CSC Blog

No, I’m not referring to the latest mindless reality TV show that made the rounds a while back (and yes, I know the phrase “mindless reality TV show” is redundant)…

I’m actually out here at the Jersey shore today…on another secret mission with Susie and we stopped to visit my sister Eileen (and no, I’m not referring to the play of the same name…I actually have a sister named Eileen)…

Cool stuff…the weather’s not too bad, but the pollen count is through the roof and anybody who ever had hayfever (and that’s me) is feeling its effects.   It’s okay, though.  I’m having good time…not the least of which was stopping in at a bookstore and finding our story with Wheelie Nelson in this month’s issue of Motorcycle Classics on the stands…

There’s something undeniably cool about seeing an article you wrote on your favorite subject and your favorite motorcycle company in your favorite motorcycle magazine actually on the stands…

That’s it for today, boys and girls…we’re going for out for a great Italian dinner tonight, and trust me on this, no one has better Italian food than New Jersey…not even Italy.   I know because I’ve been to both places.   Rome has all the statues.   New Jersey has all the great chefs.

I’ll be back in the saddle (that is to say, So Cal and my CSC motorcycle) tomorrow evening, so watch for more good stuff right here on the CSC blog.

Here’s another one I wanted to sneak into the blog before heading out the door…it’s a photo that’s making the rounds on Facebook….

Can you spot the KLR 650 in this photo?

I don’t know if those are our boys (the vehicle doesn’t look familiar to me), but I know our Marines use a specially-modified version of the Kawasaki KLR as a recon vehicle.   There’s an outfit in Hesperia that makes the conversions (that’s not too far from us), and in the process they install a diesel 650 engine instead of the KLR’s gasoline engine.  Our military doesn’t like to use gasoline for anything.   From a logistical perspective it’s easier to run everything on diesel…even motorcycles.    And, gasoline catches fire too easily.   Our military likes using diesel fuel because it is tough to light off.   I used to work in the bomb business, and designing a munition that can start a fire when it hits diesel fuel requires adding zirconium to the explosive.    Interesting stuff.

Speaking of which, here’s a YouTube video on the Marine KLR…

From what I’ve read about that USMC diesel KLR, I understand it can climb walls even at idle (diesel engines have tons of torque).   We won’t be adding a diesel to the CSC line any time soon (as in probably never), but it’s cool stuff to think about.

Two Mustangs and a CSC motorcycle…can you see the heritage?

Lots more coming up, folks…including more info on vintage Mustangs.   I’m “wheels in the well” tomorrow on another secret mission, so it may be a day or two before I can post again…or it may not be.   We’ll see what kind of Internet access I have!

Hey, did you know that we are coming up on our 1000th blog post?   We’ll probably hit that milestone this month or next, so stay tuned!

Steve and the crew have a couple of really cool Sarge P-51 bikes in production this week…one headed for Texas and the other for Colorado.   We’ll post photos when the bikes are done, but I wanted to share a sneak peak with you…the Colorado bike has the OD treatment applied to the wire wheels, too, and it really works…

Before I went out to the plant, I dropped by the rifle range early today.  I’m trying different loads in my old Russian rifle and I’m setting another one up for a friend.   One load really worked well…

You don’t get groups like that too often.   It’s especially cool when you can do it with an 84-year-old rifle manufactured in 1930!

My $37 Casio Dive Watch

And speaking of stuff made in 1930, my friend Jack was out at the rifle range this morning celebrating his 84th birthday!  Yep, he was made in 1930, too!

Jack’s buddy Ray was helping him a bit, and Ray asked if I wanted a brownie.  It wasn’t exactly a question I was expecting early in the morning on the rifle range, and while I was pondering it, Ray said, “Hey, I like your watch!”

Funny how things work out.   The watch is a Casio diver’s watch I’ve been considering for a long time, and when Amazon put it on sale for just $37, I pulled the trigger.  That was last week.   I’ve been wearing it ever since, and Ray noticed it this morning.

It turns out Ray’s a watch guy.  I am too, but I think Ray’s collection is a lot more advanced than mine.   Ray showed me his watch (a real unique thing made in Russia).   I should have probably grabbed a photo of it, but I didn’t think of it until now and I didn’t have my camera with me at the time.

