CSC Blog

We thought the story about the twins (Jerry and Larry) was so cool we issued a press release on it…and here it is…

http://www.prlog.org/12224314-csc-motorcycles-sells-twin-bikes-to-twin-brothers.html

And folks, don’t forget about our company riding coming up this next Friday…we hope to see you there!

First things first…our next company ride will be on October 18th.  That’s a Friday, and we’ll be leaving from the plant at 9:00 a.m.   It will be about a 50-miler, folks, with most of that up in the San Gabriel Mountains’ legendary twisties.   Yep, you can put yourself in the photo below…

October 18th, folks....or you can show up early for breakfast, too!

I love that photo…it perfectly captures what it’s like to be on a California Scooter carving canyons up in the San Gabriels. I’d like to see you in that photo, and I’ve got the Nikon to do it.  Steve will be there, and so will I.  We want you there, too!

My amigo Marty and me...in my skinny days

I had a real nice day today.  My buddy Marty and I bopped around a bit and hit some great places.   You may remember Marty…I’ve sure talked about our rides on the blog a lot.    We’ve been riding together for about a dozen years, and we’ve had some great ones.   Some of the rides were international, too….from here to Mexico, from here to Canada, from Canada to Mexico…you get the idea.   Awesome fun.  We were in the car today so we had plenty of time to talk, and we relived some of the adventures.   Just awesome stuff.  

Some of those rides I did on unlikely bikes, too…real hardcore sports bikes (tough on the wrists and the back).   One time we ran way down into Mexico and I was on a Suzuki TL1000S (I bought that bike from Steve’s brother Ron).   That was a fun ride…one stretch of two-lane road in Baja’s coastal plains runs straight and level for 25 miles before arriving in Guerrero Negro.  I ran that stretch at 145 mph (don’t try that at home, boys and girls).   What I hadn’t counted on was the TL’s tremendous thirst…it ran out of fuel about two miles before we got to the next fuel stop.   Or maybe I had counted on it…I had a one-gallon gas container strapped to the rear seat, and it sure came in handy that day.

Our first stop today was the stock factory out in the Valley (I mentioned it a blog or two down).   It’s an interesting facility.   I bought my barreled action in so that the nice young lady there could make sure the barrel channel is the right size.  The stock is a select piece of English walnut, and I’m having it made with an ebony forearm tip and an ebony pistol grip cap.   I’ve got to wait another month for them to rough inlet it, fit the ebony pieces and the recoil pad, and then I get to start my work.   It’s going to be awesome.

English walnut, a Howa barreled action in 375 Ruger, and the makings of a masterpiece

Our next stop was at a gunsmith…we had dropped off three handguns there about three weeks ago.   That didn’t go so well.  Like you, I don’t much care for late work or sloppy work.   One gun wasn’t ready, one was, and a third was the bungled effort of a guy calling himself a gunsmith who was a ham-fisted fool.   You can bet I let my feelings be known.  We took all of our toys and left.  Win some…lose some.  Some days you get the bear…and some days the bear gets you.    You’ll never see that kind of work on a CSC product.

After the gunsmith debacle (and trust me on this, I use the word “gunsmith” loosely here), we went to lunch.   We went to a wonderful Italian restaurant…di Pilla’s in Rosemead, a favorite of mine for over 25 years.   Like always, it was a real treat.   Eggplant parmigiani, a pasta side, their pizza-dough bread…wow, I gotta look at the photo of the skinny me above and slow down.  It sure was good, though.

After lunch we rolled over to the CSC plant.   We had a great visit with the crew and looked at the new CSC bikes being built in the manufacturing area.   Awesome stuff, folks.   Steve said we’re getting a lot of calls and sales from folks visiting our website on the Internet.   We’ve made a lot of changes and upgrades to our California Scooter Company website.  If you haven’t visited it recently, please give us a click on www.CSCMotorcycles.com.   You’ll like it.

And, of course, there’s the good news about the next CSC factory ride.   Steve asked me to set up the next ride for the 18th, and that’s what’s going to happen.   I’m excited and I’m looking forward to it.  It’s always fun.  We love getting together with our riders and we love riding.   I hope every one of you can make it on this next adventure. 

