CSC Blog

I like to read, I like good writing, and I especially like reading good writing about motorcycles.   I have three favorites.  Let me tell you a bit about each.

Riding the Edge

The first book I ever read about motorcycle travel was one of the most improbable…it’s Dave Barr’s Riding the Edge, a journey about a trip around the world on an old Harley Shovelhead.  If you’re counting, that’s two HD engine versions back…the Shovelhead preceded both the current Harley twin-cam engine and the one before that (the Evo engine).  I had a Shovelhead Harley back

Dave Barr, With Lake Isabella In The Background

in 1979, and to say it was unreliable would be like saying the sun rises in the east (I could seldom manage much more than about 100 miles on that bike without something major breaking).   Harley got its act together with the Evo engine, the next iteration of its venerable V-twin (the Evo motor was supremely reliable; I rode mine for 16 years).  Dave’s trip, though, was on the supremely unreliable Shovelhead.  All of which makes Dave Barr’s journey around the world fascinating…he started it without any sponsorship, no support vehicles or backup of any kind, close to no money, a motorcycle known for its lack of reliability, and with no…legs.   Yep, Dave is a double amputee (he lost his legs to a land mine in Africa).  He rode that old Shovelhead around the world (it took him 4 years to do it) on artificial legs.  If Dave Barr sounds like a special human being, well, that’s because he is.   I know this to be the case because I know him personally.

Dave Barr's Riding the Edge

It’s hard to say exactly what I like best about Dave Barr’s Riding the Edge – his honest depictions of the daily struggles to keep the Shovelhead running, his descriptions of the people he met along the way, or his refusal to give up.   I’ve had a few times in my life when I faced obstacles, and Dave’s life has always inspired me.  After I read Dave’s book, I saw a telephone number for the publisher, and I decided I wanted to buy several for my friends (the book was that special).   You can imagine my surprise when I called and Dave himself answered.  We had a great talk, and he invited me up to Bodfish for dinner.  When you read Riding the Edge and see the photos of that old Shovelhead, I want you to know that I had the honor of actually riding alongside that motorcycle as Dave and I rode around Lake Isabella.   I can tell you from first-hand knowledge he is a fine human being.  If you’d like to get yourself a copy of Riding the Edge (and trust me, you want to), you can visit Dave’s website or call (760) 379-4941.   Don’t be surprised if Dave picks up the phone himself.

The Perfect Vehicle:   What It Is About Motorcycles

Melissa Pierson’s The Perfect Vehicle:  What It Is About Motorcycles is a sleeper in the sense that I had never heard about it when I bought a copy, and I haven’t heard too many other riders mention

Melissa Pierson's Excellent Book, The Perfect Vehicle

it, either (which is really surprising, especially considering just what an outstanding book it is).  I bought it several years ago when I saw it in the transportation section of our local bookstore.  It was one of the few I had not seen, and it had an intriguing illustration of a Moto Guzzi race bike on the cover.  They say you can’t tell a book by its cover, but Pierson’s writing is every bit the equal of that Moto Guzzi’s engineering.  It’s a classic.  I think Pierson’s book is one of the best I’ve ever read of any kind, not just among books focused on motorcycles. 

The Perfect Vehicle:  What It Is About Motorcycles is a perfect book by a great author; it perfectly captures how I (and I suspect everyone reading this blog) feels about riding.  I’ve read my copy of Pierson’s book several times.  It’s that good.  

Old Man On A Bike

Simon, Somewhere In South America

You’ve heard me mention Simon Gandolfi on this blog once or twice before.  He’s a well-known novelist who also loves world travel on small motorcycles.  Simon Gandolfi’s Old Man On A Bike is a classic in every sense of the word, and it is one of the world’s great motorcycle road trips. The story line in a nutshell is that Gandolfi (a Brit in his 70s) went to Mexico, bought a single-cylinder, 125cc Honda pizza delivery bike, and pointed it south.  “South” as in Tierra Del Fuego, the southernmost tip of South America.

