CSC Blog

A glorious day for a ride, and what a ride it was!

Carl Mungenast and his lovely wife Mary are in town, and we’ve been having lots of fun. As you know, Carl is one of our greatest fans and a trusted advisor to the California Scooter Company.  Like Steve, he comes from motorcycle royalty…Carl’s brother Dave was an ISDT rider and a Motorcycle Hall of Fame inductee, and the Mungenast family is well known in motorcycling circles (just as is the Seidner family).

Susie and I had a great dinner with Carl and Mary last Saturday at one of my all time favorite restaurants (di Pilla’s in Rosemead), and I can’t tell you which was better:  The cuisine, the conversation, or the company.  They were all world class!   We had a lot of fun.

Carl is very distinguished guy…a former Sears president (yes, boys and girls, that Sears), a former Consolidated Freightways Chief Operating Officer, and most significantly, a certifiable gearhead (just like you and me).  It was a great evening, and the conversation included our upcoming Glendora Ridge Road ride.   I told Carl about the route we’d take through the magnificent San Gabriel Mountains…and here it is…

Our Glendora Ridge Road route....up through Glendora, on to the Glendora Mountain Road, on to Glendora Ridge Road, a stop in Mt. Baldy Village for lunch, and then back to the CSC plant!

So, enough of the small talk!  Let’s get our knees in the breeze!   We all met at the shop at about 10:00 this morning (just a few hours ago), and we were off!   Woo hoo!   Great weather, great riding, and great bikes…here we go!

Chasing Carl and Steve up Glendora Mountain Road

The road, just like always, was great.   What made it even more fun was being out with great guys like Carl and Steve! 

Trust me, it was tough keeping up with these guys and snapping photos!

Part way up Glendora Mountain Road, Steve pulled over so we could take in the scenery.  It was magnificent!

A stop to smell the roses...there weren't any roses, but you get the idea!

Yep, it was as much fun as it looks!

After taking in the view, we were off…charging deeper into the San Gabriels…

Onward, upward, and all that...the riding this morning was absolutely magnificent!

We stopped at the intersection of Glendora Mountain Road and Glendora Ridge Road to grab a few photos.   Steve offered to take a shot of Carl and me, and here we are…

Yours truly with my good buddy Carl, and the Baja Blaster

And then I grabbed the same shot of Steve and Carl…

Carl Mungenast and Steve Seidner, Captains of Industry! The bike is Steve's personal ride, the Sarge.

After that, I asked the boys to let me run ahead.  I wanted to scout a good location to get a shot of Steve and Carl drifting through one of Glendora Ridge Road’s 200+ curves.

I was really hot-dogging it, and my CSC was absolutely humming…the bike was running great!   My CSC runs well all the time, but it especially likes our crisp California winter air.  I felt like the late (and great) Gary Nixon…you know, showing good form and doing about as well as I ever do carving corners.   I figured I was well ahead of the boys, but when I looked in my mirror…whoa!   There was Carl, hanging right with me!   Guys, I ain’t bragging…I know I was smoking!  And Carl, he was right behind me, making it look like he was out for a Sunday stroll.  The man can ride!

I found a good spot, Carl and Steve turned around to let me stage a good shot, and here we go!

Hot dogging it around a corner...what a day!

We ran the rest of Glendora Ridge Road, and then we were on the downhill stretch into Mt. Baldy Village for a great lunch at the Baldy Lodge…

Heading into Mt. Baldy Village

We enjoyed a super meal at the Lodge (the tuna melt is awesome!), we talked about how lucky we all were to be out riding on a day like today, and then we were in the wind again…

Carl at my 6:00!

Lots of fun, folks, and it’s all part of the CSC lifestyle.   I’m smiling and giggling as I type this, just thinking about what a grand day it was!  I can’t wait to get back out on the road again!

More good stuff coming up…like Sacramento…the whales…and more good surprises!  Keep coming back, ride safe, and stay tuned!

I sure wish I could take credit for this Baja photo, but it’s not mine…

The most beautiful place on the planet, with riding to match!

