Wow, check this out, folks. It’s a consignment bike we just took in…a 2015 RX3 with only 5200 miles on the clock and a cool $1500 worth of accessories. I’ll let the photos do the talking on this puppy…
If you’d like to get a superbly-equipped beautiful red RX3 at a very reasonable price, give us a call at 909 445 0900 and ask to speak with Steve or TK. This one won’t last long.
Our 2018 RX3 motorcycles are headed east on the Yangzte River this week, folks. It’s going to be another 6 weeks or so before they are in our showroom, and I sure am looking forward to their arrival. The 2018 RX3s will have ABS braking and a 19-inch front wheel as standard equipment, and we’re offering four new colors (yellow, copper, gold, and matt black). The ABS and the 19-inch front wheel add significantly to the value of these great motorcycles, but we’re adding only $300 to the price (the 2018 RX3s will be $4195). That’s a hell of a deal.
Here’s the 2018 RX3 in matt black…
Here’s the bike in gold…
This is the copper color…
And here’s the yellow RX3…
The 2018 RX3s will be posted on the CSC website later this week, but you’re seeing them here on the blog first. We’re taking $500 deposits on the bikes starting tomorrow (give us a call at 909 445 0900).
My good buddy Paul H. Smith over at ADVMoto magazine posted this very cool video on Facebook earlier. I liked it and I thought I would share it with you (you may have to unmute the video to hear the music)…
I once knew a guy who put a piece of plate glass on top of a Jaguar V-12 engine to make a coffee table. I liked it and asked him for the story behind it (something like that had to have a story). He told me that he had owned the car the engine came out of and he wanted to find something that a Jag V-12 engine could do well…
We had a great turnout for a great Saturday morning ride to a see a great motorcycle collection today. Today’s destination was the Owen Collection, arguably the finest collection of vintage 1960s and 1970s motorcross bikes on the planet. Turnout was great, too…we had about a dozen riders. You’ll recall that I mentioned the Owen Collection here on the blog a few months ago. I first learned about the Owen Collection while researching potential CSC ride destinations on the Internet, and after Susie and I visited this hidden treasure last year, I wrote a feature about it for Motorcycle Classics magazine. It was an awesome visit (you can read the Motorcycle Classics piece here).
My Motorcycle Classics article is good (if I do say so myself), but there’s nothing like seeing the Owen Collection in person, and that’s what we did this morning. Like I said, the turnout was great. We had our regular CSC Saturday riding group cast of characters show up along with a few more who found out about the ride on our CSC Meetup page. You might want to keep an eye on that page (and the CSC blog, of course) to find out about the next ride. I don’t know what that will be yet, and to be honest, I’m a little worried about it. It’s going to be hard to top what we saw today!
Let me take a minute or two to introduce you to the fine gentlemen I had the great privilege of riding with today.
Here’s Flip, who rides a Honda NX 250 motorcycle he’s owned for a while. I like that…another rider with an penchant for 250cc motorcycles. Those of us who ride them know…it’s the perfect size!
You’ll notice that on our Saturday rides, you don’t have to ride a CSC motorcycle…we welcome all makes of motorcycles and motor scooters. We’re big into classic bikes, too, and not just for visits to vintage collections like we did today. Our service department does a lot of work on both modern and vintage motorcycles. Our Gerry knows the vintage bikes well.
This is Tim, a new RX3 owner (and his RX3 is orange…the fastest color!). Tim is one of the guys who’s riding with us to Baja in March. There’s still time to get in on the 2018 Baja ride if you want to. We are sold out of new 2017 RX3s, but we have two demo RX3s that are in amazing condition. You should buy one and ride Baja with us!
This is our very own TK. TK has always been a Harley guy, but he saw how much fun we’ve all been having on the RX3s and he had to get one for himself…
TK is a good guy. I like him personally and I like riding with him.
