CSC Blog

Nope, the ride wasn’t mine, but wow, another nice note and a great ride report from one of our RX3 riders!   Check out Jim’s email, his ride report, and his incredible photos!

Joe,

I really enjoy reading the CSC blog and check it daily. Attached is a trip report and 10,000 mile update on my RX3. You are welcome to use it on the blog, if you wish.  I think the Blue Ridge Parkway would make a wonderful CSC group ride, especially for us East Coast customers.  I would be happy to help with the planning.

Jim G.

PS:  When will you announce the price on the Cafe Racer?

And here’s Jim’s awesome ride report…

I just completed a 4-day ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  My brother and I started at my house in Simpsonville, SC on Thursday morning and rode to the Parkway at Milepost (MP) 423.  Then we rode to his house near MP 86, North of Roanoke, Virginia.  We took 2 days to go up, stopping for the night at a motel in Pineola, NC on Thursday.  I rode back by myself on Saturday and Sunday, taking the same route.

Day 1 South to North and Day 4 N to S

Day 2 S to N and Day 3 N to S

My RX3 performed wonderfully for the nearly 1,000 mile, 4-day weekend (200-250 miles / day).  I was a little worried that my 250cc adventure bike would have a little trouble on the hills and might slow down my brother on his big Harley.  FYI, I am 6’1” and weigh 230lbs.  When we came to the mountains on day 1 we had about 20 miles of twisty climbing roads (Hwy 178 in SC/NC and Rt 215 in NC) to get up to the parkway, gaining about 3,500 feet of elevation.  When we got to the top on Hwy 178 my brother said two things, 1. “That was a great road” and 2. “I had trouble keeping up with you”.  At that point I knew I was not going to have a power issue.  The weather was great (60-75 degrees, two little showers) and the bikes performed flawlessly. 

Cone Mansion, MP 294

Grandfather Mountain, MP 305

My only complaint on the trip was from my butt!  Although I ride to work nearly every day, it is just 20 minutes each way.  5 hours in the seat for me was quite painful (after 2-3 hours).  I just have the stock seat, maybe a cushion or Seat Concepts upgrade would help.  I ended up standing, sliding back, sitting on the back seat, moving up on the edge of the tank, … anything to get a new pressure point.  I survived.

I think the RX3 makes a great bike for the Blue Ridge Parkway!  I was able to put all I needed in the stock luggage easily (we were not camping).  It is light and easy to maneuver through all those glorious curves.  It has plenty of power to get up all the climbs, some downshifting required on the steepest ones.  The speed limit on the Parkway is 45mph so top end was never an issue.  Even when we were trying to make up some time and my brother was leading (a little over the limit) I had no trouble keeping up.  I averaged about 65 miles per gallon so I only spent about $35 in gas for the whole trip!  My brother needed to be careful where he parked due the weight of his bike.  I didn’t have to bother backing into spots since my RX3 is so light and easy to walk back out any parking spot.  Although we did not take any gravel road adventures (due to my brother’s bike), I knew I could if I wanted to.  There were a lot of opportunities to do so, I will have to go back and try some of them out.  Overall I loved riding the Blue Ridge Parkway on my RX3, a great bike for a great road.

Mabry Mill, MP 176

Mount Mitchell, MP 355

I have nearly 10,000 miles on my bike now, purchased in June 2016.  I have done all the oil changes myself (conventional oil @ 2,500 miles) and paid a local shop to adjust the valves twice, change the tires at 8,000 miles, and adjust the chain tension. The only issues I have had were very minor.  The shift lever tip broke off at about 2,000 miles.  When I emailed CSC they responded immediately and sent me a new lever the same day.  My battery died at 5,000 miles = 10 months old, CSC told me the battery only had a 6 month warranty so I was on my own.  I found a good replacement on Amazon for $45 and it has been working for 5 months now with no issues.  I have only seen 2 bolts work loose.  One was on the rear protector / luggage rack.  The other was on the rear brake lever.  Actually that nut came completely loose and was resting inside the plastic cover.  The bolt never came out, not sure it can, and the brake never stopped working.  I got the torque value from CSC and put it back on with some LocTite.

Thanks to CSC for offering such a great product at a great value,

Jim G

Jim, that’s an awesome report and we (I and our readers) thank you for taking the time to put it together and send it to us.   We love getting these ride reports.

Allow me to answer your questions and comments.

A Blue Ridge Parkway ride is a real possibility.  Thank you for offering to help with organizing it.  I’ve never ridden the Blue Ridge Parkway (a character flaw I aim to correct).   Everything I’ve heard about that part of our great country sounds perfect for a great motorcycle adventure.  I had hoped to get out your way this summer, but I retired from teaching at Cal Poly in May and I have been busier than I’ve ever been.  Let’s tentatively talk about doing a Blue Ridge ride next summer.  I’m up for it if you are!

