CSC Blog

Our latest video, folks, with a couple of very cool customs at the end…

No, I’m not talking about teaching manners to people on the Internet or getting politicians to remember who they actually work for…I’m talking about the latest Tom Cruise movie.   That would be Mission Impossible:  Rogue Nation.   We saw it yesterday afternoon.

It’s good, and it’s one I’d recommend.

It’s all about product placement (you know, getting your stuff in a movie), and BMW sure did it well in this movie.   Nearly every car was a BMW, and the obligatory motorcycle chase scene used nothing but Beemers (and a lot of them).

We looked into product placement years ago with the CSC Mustangs, but the cost was prohibitive.   It was $300K just to have an agency consider you.   To get your stuff in a major movie like BMW did in this one, I’ll bet they spent something north of $10 million.

I guess it’s coincidental, but I had lunch with the geezers yesterday over at Brown BMW in Pomona and I spent a bit of time looking at the latest BMW models.    They have some nice motorcycles.   All of their bikes are expensive and technology intensive.   Like I’ve been saying for a while now, my days of spending big bucks on bikes are long gone, but I can still look.   And then Susie and I went to the movies.   More BMWs.  It was a BMW kind of day, I guess.

The Mission Impossible franchise has gone beyond James Bond with special effects, martial arts, and the chase scenes in this latest Cruise movie.  There are the usual Hollywood silly things (like sliding off motorcycles wearing no protective gear and walking away from it with not even a scraped knee), but it was entertaining.  The last time I had a departure from controlled flight like some of the ones in the MI chase scene I spent a couple of weeks in the hospital and 6 months recuperating.   But still, the movie was good.   I liked Tom Cruise in it, too.

I’m going to fire up the KLR later today just to get some gas flowing through the carb.   I’m bringing the bike into the plant this week and Steve is going to sell it for me.  I might sell my little CSC 150, too.   I’ve got three bikes in the garage and I only ride the RX3.   And I want to make room for another one that I really enjoy riding…

We’ll be posting more info on the TT Special soon. A few facts up front…it’s a carbureted, air-cooled 250 single with a 5-speed gearbox, it’s older technology than the RX3, it’s not nearly as fast as the RX3, and it’s a lot of fun. We’re not selling these (yet) and we don’t know if we ever will; we just brought a few in on an EPA exemption letter to evaluate them.  We’ve geared ours taller for our kind of riding, and we’re playing around with a few other things on the bikes.   You might let us know what you want in a bike like this, and maybe even tell us what you think it should sell for.

One more thing:  I received a lot of email from you about the book (5000 Miles at 8000 RPM) yesterday and it was 100% positive.  Thanks for all of your inputs (based on those, the book is a go).  I’m starting the book this week and I’ll have it finished in a month.   When Hollywood buys the rights and makes it into a movie, I’m going to insist that Tom Cruise play me (but with appropriate protective riding gear).    We’re going to do all of the chase scenes in Chongqing and Medellin.  I’m going to insist on cameo roles for all of the guys on our Western America Adventure Ride, too.  We’ll get Joe Gresh in the movie for the RX3 burnout scenes.  Justin Herx will play a role equivalent to Q (the equipment specialist) in the James Bond movies (he’s a natural for it, and I can already imagine some of the secret weapons he’ll fashion out of thin gauge stainless steel wire).  My good buddy Hugo will have a lead role (not bigger than my role, of course, but it will be a good one), and his tag line will be “it’s okay, it’s okay.”  And more.

Coming soon, to a movie theatre near you.

During the recent Western America Adventure Ride, in one of my blog posts I mentioned I was considering writing a book on the ride.   It was an offhand comment based on the daily machinations of keeping 10 people pointed in the same direction and trying to hold to a schedule.   I jokingly said the working title would be 5000 Miles at 8000 RPM, which for me is essentially a description of how I spent July 2015.

Since then, I’ve received emails asking me about the book, and I’m leaning toward actually writing the thing.  It would be the story behind the story.  What do you folks think?  Any interest out there?   Email me at jberk@cscmotorcycles.com and let me know…

Tourist trophy racing started in 1907 on the Isle of Man as an event in which folks could use their street bikes.   The TT format evolved into many different racing styles.   The result?   Anything called a TT motorcycle was understood to be a machine focused on performance.   That was especially true when I was a youngster.

Fast forward from 1907 to the 1960s.

Back then, Triumph ruled the streets and the flat tracks.   The 650cc Bonneville was the ultimate ultimate…the big dog of the day.  Oh, I know that there were Beezers and Nortons, and even the XLCH.  But Triumph was the ultimate expression of cool.  You can bring up all the other marques you want, but folks, I was there and I know.  Yes, I know Bart Markel was National No. 1 and he raced a Harley, but that wasn’t a bike you could put on the street.   Gary Nixon was National No. 9, and his bike used an engine based on the Bonneville motor.   Markel’s Harley was a 750 Harley flathead…way different than the 883cc Sportster engine.

