CSC Blog

There was a terrible accident at the Reno Air Races this afternoon, and I want to let everyone know our guys (Steve and TK) are fine.   Thanks for all of your good thoughts.   Our prayers go out to those who were affected.

Wow! A US Navy Seal parachuting into the Reno Air Races!

One of the Reno Air Races box seating areas...I first thought it was a crash that created all that smoke, but Steve told me it was a semi-truck equipped with three jet engines starting...they make that much smoke as a normal part of the start-up procedure!

A very cool P-40. Steve and TK got into the pit area.

Great colors and super weather!

Looks like the CSC guys are having a great time up there at the Reno Air Races!

Around the world on a motor scooter in the mid-1950s!

Okay, now the “more” part hinted at in this blog’s title.  I know that a lot of you blogophiles like to read the CSC blog with your early morning coffee, and I know that you also like to see vintage photos.  Oh boy, do I have a treat for you! 

One of my Facebook friends (thank you Eric!) found this amazing collection of vintage photos depicting Wim Dussel’s round-the-world trip on sidecar-equipped Maico motor scooter in the mid-1950s.  He’s a Dutchman, and no, I never heard of a Maico motor scooter either!   The concept of going around the world on two wheels has always fascinated me, and here’s a guy who did it when ’55 Chevys were brand new!  On a motor scooter!  I really think these photos are cool for many reasons, not the least of which is they show many places I’ve visited (including Bangkok, where I was just last week).  From Dussel’s magnificent images I can see what these places looked like a half century ago.   Bangkok!  It takes 17 hours on a nonstop flight at 600 mph to get there from Los Angeles!   Dussel made the trip on a motor scooter! 

Pour yourselves another cuppa Joe, call the boss and tell him you’ll be a few minutes late this morning, and enjoy Dussel’s superb photography!

More to come, folks, so stay tuned!

Hey, boys and girls, a quick look at some cool photos that came my way…and I thought you might want to see them…

First, my good buddy Arlene B (of the GoGo Girls moto apparel company) just turned 8,000 miles on her California Scooter.  This is cool!

Way to go, Arlene!

Next, my good buddy Landon H (the editor at Motorcycle Classics magazine, the best moto magazine on the planet) saw my photo near the Grand Canyon warning of cougars.  Landon sent this very cool Bigfoot warning photo to me.

My photo at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon a couple of weeks ago...

Ah, the new Yeti HD! Watch out for Bigfoot! Great photo, Landon!

That’s Landon’s Harley parked under the sign.  And it’s a cool sign…one I’ve never seen before!

Finally, as you know, Steve and TK are up at the Reno Air Races, and Steve’s promised to keep sending photos to us from that incredible event. Here are the first few…

The CSC Moto Exhibit at the Reno Air Races...wait 'til tomorrow, when the racing begins!

Early arrivers at the Reno Air Races...wow, this is a beautiful airplane!

An old warbird at Reno's Stead Airfield

I'll bet this one is fast...the colors match my California Scooter!

That’s it for now, boys and girls…stay tuned for more good stuff!

Landed in Los Angeles when I got back in from Bangkok last night, folks.  Great trip, great times, great town, and great people.  Unlike any other place I’d ever been, and I had a marvelous time.  The motorcycles were fascinating, and so were the people and their customs.   Motorcycles as taxis…what a cool concept!

My two favorite photos?   These two right here…both showing young women grabbing a two-wheeled Thai taxi ride…with one oblivious to it all on her cell phone!

I sure had a great time on the other side of the world, and one of the best parts was when my Thailand buddy, Kevin, took me to dinner a couple of nights ago.   Best Italian restaurant I’ve ever been to, and it was in Bangkok!

So, what’s on the schedule for today?   Well, watching the motorcycles in Thailand made me want to get my knees in the breeze!   I’m gonna fire up my CSC motorcycle and go for a ride, of course!

Yep, that’s what it’s gonna be, and it’s gonna be at the Kickstand!

I love these kinds of events, and I’ll bet you do, too!

If you’re in or around Burgin, Kentucky, on Saturday the 17th, please stop in at the Kickstand, check out the California Scooters, and enjoy the bikes, blues, and BBQ!

Well, as 007 might say…I’ve been on a few secret missions in my day, but I’ve sure never seen anything like this…

Grab a cup of coffee, kick back for about 10 minutes, and check out the action on this Bangkok street corner just a little while ago…

Wow…the Reno Air Races!

