CSC Blog

In reading through our CSC blog entries about the recent Baja trip, it occurred to us that due to the nature of blogging it’s hard to get a feel for the trip from start to finish.  We did a more-easily-followed version showing the entire trip, and you can see it right here!

Simon Gandolfi on the road north of Cabo San Lucas

Are you on Facebook?  If you are, you can click here to get to our Facebook page, too.  Please do so, and become a friend of the California Scooter Company! 

The whole nine yards….do you know where that expression came from?   Send us a note with the correct answer, and we’ll send you a high-res digital copy of any single photo you’d like from anywhere on our California Scooter blog!

Boy oh boy!  Just learned about this one….a 400-mile, one-day scooter endurance rally around the Salton Sea!  It’s next March…will we see you there?

Here’s another cool video…it’s unnerving just watching these guys!

We don’t make or sell Lambrettas, but this video is too cool not to share…

We just finished a super fun photo shoot yesterday to get a few more pictures into our latest catalog.  Sandy did an incredible job putting the new catalog together…and the good news is this:   If you’d like to get a high resolution pdf copy, just shoot an email to me at jberk@CaliforniaScooterCo.com, and we’ll get a copy to you right away!  And I promise…we’ll never give your email address to anyone else.

The latest California Scooter catalog is now available!

More cool stuff…we are going to be on the inside front cover of the next issue of Cabela’s magazine.   Cabela’s is the premier outdoor, camping, hunting, and fishing store (my wife hides the checkbook and the credit cards everytime I mention going there).   Here’s a copy of that ad, and we’ll make you the same offer…if you want a copy, shoot me an email and I’ll get a high res version out to you.

Our latest ad...showing the greatest bikes in the world!

An interesting day at the Scooter factory and an interesting night out, boys and girls…it all started with a visit from engine-builder extraordinaire, Grant Matsushima.   Grant normally spends his time building ultra-high performance sportsbike engines…we’re talking race bike stuff here.   Grant is the go-to guy when it comes to wringing maximum performance out of 600cc and liter bike engines, and he’s the guy we have focused on the engine upgrades for our land speed record bike.  But don’t take my word for Grant’s magic…you can check it out on the Matsushima Performance website.

Grant Matsushima, engine-builder extraordinaire

Grant’s personal ride is a very unusual performance V-twin…it’s based on a Suzuki TL1000S engine, and it’s awesome.   It’s kind of the big brother to our Greaser…the same stealth black color scheme, the same hardtail rear end, and lots of performance.   This is an awesome bike.  I wanted to put a California Scooter decal on the tank, but I couldn’t get Grant distracted long enough to sneak it on there… 

Grant's TL1000S-based chopper

So, allow me to depart from the motorcycle stuff for a moment…last night we visited the legendary Redhill BBQ restaurant, and it was incredible.   On our comfortable California evenings, you can smell the BBQ aroma a mile away…and it tastes even better than it smells.   Ribs, hot links, BBQ chicken, brisket…boy oh boy oh boy, this place has some great food.

The Redhill BBQ in Rancho Cucamonga

I asked my new friend Marcus if I could grab a shot of him cooking the best BBQ in southern California, and he was happy to let me do so…

My new friend Marcus, a BBQ maestro

 Yep, it tastes even better than it looks, and you gotta admit, it looks good…

Redhill BBQ hot links

And speaking of flat black bikes (ala Grant’s TL1000S performance hardtail), one last thing I saw before I left the plant last night…this is lucky Joe’s new Greaser.  It’s headed to Joe in McAllen, Texas, this week…and it is a very cool bike.  Joe specified flat black billet wheels to complement the Greaser’s flat black tank and fenders, and the color combo really works… 

Texas Joe's Stealth Greaser...Tom just finished building it and he's prepping Joe's bike for shipment

The weekend’s coming up…and that means more miles on the red Classic…life is good, folks!

Saturday night Steve and I went to the Village Grill’s Cruise Night in Claremont, California.  This night was sort of special, as it was billed as the last Claremont Cruise Night ever.   I don’t know if that’s really the case, but I’ve been going to these things for years and I didn’t want to miss this one.  There were some great cars and a few bikes there, and here are the photos I grabbed…

Our California Scooters parked outside the Village Grill, right behind a Packard

A couple of days ago I posted a shot of Roger Lamb’s gorgeous Cushman 1959 Iron Eagle, and I promised a few more, so here we go…

Roger Lamb on his 1959 Cushman Iron Eagle at the Claremont Cruise Night

Roger has done an absolutely outstanding job on his Cushman, and it has a few custom touches as well.   The cylinder head, for example, is machined from titanium.    It doesn’t get much more exotic than that!

