CSC Blog

We sure had a lot of fun at the In-N-Out Burger Foundation Golf Tournament last night. 

Let me cut right to the chase…Melanie Troxel was there (she’s the In-N-Out Burger funny car driver), and her crew won the auction.   Yep, Melanie Troxel will be riding a California Scooter!

Melanie Troxel on her new California Scooter!

I had a chance to chat with Melanie, and she’s really nice.  I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I was surprised when I met her.   You just wouldn’t know that a day at the office for her means going from a standing start to over 300 mph in about 4 seconds.

I got right to the point…my first question was:  What’s it like? 

When I was a kid, the AA fuelie cars were breaking into the 7-second range and hitting 200 mph, and watching was a combination of raw terror and disbelief.  Seeing it for myself, my mind couldn’t wrap itself around accelerating to 200 mph in 7 seconds.   Even as a mere spectator, it felt like the world was coming apart.  The ground shook.  The air was electrified.  The noise was terrifying.  The Hemi headers could have been hiding old Lucifer himself, threatening the world through an octet of oxy-acetylene torches. 

And that was 40 or 50 years ago.

Now, like I said, it’s 300+ mph in 4 seconds.  I asked Melanie if it was as terrifying as it looks.  Melanie told me it wasn’t terrifying, but it sure was an adrenaline rush.  

Okay, I’ll admit it:  I would be terrified.  Melanie is a lot braver than I’ll ever be, and I wanted to know more about her…so, I found this cool YouTube video with a bit of background on Ms. Troxel, our newest California Scooter pilot…

I told Melanie our engine makes just a little under 14 horsepower (her In-N-Out funny car cranks out around 8,000 ponies), our top end is a bit over 65 mph (as mentioned above, she’ll hit over 300 mph in her funny car), but…

We get over 90 miles per gallon.  I think we have the funny car beat on that one…

Things have been hopping here at the California Scooter Company and everyone’s been busy…Steve and TK loaded up the truck for the Calaveras County Frog Jumping Jubilee yesterday, Tony and his crew are building bikes nonstop, and I’m flitting around taking photos of it all.  I’ll be up north with Steve and TK tomorrow (we’ll be at Jamestown HD, one of our dealers in northern California, with a bunch of bikes for test rides).  Tonight we’ll be at the In-N-Out event to see the In-N-Out bike charity auction.  We’ll have lots of cool photos for you in the next few days.

With all this going on, the phones have been ringing off the hook.  TK and all of the other folks who handle sales were either on the phone already or otherwise busy, so I answered the phone yesterday.  I’m not a sales guy, and Bill from Tennessee (the guy on the other end) was just calling for information (he’d seen one of our ads).   Bill asked about options…chrome wheels…a chrome pipe…a chrome luggage rack…all on a black Classic.  I had to keep asking Patty (our controller, who sits just over the cubicle wall) the price of each option. 

When I added it all up, the bike was just north of $5K.  I thought I made a mistake (it seemed too low), and Bill had the same impression.  Before either of us realized it, Bill bought a bike (or I sold him a bike, depending on your perspective).  It was kind of funny.  Just like that…Bill joined the California Scooter family, and I became a sales guy.  It was fun.

After my conversation with Tennessee Bill, I took a walk to the other end of the building where Wade works his wonderful magic on the big Pro-One V-twins. Wade’s been working on his personal bike, an ultra cool custom Twin Cam Harley-engined bike.   It’s one of those bikes that makes you stop in your tracks.  It’s that beautiful.

Wade, an awesome artist and motorcycle maestro, with his latest creation

Wade’s bike has real charisma…a combination of mechanical, visceral, and aesthetic appeal (check out the oil tank…it’s the right rear half of the fuel tank).  The detail work on Wade’s bike is beyond impressive.  I’ve been around motorcycles for close to five decades now, and I gotta tell you, this bike is awesome.  Wade’s an artist, and it shows in his work.

