CSC Blog

One of the snappiest accessories you can add to a CSC Motorcycle is our AC-1003 Spotlight Kit.   There’s just something about those big bulbs that give a motorcycle a complete look.  I like it, and I always have (going all the way back to the days when I was a kid drooling over those full dress Harleys and Indians).    The entire CSC kit with all required mounting hardware, wiring, the switch, and the spotlights is only $249.95, and you can get it by calling 800 884 4173 and asking for TK.

Our master bike builder Tony B recently assembled a set of installation instructions, and as promised a few blog entries ago, I’m including them here for you, too.  Here we go!

Prior to performing any of the operations shown below, disconnect the battery negative terminal.   This is a good idea whenever doing any work on any motor vehicle, and it’s a good idea here, too.

Although the motorcycle gas tank is not present in the photos below, the operations shown here can be performed with the gas tank in place.

We’ll start by removing the neck cover on your motorcycle.  We do this by removing the two Phillips head screws on both sides of the neck, and then removing the cover.

Once you’ve pulled the cover off, carefully pull the harness inside the neck area rearward so that it is outside the neck area. 

The next step is to drill two ½-inch holes in the neck, with one on each side in the approximate location shown.  Make sure the harness and writing contained in the neck has been pulled out of the neck area so that you do not drill into the wiring.  We like to put some tape in the area where going to drill to minimize any damage to the paint and the painted surfaces, like you see below.

Okay, so far, so good!  Our next step is to take the spotlight harness kit out of the box and stretch out all of wires.   This is what the harness looks like…

Notice that the harness has two identical leads (these will go to the spotlights), a ground lead with an eyelet (the one with the green-shaded connector), an on-off switch, and a red terminal. 

What we’ll want to do now is install the toggle switch with its nut in the hole on one side of the neck, and pull the wires for the left and right spotlights through the other hole, as shown below.  We always like to put the switch on the left side of the bike (that way you won’t have to take your hand off the throttle if you want to turn the lights on while riding).   It almost sounds silly to mention this, but make sure the switch is installed so that the toggle is outside the bike (don’t ask me why I mention this…).   It’s gonna look like this…

Pull the leads for the left and right spotlights through the grommet, and then install the grommet in the neck as shown below.  You have to pull the leads through the hole without the grommet first (before you put the grommet in its hole in the neck), because if you don’t, you won’t be able to get the leads through. 

The motorcycle’s main wiring harness in the neck will have one unconnected female terminal on a brown wire.   Connect the spotlight harness red wire to the female receptacle on the motorcycle brown wire, like the picture below shows…

Now it’s to install the spotlights.  Install the left and right spotlight mounting brackets on each fork leg, and then attach a spotlight to each fork mounting bracket.   Each spotlight mounts with a nut, a lockwasher, and a washer.  Take a look at the photos below and you’ll see how this goes together. 

Each spotlight will have a lead exiting from the spotlight case.  Route the two spotlight leads from the spotlight harness (in the neck) to each spotlight wire.  Connect the lead to each spotlight and then push the leads into the spotlights as shown below.  Push the leads all the way into each spotlight.  The photo below shows the lead partially inserted into the headlight; you’ll want to push it all the way in.

Our next step is to attach the spotlight kit ground lead.  Disconnect the two horn leads and remove the bolt securing the horn to the motorcycle frame, as shown in the photos below.  Install the eye connector on the bolt, capturing it between the horn mounting bracket and the motorcycle frame.  You may need to sand a small area to remove the frame powder coating to assure a good electrical connection to ground.  Reinstall the horn mounting hardware, and reconnect the horn electrical leads.

Push all of the wiring in the neck area back into the neck and reinstall the neck cover with the two Phillips head screws.  Secure the wiring for the spotlight leads, checking the lock-to-lock motion of the forks to assure no interference from the spotlight wires.

Reconnect the battery negative terminal, adjust the spotlights beam directions to your preference, and enjoy your new spotlight accessory kit!  And if you have any further questions, don’t be embarassed….please give us a call at 800 884 4173.

We’re back from the 2012 Tulare World Ag Expo, and it was a hoot!   We did well up there, both in getting the CSC word out and in selling bikes.   Steve brought a few photos back and I thought I’d share them with you here on the blog…

Check out Will de Groot (a dairy farmer) on his new Greaser!