Here’s our good buddy Steve, who rides lots of different motorcycles. Today he was on his GS1200 BMW. He struggled with it a bit, but he’s a great rider and he was able to keep up with us on our RX3s! Steve is a regular on many of our Saturday rides and we enjoy his company.
Today was Doug’s first time riding with the CSC Saturday crew. Doug rides a beautiful blue Tiger 1200 Triumph. I used to ride a Tiger. They’re great bikes.
My good buddy Ponytail Joe rode with us today, too. I’ve been riding with Joe for a lot of years in the US and in Baja. Joseph was on his Honda Shadow today. He’s a cool guy. I was once late showing up for a ride with Joe and he gave me a new watch so I could be more punctual. I tease Joseph about that ponytail a lot.
Ah, Roland Wheeler…what can I say. You all know Roland. He’s the guy who campaigned an RC3 last season and took first place for the year in F Superstock class. Outstanding work, Roland!
This is my good buddy Duane, with whom I’ve also covered a lot of miles. Duane and I started riding together back in the California Scooter Mustang days. He’s a great guy and a fun guy to ride with. I call him Santa Claus.
This is Dan, another BMW rider who rode with us for the first time today…
I liked Dan right away, especially when I saw the panniers on his Beemer. This is a man who covers some miles!
Here’s our very own Steve Seidner, President and CEO of CSC Motorcycles. Yep, Steve rode with us to the Owen Collection this morning, and Steve is the reason we are all able to ride RX3 motorcycles. He’s the guy who made the decision to import the RX3. Steve is a great rider and a great writer…he wrote the Foreword for Moto Baja!
Incidentally, that stunning silver and red RX3 you see in the photo above (Steve’s personal, fully-loaded, low mileage RX3) is one of the two 2017 RX3 demo bikes we have remaining. It’s a beautiful bike but it has to go to make room for the 2018 models. Give us a call at 909 445 0900…that bike could be yours on the next CSC Baja run!
I kind of screwed up today and got us lost going over to the Owen Collection (even though I’d been there before). The guys were all good natured about it. It happens, I guess. After I found the place, we were greeted at the door by David, the Owen Collection curator. That’s David on the left. He’s a great guy and he had stories about all of the bikes in the amazing collection we saw today.
The Owen Collection is magnificent. There’s just no other way to describe it. The guys were blown away when they saw it.
This is an extremely rare, extremely early Suzuki motocrosser. It’s beautiful. David told us that one of the challenges in doing restorations is to not “over restore” the bikes. The intent is to make them look like they did when they were new. This bike was jewel-like in its appearance.
This is a very cool BSA Catalina Scrambler. This is art, folks. We were all in awe this morning.
We were overwhelmed by the extent of this collection. By the way, that’s my good buddy Marty on the right in the photo below. Marty is another guy I’ve been riding with for a long time.
Here’s another photo of Marty. It’s fitting he’s standing by a ’65 Triumph TT Special. Marty and I both came of age in an era when Triumph was the ultimate motorcycle.
This is another magnificent British bike…the Matchless. Duane is behind it, getting a better look at the engine. The quality of the castings on these early British bikes is something to see.
It’s stunning, isn’t it?
Check out the colors on this ’66 Triumph TT Special. You might see something very similar to this on a new CSC motorcycle, but I can’t tell you any more about that just yet. Maybe I’ve told you too much already.
A macro shot of the Bonneville TT Special logo, with a BSA reflected in the gloss black paint…
Many of these early motocross racebikes were two-strokes, and they were prone to fouling the spark plug. The answer? Hey, just have another one already installed in the cylinder head. If the first plug fouls, just pull the spark plug wire and put it on the other plug!
I love mechanical stuff like this. Check out the left handlebar controls on this early BSA…that’s an ignition advance lever on top, the clutch lever in the middle, and the compression release lever on the bottom! Fly by wire, folks!
