CSC Blog

Electrek Just Did A Review On Our FT1000MD

Posted on March 3, 2022

CSC FT1000MD high-powered electric bike review: Hitting 34 MPH on a 1,000W fat tire e-bike

Micah Toll – Mar. 2nd 2022 11:32 am PT @MicahToll

One of the many nice things about riding electric bicycles in the US is the freedom to choose from an amazingly wide selection of e-bikes, including some very high power options. I feel for my European cousins who are stuck with their 250W motors, but not as much as I feel the awesome seat-of-the-pants acceleration that I get on the CSC FT1000MD, with its 1,000W mid-drive electric motor.

That massive motor, officially referred to as the Bafang M620 or more infamously known as the Bafang Ultra, is one of the most powerful and highest torque e-bike mid-drive motors on the market.

While e-bike engineering outfits around the world are working hard while trying to top it, that motor remains the cream of the crop for high-powered e-bikes.

And it is expertly employed on the CSC FT1,000MD, a fat tire e-bike developed by a motorcycle company to blur the line between high power electric mountain bikes and light electric dirt bikes or trail bikes.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s an electric bicycle for sure (even if the purists out there would argue differently.) The torque-sensing pedal assist makes for a fun, high-response ride should you decide to pedal it. Or the throttle will open up true motorbike feelings if you just want to go full bore, getting in some truly balls-to-the-wall fun.

I definitely got some serious fun riding in, as you can see in my video review below! But keep reading after the video for the rest of my detailed review.

CSC FT1000MD e-bike video review

CSC FT1000MD tech specs

Motor: 1,000W continuous Bafang M620 mid-drive
Top speed: Claimed 45 km/h (28 mph) with pedal assist or 32 km/h (20 mph) with throttle only, measured at 54 km/h (34 mph) when unlocked
Battery: 48V 16 Ah (768) with Samsung 35E cells
Frame: 6061 aluminum
Suspension: Front suspension fork with preload and damping adjustment, plus lockout
Brakes: Tektro hydraulic disc brakes with 180 mm rotors
Weight: 34 kg (75 lb)
Max load: 120 kg (264 lb)
Extras: Removable battery semi-integrated in frame, color LCD display with speedometer, battery gauge, PAS level indicator, odometer, tripmeter, light status indicator, front and rear LED lights, five speed settings, thumb throttle, USB charging port, kickstand

Lots of power, only when you need it

The beautiful thing about the FT1000MD is that despite being such a high-powered electric bike, the power is manageable. You can dial it up or roll it back to fit your riding style.

When I’m just enjoying a local field or park, moderate power is plenty. That’s especially true when I’m using pedal assist and heading out for a fun, fitness-ish leisurely ride. I enjoy have the power and torque, but I’m not going nuts with it most of the time. Occasionally, when I really want to have some fun, I’ll unleash the kraken to experience the over 1,000W of continuous power that the bike can supply.

On a flat road, that power level can push the CSC FT1000MD up to 34 mph (54 km/h). I know because I did it. But just as often though, I’ll use the power for off-roading and preventing my fat tires from getting bogged down in sand and loose soil.

The answer isn’t always “more power.” But sometimes it is.

The FT1000MD isn’t just a powerful e-bike though. It’s also well made and designed to last. The company CSC Ebikes may know their way around electric bikes, but that’s because they come from CSC Motorcycles, and thus have decades of experience in two-wheelers. That knowledge gets applied to its e-bikes as well, resulting in quality parts like a suspension fork that isn’t just ornamental like we see on a bunch of quasi off-road e-bikes, but rather actually soaks up the off-road bumps nicely.

Quality hardware and e-bike equipment designed to match the power of such a motor is also a key part of the equation. Even bike parts like the hydraulic disc brakes are designed for the extra power that a massive motor like this can create – stopping from 30 mph is a much more daunting prospect than stopping from 20 mph. There’s a lot more energy that needs to be scrubbed off. It’s the whole velocity squared thing; physics isn’t kind to higher speeds. Fortunately, the FT1000MD has the brakes to do it.