And how about Paul Beno (another dairy farmer) on his new red Classic!

And here’s one of Bruce Thomas, a CSC rider and Affiliate!

 And two more…the 2011 Springville Rodeo Queen, and one more CSC visitor…

That’s it for now, boys and girls!

And San Antonio, too!  What a place and what a town…I can see why people fall in love with the Great State of Texas.   The Alamo was most impressive, as was San Antonio and the River Walk area.   Just a few quick photos…we’re blitzing into Austin in a little bit and then it’s a long flight home.   You CSC riders riders from Texas…I get it…this is an awesome place!

What a place, and what a story!  Folks, if you are ever in the San Antonio area, you have to take time to visit the Alamo!

That’s it for now…stay tuned, and early next week we’ll post the online mounting instructions for our AC-1003 spotlight kit I mentioned earlier.  Oh, and Steve and TK report that the 2012 World Ag Expo was a runaway success…we’ve got lots of new CSC owners as a result, and great exposure to our friends in the agricultural community!

And that’s where Susie and I are right now…San Marcos, to be exact, and it’s raining so hard I went to the window to grab a quick iPhone shot of what it looks like.   Thunder and lightning, and rain coming down so hard it woke us up.  I half expected to see animals being led two by two into the Ark…wait…I must have missed that when I took the photo…

We’re off to see the Alamo, another 60 miles or so down the road.   Maybe I’ll get some iPhone photos and post them later…

Here’s a nice note from Debbie to TK telling us about her Dad, Paul Kober, and his new California Scooter… 

Hi T.K.!!!

Wow…You guys respond quickly!  The customer service your company gives is absolutely unbelievable, and very greatly appreciated! Dad is really proud of his new scooter!

And here’s Debbie’s story about her Dad…

Please find photos of Dad and his new red scooter.  He was like a 70-year-old kid at Christmas!

Dad looked for the truck to deliver his shiny new red scooter, and he couldn’t wait to get a look at it (as you can see from the first photo)!

Paul Kober is a native of Columbus, Montana.  He he owned a 1948 Mustang when he was 13. He enjoyed that scooter so much he wore it out!  It was green with yellow wheels and he said he always wanted another one.

Paul also collects and restores International Harvester tractors. The shiny red new scooter was a nice addition to his collection.

Thanks California Scooter Company!  Your customer service and products are outstanding!

And here are the great photos Debbie sent to us…

Thanks for the great photos, Debbie, and thanks to you and your Dad for being loyal CSC Motorcycles fans!

Ol’ Blue Eyes himself, our man Tony B, who cooked up a great instruction sheet for installing the CSC spotlight kit on your bike!

Tony put the instructions together and he asked me to grab a few photos to make it easier to follow, which I did yesterday morning.   We’ll be posting it here in the next day or so, and our photo-illustrated instruction sheet will accompany all future spotlight kit shipments.

Tony B...Ol' Blue Eyes!

Tony’s a pretty cool guy, a great rider, and a great factory supervisor.  He’s our master bike builder, and if you ride a CSC motorcycle (and I’m guessing you either do or you are planning to), chances are Tony is the guy who made sure everything’s perfect before your bike left the plant.

After I took the photos with Tony yesterday, I left for lunch with my friend Jimbo.   A quick trip to Rancho Los Magueyes, an order for my personal favorite, and I was soon enjoying the best plate of chile rellenos this side of Catavina down in Baja (remember those, Carlos?)…it sure was a great lunch.  But the highlight of my day was leaving the CSC plant, where I stopped behind this tractor trailer waiting for the light to change.  We are right across the street from the NHRA drag strip, and we see folks coming and going from there all the time…

Check out the text at the bottom of the Bill Miller Engineering tailgate.   I didn’t know anything about Bill Miller Engineering before I saw this truck, but I know enough now to know I like these guys! 

So keep an eye on the blog, and watch for our upcoming spotlight installation instructions!   The spotlights are our accessory AC-1003, and they sure can dress up any CSC motorcycle!

Folks, we’re going to be at the 2012 World Ag Expo in Tulare, California this week, and if you’re in the neighborhood, we sure hope to see you! 

If you want a great ride, Tulare is tough to beat as a destination, and I know the show is going to be interesting.   Stop in, say hi to Steve and the boys, and check out our latest custom CSC motorcycles!  