The Triumph TT Special.   When I was a teenager, that was a name that riveted your attention.   Like I said, Triumph was the big dog of the day…every motorcycle they built had a little decal on the gas tank that said “World’s Fastest Motorcycle,” and they were. Triumph held the motorcycle land speed record.   Nothing was faster, and nothing was cooler.

Triumph introduced the TT Special in 1964 and built them through 1967.   That photo you see above is a ’66.   The TT Specials had no lights, no battery, no mufflers, and no horn.  (None of the bikes had turn signals in those days.)   They were sold as bikes you could race, but most of them ended up on the street.   The TT Special had swept-in straight pipes that sounded as if the Almighty were speaking directly to you.   Guys bought these, ran Bates lights off the magneto, and put a kid’s bicycle bulb horn on the handlebars to be street legal.  Trust me on this:  Nothing was cooler in the mid-1960s.  Nothing.

When I saw the TT logos on the Zongs you see above, I got excited.   It was as if someone was reaching out to me from 1966.

More to follow, folks…I’m going riding tomorrow on the CSC TT Special.   Maybe I’ll grab some photos…

In my time, we called a hot car or bike that didn’t look like it was fast (but really was) a “sleeper.”   The idea was that you could beat people in a drag race because your car or bike’s appearance was misleading.

The term “sleeper” took on a new meaning for me on the recent Western America Adventure Ride.   Our Chinese visitors had the time change to contend with as well as the prospect of riding hundreds of miles a day in temperatures that ranged from the mid-30s to well over 100 degrees.

Adapting to the time change in traveling from China to the US is far worse than going in the opposite direction.   I know because I’ve done it.   When I go to China, I’m on local time and fully adjusted within 36 hours.  When I go from China to the US, it takes me a good two weeks to get back on US time.   The bottom line is that a few of the Chinese guys never missed an opportunity to grab 40 winks…

And speaking of sleepers, we’ve been playing around with a new product we’re evaluating, including gearing it a tad taller to see what the motor will pull.   It’s awesome.   And it has the signature CSC touches, like a big alternator and integrated accessories switches and outlets.  But I can’t tell you too much more than that…it’s a secret….

More to follow.   I’m going riding.  On the TT Special you see above!

My good buddy Ryan, who continues to dazzle the world with his world-class customer service, received these photos from San Jose Eddie today…

Eddie, your bike is looking good, and you’re using it the way it was intended to be used.   We understand you’re en route to Arizona, and we know you’re having a good time.    Your bike is nicely accessorized, and the photos are awesome.

You know, my good buddy Tommy M. told me about a friend of his who bought a new motorcycle and then asked Tom what was the first thing he should change.   “The little numbers on the odometer,” Tom answered.   Looks like that’s what you’re doing, Eddie.   Ride safe and have fun!

One of the many stops on our Western America Adventure Tour was Devil’s Tower National Park in Wyoming.   Like the entire ride, it was awesome.

Enjoy, my friends….

Our good buddy Rob sent a nice note and these photos to me last night…

Hi, Joe!

Great ride today! I rode with my buddy, Rikki Rockett (yes, THAT Rikki Rockett, the drummer from Poison). That’s his Husqvarna 350, brand new. The pics are from Liona Divide, a favorite trail.

This was my first ride on the RX-3 after adjusting the valves and fitting the Shinko tires. The Cyclone ran fantastic! I think it has a little more top end after the valve adjustment (they were just a touch tight). And the Shinkos are awesome off road. Tons of traction.

The Cyclone more than held its own with the Husky. That might have been the fastest I’ve ever made that run.

Another great day on the RX-3, but sadly, it might be the last until September. I leave on the 13th riding the GS through Idaho, Washington and Oregon…2200 off road miles. Plus another 2000 on the highway.

The days between now and then are all prep, no riding (or very little).

Talk soon,

Rob

Cool stuff, Rob!   Thanks for the note and the photos, and have a great time on your Pacific Northwest ride!

It is kind of fitting, I suppose, that our Western America Adventure Tour was “bookended” by a bit of range time at the West End Gun Club.

When our good buddies from China and Colombia arrived in the USA, one of their first requests was for an In-N-Out Burger.   We did that the very first night on the way home from LAX.   Then it was on to the hotel and a good night’s sleep after a long journey.

We had a spare day before the ride and the next morning I asked our guests what they would like to do.

Their answer was direct:  We want to shoot a gun.

I was happy to oblige.   I put my Ruger Mini-14 in the van and we were off to the West End Gun Club.