That’s it for now, folks…I’m off to In-N-Out!

I just finished a super telephone conversation with Steve Smith, the owner of Scootersmith in Houston, Texas.  Scootersmith is our newest dealer, and we’re sure glad we hooked up with these folks.   What we especially look for in all of our dealers are enthusiasts who promote the sport, and like all of our dealers, Steve Smith sure fits that bill.  He started Scootersmith in 2004, and he’s an active motorcycle racer (vintage motocross, vintage road racing, and modern stuff, too).  And here’s something else that’s super cool: Steve started Houston’s biggest scooter club…the Scooter Battalion (they’ve got over a thousand people).   I love that name, and I can sure see our Military Series bikes fitting right in with that group.

Scootersmith in Houston is our newest California Scooter dealer!

Scenes of the Houston Scooter Battalion

We like Texas, and we love the Houston area.  We’ve been advertising in the Houston Chronicle, and the phones have been ringing off the hook.   Texas is a great state from any perspective, but it’s an especially great state from a motorcycling perspective.  We’ve sent a lot of motorcycles to Texas, and having a great dealer like the Scootersmith is good news for us and for Texas.   And for all of you folks in the Houston area, by this time next week Scootersmith will have a great selection of California Scooters in stock, so make sure you stop by.   Scootersmith is located at 727 Yale Street, right in the heart of Houston.   Scootersmith’s phone number is 713 869 4885.

Yes, indeed, orange is in!   Let me tell you right up front that this one is spoken for…it’s going to Steve Lorenz at Arcadia Cushman in Indiana.   Orange is becoming one of our most popular colors, and it seemed like a fitting title for today’s blog…my other choice was “A Tale of Two Steves…”   Read on, and you’ll see what I mean.

You’ve read about our new Grabber Orange color that Steve Seidner recently introduced as a standard color choice for the CSC Classic, and you’ve seen the magnificent custom we recently built to M&M Motorsports‘ specification (we featured it on the blog last week).   Mike and Dianna sold that one to Jerry Hall almost immediately, and you can see those photos in our last blog.

We’ve also been working on another orange custom for Steve Lorenz at Arcadia Cushman.  Steve was excited about this one (it is a bit different than the one we had just built for M&M, and watching it come together, I was, too).   I asked the guys not to let it get out of the shop without giving me an opportunity to grab a few photos of it.

A Z-28 Camaro...the inspiration for the Arcadia Cushman custom Classic

There are two Steves involved in this one, so it gets just a bit confusing. Our Steve is the Steve Seidner who founded California Scooter Company, and Steve Lorenz is the owner of Arcadia Cushman. Our Steve first told me about Arcadia Cushman Steve’s desire to build a bike reminiscent of the muscle-car-era Z-28 Camaro a few weeks ago. I mentioned this a few blog entries back, and as many of you will remember, Chevy offered the Z-28 in a very hot orange with white paint stripe color theme.  Our Steve explained to me that’s what Steve Lorenz had in mind for this bike, but he wanted to take it a step beyond. We started with our new Grabber Orange color, but we also applied (at Steve Lorenz’s request) a pearlescent final coat before striping the bike.  The result is a show-stopper.  A real show stopper.

TK called me at lunch on Friday to let me know that Tony had just finished assembling Steve Lorenz’s custom orange Classic, and wow, what a bike!  The Boss and I finished up our Cheesecake Factory peanut butter pie, hopped in the ‘Vette (love those Chevy small blocks), and zoomed up the San Berdoo freeway to grab a few shots of this magnificent new motorcycle.

Okay…here’s a first shot of Tony pondering the beauty of the new beast to which he had just applied his finishing touches…

Our Master Bike Builder Tony B, in awe of his latest masterpiece!

I’ve had several great conversations with Steve Lorenz, and he’s a cool guy.  He’s been a rider forever, and he told me that Arcadia Cushman believes CSC motorcycles are the next big thing (and the next big classic motorcycle). I couldn’t agree more.   And with this latest bike, I think we hit the jackpot.  So, enough chatter for now…let’s have the photos do the talking!