That being said, the bicycle side of the components do have one area that you’ll still want to keep watch over. The pedal drivetrain is always the weak link when it comes to such high power motors, whether on the CSC FT1000MD or any other mid-drive e-bike. While CSC did opt for a slightly higher end Shimano 8-speed Altus derailleur than we see on many budget-level electric bikes, it’s certainly not the highest end of the Shimano spectrum. Shifting under high power is a no-no, unless you want to eventually strip teeth off your gears or break a chain. Keeping the bike in high gear 100% of the time should also be avoided. Many riders will just leave a mid-drive e-bike in top gear because that’s the “fast gear”, without realizing how much wear it puts on the drivetrain due to the extra torque.

Unlike a car or motorcycle, which generally can’t be started in top gear and thus requires shifting through the gear range like a normal person, electric motors have full torque right at startup and thus can simply power their way to full speed in their highest gear. But I’ve seen plenty of people wear through that gear by using this motor on other bikes, so let this serve as a warning to you. Make sure you’re shifting properly with a heavy duty motor like this.

Another thing I really enjoy about the FT1000MD is that it includes a lot of nice-to-have components that you don’t find on other e-bikes. The adjustable stem lets you raise and lower the handlebars to find the perfect fitment and ride orientation for you, and the bright Buchel headlight is more than a glorified keychain light to warn drivers of your presence. The color display looks great and is easy to read at a glance, even in bright light.

Even the battery is larger than we typically see, coming in at 48V and 16Ah. Depending on how you ride the CSC FT1000MD and how much power you have on tap, the range from one charge will vary from “pretty darn far” to “almost nothing”. Such is life with a high power e-bike. But as long as you aren’t unreasonable with your demands, 25 miles (32 km) on throttle should be a good minimum, and 50 miles (80 km) is possible with conservative pedal assist.

Anyone intending to toss the bike up on a car rack or into a truck should note that it isn’t lightweight, tipping the scales at 75 lb (34 kg). You can remove 9 lb (4 kg) of that just by taking the battery off. With a massive motor and large battery, you didn’t expect it to be a featherweight though, did you?

Outfitting the bike with massive 4″ fat tires didn’t do the weight any favors either, though it certainly helps the FT1000MD cover just about any terrain. With that much air volume, the damn thing almost floats.

What’s it going to cost me?

The CSC FT1000MD is obviously not going to be a cheap bike. And the $3,295 price tag confirms it. I always look out for my readers when I can though, and so you can take an extra $200 off the price with the discount code ELECTREK.

While it certainly sounds high to outsiders, the $3,295 price is about par for the course when it comes to Bafang M620-powered e-bikes. Many e-bikes with this drivetrain cost even more. It’s a specialty motor that requires powerful batteries and high enough quality parts to keep the bike safe at these performance levels.

I’ve ridden plenty of M620 e-bikes that cost more. And so while I’m sure seeing a $3k price tag will shock anyone new to the e-bike industry, this is just the going rate for something on the highest end of the power scale.

And don’t even get me started on the $6,000 fat tire e-bike coming out later this year that packs in even more power…

What’s the takeaway?

Obviously this is not an e-bike for everyone. CSC has some great 750W fat tire e-bikes that will take you to a comfortable 28 mph (45 km/h) and use more economical hub motors, bringing them in at $1,500 less.

But if you want a crazy powerful mid-drive motor with built-in torque sensor, larger batteries, better parts and the most extreme performance you can get, this is CSC’s top of the line offering.

It requires a responsible rider, not just one with deep pockets. This much power can be dangerous to the rider or others around them if not used responsibly.

But if you can handle it, the CSC FT1000MD can deliver it. And then some.

Posted in CSC Motorcycles | Tagged e-bikes, Electrek, Electric Bike, FT1000MD | Leave a comment

Camels, caves, and camaraderie…

Posted on February 7, 2022

Originally posted on July 13, 2016 @ 10:15 am

What’s The Best Way To Ride In The Gobi Desert?

While riding in the Gobi Desert in China we decided to trade in our RX3 Adventure motorcycles for some camels. We rode through the desert and made our way to some caves to check them out. There is some beautiful tourism photography in this post. Below is Joe Berks Full post from July 13 2016 that he did while he was in China.

There are two things I know about Dun Huang: It is a treasure unknown to nearly all Americans, and I will return to this magical city with my wife to share the excitement someday soon. The Zongshen folks are running an adventure ride for us that is absolutely fabulous.

