CSC Blog

You read that right! From now through December 31st, nearly all of our CSC chrome accessories are 50% off MSRP. Call TK for details at 800 884 4173 for details…but in the meantime, here are just a few examples:

• Chrome wire wheels (normally $359 each) are now just $180 each!
• Chrome spotlight kits (normally $250) are now just $125!
• Chrome engine guards (normally $219) are now just $110!

The sale is good through 31 December of this year, and if you order now, you’ll have your new accessories in time for Christmas!

An accessorized California Scooter Classic...there has never been a better time!

“The Show” is a tradition here in southern California, and I guess in other parts of the US as well. We’re going to be there this year with a bunch of California Scooters, and we’re going to offer a few killer show prices.  If you’re in the area and you want to ride home on a brand new California Scooter, you want to make this show!

The Show will be in the Long Beach Convention Center on December 7th, 8th, and 9th (that’s Friday through Sunday).  Plan to spend a day, as there’s a lot to see.   And you might want to bring a camera…photo ops abound!  I obviously don’t have any photos of the upcoming event yet, but I have plenty from past shows…here are a few going back a decade or more…enjoy!

That’s it for now…if you are able to make it to the show, please stop by our booth. I’ll grab a shot of you and you might just appear on the CSC blog!

Check this one out, folks…

I wish I could tell you I shot that photo, but I did not. I saw it on another site and wrote to the guy who did (my new buddy Dom Romer), and he graciously consented to me putting it on the CSC blog. Domromer is quite a photog….check out his site when you have a moment.

And just who is this adventure scooterist?   Well, his name is Hilary Lavarra, and he’s ridden that little scooter all over the Americas.   Get this:  it was already a 40-year-old scoot when he started his epic 2-year ride!  Hilary rode from New York to the top of Alaska, and from there down to California and Arizona.   It gets better…he then went to Mexico and on to Central America.   Then he rode through Venezuela, Guayane (I never even heard of that one), Brazil, Argentina, Cape Horn, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, and then back through central America and the USA again.   Wow!

You can visit Hilary’s site at http://www.vespanda.com.

Cool stuff, folks…and Hilary and Dominic, a tip of our helmets to you!

It’s super early in the morning today…and it’s Thanksgiving (I hope you all have a great holiday!).

So what’s new out here in CSC land?

Hey, take a look at this!  This is one of the latest bikes to roll off the CSC production line…

Steve and the crew just finished this Military Series “Sarge” for our good buddy Rich, and Steve grabbed a few shots before it shipped out yesterday.    Of all the CSC models we do, the Military Series bikes are my favorites.   Steve sent the photos to me and I wanted to share them with you.

Rich, you are going to have a lot of fun on that beautiful bike.  Congratulations to you and ride safe!

More good stuff, boys and girls…I noticed a guy who posted a comment over on the ADVRider forum noted in his signature that he had a Triumph TT Special.  The Triumph TT Specials were the bad boys of their era…they were racing bikes, pure and simple.  No lights, magneto ignition, tachometer only, no horn, and the most gorgeous exhaust pipes ever (they swept in under the engine with no mufflers).  Back in the 1960s, a few guys bought these and put the bare minimum on them so that they could be registered and ridden on the street (the laws were a lot different in those days).  You guys who are my age will remember…the TT Specials were impressive.  Nothing could touch them.

On a whim, I sent a note to my new buddy Pete and I asked if he had any photos we could put on the blog, along with maybe a note telling us about the bike….and here you go, boys and girls!

And here’s a bit of background on the bike from Pete…

Joe:

I acquired this bike in 1999 in a disassembled state from a person who had taken it apart and done nothing with it. It was essentially complete and original and just needed a restoration. I had all of the black paint redone in Imron, and the tank in the correct colors. The engine was rebuilt to stock specs with 9:1 pistons instead of the original 11:1 and a set of Megacycle 1060 billet cams was also used, along with competition springs and aluminum retainers. The original ET ignition system,wiring harness, and alternator was boxed up and stored and replaced with a conventional street system using a Mity-Max regulator-rectifier. A battery box using original parts was installed and a new harness was fabricated. The lighting system is representative of those that were often installed by owners who ran these on the street at the time. The pipes are baffled and are quiet enough that there’s been no problem using it on the street. It’s regularly ridden and enjoyed. 

Pete

Pete, that’s absolutely super, and thanks very much for sharing this with us.   And folks, don’t ask me about Pete’s contact info if you’re interested in buying Pete’s TT Special…I’ve already got dibs on it!

Enjoy the holiday, everybody!

Boys and girls, check this out…

I saw the photo above on Facebook.   I don’t know what it is about that truck, but I want it.  It just looks cool.   And I’ll tell you what….it probably only gets 5 miles per gallon, but that thing sure isn’t going to get stuck anywhere!