And one parting shot…that’s my good buddy Duane and yours truly, as reflected in the chrome tank panel of BSA motorcycle!
This was a great day and a great visit. The challenge is going to be to find a ride for February that will be as grand. I better get started on that right away!
Ride safe, my friends, and ride often!
Brother Matt at speed south of Tecate, headed into Mexico’s Rumarosa Grade…
It’s the end of an era, a passing of the torch (so to speak). My good buddy Matt wanted to learn a bit more about shooting with a real camera, and I told him I’d work a good deal for him if he wanted to buy my old D200 Nikon. Like Don Corleone, I made Matt a deal he couldn’t refuse on a rig that has served me well (and you, too, if you’ve enjoyed the photos here on the CSC blog).
The NIkon D200 and the storied 1st Gen 24-120 Nikkor lens, complete with all the accoutrements!
I brought the camera with me to the CSC plant today (Matt’s picking it up early tomorrow morning, before we head over to the Owen Collection on our monthly Dual Sport and Donuts ride). I thought I would grab one final photo with my faithful D200 (soon to be Matt’s), and what could be more fitting than a shot of the last of our 2017 RX3 motorcycles!
The last of the CSC 2017 RX3s!
Yep, they’re all sold, but not to worry, the 2018s are inbound. And there’s still time to get on the list if you want ride Baja with us…that next CSC adventure is coming up in two months. I can’t wait.
You know, on the ride over today I was thinking about all the places I’ve been with the D200…Canada, just about every state in the US, Mexico, South America, the Middle East, Europe, China, Thailand, all over the Caribbean, and more. It’s been a faithful servant and I’ve made good money with that camera on consulting gigs, magazine articles, the CSC blog, and more. Matt’s going to have a lot of fun with it.
So this video popped up as a recommended video for me today. I guess it’s because I’ve ridden in Colombia. I’m not a step-through scooter guy, but I liked the music and it was a nice wakeup with a good cup of coffee this morning. Speaking of which, I sure miss those great Colombian breakfasts.
I sure miss riding in Colombia, too. It was one of the best rides ever. I’d go there again just to take more pictures. I could say the same about China, and the cool places I’ve ridden to in the US, and Baja. Hey, wait…I am going back to Baja!
This Saturday, folks….we’re on for our monthly Donuts and Dual Sports ride, this time to the Owen Collection. Wow, we’ve had to put a lid on this one because of the interest it’s received. We’ll try to do it again in a few months to give those of you who wanted to go a chance to see this magnificent collection. All the bikes there are beautiful, but for me, nothing tops the two TT Special Triumphs in the Owen Collection (they have a ’65 and a’66). I’m really looking forward to this ride.
A ’65 Triumph TT Special…
…and a ’66 TT Special. Does the paint theme on this remind you of the white mocha Cafe Racer?
More good news…we’re sold out of Moto Baja! But don’t despair…if you want your own copy, just let us know. More are on the way.
It’s hard to ignore all that’s going on in the world today. The Dow broke through the 25,000 ceiling today (yahoo!). And the weather…wowee!!! To all of our friends on the east coast, please try to stay warm and be careful in that freezing weather. It’s been in the high 70s and low 80s this week here in the People’s Republik of Kalifornia, but then again, you folks in real America don’t have our politicians and gas taxes. Everything’s a tradeoff, I guess.
We still have a few openings for the Baja ride (that’s 10-17 March), so if you’re thinking you might want to go, just let us know. We’re only two months away from Baja 2018, and I’m already thinking about the ride decal. To me, putting those travel stickers on my fuel tank is one of the best parts of the ride.
Tony’s fish tacos 500 miles south of the border…life just doesn’t get any better!
And talking about chotchkas, hey, ever want your own set of wings? Something like this…
CSC Wings!