I’m just going to post a short blog today, folks. It’s late and we’re tired, mostly because of the incredible day we just experienced. It started with another super Chinese breakfast, followed by a short ride to the Lake of the Crescent Moon out here in the Gobi Desert. While we were there, we went for a camel ride. I’m not kidding. A real camel ride…in the Gobi Desert! After that, it was yet another super Chinese lunch, and then we visited the Mo Gao caves. That’s a location with a thousand grottos previously used by ancient Buddhist monks. Whoa! Can you say Indiana Jones?

Our camels. No kidding. They were awesome!

A view from the cockpit. Me. On a camel. In the Gobi Desert. Woohoo!

A pretty girl in the Gobi Desert.

“Gobi” Gresh interviewing Shemp, his ride for the morning.

The Lake of the Crescent Moon, the Gobi Desert. Did I mention we are in the Gobi Desert?

The Lake of the Crescent Moon, in the Gobi Desert. Did I mention we are in the Gobi Desert?

Lu and Furem comparing photos.

At the Mo Gao One Thousand Grottos park.

A photo I wasn’t supposed to take of a giant Buddha in one of the grottos. Folks, this place has got to be on your bucket list. I got here on my RX3 motorcycle!

Another unauthorized Nikon shot at ISO 5000!

And yet another. The place was something right out of an Indiana Jones movie!

And yet another illicit photo. The place was something right out of an Indiana Jones movie!

We only rode a little over a hundred kilometers today and tonight we’re staying in a city called Guazhou. That’s it for now, folks. Gresh and I are having a great time with our new friends, and I’m calling it a night!

If you’re interested in seeing more of our great travels you can check out all of the books Joe berk has written while riding CSC Motorcycles in China, Baja, The United Stated States, and South America by clicking the link here.

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Posted in ADV motorcycle, Best Of, CSC Motorcycles | Tagged Adventure motorcycle, Adventure Riding, China, China motorcycle ride, CSC Motorcycles, CSC RX3, Riding China, RX3, Zongshen | Comments Off

Ah, the food…

Posted on February 4, 2022

Originally posted on March 22, 2016 @ 12:00 am

It’s all about the food. There is something about the food when you’re out on a long motorcycle ride. Here are some great pictures of some of the food that everyone had on one of the CSC Baja trips. WOW! Just looking at these pictures makes you want to go on a long Motorcycle ride just for the food.

I’m in New Jersey this week, and truth be told, I enjoyed Baja way more than I’ll ever enjoy New Jersey. The food is good here in New Jersey, but it was better in Baja. Our trip through magical Baja last week was nothing short of amazing, and I feel that way for many reasons. One reason, of course, was the cuisine.

One of our group members mentioned that we could do a Baja tour focused exclusively on the food. I believe there’s something to that. I didn’t get photos of many of our meals, but I did get a few photos. Some of these photos you’ve already seen, and some are new. Many of the times when we sat down to eat the food was so inviting I just forgot to take pictures. But you can bet that there’s always a next time with Baja.

Fish tacos. Now there’s a food that absolutely represents Baja. I don’t know if fish tacos were invented in Baja, but if they weren’t, they should have been. I love them. I can’t enjoy fish tacos in the US. They’re just not the same. If you’ve ever been to Baja, you know what I mean.

On our first day in Baja, we spent the afternoon and the evening in Ensenada. My good buddy J had a favorite sidewalk taco spot, and the food there was spot on. Some of us had carne tacos, and some of us had fish tacos. I was in that second group. I’ll always go for the fish tacos…

Later that evening, we drifted over into Ensenada’s tourist district. We ordered three or four different appetizers and they all were good. The bikes were put away for the evening and the beer came out.

Our next meal at 0:dark:30 in the morning in pre-dawn Ensenada was at a 24-hour place a couple of blocks up the street from our hotel. It was good. I was too pumped about getting on the road to take photos, though. Like I said earlier…next time!

Our lunch stop that day was at Mama Espinoza’s in El Rosario, at the northern edge of the Vizcaino Desert.

I went for the chicken burritos. Wow, were they ever good!

We made Guerrero Negro that night and we ate at Malarrimmo’s restaurant. Good stuff. This is a typical pre-dinner scene, with a group of hungry RX3 riders studying the menu…

I went for sea bass that night. It was good!

