Pirsig brings this up a couple of times. And I totally agree with you, but it isn't just the motorcycle that transports us.

He manages to articulate something so clearly that we all already know.

"Peace of mind isn't at all superficial to technical work. It's the whole thing. Peace of mind must accompany the work as it proceeds, otherwise, the work is no good."

"It can occur to a monk in meditation, to a soldier in heavy combat, or to a machinist taking off that last ten-thousandth of an inch."

"I've sometimes thought this inner peace of mind, this quietness, is similar to if not identical with the sort of calm you sometimes get when going fishing, which accounts for much of the popularity of the sport. Just to sit with the line in the water, not moving, not really caring about anything either, seems to draw out the inner tensions and frustrations that have prevented you from solving problems you couldn't solve before and introduced, and introduced ugliness and clumsiness into your actions and thoughts."