There were a bunch of us geezers on the range this morning, and that’s kind of a cool thing.  On a Tuesday morning, the folks who are out there are mostly retirees, and some of those old boys have some pretty nice guns and some pretty good stories.   I like hanging around those old guys and hearing their stories.   They’re good people.

Anyway, Ray, Jack, and yours truly celebrated Jack’s 84 years on this planet this morning with brownies and coffee, and it was great.

That’s it for now, folks.   Stayed tuned…we’ll have more coming at you!

That might be one title…another might be When Roll Bars Matter. Folks, this is a second video my good buddy Marty forwarded to me, and I immediately thought you might like seeing it, too…

Wow. Cool stuff to watch, but no way I would ever attempt something like this.

Keep the shiny side up, my friends.

Happy May, boys and girls.    We’ve been hearing about the horrible weather in the Southeast and we hope all of our friends out there are safe.   It’s been hot here (as in 95 degrees), and our fire season has already started with the big fire out in Cucamonga (the next town over).   When we get these mega forest fires, you can smell it miles away.   Hopefully our firefighters will get it under control in the next day or so.

So, about the steaming video…it’s actually a video about the world’s first steam-powered motorcycle…

No, we’re not coming out with a steam-powered Mustang any time soon.    It’s an interesting video, and my thanks to my good buddy Marty for sending it to me.

Ride safe, folks!

Imagine my surprise at seeing this drink at Taco Bell….

Who knew?    Those Mountain Dew folks copied the name I’ve given to my very own super scooter, the Baja Blaster…

I christened my bike with that name after running with the crew all the way down to Cabo and back.   What a trip that one was!   And that marker above?   It marks the Tropic of Cancer, just north of La Paz.   In case you missed the story about our Baja run, you can read about it right here.

So, the rest of today’s blog title…the Book of Mormon.   Allow me a moment to go into my Siskel and Ebert mode.   I ordinarily wouldn’t do this here on the blog, but this play was such an abomination I believe warning folks about it amounts to a public service announcement.   It’s a play that’s been getting rave reviews, and after having seen it yesterday, I’m convinced that the reviewers are demented sheep following the lead of other even more demented and depraved sheep.   If you have any thoughts of seeing it at all, please take a hard look at what’s in this thing before shelling over your hard-earned cash.   The bottom line?   It’s the worst play I’ve ever seen.  It’s an insult to Mormons and anyone else with any brains at all.   Pure filth, and not worthy of anyone’s time.   How something like this passes for entertainment is beyond me.   If you’re tempted to see this bit of garbage, flush your ticket money down the toilet and save the cost of the gasoline you’d use getting there.  Okay, rant over…

Back to the good stuff….more riding and writing coming up…so keep an eye on the blog!

Check out this nice note TK received from our good buddy Carol…

Hi TK.

I just want to thank you again for going above and beyond for me.  My experience ordering a bike from you was excellent.

Attached is a picture of “Ruby” next to my Mazda “half cage” : ). I am so happy with Ruby. We fit each other perfectly.

Ruby is my first motorcycle. My husband and I recently took the MSF course and got our licenses.   Motorcycling is our newest adventure together.  Richard (my husband) has two bikes, a 1982 Honda Silverwing that he wants to restore, and a 2009 Honda Shadow Aero (pictures attached).

I started out practicing on the Shadow but found it  to be too much bike for me. Ruby is perfect. Light, not at all intimidating and very easy to ride.  Not to mention way cool : ).  We’re going to enjoy all sorts of riding adventures now.

Thanks again and you’ll probably be hearing from me very soon. Ruby needs some accessories.

Carol

Thanks for sending your kind words and photos to us, Carol.

Ride safe and enjoy your new motorcycle!

So I’m relaxing here at home watching American Pickers.   Mike and Frank are digging up a buried Indian motorcycle in Springfield, Massachusetts, and it’s one of the best episodes I’ve seen so far.   As I’m watching this, I’m thinking to myself…this is good stuff.   How could life possibly get any better?