We had relaxed breakfast the next morning at the same place, and then we left to go whale watching. It was quite a day.

When we returned, we had a real treat…Tony’s fish tacos. I’ve been enjoying Tony’s fish tacos since 1994, my first ever foray into Baja. I rode my ’92 Softail down through Baja with three other guys (including Baja John, who couldn’t make this trip). Tony started out with a pushcart back then, and then he graduated to a small truck, and then a bigger truck, and next year he’ll have his own restaurant.

Steve bought us all a Tony’s fish taco lunch, and it was awesome…

Ah, I missed photographing several meals after that. We checked into the Desert Inn in Guerrero Negro that night, and it was more fish and fine dining at the Desert Inn restaurant. The food was incredible. They did a similarly awesome breakfast for us the next morning at 7:00 a.m. and we were on the road again, headed for Mulege after stopping to see the cave paintings.

We stopped in San Ignacio at a small restaurant for lunch after seeing the cave paintings. More good times. I think I had chicken tacos there. No photos, but I remember it was good!

Then it was a dynamite meal at the Las Casitas restaurant in Mulege for dinner that evening. Another awesome dining experience, but no photos. The cuisine, the Tecate beer, the company, and the conversation were all great. So was the breakfast the next morning at the same place. But no photos, folks. Your Baja photographer was having too much fun.

Ah, more food. Before climbing up through the La Cuesta del Infierno twisties, we had lunch at the El Muelle in Santa Rosalia. Fish, if I remember correctly. I was enjoying it too much to break out the camera.

We stayed at another nice hotel in San Ignacio that evening, and we had a great seafood dinner there. There’s lots of outstanding seafood in Baja, my friends. The next morning, they did a dynamite breakfast buffet for us, too.

On the road again after that, we stopped in Catavina. To keep things moving (we had to cover over 350 miles that day), it was a one-size-fits-all proposition again…chicken tacos for everyone. It was just so good.

This next photo shows our next-to-the-last-night-on-the-road dinner in San Quintin…here’s a shot of the crew studying the menu one more time….

I had been eating so much on this trip I went for “just” an appetizer. That “just an appetizer” turned out to be enormous. It was a marlin-stuffed mushroom concoction with a fried bread coating. They called it some kind of a champignon relleno thingie, if I recall correctly. Wow, it was good!

I already told you about the grand breakfast we had the next morning at the restaurant on the other side of the Old Mill Hotel in San Quintin. That was a breakfast buffet fit for a king. It was incredible.

That afternoon, we had another one of our “chicken tacos only” lunches in Palomar to keep our momentum up. Good food, my friends. No photos of that one, either.

We stopped at the L.A. Cetto vineyard and snacked later that day. Willie Carlon, the most interesting man in the world, popped for a big wedge of Gouda cheese and we enjoyed it mightily. I bought a bottle of olive oil and a Cabernet marmalade there. I had some at home back in the US the next evening, and it was delicious.

And finally, when we checked into the El Dorado Hotel in Tecate, there was a Chinese restaurant across the street. Hey, we were wrapping up a 2,000-mile trip on Chinese motorcycles. Why not enjoy a great Chinese buffet?

Good times, and great food! Usually, I drop a few pounds on these epic motorcycle rides. Not this time!

Posted in Best Of, CSC Motorcycles | Tagged Adventure motorcycle, Adventure Riding, CSC Motorcycles, CSC RX3, CSC RX4, CSC TT250, food, motorcycle, RX3, TT250, Zongshen | Comments Off

Baja 2017!

Posted on February 2, 2022

Originally posted on December 30, 2016 @ 2:53 pm

This is a post that Joe Berk did in 2016 as he was getting ready for our 2017 inaugural Baja Run. If you ever decide you want to go to Baja then check out our trip reports for some great tips.

Riding through another world…the boulder fields in Catavina!

This is one of the grandest rides I’ve ever done, and one of my great joys is sharing the Baja experience with other CSC riders. If you’re looking for an awesome adventure and filling your riding story repertoire, the CSC Baja ride is the ride you want to make.

Up close and personal with the California gray whales in Scammon’s Lagoon…it’s all part of the CSC Baja experience!

Great riding, great food, great friends, the whales, and more….you’ll love it. Our dates for this 8-day adventure are 19-26 March 2017. Keep an eye on the blog…we’ll have lots more posted on this upcoming grand adventure!