I talked to our good buddy J a short while ago and he’s doing well.  We’re talking about the next moto trip, and it’s going to be to San Felipe in Mexico.  That’s a little fishing town at the northern edge of the Sea of Cortez, and it’s going to be a fun ride.   We’ll cross into Mexico at Tecate, head south for a bit, and then ride the Rumarosa Grade on our way down to San Felipe.   The Rumarosa Grade is the stuff of nightmares…steep, fast, no guard rails, and if you go over the side….well, here you go…take a look….

Now take another look at the rocks in the lower right porition of the photo above.   See these grey things?  Those are cars that went over the edge.  They just leave them there.   Like I said…the stuff of bad dreams!

The Rumarosa Grade notwithstanding, the ride into San Felipe is actually a pretty nice one.   You pass through some very interesting geological formations and then a desert where there’s still some volcanic activity…you can smell the sulfur as you pass through.  The desert turns into an oasis, with ponds and lots of vegetation (oases are formed by volcanic activity).  On my last trip down to San Felipe, I was cooking along at about 70 when a big white heron took off from one of those ponds and flew right in front of me.  I’ll bet I cleared that bird by not more than a couple of feet.  It was huge.  Its wingspan was maybe 4 or 5 feet.  A bird that big and me at that speed…wow, that was a close one!

That’s it for now, guys and gals…my good buddy Jim is swinging by in another hour and we’re off for some Mexican food tonight.  I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving this Thursday, and I’ll bet you are, too.

One more thing…a special wish for a happy holiday to our good buddy Matt (a CSC rider) who is just getting over a rough spot.  Our thoughts are with you, Matt.  To you and all of our friends, best wishes for a happy Thanksgiving.

Yes indeed, even in Norway!   We were recently contacted by Morten Andersen from Norway’s premier bike magazine, Biker Journalen.  They asked for photos of Steve’s latest creation, the P-51 250cc CSC motorcycle.  We were happy to oblige, and a hard copy of the magazine showed up in our mailbox this week!  Take a look, boys and girls…

As promised…more good stuff, folks…and proof positive that the word about CSC continues to spread!

Boy oh boy, there sure is…where to begin…

A 1946 Mustang Colt, with a later Colt and a Pony in the background from the Al Simmons collection

Well, for starters, Jim Cavanaugh (yep, that Jim Cavanaugh, our good buddy and trusted advisor) and yours truly wrote an article on Mustang motorcycles and CSC.  It’s going to be in the January/February issue of Motorcycle Classics magazine.   The magazine will be on the newstands sometime in mid-December (in just a few more weeks), and trust me on this…it’s a copy you’ll want to pick up.

I do a lot of writing and I am a regular contributor to Motorcycle Classics, but I have to tell you, doing this article was one of the most fun things I’ve ever done.  I’ve just seen the article in what we call the proof (an advance layout) and I’d like to tell you it looks pretty good, but I’d be understating what I really think.  I think it looks great!  I probably sound like I’m bragging, and I guess I am.   The article is a concise summary of the Mustang motorcycle story, with a great sidebar on your favorite motorcycle company (that would be CSC).  I feel really good about it.

Al Simmons, a genuine nice guy, with a few of his toys...

One of the best parts of this story was that I was able to spend a couple of days with Al Simmons at Mustang Seats in Connecticut, and Al let me have the run of his extensive Mustang collection.  Folks, it was awesome.  Al is a heck of a nice guy, and I had a great time.

You need to know that Jim and I aren’t stopping with this article.  The next project in the hopper is a full length book on Mustang and CSC.  Look for it to be available in the first quarter of 2013!

Steve, our creativity guru...

More good stuff…Eogogics, an ultra-high technology training company focused on developing and presenting training programs to high tech companies, is developing a new program on engineering creativity.  In all industries, engineers are paid to be creative, and there’s a science associated with stimulating creative thinking.  Eogogics is doing a series of interviews on this topic, and the first guy they tapped is none other than our very own Steve Seidner.   Think about the things Steve has created…the entire line of Pro-One ultra-performance V-twins, the CSC line, and all kinds of exotic customs.  Who better to talk about creativity than Steve?

That’s it for today, folks!  Stay tuned for more good stuff coming up!

Steve didn’t really want to sell our first P-51 custom, all done up in World War II livery. Our good buddy Bob from central California wanted it real bad, though, and Steve finally said relented. Bob is good customer…this will be his third California Scooter! I was glad to hear the bike found a good home, and I wanted to grab a few more photos before it leaves the plant…

Steve’s P-51 custom bike (now Bob’s) is one of the nicest ones we’ve ever done.   Bob, you are sure going to have fun!

Enjoy, my friends….

Definitely a beautiful area, with riding to match!  Check it out here!