Yep, even though we’ve already sold our green-and-yellow tractor bike, that gorgeous bike’s new owner graciously allowed us to keep it for another week to display it at the show!

The farming and ranching community is a great market for us, and we’re happy our farmers and ranchers recognize the quality and fun built into every California Scooter.  Whether your destination is the back 40 or Cabo San Lucas, we can get you there in style!

Tulare is right smack dab in the center of California.   It’s the heart of the agriculturally-rich San Joaquin Valley, and the farm roads in that area offer some of the finest riding in the world.   You might not be into farming, but the show is a fine destination and as is always the case when you’re on a motorcycle, the ride is what it’s all about.   If you have some time this week, why not take a ride out and see us?

Yep, that’s what these are…I was going through my external hard drive early this morning and I found these…

We make cool rides, and we get a lot of people stopping in with cool rides. Check out this concours condition '67 GTO!

Gran Turismo Omolagato...which translates into "yeah, I'm cool..."

My Baja Blaster with the GTO...this would make a cool matching pair to keep in my garage!

And speaking of Baja...here's Simon about 400 miles south of the border, framed by my Classic

Arlene topping off from J's truck early in the morning in Catavina...watch for Arlene and Go Go Gear on Shark Tank in the very near future!

Another cool shot...Josh goofing around in the parking lot with the sidecar

That’s it for now…time for coffee and the Sunday papers!

Folks, there’s a pretty lively discussion going on right now over on the Adventure Rider board concerning your favorite motorcycle!  Why not weigh in with your opinion?  

http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=762803

Be nice, it’s easy to get some of these discussion board commandos tweaked!

A thousand words. Or so they say.

Boy, do I feel like a dummy…a great ride yesterday and no pictures for the blog. So why do I feel like a dummy? Read on, my friends.

I just returned from Southeast Asia (now there’s a phrase that conjures up a strong sense of déjà vu). The time change coming from Asia to the US is always tough for me. Going there, I’m tuned into the local time in a day. Coming home, it takes me a good week or two to stop waking up at 3:00 a.m., wide awake, and unable to fall asleep again. So I’ve been getting up that early and doing things all week long. Like writing this blog.

It really caught up with me Wednesday. I’ve been traveling almost nonstop for the last three months. A trip to Thailand, back home, a long trip to China, back home, a quick trip into Mexico to see the whales, back home, another trip to Bangkok, and back home again last Friday night. One week ago, exactly. By Wednesday of this week I was fried. I almost didn’t think I’d make it through the day without falling asleep, but I did, and I got a good solid 8 hours Wednesday night. When I woke up yesterday, I was fresh, and that was a good thing because I had a lot of stuff to get done.

Some off-the-main-topic advice…if anyone ever asks you to be the executor of their estate, take a pass. No one ever told me that, so when my cousin asked me to be his executor, I said okay. Folks, it was a lot of work, it took a year and a half, but I knew it was all coming to an end yesterday. How much work? Cleaning out my cousin’s apartment, paying all of his outstanding bills, getting copies of death certificates, multiple visits to all of the banks he used, lots of lawyer meetings, papers back and forth to the courts…you get the idea. But yesterday was the day I had been waiting to see. I had to get up early, do one more transfer of a bunch of estate money into one big account (more trips to different banks), and then there was what I hope will be my next-to-last meeting with the lawyers to sign it all into their trust accounts. Now the legal beagles can start making payments to all of the charities to whom my cousin left his estate. It’s a good feeling to get it behind me.

So good, in fact, that I needed to go for a motorcycle ride. And for me, that means hopping on my California Scooter. The Baja Blaster. Bright red. Chrome. Cool. The most fun ride I’ve ever owned. I pushed the bike out of the garage, and I felt a little guilty as I did so. I hadn’t ridden in about a month. You know the feeling when you ignore your baby for too long…is she going to start?

No problem here, folks. I put the key in, no choke at all, and briefly touched the starter button. Instant gratification. The little CSC 150 engine jumped to life and settled into an easy purr. A quick collection of my riding gear (helmet, gloves, and jacket), and I’m in the wind. What a day! I know some of you readers are living with snow, rain, and cold weather. It was 80 degrees in California yesterday, and not a cloud in the sky. Life is good.

