Chasing the sun…

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Two guys headed to a hair-styling convention in Guangzhou…

After doing exactly that (i.e., chasing the sun, headed west out of LAX) for exactly 14 hours and 3 minutes, Joe Gresh and yours truly landed in Guangzhou yesterday just as the sun was setting.   It was a good flight…for whatever reason, we were bumped up to premium economy (which is about the same as flying first class on a US airline), and that made all that time hurtling west in a tiny tin tube a touch more tolerable.

So it’s 2:00 a.m. over here, and I’m wide awake.  That always happens on these secret missions to the other side of the world.   It takes a day or two for my bioclock to adjust.

There’s no riding in Guangzhou for us (or anyone else, for that matter…motorcycles and scooters are outlawed in this little town of 13.8 million people).   I’ve been to this city several times on prior projects, but we really didn’t see any of GZ yesterday.   The two Zongshen dudes who picked us up at the airport told us we’re meeting with the Guangdong RX3 Owners Club tomorrow (Guangdong is the province, or state, of which Guangzhou is the capital).   That should be fun.  An added benefit:  We’re going to see Lester, Kong, and Zuo, who rode with us on the Western America Adventure Ride.

We’ll fly to Chongqing (where our ride originates) the day after tomorrow (which is already tomorrow for us, if you can follow that).

Later, my friends…or as they say in China, bye-bye (no kidding, that’s Mandarin for goodbye)!

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Duane’s CSC 250 Mustang is on the block…

Our good buddy Duane (whom you’ve seen grace these pages over the last year or so) is really enjoying his RX3.   Duane wants to get a TT250, too, which means something has to go.   Yep, Duane is selling his CSC 250 Mustang…

Duane’s bike is about as loaded as a CSC 250 can get….wire wheels, luggage, rack, custom two-tone paint, spotlights, chrome goodies, and more.  That’s not Duane in the photo above; that’s a guy on a Harley who was so fascinated with the little Mustang he wanted me to get a photo of him on it!

If you’re looking for one of our classic Mustangs, you won’t find a finer example.   Give us a call at 909 445 0900 if you want to get in touch with Duane.

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New RX3 accessories

Wow, do we have a bunch of cool new things to bring your way!   Grab a cup of coffee and peruse these cool new farkles for your favorite motorcycle!  These items are machined billet aluminum or laser cut aluminum sheet stock, and they’re anodized in either black or a silver finish.   They do look good!

First, a billet sidestand pad for $54.95.  This is just the thing for parking your RX3 in soft soil conditions!

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Next up is our rear brake caliper guard for $28.95.

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We have the same for the front brake caliper for $24.95.

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Check out our new rear brake master cylinder cover for $26.95.

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We also have side radiator covers for $65.95 (for the pair).   These are cool.  They have the CSC logo cut into the aluminum.

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Here’s something that’s really cool.  You can get an RX3 headlight guard, complete with the CSC logo, for $119.95.

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And the last accessory I’ll share with you today (you might have noticed these in one of the photos above) is our new steel RX3 footpegs.   They are $99.95 for the pair.

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You can place your order for these now, and we’re expecting them in within the next 45 to 60 days.  These are so new they aren’t even on our CSC website yet (they will be in a couple of days).   You can pre-order these by calling us at 909 445 0900.

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MO picked up our press release…

…on the upcoming China trip.

http://blog.motorcycle.com/2016/06/21/manufacturers/csc-manufacturers/csc-goes-ride-around-china/

There’s a comments section…you might want to weigh in with your thoughts!

Thanks, folks.

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William’s cool RX3 video…

Our good buddy William posted a fantastic video about a trip through Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.   Take a look at this, folks!

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Be happy in your work…

…and I sure am.  Imagine that, getting paid to ride a motorcycle around China!  And hey, that’s not all.  Just as I did for the Western America Adventure Ride and the very-capably-led Colombia moto expedition (with a tip of my helmet to my good buddies Juan and Carlos), I’m going to write a book about the upcoming China adventure!

First-6x9-ALithosI’ve got good news, and I’ve got more good news:

  • Riding China will be available by the end of August.   Our China adventure is 37 days long, I’ll write the book as the trip progresses, I’ll return to the US around 8 August, and I’ll wrap it up when I get home.  You can bet it will contain great stories and awesome photos just like 5000 Miles at 8000 RPM and Moto Colombia! (don’t take my word for it, though…check out the reviews on Amazon.com and on the Internet forums).
  • You can preorder Riding China now through CSC, and we’re running a couple of “Don’t Miss The Book” specials I want to tell you about.   Riding China will retail for $22.95; if you preorder it now we’ll ship an autographed copy to you for just $15.95 (plus shipping) at the end of August.
  • Here’s the second of our “Don’t Miss The Book” specials:  We’re doing a Chronicles of CSC:  The Trilogy special…you’ll get 5000 Miles at 8000 RPM, Moto Colombia!, and Riding China (all autographed) for just $39.95 (plus shipping)!   That’s like getting the Riding China book for free!   All three books will ship to you as soon as Riding China goes to print, which will be the end of August.

Both of our “Don’t Miss The Book” specials are good only until our China ride ends!  We’ll have a link on our site for these specials in the next couple of days, or you can phone your order in by calling us now at 909 445 0900.

Two more days, folks, and then it’s wheels in the wells and I’m bound for China.  Woohoo!

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Our Father’s Day Sale…

…and it’s good to the end of the month!

FathersDaySale

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RC3 Fork Maintenance Tutorial

This maintenance tutorial addresses RC3 fork maintenance.

Lift the front end of the motorcycle and remove the front wheel and tire in accordance with the front wheel removal tutorial.

Remove the four Allen bolts securing the front fender and remove the front fender.

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Loosen (but do not remove) the two Allen pinch bolts on the upper triple tee.