We all remember it…that first taste of freedom…our first motorcycle, like our good friend John told us about a while back…

Our good buddy John on his first motorcycle

The Boss sent an interesting article to me from America Online…they are publishing inputs from their readers on their first cars.   What an interesting concept!   It’s sure interesting to us…and we have an even cooler idea:  Let’s do the same thing about your first motorcycle! 

If you could, send us a short story on your first motorcycle (you can send it to us at info@cscmotorcycles.com).    If you have a photo, that’s cool (you can send us the photo…we’ll scan it and send it back to you, or if you have it in digital form just email it to us).  Send us a short story about your first motorcycle and we’ll put it on the blog.   If you can’t find a photo don’t worry about it…I’ll find one for you.  

This should be interesting and we are looking forward to your inputs!

Here’s a quick iPhone photo of the Baja Blaster.   I rode for a bit this evening while we still had a little light.   It’s cooling off in California…we’re well into Fall and it feels good.

The Baja Blaster below the San Antonio Dam

There’s just something about getting your knees in the breeze in the early evening…or any other time, now that I think of it…

I had a fun ride…wishing the same to you!

The good folks at Motorcycle Classics magazine posted a Facebook link to the story Jimbo Cavanaugh and I wrote on Mustang motorcycles last year…it’s always fun seeing that article publicized again.   It’s an interesting addition to the literature on the story of Mustang motorcycles.  I love old stuff and writing that story about Mustangs was a hoot.

My good buddy Bill, who lives about five houses away, is making a nice living as a retiree restoring Honda 750 Fours.   He mostly restores the KO models, which were the first year bikes with the sand cast cases and front brakes.

Bill recently completed restoration on a really gorgeous 750 Four in the green and gold color Honda had when then bike first came on the market in 1969 (about 5 years after Mustang stopped production).    Bill told me that bike sold on Ebay a couple of weeks ago for $16,016 dollars.  Wowee!

When I bought my 750 Four brand new in 1971, I paid $1559 for it.  It makes you wonder what a California Scooter will be worth in another 30 or 40 years.  I’m convinced these bikes are going to be collectibles.   Can you imagine what the twins’ two matching P-51 motorcycles might go for in, say, 2044?

We still have a little light left here on the West Coast and I think I’m going to fire up my future collectible (the Baja Blaster) and go for a putt around the neighborhood.

Tomorrow is going to be a fun day.  My buddy Marty and I are taking a ride out to Sun Valley to visit a stock making company (as in rifle stocks).   I bought a barreled action a couple of weeks ago (that’s a rifle without the stock), and I’m making a custom stock for it.   Actually, our trip tomorrow will be a second visit to the stock maker…we were out there to pick out the blank last week, and I selected a real pretty piece of English walnut with dark streaks that run the length of the stock.   When I pick it up tomorrow, the real work for me begins…the inletting, fitting, and finishing.  It’s going to be good, and I’ll post a photo of it when I’m done.

That’s it for now…I’m going for a motorcycle ride!

Ride safe and I’ll post again soon…

So today was the big day….it’s the day Larry and Jerry (the twins) were to take delivery of their matching P-51 motorcycles.  I had been thinking about this day for a month…ever since TK told me he not only sold two bikes at the same time, but he sold them to identical twins.  I knew the photo ops would be fantastic and I was excited.

When I arrived at the plant I didn’t see the two bikes parked out front.   Hmmm, that’s odd, I thought.  If the guys were taking delivery today, those bikes should be parked in front of our new showroom.  I walked into the plant…

“Oh, hey, Joe, how’s it going?” Steve asked.

“Where are the twins’ bikes?” I answered.  I had only one thing on my mind.

“Oh,” said Steve, sounding disappointed.  “You didn’t get the email I sent to you?”

Uh oh, I thought.  This was not sounding good.

“They were already here,” Steve said.  “You missed them.”

I couldn’t believe it.   I was shocked.   Steve let those bikes get out of the plant without me getting photos for the blog.   I was dumbfounded.

Then I saw it.  That grin he gets when he knows he’s gotten to you.

“Good one, Boss,”  I said.   “You got me.”

“Take a look at this letter TK received from the twins,” Steve said.

I did.  It’s the one you see in the blog entry below.   Just as I was finishing up the blog about that letter, literally, I looked out the front window and I saw a couple getting out of a pickup truck.  They looked to be about the right age.  Wowee, it was starting!

I went outside.   “Are you one of the twins?” I asked.

