Busy is our byword these days, boys and girls…in many, many areas…
Wow, where to start…there’s so much going on!
I guess we’ll start with the scooters. The 250 P-51 Mustan…(oops, I meant to say the 250cc P-51 CSC) is going like gangbusters, and our retail business is doing the same.
Steve's custom P-51 CSC motorcycle!
We actually run several businesses here. You are all familiar with the California Scooter Company, or CSC Motorcycles as we’re now known, but that’s not all that we have happening here.
Pro-One Performance Manufacturing is one of our companies, and that’s the operation that sells the big V-twin street choppers (I’m talking up to 124 cubic inches here, folks) as well as parts and accessories for big cruisers of all kinds (and a complete line of cool car stuff, too). Our Thin Man (aka Josh) runs that side of the business, and he uses a lot of what he sells…check out his dynamite Camaro!
Josh and the Joshmobile...
Pro-One Motorcycles is our retail operation. We sell the complete Genuine Scooter line, used motorcycles that folks trade in on CSC motorcycles (or that they just ask us to sell for them), and now, a few lower-cost Chinese scooters.
We frequently get calls from folks who want a twist-n-go scooter (one with an automatic transmission). The CSC bikes shift like regular motorcycles, so we added the Genuine line to cater to folks who wanted a step-through twist-n-go. The Genuine bikes are priced right around the same as the CSC motorcycles, and one of the things we hear a lot is how much less expensive Chinese twist-n-go bikes are. You can guess where this is going…we added a few of the low-bucks Chinese scooters to the Pro-One showroom for comparison purposes and to meet the needs of folks who want a sub-$2K scooter. You can see the quality differences, but these bikes, as they say, ain’t bad. I’ll post more about them in subsequent blogs.
A palette of bikes from the Pro-One sales floor...
In the used bike arena, there’s always interesting stuff floating in and out of the showroom. Harleys with sidecars, ‘Busas (yes, boys and girls, they really will touch 185 mph…don’t ask me how I know, but I notice Steve is real careful about where he leaves the keys these days), all kinds of sportbikes, and other cool stuff.
And there’s more cool stuff…Motorcycle Classics magazine is running my piece on Memphis in the current issue, and in the next issue they’re going to run my story about Dahlonega. If you’ve never heard of Dahlonega, Georgia, I’m not surprised (most folks haven’t). It’s one of the coolest little towns I’ve ever seen. It’s the site of the first gold rush ever in the US, and the roads in that part of the world are tailor-made for motorcycles. Cool stuff.
Beale Street in Memphis on Motorcycle Night!
There are good things happening on the Mustang book, too. We just finished an article on the original Mustangs (as soon as I know the publication date, I’ll post that here). Great stuff with lots of great photos, including very cool stuff about the custom bike that got it all started. I’ll keep you posted on this exciting new development as things move along.
Howard Forrest's custom creation posing with a Harley 45!
Our good buddy Howard is still at it, too. Howard just sent a photo showing what the CSC lifestyle is like on the open road (in this case, Badlands National Park). Here’s the note Howard sent to me…
Joe:
I am at Badlands National Park, SD, and had a very enjoyable and interesting day today. As I pulled into the Pinnacles Overlook near the north entrance to the park, a tour bus pulled in right behind me. When the people came off the bus, the lady in the lead rushed over to me, wanting to know what I was riding and where to get one. I dug out one of the catalogues, gave it to her and we talked for a few minutes. I found that her name is Maureen and she is the International & Domestic Trade Sales Manager for the South Dakota Department of Tourism.
It wasn’t very long before the tourists from the bus were crowded around us and a lot of them were taking pictures of the bike, me, her and the guy I think was the driver. I gave the people the 10 catalogues that I had with me. Six or seven people sat on the bike and we just had a fun time.
Take care,
Howard
And here’s Howard’s photo with Maureen…
Howard and his CSC at Badlands National Park in South Dakota!
Good stuff, boys and girls! Howard, I’d tell you you’re having entirely too much fun, but hey, there’s nothing wrong with that!
From a slightly different two-wheeled vantage point I told you guys and gals I’m seriously into bicycling, and I think I mentioned the beautiful mid-80’s celeste Bianchi I bought a few weeks ago. I’ve been racking up the miles on it (and bringing my belt in a few notches, too), and I’m having lots of fun. I grabbed a few macro shots last night showing some of the details on the Green Monster, and I thought I’d share them here…
A classic lugged steel celeste Bianchi road bike from the 1980s!
And one last thing, just goofing around. I always heard it was bad luck to step on a cricket…but there’s no admonition against photographing them! This guy was on the sidewalk trying to stay out of the sun just a few minutes ago…
Jiminy Cricket!
More to follow, folks, so stay tuned.
TT250 Enduro
SG250 San Gabriel Cafe Racer
RX1E Electric Motorcycle