Steve Lorenz's custom Classic in pearlescent orange!

This is a magnificent color combo...and the shiny details (wire wheels, a polished sprocket, and lots more) make this bike really stand out! You can just start to see the pearlescent paint in this photo...in person, the effect is striking!

A shop view of the Arcadia Cushman custom Classic

Our standard beauty shot on the CSC lift

You’ve heard me say this many times before…I say it just about every time we build a new custom, and I’ll say it again: I think this is the prettiest bike we’ve ever done.  ‘Til the next one, that is…and I’ll have photos of that one a little later today (here’s a hint…think red…and yes, we already have dealers requesting photos of it)!

And, back to that Grabber Orange paint theme that we recently introduced…it’s a stunning color.  Steve Lorenz went all out on his bike, and it’s magnificent.   You might be wondering what a standard Grabber Orange bike looks like, and I wanted to show that to you again.  Take a gander at this photo…it’s a standard CSC Classic, and the only option on this bike is a set of whitewall tires…

A Grabber Orange CSC motorcycle with whitewall tires...it's sharp!

Gotta run, boys and girls…there’s a red custom Classic up on the lift now.   We prepped it for the Calaveras County Frog Jumping Jubilee (we’ll be up there later this week with Jamestown HD).   More photo ops beckon!

Jerry Hall's new ride!

More good stuff, boys and girls.  M&M Motorsports in Kansas City is heading for the Branson Motorcycle Rally, and Mike and Dianna at M&M are selling CSC motorcycles as fast as we can ship them there. I mentioned a few blogs back that we built a custom Grabber Orange bike for M&M, and I don’t think it lasted even a few days in the M&M showroom. Check out this email from Dianna…

Hello Joe,

M&M Motorsports sold the CSC Grabber Orange custom bike we received just last week. Apparently, not only Mike thought this customized bike was “TOO KOOL and A MUST HAVE,” so did Jerry Hall of Independence, Missouri. Jerry will now be riding it around as the new owner.

Jerry already has us taking it up another notch by putting your CSC Diamond Cut Ape Hangers on his new ride. Jerry told us he just had to have the bike after seeing its quality construction and craftsmanship, and the wide variety of accessories CSC offers.

Mike is now envisioning the next CSC customized bike we’ll order. We love seeing these CSC motorcycles roll out the door for everyone to see.

Thanks.

Dianna, M&M Motorsports

Dianna sent along this very cool photo of Jerry Hall and his new ride…congratulations to you, Mr. Hall, and welcome to the CSC family!

Jerry Hall and his custom California Scooter...a very sharp bike, Mr. Hall!

We’ve sure done some pretty bikes here at the California Scooter Company, and one of my all time favorites is our desert camo Military Series.  When we put a photo of that one up on the blog, it sold the next day, and Lynn Reott is the lucky new owner.  Lynn was kind enough to send us a photo, and I’m jealous all over again…

Lynn Reott and his desert camo Military Series CSC motorcycle...one of the best looking bikes we've ever done!

Lynn, you bought that bike before I could (I like it that much).  Your bike is the very one Lupe posed with in our Military Series YouTube video (I put it at the end of this blog entry…it’s one of my favorite YouTubes).

And Lynn, I checked your Facebook page…it looks like you and I have more than just a love of CSC motorcycles in common.   Some mighty big boars, Amigo…now I’m even more jealous…the only thing I got chasing those guys in northern California a few years back was a real bad case of poison oak!

Don’t worry, folks, because we have a bunch of new Military Series bikes in production. We’re doing them in desert camo, jungle camo, and OD green.  We’re even doing one with a WWII fighter paint theme…a shark’s toothy grin on the gas tank (that bike’s gonna be a show stopper). 