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Loosen (but do not remove) the Allen bolt securing the fork top clamp.

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While holding the fork, loosen (but do not remove) the lower triple tee Allen pinch bolts.  When both are loose, the fork will be free to fall, so make sure you are holding it as these bolts are loosened.

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Carefully slide the fork from the triple tees, taking care not to scratch the front fork anodizing.

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Using a small screwdriver, gently pry the lower fork seal away from the fork upper, taking care not to scratch or gouge the fork upper.

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Fully unscrew the damping adjuster until it can no longer be turned.

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Unscrew the front fork cap assembly.  We use a rag over the aluminum hex head and a socket one size larger to avoid marring the cap assembly.

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The fork contains oil, and when you remove the cap assembly, tilting the fork down will allow the oil to drain.  Drain the oil into a receptacle.

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Next unscrew the fork cap assembly from the fork internal rod.   This is made challenging by the fork spring and the lock nut arrangement securing the fork internal rod to the fork cap assembly.

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After unscrewing the fork cap assembly, remove the fork spring.

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Remove the inner clip securing the lower fork seal.

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At this point, the fork lower can be removed from the fork upper.  Drain any remaining oil in the fork lower.

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Inspect the condition of the seals, the spring, the fork lower plated surfaces, and the bushings.  If any parts are damaged, please contact CSC for replacements at 909 445 0900.

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The fork capacity is 270cc of fork oil.  We generally use 10W fork oil when replacing the fork oil.   Please contact CSC at 909 445 0900 if you need fork oil.

Assembly is the reverse of disassembly.   Torque all fasteners in accordance with the torque table in the CSC RC3 Owner’s and Service Manual.  Torque the fork cap assembly to 35 ft-lbs, but do so after the upper and lower triple tees (but not the fork top clamp) pinch bolts have been tightened.   Torque the fork top clamp pinch bolts after torqueing the fork cap assembly.

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RC3 Front Wheel Removal Maintenance Tutorial

This maintenance tutorial addresses removal of the RC3 front wheel.

Lift the front end of the motorcycle as addressed in the motorcycle lifting maintenance tutorial.

Remove the bolts restraining the front brake caliper.

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Loosen (but do not remove yet) the front axle bolt.

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Loosen (but do not remove) the Allen pinch bolts at the bottom of the fork legs (there are two on each fork).

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Remove the front axle nut on the left side of the motorcycle and pull the axle out to the right.

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Note that there are two bushings (one of each side of the front wheel) between the front wheel and each front fork.

Remove the front wheel.

Reassembly is the reverse of disassembly.  Torque all fasteners in accordance with the torque table provided in the RC3 Owner’s and Service Manual.

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Iron Butt Rob!

Folks, check this out!   Our good buddy Rob Morel just completed an Iron Butt run on his CSC RX3!

Hi Joe.

I rode  my RX3 on  an Iron Butt 1000 this weekend. Its 1000 miles in under 24 hours and you have to document start, stop time, all gas stops with receipts to prove you actually did it. Took just under 20 hours to complete. 11 gas stops. Burned thru  23.111  gallons of gas for 1055 miles for an average of 45.65  mpg costing $57.90.

What amazed me was the flogging the motor took. I literally rode it full throttle at 65-70mph on the GPS for 70-80% of the trip going up and down interstate hills where the speed limit was 70 and 80 mph in Oregon and Idaho. The motor seemed to take it all in a stride.   Judicious use of the gear box to keep it above 6500 rpm was needed to get over mountain passes and curvy hills in 4th and 5th. Never had to run it above 8000 rpm. On a long down hill I held it wide open to gain speed to get up the next hill and 75mph GPS was attained. Usually ran from 65-70mph on the GPS with 80 mph cars passing me like flies on the way to the milk barn.

Gearing was 2 teeth up from standard on the rear sprocket. Stock gearing would have been fine.

Oil was the CSC 20-50 premium synthetic.

I used  one of the nice gel seats you guys sell.  Rear held out pretty good till temps got hot and sweaty, then what’s a fella to do?

Ran the lowest grade of gas first 500 miles then switched to middle grade and it gained me 2-3 mph and more power to get over the hills so I didn’t need to downshift as much. 

The bike never once gave me trouble or left me wondering if I would make it home.

It impressed the Harley, Indian, and Victory guys I started out with. They soon left me with their higher top speed so I was riding solo most of the 20 hours it took to complete. I made it to the last fill up to certify the end of the ride maybe 15 min after they finished.

I have around 9300 miles on the bike now.

While not the best choice for Iron Butting, the RX3 showed that it can on play with the big boys and finish what it starts.

Have a great trip around China, Joe.

As for me, where’s my Tylenol?

Rob

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Rob, that’s impressive riding, and we are all very proud of you.  Thanks very much for sharing this tremendous accomplishment with us!

Folks, I first met Rob on the Western America Adventure Ride, during which Rob met us in Idaho and then rode along with the group for the next several days.   Rob impressed me greatly the first time I saw him.   I was leading our group north on the road into Cambridge, Idaho, where Rob had told me (via email) he would hook up with us.   It was early in the morning and I was in my normal funky mood after trying to get everybody moving on time (without a lot of success).  I did not yet know Rob, but I had corresponded with him and he told me he would be in Cambridge.  I remember thinking we’d have another delay as I tried to find this guy, but that wasn’t the case at all.   Rob had parked his RX3 at the edge of the road and he was sitting in a lawn chair, watching and waiting for our arrival.  When I first saw him, he was getting out of the lawn chair to start his bike so he could fall into formation with no delay.   My kind of guy, Rob is.

Here’s a photo I took of Rob that fine morning in Idaho…

Good times, good people, and grand adventures…it’s what riding CSC and the Cult of the Zong is all about, folks!

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