What a Year!

2015 has been an absolutely amazing year for CSC Motorcycles and our motorcycle family – you, the folks who ride CSC motorcycles.   It’s been one of the best years ever, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.

Ah, where to begin with what we (you and CSC) have accomplished in 2015.   Indulge me a bit, allow me to brag a little bit about all of us, and let’s talk about what we’ve done together.

First and foremost, we (you and CSC) have built a motorcycle community with the RX3.   We started receiving these remarkable motorcycles from Zongshen in late March, and an entire family of serious riders emerged around this amazing sub-$4K adventure touring machine in a market niche dominated by machines costing many multiples of that amount.   You (our riders) created a cult (as Spud calls it, The Cult of the Zong).   Your presence online, your presence on the road, and your presence off road has rocked the world.

It’s not just us saying these things.  The RX3 was ridden hard and put away wet by ADVPulse, ADVMoto, Motorcycle.com, Motorcyclist, and Cycle World magazines.   You’ve read their stories…it’s all been good!

We toured Baja.   Folks, that was a big deal.  Despite all the hysterical and unfounded rants of the online disinhibited, 15 of us hopped on brand new, unproven 250cc Chinese motorcycles and rode into one of the most demanding environments on the planet…Baja!   Collectively and in just 5 days, we racked up over 25,000 miles on these bikes.  The world started to take notice:   The RX3 is not your typical Chinese motorcycle.

We did the 5000-mile Western American Adventure Ride (or, as I like to call it, 5000 Miles at 8000 RPM).   5000 miles!  On 10 RX3s, with our ranks swelling to as many as 15 RX3s as you joined our contingent of Chinese, Colombian, and US journalists on this epic ride!  We did it to show our overseas friends the best of what America has to offer, and to show the world just how good the RX3 is.   And we succeeded!

I loved that ride and all that we (and when I say we, I mean you and CSC) accomplished on it.    Temperatures that ranged from the mid-30s to well into the 100s!   Elevations running from sea level to 10,000 feet as we crossed the Continental Divide multiple times!   Nearly all the western states!   Nearly all the western US national parks!  Amazing roads!   Incredible scenery!   18 days of nonstop riding, with the RX3s showing their stuff!   Zion, Joshua Tree, Bryce, the Grand Canyon, Capitol Reef, Mt. Rushmore, Devil’s Tower, Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, Redwoods National Park, the Columbia River Gorge, and more!    Arizona George, Brenden and Shelby, Rob, and the rest of the RX3 community who joined us, thanks for riding along!

I was particularly pleased with Joe Gresh’s participation on the Western America Adventure Ride (Joe rode the entire route with us; watch for his upcoming story in Motorcyclist magazine). Joe also did a dynamite YouTube video on the trip.  Mr. Gresh gets it.  So do you.

We did the Colombia Moto Adventure.   Wow, a dream come true….a circumnavigation of Colombia as the guest of AKT Moto on an AKT Moto TT250 Adventour (their version of the RX3).   A great ride, and the subject of a new book we are doing (yep, just like 5000 Miles At 8000 RPM, we’re going to print with Moto Colombia! within the next month).   What a ride that was!

We introduced the TT250, our air-cooled, dual sport motorcycle, for the shockingly low price of just $1895.   That bike is wrapping up the EPA certification process now, we are confirming the final configuration (we’ll have lots of nice surprises on the TT250 for you), and the demand has been off the charts.   Folks, this bike is a winner.   Mine will be black (the fastest color), and yes, we’ll be doing a Baja ride with it sometime in 2016!

We developed a complete accessories line for the RX3, and it’s been so successful we’re now taking orders from all over the world.   Steve’s genius for motorcycle design and accessories development has taken root in the RX3 platform, and we do a very healthy business in RX3 accessories.

We received our first RC3 demo model. This exciting new sportsbike, based on the RX3 engine, is another winner.    It’s brand new, and it’s another bike that will bring new motorcycle capabilities to our friends at a very reasonable price.

We’re introducing the new RX3-P police motorcycle to the US market.   We have the first four bikes here in the US now, and they are absolute gems.   They are awesome.  I am very excited about this new machine!

Our most significant accomplishment, I think, is we’ve developed an approach that works for our friends (that is to say, you, the community we serve). You don’t have to put up with the inflated purchase price, freight charges, setup costs, and maintenance fees that the dealerships charge.   We’ve empowered you to do your own maintenance with our free service manuals, our online tutorials, and easy accessibility to our expert service guidance.   A vibrant support community has emerged with even more online tutorials on the ChinaRiders.net site.  And if you need personalized tech support, you’re not routed to a service center in Mumbai or New Delhi…you get to speak directly to Gerry, our very capable service manager, right here in California.   A two-minute search of the Internet forums will show anyone that our friends love this approach.

By any measure, 2015 has been one hell of year for CSC and you, our riding community.   But that’s last year, folks.   2016 is hours away, and we’re literally just getting started.   If you thought 2015 was grand, well, you ain’t seen nothing yet!

Our best wishes to all of you for a healthy, happy, and successful 2016!