Old Man On A Bike, by Simon Gandolfi

I’ve read every book of this genre, and none is in the same league as Gandolfi’s.  Old Man On A Bike combines first-class writing, captivating story-telling, the excitement of a long distance motorcycle trip, ground-level input on how others outside the US-UK alliance view world events (without Gandolfi injecting his own views), and most significantly, the realization that we can age without losing our enthusiasm for life or our sense of adventure.  The title’s implied oxymoronism may attract readers, and Gandolfi describes himself as an old man, but Old Man On A Bike shows that he is not old at all. His excitement about being alive and out in the world, his curiosity, his willingness to take on what others might not, and his de facto youth are invigorating.

Simon, Somewhere In India

Gandolfi writes in the present tense, which takes the reader into every scene to experience the food, the accommodations, the people, the road, the weather, the fear, the excitement, and the rest of his wonderful journey. His positive experiences refute misinformed warnings about corrupt border guards and officials in a delightful manner, and provide an overall “feel good” experience. I believe I’ve read all of the motorcycle travel stories, and trust me, this is one of the greats.

Simon is a good friend, and I wasn’t surprised at all to learn that after his Americas trip, he is now doing the same thing in India.   He originally was going to do the trip on an Enfield, but they backed out and he again turned to a small caliber Honda.  Well into his late 70s, Simon is over there in India riding right now.   You can read about it on Simon’s blog.  Keep an eye on your watch, though, or else you may see the sun coming up before you realize it.  It’s happened to me a couple of times.

Wow, the weekend’s here already….I think I’ll get out for a bit and put a few miles on my California Scooter.   It’s a cool 76 degrees outside, and that’s good weather for putting around on our mountain roads.  First, though, a quick recap on some of the week’s events…

Bill Murar rode his BMW R1200GS all the way from Ohio to California, and he and his wife Joyce stopped by the plant on Wednesday for a visit.  As you’ll remember, we sponsored Bill in the Lake Erie Loop where he and his blue Classic completed a sterling run.   We had a great visit with Bill and Joyce and a fantastic dinner afterwards at Cafe Allegro in downtown La Verne. 

And do you know what’s coming next?

Yep, the Scooter Cannonball, and Bill’s gonna be taking that one on, too, on his same blue California Scooter Classic!  We’re really looking forward to this event…it runs from Vancouver to Maine, and  September’s just around the corner.   We’ll keep you posted.

Bill and Steve talking shop in the California Scooter factory…

You’ve heard me talk about John before right here in this blog (that’s John to the left).   The man’s an artist, and I saw another one of his creations this week that stopped me in my tracks.   It’s a stunning Classic that John created for Arlene Battishill, president and CEO of Go Go Gear.   Go Go Gear makes women’s riding apparel, and their stuff is awesome.

You may remember that Arlene went for a ride with us a couple of weeks ago up in the San Gabriel Mountains (it’s in one of our earlier blogs). 

The photo to the right shows Arlene with one of our preproduction bikes…a bike she borrowed for that ride.  Arlene’s preproduction machine had a candy apple red paint job.   That’s not one of the colors offered on the production models, but it is stunning.   Arlene had ridden the bike before, and she fell in love with the color.  She even bought a Shoei helmet to match that bike.  Well, you might guess where this story is going…Arlene liked her loaner California Scooter so much she bought one for herself a few days later (that happens a lot with these great bikes).    

Our preprod bikes aren’t going to ever be sold (we’ve made lots and lots of improvements for production), but Arlene wanted that color.   She told Steve what she had in mind, Steve brought John into the conversation, and John took it from there.  Arlene wanted the same candy apple red (but with her Go Go Gear logo), and John really came through (just like he always does)!    Take a look at this one, folks…

Arlene’s bike has quite a few custom touches, including a windshield, saddlebags, chrome wheels, a rack, and billet mirrors.  It’s the paint that really makes it stand out, though…I think it’s the nicest one we’ve ever done.

 John, once again, we are in awe…

And before I fire up my red Classic, here’s a quick look at one more custom…a blue Classic Tony and the boys spiced up a bit with our Lucky 13 billet wheels, a rack, and a few other accessories…

Well, that’s it for now…time to get my knees in the breeze!