Regarding the issues of engine size and keeping up, like you, I have never had a problem keeping up with anyone on a Harley-Davidson.   A lot of folks assume that a 250 is down on power and can’t run with the big dogs.   It’s never been a problem for me.

On the seat:  I’m an older guy and I’ve never found the perfect motorcycle seat.  To me, they are all uncomfortable after a long day in the saddle, and I’ve ridden or owned most of the motorcycles out there.  I had to give up riding Harleys after I tried to buy a T-shirt at a dealer one day and the sizes all started at 2XL.  When I asked the sales guy if he had a medium or a large, he looked at me and told me I was too little to ride a Harley.   I don’t much care for Starbuck’s, I don’t have a 35-inch inseam, and I get a cramp in my neck from looking down my nose at other riders, so that ruled out BMW.  I am a degreed engineer so I thought I might have a shot at riding a KTM, but I’m a mechanical engineer and after reading the KTM forums I concluded that I really needed an electrical engineering/computer science degree to keep a KTM going.  Some folks have told me I’m not one of nicest people they ever met, so that cut out Honda. I never believed that old slogan about loud clutches saving lives, so there went Ducati.  I did like letting the good times roll and I rode a KLR for a while, but when the RX3 came on the scene I sold the KLR and never looked back (even though I miss having a doohickey on my RX3).  Anyway, to get back to the seat issue, many of our customers like the Seat Concepts seat.  I have a sheepskin cover on my RX3 seat and it’s worked well for me.  I rode an RX3 6000 miles across China on the stock seat with an aeration-type cover and I was okay with it.   It all depends on your individual shape, your pressure points, and your preferences.   You might want to consider one of our Seat Concepts seats; I don’t know of anyone who’s purchased one and did not love it.

On fuel economy, 65 mpg is about right.  I can typically get over 70 mpg on my bike if I ride to minimize fuel consumption (I’ve twice got over 80 mpg coming down from the Continental Divide at moderate speeds).  Small bikes’ top speed, acceleration, and fuel economy are more sensitive to rider weight, headwinds, tire pressure, oil levels, and other factors that would have less of an impact on a larger bike.

Regarding the price on the Cafe Racer, we have not officially announced it yet.  I know people in high places, though, and if you promise not to tell anyone, I’ve heard it’s going to be $2,495.

Jim, again, that was an awesome ride and an awesome report.  Thanks so much for sharing it with us!

Hey, I received another note related to our upcoming Destinations Deal Tour, this time from our good buddy Nevada Johnny!

Hello Joe,  

Just for fun, since I just saw the photos from Stan, here is a 1951 photo of my mother, Scotty, my sister and me.

I do not remember anything about that trip to Death Valley except that the family went on numerous trips around So. Cal deserts.

Dad drove us around in a 1949 Ford woody wagon. He shoulda kept that one.

Thanks for the blog, always a pleasure to read.

Johnny B.,  Boulder City, Nevada

Johnny, thanks for the note and the photo, and your kind words on the blog.  It’s always fun hearing from our readers.  Ride safe, my friend!

Detailed planning is underway for the Destinations Deal Tour and the excitement is building.   There are seven of us on this ride.  Some of the guys are folks I’ve ridden with before on our CSC adventures, and some are new to the CSC world.  It’s great; old friends and new friends.   I sure am having fun.

I received a nice note from my good buddy Stan yesterday (complete with a couple of killer vintage photos) and I thought I would share it with you…

Joe,

Enjoy reading your blog and just wanted to share a few things that might enhance your upcoming tour. I see you plan to ride through Death Valley which is one of my favorite places (beauty, history, desolation) and recalling the record rainfall 2 years ago and the damage to roads that I think still exists, (Scotty’s Junction entry..)  At Scotty’s Junction there’s a B&B ‘Shady Lady’ that was formerly a brothel with themed rooms…check out their website).  Also in this area and used in a unique promotion with ‘Airbnb and Audi’ (enter Airbnb and Audi into YouTube to see the commercial) is another unique B&B…. Your likely entry into Death Valley is through Beatty, NV (Hwy 374).

Right before you pull into Beatty, stop at the crash-landed airplane right in front of the former Angels Ladies brothel… 4 brothels in this region have gone ‘belly-up.’

100+ years ago, Beatty had a rival city called ‘Rhyolite’ (once being hyped as ‘The Chicago of the West’). Well, that didn’t quite pan-out, as you’ll notice this recurring theme passing through what’s left of the boom and bust towns on your way south on Hwy 95.

Both photos above are from Rhyolite (just a few miles west of Beatty) and both the Cook Bank building and Porter Bros store (the circus elephants are right in front of it) have ruins that still stand.

