The good old days…they’re right now!

We’ve had a lot of bikes flying out of the factory lately as people learn about the California Scooter Company. The orders we’ve been taking lately range from stock bikes to bikes with a few accessories, bikes that are loaded to the gills, and bikes that go all the way (custom paint jobs and more). We’ve had quite a few emails based on the different colors we’ve been posting here lately, and I thought I would follow up with a blog about some of the accessories and other custom touches you good folks are putting on your bikes.

Sometimes I’m just not fast enough. For example, the guys were crating up a burgundy Classic with saddlebags a day or two ago, and I gotta tell you that bike looked good.  Really good.  It’s on its way now to our good friend Bobbie in Minnesota.   Bobbie first saw a California Scooter through one of our Affiliates (that would be Jim Lorence, in Mound, Minnesota). Bobbie, the burgundy color works well with those saddlebags…you’re getting a very classy Classic. It sure got my attention.

Bill Brunton recently purchased a red Classic from us, and he put his own red-tinted windshield on it. Check out the photo of Bill’s bike waaaay up there in North Dakota…it sure looks good.  Those Lucky 13 chrome billet wheels look right at home on Bill’s bike, too.

It’s always a lot of fun for us to see how our riders customize their bikes, and we learn a lot when we see these bikes.  Bill, that tinted screen on yours is a nice touch…it reminds me of the tinted windshields Harley dressers had in the ‘50s and ‘60s.

Sometimes a just a few touches completely changes the nature of a California Scooter. We received a lot of email on Kristy’s Babydoll…the only additions to Kristy’s bike are the chrome billet Lucky 13 wheels, a chrome pipe, and the white leather seat. It is an amazing bike…a real show-stopper.   You can see it a few blog entries back.

A few days ago I grabbed a photo of a red Classic with wire wheels and a rack…that’s it in the accessories department, but wow, it’s a good-looking bike. Take a look and tell me if you don’t agree…

And how about Jim Swanson’s VMMC (that’s the Victor McLaglen Motor Corps) Classic in police bike colors? I’ve just got a teaser photo on it in today’s blog, because we’ll have a lot more in the blog on this bike in the near future.   Jim had his Classic painted in police bike colors, and he’s going to ride it with the Victor McLaglen Motor Corps drill team.  That’s going to be very, very cool.

I shot a few videos of Wade assembling the VMMC bike yesterday, and Jim will be taking delivery of this fine motorcycle either later today or tomorrow.  If I’m here when Jim stops by I’ll get some video of him riding this bike.  It sure looks cool, and it sure would make a great police city bike.  Small, maneuverable, lightweight, it would be perfect for this kind of work.  The police in NYC and New Orleans use foreign-built scooters, and maybe…..well, we’ll see where this goes…

Our good buddy Joe in Michigan went for the whole nine yards on his red Classic.  I spotted Michigan Joe’s bike up on one of the lifts yesterday when Tony was putting the finishing touches on it, and I thought I would need sunglasses to look at it.   Chrome works well with any color, but on a red Classic, all I can say is…Wow!

Jim specified nearly every chrome accessory in the catalog for his bike…wheels, switch covers, clutch and brake levers, engine guard, chain guard, license plate bracket, LED turn signals, rear brake and gear shift levers, triple tees, risers, speedometer case, chrome billet hubs, battery cover, and more. 

Have some fun…scroll through the photos below and let me know if I missed anything!

You guys and gals out there especially need to check out the photos showing the front wheel (see the one in the lower right corner in the montage below).  

Nope, we haven’t gone to twin disc brakes up front (the single disk has more stopping power than you’ll ever need), but that chrome wheel sure makes it look like we’ve got twin discs. It’s just a reflection.

Steve Lorenz at Arcadia Cushman (one of our primo dealerships) just ordered an all-orange Classic. We’re even doing the frame in orange on that one, and it’s also getting a white competition stripe. Steve wants this one to recall the golden age of Chevy’s Z-28 Camaro. Those early Z-28s and their short stroke 302-cubic-inch engines were hot. I remember my good buddy Manny Zaccarelli (hey, I can’t make these names up) had one when we were in high school.

Manny’s Z-28 was a fast car…way faster than my GTO, even though the GTO had a hundred cubic inch advantage. Those were good times. Manny’s family ran an Italian restaurant that made the best pizza on the planet, and somehow we always seemed to wind up there when we were done cruising around. Our lives revolved around our cars and our bikes. Hmmm. Maybe they still do.

Ah, the 1960s. I used to think those were the good old days. When I’m on my CSC motorcycle, though, I realize it’s just like the lyrics to that old song….these are the good old days! My buddy Jimbo is coming over here for lunch today. He rides a California Scooter. We’ll probably go for Italian food and talk about…well, cars and bikes. Who says you can’t go home again?