A titanium cylinder head...wow!

Cushman scooters are pretty cool bikes, and there are a few of them that we see around here.   We don’t make a bike that looks like the Cushman (yet), but the thought of doing so is intriguing.  The original Cushmans had 8 or 9 hp (depending on the model), and the idea of coming out with a modernized version is intriguing.  It could be either a twist-and-go, or a manual shift model like our current Scooter.  What do you guys think?

Okay, enough tantalizing thoughts about potential future models….check out some of these gorgeous cars!

A beautiful old Chrysler

A Packard hood ornament

A Cobra replicar, with a '56 T-Bird right next to it

This fellow needs a California Scooter Greaser to match his car

A '58 Chevy coupe with lake pipes

A '68 GTO....I used to own a '68, and Steve had a '69

A gorgeous T-bucket

A bathtub Porsche...another beautiful car

A '54 Ford...the white-haired guy in this photo is our family physician, and he restored this car to look exactly like the one he owned in 1954!

A Woody...another Wow! car

The grill on a '69 El Camino...big block Chevys ruled the world in those days

A turquoise '57 Chevy convertible...this would be a perfect match for our Beach Cruiser bike!

A stunning '55 Chevy...a very elegant car...and this one would match my red Classic perfectly!

A '63 split-window Stingray, the first year of production for the Corvette Stingray...when I first saw these on a TV commercial (I was 11 at the time), I knew I'd own a silver Corvette someday...and that '04 Z-06 in the inset photo is mine!

After the Cruise Night, I rolled toward home on my red California Scooter Classic (the same one I’d just been to Cabo San Lucas on), and it occurred to me I was hungry.  One of the great things about riding a motorcycle on a cool California night are the magnificent aromas from the different restaurants, and when I picked up on the grilled onions and fries, I decided I had to stop and have one of the best burgers in the world…

In-N-Out, the best hamburgers in the world!

My good buddy TK is pretty excited about a bike the guys are putting together for our friend Jim in Lakewood, California.   I’ll grab a photo or two of it and post it on the next blog!

Steve and I rode our California Scooters to the Claremont classic car show Saturday night…I’ll have more photos in another day or two, but take a quick look at this one I grabbed downtown…it’s Roger Lamb’s fully restored Cushman Iron Eagle!

Roger Lamb's Cushman...a very beautiful motorcycle

More to come, folks.   This one is so pretty, though, I didn’t want to make you wait!

Just a couple of quick photos, boys and girls…

Josh and I went to lunch today, and while Tony and the boys were servicing my bike, Steve let me borrow his Sarge.   As an old Army guy, I like the Sarge’s look and feel, and apparently so do a lot of other people.  That bike sure draws the looks and smiles.  My red Classic does, too, but the Sarge is in a league all by itself.

We get so many compliments on the Sarge, and it draws so much attention, we’re wondering if OD green should be a factory option.  What do you guys think?

While I was out, the boys installed one of our new fringed seats on my red Classic.  I’ve never been one of the fringe and conchos crowd, but I gotta tell you, that black fringed seat really works on my bike.  It’s a completely new look, and I like it!

It’s amazing how just a little touch like fringes on a seat can really change a bike’s personality.   If you want more information about our custom seats, take a look here.

I’m going to put some miles on my bike tomorrow up in the San Gabriels, and I’ll grab a few more shots.  That’s it for now.   Tomorrow, I’ll get my knees in the breeze…so watch for more photos on our California Scooter blog!

Yep, another John Esposito custom paint job...two-tone turquoise-and-white!

This bike has beach cruiser handlebars, and lots and lots of chrome.   I’m sure many of you noticed the wire wheels…

Yep, wire wheels are coming...

We don’t have these wheels in stock yet, but they are on the way.  They sure are pretty.   I think I like my solid wheels better, because the solid wheels run tubeless and require a lot less maintenance.   But if you like wire wheels, it won’t be long before you can get them on your California Scooter.

Steve and the boys put lots of detail into this bike.   It’s not for sale (it’s a show bike), but it is a good platform for showing off some of the accessories and chome work you can pour into your custom bike…

Tons of chrome (read the list below)

Our beach cruiser Scooter has chrome all over…the taillight assembly, the luggage rack, the exhaust pipe, the controls, the airbox, the hand controls, the foot controls, the fork lowers, the upper and lower triple tees, the speedometer case, the speedometer mount, the kickstand, the front and rear wheel hubs and spacers, the wire wheels, the battery box, the brake calipers, and the list goes on and on.  The chrome is nice, but what really does it for me is that two-tone turquoise-and-white paint job.

Do you like this color combo?   Drop us a line and let us know…we’d love to hear from you!