Walter ‘Death Valley Scotty’ Scott, seen above eating his lunch next to the Cook Bank with a Chinese businessman he owed money to (Scotty loved to spend other peoples’ money) was a huge part of the history of this region (after being fired by Buffalo Bill Cody).  There’s a ‘Castle’ named after him in DVNP (well worth checking out once they get it reopened after the flash flood damage).

You must attend an organ concert at Scotty’s Castle once they reopen. A one weekend per year happening, where a human being plays the theatre organ live (played by computer during tours of the Castle, on every other day).  A unique venue to say the least. Check the DVNHA website for updates…(don’t fret, I’ll be sure and give you a heads-up).

Here’s an historical event you might not be aware of from back in his day; quite the celebrity https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Special

Next to Rhyolite you can’t miss some unusual sculptures (Goldwell Outdoor Museum) and some great photo-ops.  The statue of the miner swinging the pick, standing next to the penguin is Frank ‘Shorty’ Harris; 1 of 2 men to find the gold that made this area boom.

Not in the cards for this run, but a road you’ll pass by and must take another time is the 266/168 that connects Hwy 95 (the junction where The Cottontail brothel used to take lonely truckers money) and Hwy 395 in Big Pine (where Yelp! #1 rated restaurant in the USA for 2015, Copper Top BBQ is located). What a hoot this road is, either by car or motorcycle. And at night? Wow! I’ve done it at night solo on 4 wheels and that was weird enough…and this was while camping in the Eastern Sierra (west of Bishop) and the contrast of being high in the mountains and in the heat of the summer in Death Valley in the same day was awesome (the Death Valley run was to see the organ concert mentioned above and it always seems to be scheduled during the summer…).

And off the 168 out of Big Pine is The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest (home to the oldest trees, some predating the Great Pyramid of Giza) get your hiking legs on…   

Have fun,

Stan

Stan, thanks very much for your note, the photos, and your suggestions.   We’re going to have a great time, and we appreciate the inputs!

The open road…our Destinations Deal Tour is going to be great!

The names are in for the Destinations Deal tour, and it looks like it’s going to be six of us…Willie, Orlando and his wife, Dan, Leighton, and me.  That’s a right-sized group, and I’m looking forward to this adventure.  Keep an eye on the blog, as we’ll be posting more information on this upcoming adventure ride as our planning continues.   It’s wheels up on 22 October and we’ll be returning on 27 October.

Hey, next topic up…we’re moving out on our CSC rifle postal match, and the rules are simple:  50 yards, 20 shots at the standard SR-1 target, any centerfire rifle, any sighting system, any shooting position (including shooting from the bench), and you have to own a CSC motorcycle to participate.

The SR-1 target

If  you want to participate, drop us a note at info@cscmotorcycles.com, and we’ll send your target to you.  You’ll have to get your target back to us by 15 November 2017.

I’m back in California at the CSC plant and the new showroom is coming along nicely.   My guess is that all of the work will be finished next week.   Things are still under construction so I don’t have any cool photos to share with you, but watch for new ones in the next week or so.

We’re finalizing plans for the Destinations Deal Tour, and we have a couple of openings left.  If you want to ride with us, please send an email to us at info@cscmotorcycles.com with your name, your phone number, and your email.   We’re making hotel reservations on Monday of next week, and at this point we need your confirmation.

That’s it for now, folks.  Keep an eye on the blog.   Like always, we’ll have more good stuff to share with you, and you’ll see it here first.

Now this is cool…a Turkish photography contest!It’s going on right now on Facebook (here’s the link), and it’s pretty cool in that the photo they are using for the Facebook group title page (and on that poster above) is one I shot…it shows RX3s in front of the CSC plant in Azusa, California!  It sure would be cool if you join that group and post photos of your RX3s here in the US.

I met with some of the Turkish RX3 riders on my last secret mission to that beautiful country.  Some day I hope to ride Turkey; it really is an amazing land.  Istanbul, Kayseri, Cappadocia, Ankara, Pergamon, Ephusus, Izmir, the Black Sea, the Sea of Marmara, the Grand Bazaar, the Straits of Bosphorus…there’s just so much to see and do over there.  And the food…all I can say is wow!  Yeah, we have to do a ride through Turkey some day…

Our good buddy Angel, a TT250 rider, recently posted these awesome photos on Facebook.  With his permission, I’m sharing them here on the CSC blog…

The vintage bikes are in the Talbott museum here in California.

Angel, your photography is amazing!   Thanks for letting us share your talent with the rest of the CSC community.

