The CSC weekend putt…

Folks, here’s more good stuff from the CSC ride this past weekend.

We all met at the plant at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, and we had a nice turnout…Steve, Twin Peaks Steve, Bill, Duane, Bruce, and yours truly.    And I have to tell you…it was cold!   It was overcast, too (as in “it might rain cats and dogs any second”), but that wasn’t about to stop us.

Here’s a shot of Twin Peaks Steve and Bill at the plant before we left…you can tell these boys know they are going to have a good time!

Twin Peaks Steve rides that black Bobber, and I am still convinced it’s one of the prettiest bikes we’ve ever built.   And Bill (he owns two CSC motorcycles), well, he was not about to be outdone.   Bill crafted this custom cooler on the back of his bike…

When I first saw Bill’s creation, my mind jumped back to Bill Murar’s Lake Erie Loop CSC endurance bike.   I thought that keg was an auxiliary fuel tank.   I sure was surprised when Bill opened it!

Bill, that is an amazing piece of craftsmanship, and for all you blog readers out there, no…we are not thinking of offering it in the CSC accessory catalog.   You’ll have to contact Bill directly if you want one for your bike!

We hit the road right as soon as everyone arrived at the plant, and we took Highway 39 into Azusa Canyon.    Steve led the group, and then he pulled over for a few seconds…

I jumped into the lead spot after that stop, and I shot a bit of video with my trusty helmet-mounted Midland video camera…

Like I said, I was in the lead spot, and it’s why you don’t see any CSC motorcycles in front of me in the video above.

I sure like the way that Midland video camera works.  I now own both the Midland and the Go Pro video cams, and I like the Midland better.   It mounts on the side of my carbon fiber helmet, and it’s a lot easier to turn on and off.  It’s also a lot easier to know from the feel of the switch when it’s on.   The Go Pro, quite frankly, is a bit of a pain to operate when it’s on a helmet.   My good buddy Simon Gandolfi had the same problem with his when we rode the CSC motorcycles in Baja.   The Go Pro is a decent camera, but I think the Midland is better.

Anyway, back to the story…

Our next stop was Camp Williams along the East Fork Road for a cup of Joe.   It was cold, and that coffee hit the spot.   The guy that runs that place is an old Harley rider, and he always jazzes us when we stop in.   Sunday was no exception.   “What happened…was there an escape from the Old Folks Home?” he asked as we pulled into the parking lot.   We were all, as the saying goes, men of a certain age…

We traded war stories over our coffees and hot chocolates, and then we were back on the road again.   Here’s another video of the boys charging up the hills…

I sure like being in the last guy in the formation.   It’s fun watching the bikes in front of me lean left, lean right, lean left again…well, you get the idea.   Even though it was cold, we were having a great time.

When we arrived at the crest (where Glendora Ridge Road starts), we stopped to talk to some of the other riders.   As always, and no matter what other folks were riding, the CSC motorcycles were the main attraction.    It’s a feeling I’ve never felt bad about…I enjoy riding something that other riders admire.

And make no mistake…this spot is the spot to be on a Sunday morning up in the San Gabriels!   There were lots of other bikes there, but the CSC motorcycles were the center of attention…

We hung out at this gathering spot for a while, talking to the other riders and to each other, taking pictures, and doing the kinds of things boys do when out for a motorcycle ride on a Sunday morning.   Good times, folks…there’s just nothing like riding a motorcycle in the mountains.   We sure are lucky having these kinds of roads right in our back yard.

I got in one of my reflective moods while we were up there (reflective from a photography perspective, that is).   You saw one of these shots in an earlier blog entry, but I like it so much I’m going to include it (along with another) here once more…

That’s Duane with me in the photo above…and here’s another with me and a couple of the guys reflected in Twin Peaks Steve’s Bobber…

My good buddy Bruce had his magical shades on again, and I just had to get a selfie using Bruce as my mirror!

After that, we rode Glendora Ridge Road into Mt. Baldy Village for a dynamite lunch at the Lodge.   More great conversation, another sampling of fine motorcycle road cuisine, and then it was back down the mountain as we headed for home.

The sun was just starting to come out as we went home, and that, as they say, was a wrap.  Another great day and another great ride.

Folks, we know you’re having as much fun on your CSC motorcycles as we are on ours.    Keep those photos and stories of your rides coming, and we’ll publish them right here on the blog!

Ride safe, my friends…