See the arrow on the left?  It’s pointing to the lagoons at Guerrero Negro, and it’s where my buddies are right now.  Who would they be?   Why, the California gray whales, of course!  There’s nothing like the show they provide, not anywhere in the world.  They’re going to be down there through March, and that’s when I’m going to be down there, too!  What a ride it’s gonna be!

And the arrow on the right?  It’s pointing to Concepcion Bay, and folks, to borrow my good buddy Simon Gandolfi’s words, it’s as close as you can get to Heaven without dying.  You might think I’m exaggerating, but if you ridden that coast road, you know I’m not.  It’s that beautiful.

Our good friend Geoff Hill from BajaBound insurance (one of our sponsors on the last Baja ride) posted the above photo on Facebook, and I just had to share it with you!

So what was the Baja ride like?   Well, check out our photos from that trip…

But why settle for just the photos?  Hey, you wanna go with us?  And see the whales?    Just let me know, and we’ll save a spot for you!

Tommy Wright's ultra-equipped sapphire blue Classic

You good folks may remember the blog we did a few entries back about Tommy Wright’s ultra-equipped sapphire blue Classic. It’s a stunning bike that Tommy equipped with literally every possible option in our accessories catalog. Chrome everything. Bags. Rack. Windshield. Spotlights. LED turn signals. Everything. Literally everything. Tommy’s bike is drop dead gorgeous and that’s one of the reasons we included it here.

Well, it turns out Tommy wasn’t done yet. If you can’t add any more accessories, what else can you do?

Tommy didn’t struggle with that question for long: He bought another one…this time it’s a fully (and identically) equipped Babydoll for his girlfriend, Jackie. All I can say is: Wow!

Take a look at this one, boys and girls!  It’s the ultimate Babydoll, and it sure is beautiful!

Jackie, from the crew here at CSC, we wish you the best with your beautiful new motorcycle!

On to a new topic…I’m sure looking forward to tomorrow…it’s the first time in too long I’m getting out on my Classic.  Steve is leading a ride with our good buddy and advisor Carl Mungenast up in the mountains, and I’m going, too!  It’s gonna be great!   Watch the blog, and I’ll post a few photos for you in the next day or so!

Ride safe and stay tuned!

That would be Carol in Indian Wells, California…in the beautiful Mojave Desert!

Carol and her new CSC Classic in Indian Wells

Carol’s new ride is a beautiful Classic, tastefully optioned with Lucky 13 billet wheels, a chrome rack, and several other CSC goodies. 

You’ve got a sweet ride, Carol, and you’re in one of the greatest riding areas in all of California.  I love the Palm Desert and all of the great riding spots that are not too far away from you.  It’s just a short hop to get up into the mountains, Joshua Tree National Park is nearby, and of course, MSILSF’s Salton Sea Endurance Rally is just around the corner (and it’s coming up in March). 

My all time favorite in that area, though, has to be Joshua Tree National Park.  It’s awesome, and the scenes are simply out of this world.   You really feel like you’re on another planet riding around in Joshua Tree. 

On the road through Joshua Tree National Park...it really does look like this!

Hey, that’s an idea…anybody up for a CSC ride through Joshua Tree?   Let us know…the weather’s perfect this time of year, and I guarantee you we’ll have a good time!

I stopped by the plant today for a quick visit with my CSC manufacturing buddies and who did I bump into?   My good friend and riding buddy Bruce Montgomery!  

Take a look at this!

Bruce was riding the Rock Star (you’ll remember that bike; it’s made a lot of appearances in the blog), and the bike absolutely glistened.  I had forgotten that the Rock Star was one of the bikes Steve and TK blew out at rock bottom prices when we had the demo bike sale last year (we sold 10 bikes in a matter of hours).   I knew we had sold the Rock Star, but I did not know we had sold it to Bruce.

That’s three bikes (that I know of) that Bruce keeps in his collection, and two of them are California Scooters.  The other two are the turquoise twins (Bruce’s 91 Harley Softfail and a matching CSC Classic).  I asked Bruce how he decides which one to ride, and he just laughed.  “It’s usually whatever one I can get to,” Bruce said.  Ah, life is good.

Check out the custom saddlebags Bruce mounted on the Rock Star.  They are super cool.  That bike just looks great.