Steve has these and I think they’re pretty cool. I don’t wear my jump wings any more (I’m too old and that was too many decades ago) but I sure like wearing my CSC wings. I know maybe it’s a little corny, but hey, I like them. And you know what? They’re free. Yep. Free. We won’t send them out to you by themselves, but if you’re in the CSC plant or if you’re ordering anything else from us, just let us know and we’ll include a set of CSC wings in the package for you.
Incidentally, in that photo above, the black specs you see on my jacket are actually volcanic ash from the Volcan Nevado del Ruiz (the very same volcano that erupted and killed 20,000 people in Colombia in the 1980s). My good buddies Juan and Carlos rode with me up to the rim of that volcano during the Colombia RX3 expedition (that was at an elevation of nearly 14,000 feet) and we only stayed a few minutes. It was bitter cold and the Colombian national authorities were turning people around because the volcano was active that day. Cool stuff, and you can read the blog entry I did that day here. Or, better yet, buy yourself a copy of Moto Colombia! Do that through CSC, I’ll sign your copy, and we’ll throw in a set of CSC wings, too!
Riding the Andes Mountains in beautiful Colombia…what a life!
We’re moving out on the Café Racer, folks. First, the preliminary specifications…
And a few photos of just one of our color themes…we’re calling this one white mocha…
There will be another one or two colors, and things are moving along sharply in getting the CSC Café Racers on their way to America. As I mentioned yesterday, the Café Racer has been approved by the EPA. This is going to be fun, folks. The best part will be to see how folks personalize their Café Racers. Stand by…there’s more to come on this exciting new development!
Folks, check this out…it’s the CSR3 HJC helmet in satin. It’s HJC’s latest helmet, it’s super light, and (get this) it sells for a whopping $104.99! (That’s me being sarcastic folks…the last refuge of a weak mind, I guess). Anyway, I fell in love with this helmet in satin white, and I couldn’t believe how inexpensive it is! Hey, you know what? That $104.99 price is actually now only $94.49! You can find these on our website here, and they are so new we don’t even have photos of it posted yet (other than the one you see here). An HJC helmet for under $95!
If you’re considering a new helmet (and you should replace your helmet periodically), this is a great way to go. It’s what I’ll be wearing on the 2018 Baja ride!
Wow, here we are…it’s 2018 already! Happy New Year, everybody!
I thought we would take a quick look back at 2017 through some of my favorite photos first, and then talk a bit about what 2018 holds for us…
Roland Wheeler campaigned a CSC RC3 and took first place for the year in the F Superstock class! Way to go Roland!
US Army Command Sergeant Major Jerry Jacobitz bought an RX3 in February, becoming the highest ranking NCO ever to ride one of our bikes!
March brought our 3rd Annual CSC Baja Run and good buddy Dan Nibbelink (the most photogenic guy in the world) rode with us!
We announced the Café Racer in April and I posted several cool videos of it. The colors on the production bikes will be different. Interest in these bikes continues to be off the charts. Keep an eye on the blog for more info as we get closer to bringing these bikes to you!
May saw the arrival of the new CSC RXR, a stripped-down, 50-lbs lighter version of the RX3!
A quick visit to Chongqing for a test ride on the new RX4 in June!
Our July CSC ride to Crystal Lake saw triple digit temperatures and an encounter with a friendly bear. That’s good buddy Duane (not the bear) in the photo above!
In August, my good buddy Josh posted this awesome video of his TT250 desert foray…
In September we posted this collage of the CSC staff!
October saw our CSC blog ranked among the Top 15 motorcycle blogs in the world!
Moto Baja! hit the presses in November! It’s great, and you should buy several copies!
Things were super busy in December, and it was the toughest month for me to select a photo to include here. I went with a photo of my RX3’s fuel tank, which was the pic I included with the blog on Motorcycle.com’s story about our Baja rides!
2018 is looking to be another great year. Consider what we have going…
Folks, 2018 is going to be a great year!
SG250 San Gabriel Cafe Racer
RX1E Electric Motorcycle
TT250 Enduro