Our guests were fascinated with everything America has to offer, and the freedom guaranteed by our 2nd Amendment was obviously high on that list.   After a brief lesson on the rifle, the cartridge, and firearms safety, we set up a target and our guests took turns putting the Ruger through its paces.  The smiles were real, and I had brought along plenty of ammo.   The guys did well, too.   Literally every shot was on target.   They told me I was a good teacher.   I think they are just good shots.

Now before any of you get your shorts in a knot about guns and shooting, let me tell you that even though I am a strong 2nd Amendment supporter, I can understand why some of you might be opposed to the freedoms guaranteed by the US Constitution.   When I go to a public range I sometimes see people who I wouldn’t allow to have oxygen (let alone firearms).  The problem, as I see it, is that if you restrict our rights in this area, it would be a government pinhead making the call on who gets to have guns and who doesn’t (and that scares me even more than some of the yahoos I see with guns).   It’s a tough call, but I’ll come down on the side of the 2nd Amendment every time.   The founding fathers knew what they were doing, and they did it before pinheads permeated the government.

Ah, but I digress.   Back to the main attraction…my day at the range with our guests.

I didn’t get photos of that event.   I was busy teaching, watching, and explaining, and I just didn’t have an opportunity.   The Chinese and the Colombians did.    They were having a blast (literally and figuratively), and they captured hundreds of photos.  When we finished, they all collected their targets.   Their next request:  Can we go to a gun store?

We have a Bass Pro near where we live, and it’s awesome.   Okay, then.  Next stop:  Bass Pro.

I was already getting a sense of how much our guests liked taking pictures, so I told them when we got to the gun department at Bass Pro we shouldn’t take pictures.   Usually there are signs prohibiting photography in these kinds of places.  We gun enthusiasts don’t like being photographed by people we don’t know when we are handling firearms (big brother, black helicopters, and all the rest that comes with a healthy case of paranoia and a deep distrust of the government).   I told our guests I would ask if we could take photos, but until then, keep the cameras at bay.

The guys were in awe when we reached the gun display area.  Speechless, at first.  Open mouths.  Wide eyes.  There isn’t anything like Bass Pro in China or Colombia.

Now, you have to picture this.   The Bass Pro gun department.   A bunch of guys from China talking excitedly a hundred miles an hour in Chinese.   The rest of the customers watching, literally, with dropped jaws, wondering what was going on.   We were a sight.

I explained to the gun department manager who we were and why these guys were so excited (thrilled, actually).   He smiled.   “Would they like to take pictures?” he asked.   Hoo boy!

The guys loved it.  So did the Bass Pro staff.   They were handing the Chinese these monster Smith and Wesson .500 Magnums so they could pose for photos, ala Dirty Harry.   It was quite a moment and it made quite an impression.   The Chinese were fascinated with the whole concept and what it is like to live in America, and the Bass Pro staff were quite taken with the Chinese.   I was pleased.  Our guests were getting a first-hand look at American freedoms and American hospitality.  It was a theme that would be repeated throughout their entire visit, wherever we went.

For me, a crowning moment was when one of the Chinese told me that while he was growing up, he had been told that Americans were evil and we were their enemy.   “That’s just not true,” he said.   Mission accomplished, I thought.

You know all about the motorcycle tour that followed.   But it all started with that day at the range and a visit to Bass Pro.   Freedom, American style.

So, the Chinese are either home now or still in the air as I write this.  Our epic ride is over.   It was a hell of a thing.  Oh, we still get the Internet zanies criticizing us for this or for that.   We actually had one dude go off on us for the route we chose.   If they only knew…

Baja John is staying at my place for a couple of days before pointing his Jeep east for his ride home, and yesterday, he and I went to the WEGC range again.   John has a beautiful new .25-06 Browning A-Bolt rifle with a fiddleback maple stock that he had not fired yet.   We aimed to correct that shortfall, and yesterday, we did…

The rifle, like all Brownings, is a tack driver (it is extremely accurate).  Browning takes a few extra steps to increase accuracy in their rifles (glass bedding the action and free-floating the barrel, for example).   It works.   John’s rifle shot beautifully.

I have a Browning in .308 with a walnut stock and I haven’t fired mine yet, either, but I intend to in the near future…

One more thing to add before I saddle up and head to the CSC plant this morning.   You may remember the story I told you about San Marino Bill’s grandson seeing us on the freeway near San Luis Obispo and holding up a sign that said “Hi, Joe.”    Well, here’s a nice note from Bill and a picture of that very sign!

Joe:

My grandson gave me the sign he made on a Big Mac bag. He said you had a smile from ear to ear when you saw your name.

Bill

I sure did, Bill!   Thanks again!