And the photo?   Hey, believe it or not, it’s one I grabbed with my iPhone.   Awesome, ain’t it?

While I was there, TK told me about another blue Classic that had come in on consignment.  It only had about 50 miles on it.   We thought we’d advertise it here on the blog, but whaddaya know…I chatted with Steve for a bit, and when I went back to photograph the bike, TK had already sold it!  

Like I said, things happen quickly around here…

Happy New Year, folks!

And what a great way to start the new year…Susie and I went with our good friends Barb, Tom, Steve, and Maureen for a sneak peak at this year’s Rose Parade floats!  We are indeed gearheads, even if the motor vehicles are Rose Parade floats!

I know you’re probably going to be watching the game tomorrow, and it you’re like us, you’ll probably watch the Rose Parade that precedes it, too.   It’s an American treasure, and it’s one of the biggest events of the year here in southern California (maybe even in the world, considering how the event is televised).   Tom scored passes into the Fiesta Floats inner sanctum, and we accompanied him today for a great look at these magnificent creations.  

I love seeing the floats.  I like the workmanship, the colors, and the people, and I sure got an eyeful a few hours ago!   The Indonesia float and the Dole float, in particular, were awesome.  Both draw on Southeast Asia themes, and the colors and costumes were awesome.   Take a look…

And here’s another cool float…this one is from Paramount Pictures…watch for it in the parade tomorrow!

How about this one!  It’s a cool photo of Tillman, the world-record holding, skateboarding English bulldog…I’d say his owner really loves this pup (and it looks to me like Tillman feels the same way)…

Watch for the float featuring surfers, and you may just spot old Tillman!

There are lots of things that are cool about the floats, but one of the coolest things is that all of the exterior surfaces and colors are made of flowers, vegetables, and other plant life.   Take a look at this Mazda Miata on one of the floats, for example…

The Miata gets its color from kidney beans…take a closer look…

Yep, so here we are…2012!   It was great visiting the floats with our friends today, it’s great ushering in a new year, and it’s great to be here to share it with everyone.  

We had a good conversation about last year and this new year, and that migrated into the inevitable topic:   Our 2012 resolutions.   Mine are the ususal ones…I want to ride my motorcycle more, I want to lose a few pounds (Josh, you have inspired us all!), I want to ride my bicycle more (already got in my 15 miles today!), I want to spend a lot less time on Facebook, and I want to keep more cool stuff coming on the CSC blog.   I’ll do my best on that last one, and if you want to help out, let us know!  We love getting your photos and ride reports, so keep us posted, and we’ll do the same. 

On that topic, check out this great photo of our good buddy Roger Shelton from Tucson, Arizona, on his new sapphire blue CSC Classic!

You’re looking good, Roger…the Tucson area will never be the same…enjoy your new motorcycle with our best wishes!

Oh, and of course, our best wishes to all of you for a healthy, happy, and safe 2012!

Novi, Michigan, that is…Blackbeard Powersports, one of our dealers, is going to have your favorite motorcycle on display at the International Motorcycle Show in Novi next month, January 6th to the 8th.  Look for Blackbeard in Booth 410, located up front towards the left of the hall.

Another cool development, folks, is that the gray whales migrating south to Baja this year are setting all kinds of records!  I read an article about it in the newspapers yesterday, and then I spotted this news video posted by our good friend Gordon on FB early today…

I know where those whales are headed, and if you follow this blog, so do you!  They are on their way to two lagoons about halfway down the Baja peninsula, roughly 550 miles south of the border.  That would be San Ignacio Lagoon and Scammon’s Lagoon.  And when you see the whales in Mexico, you can get up close and personal…just like this young lady did on a motorcycle trip a few years ago…

Hmmmm…sounds like a pretty good excuse for a California Scooter ride to me!   Who’s in?

We’ve sure had a fun year, and so have you folks who ride CSC motorcycles!   Hey, check out our highlights from the last 12 months!

Our best wishes to all of you from the entire CSC crew!   Have a great holiday season, and a happy and healthy 2012!

Wow, you gotta take a look at this sapphire blue metallic Classic!  

