided if I will - but if I do, the Biolite stove not only folds to the size of a soup can, and runs on twigs, it will charge my phone while I cook (no lie - check this out: BioLite Stove)
Somewhere around, I have a picture of what my bike looks like when fully loaded for bear...
But I want to get this posted.
The main thing to remember when packing for a long time or distance on a motorcycle is that, as important as it is to have as many bases covered as possible, the most important thing is that your "pack" in no way impede your ability to operate the cycle safely, or to enjoy the time spent riding, because, that, after all, is the point. When motorcycling for a vacation, it really is true that it's the journey - not the destination.
So, it's important to keep the overall center of balance as low as possible, and also important to make sure that the luggage and other attached items don't interfere with handling, visibility, etc.
Then there's a light pack from a while later... for which trip I can't remember, but you can see the matching soft saddlebags on the side of the bike, and the larger tank bag on the gas tank. This is my standard tank bag now, and may be the one I use for the Ride.
Then there's this photo, from a week-long trip to the beach some years ago: I don't even remember what allis bungeed on behind the Ventura, on the other side of the frame, but this bike is loaded:
I am hoping for a relatively compact pack this time out, but I am also cognizant that I need to take more with me than I ever have.
So, it will all, as it always is, be about balance.
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