Reddit reviews Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values

• It's sometimes more time consuming figuring out how to fix your bike / waiting for part to arrive in mail than repairing at store
  
• Whenever you try repairing yourself you risk breaking something, although some might see that as valuable experience
  
• Some people don't enjoy time spent fixing their bike, others do
  
• If you know your bike's mechanics you can ride it better, and better anticipate and address problems before they put you out of action
  
• If you understand what causes problems you'll know what to buy next time
  
• If you understand the problems on your bike you can help others
  
  I'm tempted to go full philosophical waxing bullshit about self reliance and the pursuit of knowledge and understanding but I'll leave it there and instead recommend you all have a good read of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

I've of two minds on these questions; yes it's 'enough', but is it what you want?

There's a dude I watch on youtube who's camped his way from Alaska to Argentina on a Honda C90 scooter. https://www.youtube.com/user/c90adventures

So yeah, you CAN do it on literally anything.

BUT, here's the two minds thing. Would I do a x-country trip on a 900? Probably not; I'm thinking 1100+ would do for me. I'm a big guy, I'm planning on camping most of the way, and I want some room for tools. I want to put down 400-600 miles a day, and I know I can do it on a big bike.

So here's the crux of it; are you willing to spend more? If you do, will you be able to ride further between stops? Will that make you have a better trip? Can you handle a bigger bike loaded with all your gear? If you're camping (IDK) and riding for a couple weeks that gear is gonna be HEAVY.

It's really up to you dude, but be honest with yourself when you answer those questions and I think you'll have the answer.

Give Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance a read if you've got the time. It's not really about either zen or motorcycle maintenance, but it has some interesting takes on what makes a trip good. Who knows? You may have a better trip on a smaller bike.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert Pirsig