Hmmm. Where to? Well, we need a new tax guy. I think I’m a pretty savvy guy, but I don’t like doing my taxes. I’m not afraid of too many things, but one fear high on my list is giving too much money to the Big G. I’m a pretty conservative guy, and I just don’t like what the guys in Washington do with the money they take from us. So I always want to get a guy to do my taxes who’s not going to leave anything on the table. The problem with this philosophy, though, is there are a lot of flaky tax guys out there. I’ve been through three of them in the last three years. I used to have a great one, but he retired.

There’s a tax service I’ve seen for years down on Foothill Boulevard. I always thought the guys who work there must be pretty good and pretty cool. No, I didn’t get any referrals from other folks…my conclusion is based on more tangible evidence…the two 1956 bright red Ford pickups parked out front. Anybody with those wheels has to be good at what they do.

So as I pulled up on the Baja Blaster, my new best friend and tax guy Brian was just climbing into his classic ’56 Ford. “What have you got there?” he asked. Brian was really taken with my modern Mustang, I was really taken with his ’56, and we started talking. Turns out we’re both riders (he’s got a Triumph, a BMW, and a KLR), and even though ol’ Brian’s not taking on new clients, he agreed to take my business.

A good day, off to a good start, and it’s gonna get even better. It was almost noon by that time, and I was getting hungry. You know, on a nice day, a good aroma travels, and there’s an In-N-Out just up the road. Grilled onions and hamburgers…I can smell them from here, and I know where I’m headed for lunch.

I rolled up on my California Scooter. Everyone in the outdoor In-N-Out line turned and smiled at my bike. Yeah, I know…I’m a rock star. I parked, took my place in line, and the questions started. It’s a California Scooter. We make them right here in southern California. 98 miles per gallon. Yep, they’re fully street legal. Ah, I’m up to the window now. I love this part because I know about the secret menu, the good stuff that’s not posted on the In-N-Out board. “I’ll take mine Animal Style,” I said. A knowing smile from the pretty young girl behind the counter. 10 minutes later I’m enjoying the best burger on the planet. Grilled onions. Secret sauce. A diet Coke. Absolutely perfect fries. Wow, this is good! Lynda, thanks to you and your family for this little slice of Heaven on Earth!

My Baja Blaster started up again, and I thought I’d head home. Nope, it’s too nice a day. The bike found its way up to the little artist colony of Padua in the foothills. My little thumper is running just perfectly. It’s gotta be my imagination, but I swear that thing is getting faster every time I ride it. On up into the San Gabriels, cranking along at a good 50 mph climbing up to Mt. Baldy Village. The scenery is magnificent, and that’s when I realize I should have brought my Nikon. I know I’ve posted a lot of photos of this road on the blog already, but the views were so vivid and the skies so blue that I felt like I was cheating you guys without taking photos. I sure wished I had my camera. Ah, well. The ride was too beautiful to worry about it too much.

I rolled past the Mt. Baldy Lodge. As is usually the case, there were a handful of V-twin Buffet Racers parked out front. Lots of chrome. Lots of fringe. Open pipes. Ride to eat, eat to ride, or something like that.

I didn’t want to stop at the Mt. Baldy Lodge (it’s my usual turn-around point), so I didn’t. I rode all the way up to the ski lift, another several miles of 15% grades and switchbacks. Pungent pine smells in the crisp mountain air. The temperature dropped another 15 degrees (maybe it got down to a cool 65). The sky became a darker blue. Stunning, stupendous, magnificent, picture postcard scenes. And me with no camera. Sorry, guys.

Last night, as I was falling asleep watching whatever the TV folks are trying to pass off as entertainment these days, I thought about all of the great views I had on my ride earlier in the day. Then my cell phone rang. I remembered checking it on my earlier motorcycle ride several times. I always get nervous that the cell phone case is going to fall off my belt when I’m riding. The cell phone case that holds my new iPhone. You know, the one with the built-in camera that takes absolutely beautiful pictures. Yeah, I know, I forgot I had it while I was riding, even as I was checking to make sure it was still there. Now you know why I feel like a dummy today. Or maybe not. I could just take that ride again….

And about that business of picture being worth a thousand words…I don’t know. You tell me. No pictures, and this blog entry is exactly 1,513 words.

Next time…more pictures, fewer words. I promise.