“I am,” said Larry.  Or maybe it was Jerry.  I couldn’t tell them apart once Jerry arrived, which was just a minute or two later.

Folks, I could talk (and write) about this morning all week long…but hey, just take a look at these awesome photos of Larry and Jerry…

Our good buddies Larry and Jerry

Larry and Jerry were awesome, as were their wives Ruth Ann and Thelma.  Their story is well told in the letter they had sent to TK (included in the blog entry below), so there’s not too much I can add to it.   It was just awesome being a part of this and being there to capture it with my camera.

The twins checking out their new P-51 motorcycles for the first time

Steve went over all the details on the bikes with Larry and Jerry, and I caught a photo of that, too.  Larry touched the starter on his P-51, and it fired instantly.  Jerry touched his starter and that bike also caught instantly.  I kicked myself for not bringing my video camera.  It was an impressive scene.

A preflight briefing by the Boss

“Could we run the bikes around your parking lot?” asked Larry (or maybe it was Jerry…these guys are literally identical twins).

“You bet,” said Steve.

A first ride

The twins' bikes are identical from the saddlebags to the red-tinted windshields

After Larry and Jerry parked their bikes Steve told them a bit more about the P-51’s handling characteristics, maintenance, and other attributes.   The photo ops were just incredible.   How often do you get to see things like this?

Good inputs from Steve Seidner, CEO of CSC Motorcycles...the twins were all smiles!

After the ride, Steve and Lupe helped Larry and Jerry load their new P-51 motorcycles in their pickup trucks.  The twins kept up a running banter that was fun to listen to.   You can imagine…they’ve been doing this for 70 years!   “I got 22.4 miles per gallon in my pickup on the drive down here,” said one.  “I got 23 in mine,” said the other, not missing a beat.  It was fun being in the presence of such great guys.

If you’ve read the blog below (Larry and Jerry’s letter to TK), you’ll understand the license plate frame in this photo…

Truer words never graced a license plate frame!

Dreams do come true, folks.   I know.  I saw it firsthand this morning!

Steve, thanks for a great morning (even though you nearly made my heart stop with that line about having missed all of this!).   Lupe and the rest of the folks in the factory, thanks for a super job in crafting these two motorcycle masterpieces.   TK, thanks for making a great sale.  And Larry and Jerry, thanks for being CSC riders!

What a story!   I think this was the most fun morning I’ve had in a long time!

Ride safe, my friends…

Folks, this is an awesome letter…and a prelude to the next blog entry….it comes to us from Jerry and Larry Lewis…

Twin Dreams Come True

After over 50 years, Jerry and Larry Lewis finally realized their dream.  The twins, born and raised in Walla Walla, Washington, started riding motor scooters of all types at around the age of 12 to 14.   The twins would take turns riding on the paper boy’s Cushman scooter as he rode up and down the sidewalks throwing papers.

Between the twins, since about 1958 or so they have owned 10 to 15 different types of motor scooters, motorcycles, bicycles or anything you could ride on.  About 1957 a family friend owned a Mustang motorcycle that spiked a great deal of excitement around town.  The twins have talked about the Mustang style of bike for years, never thinking they could own one some day.

After graduating from high school the twins left Walla Walla and went into the service.   Larry returned to Walla Walla, raised a family and continued to ride motorcycles.   Jerry returned to California, raised his family, and still rides.  Over the years, the twins always wanted to go into a motorcycle shop and buy two bikes just alike.  After looking at hundreds of bikes, there was always something in the way.  The twins never found two bikes just alike.

About two years ago Jerry heard about the California Scooter Company and liked what they had to offer.  As time passed they still held on to the dream.  In June 2013 Jerry, his wife, his daughter, and his grand daughter were on their way to Temecula, California, and they stopped in to visit CSC Motorcycles.   All of hurdles of the past came down and the dream came true.  The twins continued to talk regarding the Mustang style and decided to fill two dreams:  We finally get to own a Mustang type bike and they are just alike.   Since the greeting at the door by TK Bicicche we are blessed to deal with a team of employees who are as excited about the twin dream as Larry and I.

The two P-51 Classics will be picked up on October 1, 2013.  Larry and his wife Thelma are coming down to Azusa from Walla Walla, Washington and Jerry and his wife Ruth Ann are coming down from Elk Grove, California.  The twins will return to Elk Grove, where they will fulfill another part of the dream and go for a ride together through the foothills.   It’s never too late to dream…the twins will be 71 years old in November, 2013.