Posted in ADV motorcycle, CSC Motorcycles | Tagged Adventure motorcycle, Adventure Riding, Baja 2017, CSC Motorcycles, CSC RX3 | Comments Off

Installing 49T Sprocket On TT250 Enduro

Posted on January 28, 2022

Originally posted on October 21, 2016 @ 3:17 pm

Get The Most Power Out Of Your 250cc Dualsport Motorcycle

Note: This is an older post from 2016. We have improved the sprockets to no longer require spacers and added a 47T and 45T sprocket. We also have an improved bolt kit.

I have our new 49T sprocket on my TT250 Enduro, and it makes a huge difference in how the bike performs. The 49T sprocket really helps the bike for street riding. I think that with the 17T front sprocket the 49T rear sprocket is ideal. I haven’t tried a 48T, a 47T, or really anything else other than the 49T, so I can’t comment on them.

In case you were wondering, here’s what the gear ratios look like with the various sprocket combos…

The stock TT250 Enduro setup is the 17T/50T combo. It’s okay, but I felt it was slightly undergeared for street use. What that means to me is that the engine was fully wound out in top gear and it felt like it could have pulled a bit more top end with a slightly taller gear ratio.

We went with the 49T because it would provide a taller gear ratio and it was available. None of our sources had the 48T or 47T sprocket available. If you can’t buy them, you can’t test them. The bike might pull the 48T or perhaps even the 47T (and when I say “pull,” I mean the engine will wind all the way out). You can keep gearing a bike taller, but at some point the engine can’t get high enough in the RPM range to overcome aerodynamic drag, and you can actually lose top end by gearing the bike taller. My Z06 Corvette is like that; you have to drop down to 5th gear (from 6th) to attain the car’s top speed of 173 mph (or so I’ve been told).

Anyway, I like the 17T/49T combo. You may feel differently, but it’s what I found works. Another reason I like it is that we didn’t have to mess with the chain with this combo. The stock chain length works.

So, with all of the above out of the way, let me take a few minutes to walk you through the 49T sprocket installation process. I’ll first refer you to our TT250 maintenance tutorial on rear wheel removal. It will show you how to remove the TT250‘s rear wheel, which you’ll need to do to install the new rear sprocket.

Once the rear wheel is removed, remove the large Circlip on the wheel hub…

We’ve had people ask about Circlip on the hub with the new sprocket. Hey, that Circlip doesn’t do anything once the bike is assembled…it’s just along for the ride. It has no operational function. As nearly as we can guess, it’s an assembly aid when the motorcycle is manufactured. Leave it off. Like my friends in New Jersey say, fuhhgeddaboutit.

Remove the four bolts securing the old sprocket. They have lockwashers underneath; hang on to them.

Next, place two washers over each hole in the hub (a silver one and a black one). We put the dark one next to the hub and the silver one on top…

This is how the washers should look under the sprocket…

Now put the sprocket on top of the hub, with the dished side out (i.e., facing away from the hub)…

Put a dab of blue Loctite on each of the four bolts, install a lockwasher underneath the bolt head, and tighten the bolts to 35 lb-ft.

And that’s about it. Reinstall the rear wheel in accordance with our previously-published maintenance tutorial, and you’ll be on your way.

Posted in Best Of, CSC Motorcycles | Tagged CSC TT250, CSC TT250 Enduro, TT250, tutorial, walkthrough | Comments Off

Wenchuan!

Posted on January 26, 2022

We made it to Wenchuan tonight with a couple of very interesting stops along the way. Wenchuan is a very interesting city nestled in the mountains. We’re up about 3000 feet, and it is mercifully cooler here than the weather we’ve been experiencing during the last few days. I’ll let the photos do most of the talking tonight, my friends…

CSC RX3 in front of ancient building in Dujiangyan, China.

My RX3 for this ride parked in front of the ancient town of Dujiangyan.

Three CSC Motorcycles' RX3s parked on a sidewalk in China during our adventure ride.

Our RX3s parked in Dujiangyan.

A man on a bike carrying a lot of straw hats and bags.

The hardest working basket vendor in Dujiangyan.

Mr. Ma on the bridge in Dujiangyan, China.

