[MENTION=43262]Boat[/MENTION]ail71 I'm a recreational cyclist who rides a fair bit and also wanted to work on quality along with quantity so invested in a power meter (stages for me).

i would say it's only motivational up to a point, even once you have some decent baseline data there's still a ton of variation depending on how many days you've been riding, weather, etc. so at times if just looking at the numbers while riding you can just as easily be demotivated when seeing the numbers and comparing to perceived effort.

the training with a power meter book that valygrl recommends is definitely a must (although I would not personally call it a good read ). Once I slogged through it it gave me a ton of direction in building a power profile, understanding fatigue, and more. To be fair I'm still learning and getting through the book but I would say that it is now both a measurement tool that I use for guidance as well as a motivational tool (I love getting an email from trainingpeaks telling me to raise my FTP).

good luck!