Wow, CSC bikes are going fast these days…we are literally shipping them as fast as we can build them. That’s a good thing, and yes, we realize how very lucky we are to have loyal enthusiasts and riders like Mike, Dianna, Jerry, Lynn, Cody, Steve L. in Arcadia, John W. in Florida, Arlene, Jimbo, Jim in Oregon, Dick R. up in Nor Cal, Jim W. in Glendora, Fred W. in the great state of Texas, Carl M. in Missouri, and literally hundreds of other good people riding around on these wonderful motorcycles. We’re blessed by your friendship, and not a minute goes by that we don’t think about it.

Next week we’ll be up in Calaveras County along with Mitchell’s Modesto HD and Jamestown HD (two of our California dealers) for the annual Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee.  We’ll be there May 19 – 22, and we’re bringing a bunch of bikes with us. If you have a chance to stop by for a visit and a test ride, by all means, please do so.  I’ll post more on the blog about this event next week, too, so stay tuned!

Okay, folks, here’s that Military Series YouTube video…

Yeah, I know, it’s great. There’s nothing like getting your knees in the breeze. But you know that. That’s why you bought a California Scooter, and it’s why I did, too.

So, you’ve bought your own CSC motorcycle and it’s on its way to you.  Ordinarily, we ship our bikes to dealers (and we want our customers to buy from their local dealer), but if there’s not a dealer in your area, we’ll ship direct to you.  And for a little while longer, we’re not charging for freight (we gotta pay it, but we’re absorbing the costs only through the end of May).  It’s a good deal.

Other kinds of motorcycles require relatively complex setup procedures (like installing the front wheel, repositioning the fork legs in the triple tees, etc.). There’s nothing that complex on a California Scooter.  We’ve made it simple.  Let’s walk through it and you’ll see what I mean.

When your bike arrives, it’s going to look like this…

The way it comes off the truck...

After you’ve removed the cardboard cover and the lumber used to hold the cardboard in place, you’ll see your bike strapped down to its pallet:

We put all the protective material in there to make sure your bike arrives like it left the factory, in perfect condition

All you need to do at this point is unpack the handlebars and install them in the handlebar risers. To do that, just remove the four 6mm Allen-head bolts in the risers, position the bars in the risers, and then reinstall the risers and the four Allen-head bolts.

Position the handlebars and secure the four riser bolts

Once the handlebars are installed, all you have to do is hook up the clutch cable (we unhook that so that we can dismount and turn the bars sideways for shipping).   You need to install the handlebar end of the clutch cable end first, and the photos below show how to do this.

Insert the ball end of the clutch cable into the clutch lever...this shows it from underneath the clutch lever

Align the clutch lever knurled lock nut and adjuster nut so that you can slip the cable in place, as shown here

Seat the clutch cable into the adjuster nut...you can adjust the cable after connecting it to the engine

Once you’ve got the clutch cable hooked up at the clutch lever like we’ve shown above, you need to hook it up at the other end on the right side of the engine.  Here’s what that looks like…

The engine end of the clutch cable...it's on the right side of the bike

Hook the ball end of the clutch cable into the engine's clutch actuation lever after you've rotated the clutch lever forward (if you use a wrench, as you see here, take care not to scratch the engine case)

The engine end of the clutch cable in place

All you need to do now is adjust the clutch cable at the lever end.  You want just a little bit of free play in it before you feel resistance in the clutch lever.  We look for about 1/16 to maybe 1/10 of an inch at the point shown in the photo below.   This adjustment isn’t super critical…you just don’t want zero end play in the clutch lever (there needs to be a little bit so the clutch is fully engaged when you release the lever).

Use the clutch lever adjuster and lock nut to adjust the lever to about 1/16th to 1/10 of an inch free play

That’s about it, folks. There’s already a little bit of gas in the tank, the battery’s charged, and the engine has oil in it when it leaves the factory.  Put a little more gas in, and let’s ride!