Another photo in Dujiangyan. That’s Mr. Ma on the bridge. He’s the Zongshen factory technician accompanying us on this ride.

Master Sergeant Zuo.

Photo on the Mr. Ma bridge in Dujiangyan, China.

My good buddy Sean, who is accompanying us.

Pork snouts for sale on our adventure motorcycle riding trip in Wenchuan.

Yep

Another photo of Lu. The guy is a natural.

The guys staged a photo for me before lunch was served

The Wenchuan memorial has a clock and the date when an earthquake damaged the building behind it.

The Chinese experienced an 8.2 earthquake in Wenchuan on 12 May 2008. The Chinese government built a memorial here leaving the damaged buildings in place.

Long bridge over a calm river somewhere near Wenchuan China from our adventure ride.

We rode across this bridge. I shot this from the saddle of my RX3.

Wong, who is an RX3 rider and a police officer from Xian.

Meet Sasha, a young Chinese woman who goes to school in Los Angeles. She’s riding her bicycle 2500 km in China this summer.

Lu, a very photogenic RX3 rider.

An apple vendor in Wenchuan

Time to call it a night. We’re up early tomorrow. Riding China continues…

Posted in Best Of, CSC Motorcycles | Tagged Adventure motorcycle, Adventure Riding, China motorcycle ride, CSC Motorcycles, CSC RX3, RX3, Zongshen | Comments Off

Rain, rain, and more rain…but what a day!

Posted on January 24, 2022

You can guess from the title…it rained nearly all day on our China ride today. But wow, what a day! It started with a great breakfast in a little restaurant right next to our hotel, we then made our insane dash through early morning Xinin traffic, and yet again, we were on the open road and in the rain.

And rain it did. I’m talking speeds on the highway of no more than 35 mph, mostly because of the traffic and the limited visibility. The roads cleared, but the rain didn’t. It was cold this morning, too.

Our first destination was Qinghai Lake, which I had never heard of before this adventure ride. Funny how that happens…I’ll bet most of you reading the blog never heard of it, either. But it’s huge…as in 4300 square kilometers. It was awesome, and the rain stopped just as we reached the lake. Wow!

The main road runs around one edge of Qinghai Lake about a mile from the shoreline. Lu pointed his RX3 down a dirt road leading directly to the lake, and I did the same. So did everyone else. The lake is awesome. It was like a small ocean.

Lu grabbed one of the RX1 motorcycles and had some fun…

I walked around a bit and spotted this small frog…

I wanted to pick it up but I remembered from my Colombia ride that some frogs are very toxic (Colombia has a species that can kill a man just from holding it). A photo was good enough.

We were having a good time. We have a video crew and a support van following us, and the guys on four wheels took advantage of this opportunity to have a bit of fun.

We got back on the road and followed the edge of Qinghai Lake for a good hour, and whaddaya know, as soon as we did it started raining again. Then we climbed into the mountains, and it got cold. Real cold. We crested a summit at 3814 meters (that’s 12,513 feet, folks!). I wanted to get a photo but I was so cold and wet I did not.

After hitting that pass, we began a gradual descent, and it became warmer immediately. We then entered an area that looked exactly like west Texas or New Mexico. It was strange. Other than the road signs being Chinese, you would not have known you were in China. We passed Cha Ka (the salt lake), stopped for a break, and then it was on to Wu Lan (from where I’m posting this). We had another one of our monster lunches today, so I took a pass on dinner mostly because I wanted to see the photos from today.

I’m tired and I’m going to call it an evening. Tomorrow, we ride again. It’s grand. We’re all having a marvelous time. We’re going places we’d never see had it not been for this opportunity. Wait ’til you read the book, folks. I can only get so much into the blog; Riding China will have much, much more.

Posted in Best Of, CSC Motorcycles | Comments Off

Save $245 On Any TT250 Enduro DualSport Motorcycle!

Posted on January 20, 2022

The All-Purpose Motorcycle. BEST Motorcycle Value in the U.S.

We’re currently having a sale on our best value Enduro-Dualsport Motorcycle the TT250! Spring is just around the corner and that means great riding weather. Save on a new TT250 and be ready to hit the trails when the riding weather is the best. Check the TT250 out on our store by clicking here!

CSC Motorcycles TT250 Enduro Dualsport Motorcycle in gray.