Well, I have an answer for that….the postman just dropped off my new edition of Motorcycle Classics magazine!   And every time I get a new one, I wonder:  How could they possibly make this issue better than the last one?    I think that every time I get a new issue, and every time, Landon and the boys in Kansas out do themselves.   Well done, guys!   And you know what….check out what’s on the last page as their “Parting Shots” story!

This is good stuff, folks….

If you want to see vintage Mustangs, CSC is the place to be.  And if you want the 21st century version of these iconic bikes, CSC is the right ride.   And if you want to receive the world’s best motorcycle magazine written by and for guys and gals like us, Motorcycle Classics is your magazine (and you can subscribe right here)!

Ride safe, my friends….and no wheelies!

Just a few…I was clearing off some of the stuff I’ve grabbed with my iPhone and I thought I’d put a few of them on the blog.   The iPhone is definitely not a Nikon digital single lens reflex camera, but it’s better than not having a camera at all.  I’ve been reading a bit about the new Samsung phone (it’s supposed to have a really great camera and unlike the iPhone, it’s waterproof).   I may upgrade to the Samsung, but in the meantime, here a few recent phone photos.

These first two photos are of a 2014 Corvette I saw on my way into work today.   I just haven’t seen that many new Vettes on the road since the ’14 model change, and this morning I saw two!   After I recovered from that, I grabbed these two pics…

You might wonder why there appears to be several superimposed images in those two photos above (especially in that second one on the freeway).   Well, it’s because there actually are three superimposed images in each photo.   I had the iPhone camera in the HDR mode (that stands for high dynamic range), which basically takes three photos in rapid succession each time you press the shutter button.   The idea is that one is overexposed, one is underexposed, and the third is supposed to be just right.   If you’re holding the camera still, there’s not much movement and all three images are right on top of each other.   The camera then kind of blends them together to get the entire photo properly exposed.   The problem here is that I wasn’t holding the camera still…I was holding it with one hand while the Subie was bouncing along.   It grabbed three photos all right, but there was enough camera movement that it couldn’t superimpose them.   It’s an interesting effect.

You know, that blue color really works on the new Vette.  The other one was a metallic maroon, and it wasn’t nearly as attractive.   The blue Vette had black mag wheels and red brake calibers, and the whole affair looked very business like.   I thought it looked great.

Here’s another photo I grabbed when I was the airport this weekend.   It’s a Kawi police cruiser that’s most likely been purchased at auction by a civilian after the police ran the wheels off the thing.   These are pretty cool bikes.  They’re tough as nails, not terribly comfortable, but generally in very good condition because the police pay good money to keep them in perfect condition (your tax dollars at work, I guess).  I’ve toyed with the idea of getting one of these bikes myself and maybe painting one dark metallic blue with gray and orange pinstripes, but I have too many other projects underway right now.  Maybe someday, but not any time soon.

My friend Bob rides a police Beemer, and he left it in the black-and-white paint scheme the motor officers use.   I’ll tell you, that comes in handy.   When you pull up behind some dufus running 55 mph in the fast lane, they move over pretty quickly.

Here’s another iPhone photo…a cool VW painted a flat OD green color.   I spotted this one last week…

I like that OD green color.   One of my all time favorite CSC motorcycles is the Sarge.   The color just works.   Maybe it’s my Army background, but I really like it.

And one last photo…I was in a very small town in Missouri last month, complete with a county courthouse…

That photo above has been tweaked a bit in Photoshop, and I like the way it looks.  The town is Maryville (it’s about 80 miles northwest of Kansas City), and if you ever find yourself out there, you’ll see a little Thai restaurant right behind where I was standing when I snapped this photo.   You can’t miss it; it’s right across the street from the courthouse, and it’s special.   It’s the best Thai food I’ve had this side of Bangkok.   Trust me on this…you won’t be disappointed, and you can’t get the restaurant wrong…it’s the only Thai place in Maryville.

Like I said, the iPhone does okay.   It’s no Nikon, but it’s better than not having a camera.   But I am going to check out the new Samsung phone, and if I pull the trigger on that one, I’ll let you know about it.