This is Tommy Wright’s new scoot, and it’s as pretty a bike as we’ve ever seen.   I’m sure you’ll agree:   Tommy’s bike is absolutely stunning!

When I asked TK what options Tommy included on this bike, his answer was simple:  All of them!  Here’s the list showing the bike and all of the accessories Tommy specified for his new CSC motorcycle:

• Classic Scooter, Blue Sapphire Metallic 1 0 1
• AC-1034 Wheel, Wire, Front,36 Spoke, Chrome 1 0 1
• AC-1035 Wheel, Wire, Rear, 36 Spoke, Chrome 1 0 1
• 27-9010 Tire, F/R White Wall, 400 X 12 2 0 2
• AC-1000 Foot Controls, Chrome 1 0 1
• AC-1013 Battery Box, Chrome 1 0 1
• AC-1104 Engine Guard, Chrome 1 0 1
• AC-1102 Head Pipe & Muffler, Chrome SEND STOCK
• AC-1154 Filter-K&N 1 0 1
• AC-1170 Mirror, Chrome Billet Oval RH 1 0 1
• AC-1171 Mirror, Chrome Billet Oval LH 1 0 1
• AC-1019 Fork Legs, Lower, Chrome, Pair 1 0 1
• AC-1041 Seat, With Fringe, White 1 0 0
• AC-1101 Luggage Rack, Chrome 1 0 1
• AC-1018 Triple Tree, Chrome 1 0 1
• AC-1500 Parts Book, Exploded View, Frame & Engine 1 0 1
• AC-1501 Service Manual, 150cc, from 1/1/10, All
• AC-1007 Brake Caliper Front/Rear Chrome 2 0 2
• AC-1001 Brake Caliper Bracket, Front 1 0 1
• AC-1003 Spot Light, 3.5 Chrome, Ea. 1 0 1
• AC-1004 Kick Stand, Stainless Steel, Polished 1 0 1
• AC-1005 Chrome Turn Signal Bracket Kit 1 0 1
• AC-1006 Chrome License Plate, Back Plate 1 0 1
• AC-1011 Wheel Spacer Kit, Rear, Chrome 1 0 1
• AC-1012 Chain Adjuster Kit, Chrome 1 0 1
• AC-1014 Seat Cup Set, 4, Chrome 1 0 1
• AC-1017 Switch Housing Kit L&R Chrome 1 0 1
• AC-1020 Clutch Lever Assy, Chrome 1 0 1
• AC-1021 Brake Lever Assy, Master Chrome 1 0 1
• AC-1022 Stash Tube, 8″, Chrome Billet 1 0 0
• AC-1025 Chain Guard, Chrome 1 0 1
• AC-1030 Tail Light Led,Red,Chrome 1 0 1
• AC-1002 Handlebar Riser Set, Chrome 1 0 1
• AC-1015 Speedo Mounting Kit, Chrome 1 0 1
• AC-1181 Windshield, Classic Deuce, 7″ CLEAR 1 0 1
• AC-1031 Turn Signal, Billet, Amber, Pair 2 0 2
• Misc. Sale load equalizer 1 0 0
• AC-1016 License Frame, Billet, Chrome 1 0 1
• AC-1023 Registration Holder Laydown 1 0 1
• AC-1177 Saddlebags, 9.5 x 16 x 6, Black Leatherette

This is one sweet ride, folks!   Check out this composite photo showing Tommy’s new ride and its accessories…

And how about the photos!    I wish I could take credit for shooting these, but the Boss himself was so impressed with Tommy’s new bike he shot them all himself!  Yep, photos by Steve Seidner…and nice job, Steve!

Tommy, our compliments to you…this is a beautiful bike!

Sayonara….that’s Japanese for “adios,” and it’s appropriate to bid these bikes adieu in the language of their new homeland.  Yep, this latest CSC shipment is destined for the Land of the Rising Sun.   They’re headed to Japan!

Take a close look at that photo above…the guys had just two inches to spare in the shipping container when we finished loading the truck!   The bikes you see above are already on their way across the Pacific, headed to an enthusiastic group of new CSC riders!

How about that…American-made bikes being imported into Japan!