TT250 Motorcycle – Gray/Silver

CSC Motorcycles TT250 Enduro Dualsport Motorcycle in black.

TT250 Motorcycle – Black

CSC Motorcycles TT250 Enduro Dualsport Motorcycle in blue and white.

TT250 Motorcycle – Blue and White

CSC Motorcycles TT250 Enduro Dualsport Motorcycle in white.

TT250 Motorcycle – White

CSC Motorcycles has partnered with Zongshen to provide the best value high quality Chinese motorcycles for sale in the United States since 2015. We also provide replacement parts, excellent documentation, phone, and in person support of the motorcycles we sell.

TT250 Enduro – Small Displacement 250cc Motorcycle

The TT250 is CSC Motorcycles’ small displacement 250cc Enduro motorcycle that we have offered for sale since 2016 that is both on road and off-road capable. You can easily find TT250 OEM Replacement Parts, TT250 Accessories, TT250 Service Manual and TT250 Tutorials & Videos on the CSC Motorcycles Website.

The CSC TT250 Enduro is the perfect motorcycle for riding trails, commuting to work, or touring the countryside with high ground clearance and adjustable suspension to help tackle off-road riding. The snappy air-cooled, counter-balanced engine will take you through the woods or down the highway. The low-priced TT250 is supplied with features not available on competitive bikes costing much more. Simplicity is combined with proven design and manufacturing and then delivered from CSC direct to your door for unbeatable savings!

The lightweight TT250 is equipped with everything you need for dual-sport riding: 18-inch rear and 21-inch front wheels with knobby tires, hydraulic front and rear disk brakes, adjustable suspension front and rear, 300-watt alternator for accessories, handlebar switches pre-wired to underseat outlets, a comfortable saddle and more.

CSC Motorcycles TT250 Enduro is supplied with a free Service Manual and online tutorials for virtually every maintenance and repair operation.

Posted in CSC Motorcycles | Tagged CSC TT250, Dualsport, Enduro, Off-Road, TT250, Zongshen | Leave a comment

Beijing (a bit more)!

Posted on January 20, 2022

Wow, it has been an incredibly intense two days. It was two nights ago when we ate in Yangyuen, and both Master Sergeant Zuo and yours truly were a bit under the weather after that meal. It only bothered me for a couple of hours (I was lucky); my good buddy Master Sergeant Zuo has been recuperating for the last two days. It was bound to happen; we have been eating in some pretty unusual places and we’ve enjoyed food that is more than a little out of the ordinary. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Back to the ride…it was an easy run out of Yangyuen and it was neither hot nor humid (a much welcome change from the heat and humidity we had been experiencing). We took a detour on what the Chinese call their Route 66, and because of that, it was overrun with Chinese tourists. We stopped in one of the hundreds of wind farms I have seen in China and shot a few photos.

I am seeing the future on this adventure, it is electric, and it already exists in China. You would not believe the number of electric vehicles we are seeing (including cars, trucks, motorcycles, and scooters). You’ll have to read Riding China to get the inside details, but let me tell you, it is amazing. The Chinese are so far ahead of us in this area it is scary.

Here’s a photo of a donkey we saw while we were shooting the above photos. If he looks a bit nervous to you, well, let’s just say he has a good reason for his skittishness.

We’re in Hebei Province now, and I didn’t know it when I rolled in, but I know it now. Hebei Province is famous for, well….read on.

We were stopped at a traffic light in Zhangbei when Furem became excited and pointed to a sign at a tiny place diagonally across a rather busy street. We all pulled in and my good buddy Kong asked if I would like to have a “donghee burger.” It almost sounded as if he said “donkey burger,” but that couldn’t be, I thought. I mean, a donkey burger? Who would eat such a thing?

Then I saw this menu posted on the wall…check out the illustrations in the lower left…

The guys were excited. I could tell, even though I don’t speak Chinese. Then lunch arrived…

Yep, donkey burgers. It’s a delicacy. Kong tells me they only use young donkeys (much more tender and tasty, he said). Donkey burgers, and donkey soup…

Kong told me there’s an old Chinese saying that goes something like “people in heaven eat dragon burgers, and people on earth eat donkey burgers.” I can’t make stuff up this good, my friends. We are experiencing some amazing things. Cue in the music from Indiana Jones.