Wow, what an action-packed 24 hours this has been!   Our guide has an awesome truck that’s a Jeep body on top of a Chevy Blazer chassis with a 350 cubic inch V8, 35-inch wheels, and the goodies it needs to get up and down the goat trails we covered last night…

We arrived at the ranch in Arizona yesterday and we hunted last night and this morning.  To cut to the chase, we had a successful hunt.  Paul nailed a monster boar last night, and I got mine this morning.  I’m not one for posting gory “kill” photos, so you won’t see any of that here. But I will tell you Paul’s .270 Winchester did the job, and so did my .30-06.  We both used our own reloaded ammo, and everything worked the way it was supposed to.

We’re up in the mountains above Kingman, where both the temperature and the scenery are cool.

This trip was a big deal for both of us.  I like hunting (I’ll make no apologies for that), and it’s been way too long since I’ve been on a trip like this.  This was my third time chasing hogs, and it’s the first time I got one.  It’s a pretty cool feeling.

Paul and I are both having the meat processed and I imagine we’ll both be hosting pork BBQs in the near future.   I’m told wild boar is much better tasting than farm-raised pork because the meat is a lot leaner.  We’ll see.

So we’re heading back to California later today, and then it will be time to start preparing for the next adventures…Singapore, Thailand, and then later in October, the CSC Destinations Deal Tour.  I’m really looking forward to it!

After an all-day drive, we’re here in the bunkhouse of our Arizona hunting lodge.   There are a  lot of cool trophies inside.

For us, the action starts later this afternoon.  The game is Russian boar, just like that mount you see at the top of this post.

Stay tuned…

Gerry Edwards, motorcycle maestro.

Last  year I had a Chevy dealer service my Corvette with predictable results.  The steering wheel was tilted to the left after an alignment, they told me the battery was fine (but I needed a new one a couple of months later), and they charged me for lubing the door hinges (I could see they had not).   The follow on interactions pretty much followed most of the experiences I’ve had with dealers…several trips back to fix the things they screwed up (it took three returns to get the steering wheel pointing straight ahead).  I was most bothered by the fact that they charged me for labor to lube the door hinges (I mean, who charges for such things?) without having done the work.  When I asked about that and showed them that the hinges had not been lubricated, the service manager explained that they didn’t have the required lubricant.  I don’t know what was more disturbing:  The fact that they charged me for something they had not done, or the service manager’s belief that not having the required materials somehow justified that bit of fraud.   Why, I wondered, couldn’t I find a service outfit for my Z06 with the same competence level as Gerry Edwards and his guys?  That’s that I wanted; a automotive technician with the skills and honesty that we have in our CSC motorcycle maintenance staff.

Well, I found one, but I got to it in a roundabout way.   We stopped going to the BMW dealer as soon as our 4 years of “free” maintenance ended on my wife’s car (what a joke that “free” maintenance was, but that’s a story for another time).   My buddy Marty (whose wife also drives an Uber-mobile) alerted me to an independent shop in our neighborhood.  Taylor BMW, to be precise.   We’ve always been happy with the work Taylor did for us (far more so than we ever were with the U-boat captains at the BMW dealership).

Taylor branched out, or expanded, or whatever you want to call it.  They opened another independent service place right next to their BMW shop, and this one focuses on American cars.   One day last week while driving home from CSC, I could feel the front brakes pulsating in the Vette.   I was due for a brake job.  There’s no way I would return to the Chevy dealer (I could hear them already…yeah, we charged you for pads, but we didn’t have any), so I thought I would try the new US option at Taylor’s.

When I stopped at Taylor’s with my Corvette, I noticed a very cool (and very old) Opel station wagon with a racing number on the side.  Mike (the manager) came out to meet me.  I told him what I needed and how I wanted to make sure the service tech didn’t sit in my car with screwdrivers sticking out of his pocket and….

Before I got any further, Mike (with a German accent, no less) told me, “Joe, see that Opel?  It’s mine, and I know exactly what you want.  I race autocross and the guys who work here work on my car.  Nobody here will do anything that hurts your car.  We are car people.”

Mike, in his 47-year old Autocross Opel.

Wow.  There’s something about an auto tech with a German accent that automatically instills a sense of confidence.  I liked the guy immediately.

When I returned later that day, my car was ready, it had been washed, and it was perfect.   Mike and I spoke a little more, and he told me about his Opel.  It has custom, period correct magnesium racing wheels (he found three wheels in one country and one in another).  It has a super-rare Steinmetz intake manifold and a custom carburetor.  It looked to me like it had new paint, but Mike explained that he spent a lot of time buffing it.   He took me inside the shop and showed me the ventilated disks that came off my car (they were way heavier than I would have thought).  Mike told me he put ceramic pads on my Z06 instead of the stock pads because “it’s what a car like yours should have.”

A very clean engine engine compartment showcasing a Steinmetz intake, a custom carb, and more.

On the drive home, the Corvette did the same thing both of my CSC motorcycles do every time I ride them.  It brought a smile to my face.  I am one happy camper.