Folks, it just doesn’t get any more exciting than this…hopped up World War II fighters running a circular course just in front of you, screaming along at 500 mph just a few feet off the ground, banked hard over vertically to make the turns, with huge piston engines tuned to within an inch of their lives.   Yep, it’s the Reno Air Races for 2012, and we are gonna be there! 

And it’s not just air racing, either…they’ll be demos by high performance military aircraft, aerobatic shows, the Blue Angels, and lots more.   The photo ops alone are worth the price of admission.  I’ve been there and I can tell you from personal experience there is no higher class of motor racing.  It is beyond awesome, and if high performance machinery turns you on, you need to make the Reno Air Races!

Mark your calendars, boys and girls…it’s September 12-16.   We’ll be there with your favorite motorcycles on display in the California Scooter booth, and they’ll fit right in with this crowd!

We’ll see if the Internet works better in Bangkok than it does in Arizona!  You’ll recall that I had some difficulty uploading Steve’s photos from the Good Guys show in Pleasanton while I was at the Grand Canyon a few days ago…so let’s see if this connection from Thailand is any better!

First, let’s take a peek at some of the photos the boss grabbed in Pleasanton…

A cool pickup truck...gotta love the gangster whitewalls!

Another very cool pickup truck! Love the paint!

Show goers checking out the CSC motorcycles in Pleasanton

Looks like those wheels and tires came off one of our Greasers!

Wow!!!!

A very cool Nomad

The street rods at any of the Good Guys shows are always awesome!

A beautiful Chevelle just past the CSC motorcycles

There were quite a few classic bikes at the Good Guys show, too! This is a Cushman.

Whoa...a Salsbury!

A Doodlebug!

Magnificent!

A Cushman Paratrooper bike!

An AutoGlide!

Help me out here, guys...is this a Dinky Cycle?

And here are three very cool shots from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon…I was here just a couple of days ago, and I almost didn’t make it back to southern California.   If you read about the Cajon Pass fire,we got caught north of it.  The CHP shut down the southbound I-15 just before we got there, but we lucked out because I knew about some of the dirt roads that allowed us to get around it!

Here’s an animal crossing sign you don’t see too often!

Motorcycles and cougars....my kind of neighborhood!

These fellows were happy to pose for a photo…they rode out from Iowa and they make the trek to the Grand Canyon every year to strike their Captain Morgan pose!

The Captain Morgan crew in front of the Grand Canyon!

And a shot of the Grand Canyon…

Wow!

After we navigated our way around the Cajon Pass fire, it was a quick run to LAX and a long flight to Thailand.   I landed at 6:00 this morning, hopped in a cab to the hotel in downtown Bangkok, and then it was off to grab a few more quick photos…

A river vendor in Thailand just a few hours ago!

Thai police motorcycles

Riding sidesaddle in downtown Bangkok

And finally, a scene from the Grand Palace earlier today…

The Grand Palace in Bangkok

Well, boys and girls, I’m meeting my Bangkok amigos in a few minutes, so I’m gonna sign off for now.  I’ll try to pick up a few more Thai motorcycle photos while I’m here…you guys and gals ride safe and I’ll see you when I get back!

And boy oh boy, are we ever…

Steve and crew were up in Pleasanton for the Good Guys show last weekend, we’re headed up to the Reno Air Races to display our CSC motorcycles in a few more days, I’m having fun in Arizona right now, and on Friday night I’m gonna be doing my 007 secret agent impersonation when I go “wheels in the wells” and head to Thailand. Wow, are we ever racking up the miles!

Steve grabbed a bunch of super photos up in Pleasanton, but I’m in a hotel in Arizona with what has to be the world’s slowest Internet connection.   I’ll post a few here, with the rest to follow either tomorrow or when I get to Thailand…

One of our newest CSC riders!

Well, looks like it’s going to be just one…things are running incredibly slowly (it’s either the connection or this WordPress blogging software).  I’ll upload more soon, I promise.

Our buddies over at Outrider Journal alerted us to this very cool YouTube video about the first ride to Alaska on motorcycles….

Hmmmmm….rugged single-cylinder bikes, chosen for their light weight and reliability…that sure sounds familiar.

Let’s see…we’ve done the length of Baja…what’s next?

Anybody wanna start planning this ride with me?