Later yesterday afternoon, we entered the Badaling area in the mountains outside of Beijing and we saw The Great Wall. Folks, here it is…

We got in very late last night, and that really ticked me off. I had something in my eye that was bothering me a lot (Kong experienced the same problem yesterday), my left shoulder was bugging me (it acts up on long rides), it was super hot and humid again, and there was that God-awful Chinese traffic on the expressways heading into Beijing. It was probably more the fatigue than anything else, but I don’t like riding after dark and I let the guys running the show know it. I went to sleep upset about getting in that late and I woke up feeling the same way, and I still felt that way when we rode into the mountains to see the Great Wall again this morning. It was nice riding up there, though. Here are a couple of shots I grabbed along the way…

As we were riding back out, I started riding slower and slower, until I was the last guy in line, and then the guys were so far ahead of me I couldn’t see them. Something was going on…I suppose a shrink would call it an anxiety attack. I was driving around every twist in the road expecting to see a truck stopped in my lane, an oncoming truck passing another vehicle in my lane, a person sweeping the street in the middle of the turn in my lane, a guy pulling out right in front of me, a bus making a U-turn in front of me, a car cornering too hard drifting into my lane, someone going the wrong way in my lane, someone just pulling into my lane without looking, an old woman walking directly in front of me, people who stopped and got out of their car just to have a conversation in the middle of the street, or someone squatting down in the middle of the road relieving themselves (in my lane, of course). I’ve seen it all over here, and the enormity of the insanity that is riding a motorcycle in China caught up with me.

The guys were waiting for me at the next intersection, and from there we went to a Sinopec station to feed the bikes. I was still feeling what I suppose must have been accumulated anxiety when a guy in a black Mercedes starting blasting his horn at me because he didn’t want to drive around me; he wanted me to move. I don’t know what came over me, but I looked at him, made eye contact, and pushed my bike directly alongside his window (which was open). I then leaned on my horn and let it rip for a good 20 seconds. Then one of the other Chinese guys did the same, and yet another yelled a bad word at the Mercedes pilot (which he probably learned from either Gresh or me). It was pretty funny. That broke the spell. I felt a lot better after that.

Okay, enough about me being a butthead…on to Beijing proper. We stopped at the Beijing Zongshen dealer this afternoon (where they were expecting us) and it was the Dajiu and Arjiu show all over again. Lots of photos with Gresh and me. Hey, how often do Dajiu and Arjui show up in your neighborhood? We were asked to give the keys and Zongshen fluorescent vests to five lucky guys who had just purchased new RX1 motorcycles. It was pretty cool and it was great fun.

While I was there, I grabbed this photo of a guy who owns a pearlescent white RX3 with a cool hand-painted windshield emblem…

That “438.000” Harley-looking bar and shield number is the frequency of their walkie-talkies. They all have walkie-talkies when they ride. Our guys have them, too. It’s part of the Chinese riding experience, I guess.

Zongshen and the local dealer treated us to a Peking duck dinner fit for a king tonight, and it was perhaps the best meal we’ve had in China so far. Kong taught me how to do a proper Chinese toast. It was grand fun.

And that’s a wrap for now, folks. It’s on to Tien An Men Square tomorrow. Watch for the photos….

Oh, but before I go…the Beijing Zongshen dealer had this puppy in his shop, and Gresh posed while I shot….

You might be wondering (and perhaps guessing) why I found that bike so interesting. Yep, you guessed right…we’re bringing the RZ3 (Zonghen’s naked bike with the RX3 engine) to America, and you’re hearing it here first!

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Great News Coverage!

Posted on January 19, 2022

Matt Wrye’s Daily Bulletin and San Bernardino Sun story on CSC Motorcycles ran last week, as described a few blog posts back. Today, the same story ran in The Pasadena Star News and The San Gabriel Valley Tribune. The online versions can be accessed for the next 30 days by clicking on the blue links.

Tom Cordova (a Daily Bulletin photographer who does great work) grabbed this shot of Steve and Maureen in the CSC factory showroom…

20100220_094406_SB21-Scooter[1]a

The CSC motorcycles you see above are the Babydoll (in pink and white), the Classic (in red), and the Greaser (in flat black). The green bike in the foreground is an original, unrestored 1950s Mustang.

Posted in California Scooter Company | 3 Comments