Thank you and God Bless, and a special thanks to CSC for building two dreams into one reality!

Jerry and Larry Lewis

*******************************

Folks, the twins just pulled into our parking lot to pick up their new CSC motorcycles!  I’ve got my camera ready, and this sure is exciting….watch for the photos on tomorrow’s blog!

San Diego.   We’ve always loved that town, and Susie and I spent the weekend down there.  In fact, we just got home a short while ago.   Earlier today we spent a half day aboard the USS Midway…and folks, if you ever visit San Diego, the USS Midway is a “must see” visit.  I can’t decide what was more awesome today…the weather, the ship itself, its size, the aircraft it carried, or the docents (all former Navy guys) who showed us around.   Very few words are needed from me, my friends…just take a look at these photos…

Susie on the Midway's 4-acre flight deck

Another view from the flight deck

The Midway was commissioned in 1945...several earlier aircraft were on display

A glorious day, the USS Midway, and a 12-24 wide angle lens with a polarizer...it doesn't get much better than this!

The Island...we climbed up top to see where air and navigation ops were conducted

An enormous flight deck...we were near the front of the ship for this shot

The view across the harbor...that's the USS Carl Vinson and the USS Ronald Reagan. Both are active duty carriers...and together they constitute one-fifth of the US carrier fleet!

You've gotta love that wide-angle lens!

One more view from the flight deck

The view from the Air Boss's seat

So that’s it for today, folks…we had a fun weekend and visiting the USS Midway was a special treat.   If you’re ever in San Diego, take a few hours for this special attraction.   Trust me on this…you’ll love it!

School starts up tomorrow at Cal Poly, so I most likely won’t post anything on Monday…but you never know, though, so check anyway!   Tuesday will be a very special day at CSC Motorcycles and you can bet I’ll have the photos to capture it.   Make sure you check the blog!

Ride safe and stay tuned!

I saw this on Facebook from our good buddy Kevin and I knew I had to share it with you…

Thanks for posting this video, Kevin!

Wow, there’s lots of cool stuff (and hot stuff, too) to share with you today.  For starters, the last of our project bikes sold this week….

As soon as Lupe finished polishing the bike above, the boys crated it up and put it on a truck headed to Michigan.  Cool stuff, and the project bikes were awesome deals for those who jumped on them.   As you’ll remember, the project bikes were the ones we used for engineering development projects.   The blue one that Lupe is detailing was our Euro project bike…it has features needed for European motorcycles.

Our regular bikes are awesome deals, too.   In fact, I’m firing Baja Blaster up as soon as I’m done with the blog this morning.   I’ve owned my CSC 150 for three years now and I still get excited about getting on it.   Maybe I’ll grab some video on this morning’s ride and share that with you later.

This week has certainly been exciting.  As you know, our new California Scooter plant is right at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains (one of our favorite riding areas).   If you’ve been watching the news, you know we get forest fires up there, and this year is no exception.   We had one this week that was a real Deusy.   I live 20 miles from the plant, and we knew about it late Monday evening because we could smell it in the night air.  By the next morning our California fire fighters had mostly beaten it down, but they were still working on the hot spots the next day.

All of the following shots are from the back of the California Scooter factory looking north…

That’s Azusa Canyon, exactly where we’ve ridden up to Glendora Ridge Road and many of our other favorite spots.

These next shots show the fire fighting planes and helicopters dropping water and fire retardant…

After grabbing the above photos I was about to leave when I noticed an ultra cool 1963 VW Notchback in the parking lot.   Over on the Pro-One side of the house we sell VW accessories and we get to see some pretty cool cars.   This one is one of the best…

The 1500 Notchback above is owned by Tommy.   I had a nice conversation with him.   Tommy bought the car from his son.   It looked pretty good to me.   I like old stuff and I like meeting the folks who enjoy using it.

Tommy’s car and the story behind it brought back some good memories for me.  I had a ’73 Beetle back in the day that my Dad drove when I went overseas in the Army.   Dad loved that car and he didn’t want to give it up when I got home (those little air-cooled VWs can get to you that way).   Tommy’s story of getting the VW from his son reminded me of my experience.

That’s it for now, folks.   The Baja Blaster beckons.   It’s time to get my knees in the breeze…