The Los Angeles Roadster car club goes all the way back to 1957, and they held their 46th annual LA Roadster Show this weekend at the Fairplex in Pomona, California.  It’s an impressive event.   My wife and I went yesterday, and it was great.   I knew it was going to be fun because this was the line waiting to get in… 

I knew we’d see some great cars.   The LA Roadster Show is so big that they run trams to bring people from the parking lot into the event.   The tram runs through the swap meet area, and the hot rods, restorations, and cool customs out there were impressive…there were more than 2,000 street rods and customs!  Every single one was a show quality car.

See what I mean? 

My personal favorites are cars and trucks from the ’50s and ’60s, and I especially like ’55 and ’56 Ford pickups.   My Dad had a ’56 Ford as a company truck for his upholstery business, and every Friday during the summer when I was a kid I helped him make deliveries of freshly-reupholstered furniture with it.    Those were good days, but so are these.

Take a look at this yellow ’56… 

There were a few new cars there, too, like this 2010 Corvette Gran Sport convertible on display by Richard Hibbard Chevrolet…

You’ve probably guessed I like Corvettes almost as much as I like motorcycles, and that red one was a beauty.  They’re world class sports cars, regularly out-handling and out-accelerating foreign sports cars costing five or six times as much.   Ah, an opportunity for another question….any of you guys remember the name of the TV show that featured Buzz, Todd, and a new Corvette in the early 1960s? 

The LA Roadster show is huge, so I called Steve to find out exactly where the California Scooter booth was.  He found Sue and me before we found the booth, and when I got there, Carlos was having a good time telling folks about our bikes… 

Carlos is a cool guy, and he knows the motorcycle manufacturing business well.  He’s been with Pro-One and California Scooter for 20 years, and he’s equally at home in the factory, working with our suppliers, and telling folks about our motorcycles. 

I was doing my normal thing, having a blast grabbing shots of the action with my Nikon, when I saw Shelley.   Shelley’s an interesting entrepreneur with impressive academic and design credentials…she started Zombie Kitten Originals, a cool collection of women’s clothing inspired by sci-fi films from the ’50’s and ’60’s.    You should visit the Zombie Kitten website…it’s cool!

After grabbing a few shots at the booth, I went out and wandered around a bit…check out this wagon…

Back in the California Scooter booth, the Sarge (our latest example of John’s incredible custom-bike-building talent) was getting a lot of attention.   I saw our friend Norman checking it out, and my first thought was that his shirt was a pretty good match for the bike…

Norman’s from Massachusetts, and he was in town for a few days to take in our beautiful So Cal weather and visit the Roadster show.  Norman and I had a great conversation about motorcycles, Boston, and a few other topics.  He makes the bike look good, don’t you think?

I wandered around a bit more and I found another incredible ’56 Ford pickup truck.   That powder blue and the wide whitewalls work well together.   The only thing missing on this truck was a California Scooter painted to match!

We had a lot of action at the California Scooter booth.   The custom car crowd is a good one for us…guys and gals who appreciate nostalgic style, craftsmanship, design simplicity, and the kind of quality that naturally results from intense attention to detail.   Our California Scooters grabbed a lot of attention, and we really like being at these events.

My last shot of the day…a self-portrait…

Check out Steve’s latest custom California Scooter, with lots of ideas from the guys, the original concept from Carlos, and John’s typical flawless execution!

This is another one of those great bikes that you have to look at for a long time to see all of the details that really make it special.  Carlos’ original idea was to give the bike a military flair, and John nailed it.  Check out the saddlebags!

Yep, they’re .50 cal Ma Deuce ammo cans, and John basically painted the rest of the bike to match.   A few of the details on our latest California Scooter custom bike include…

• If it was shiny on the stock bike, John powder-coated it flat black on the Sarge.   This includes the rack, the triple tees, the handlebars, the risers, the headlight bezel, the speedo case, the heat shield, the spotlights, the rear lights, the turn signals, the brake calipers, and well, you get the idea…
• The frame, tank, wheels, fork lowers, the electrical box/air cleaner, and a few other details are now powder-coated a flat OD green.
• The rack includes a custom laser-cut mount for the panniers.
• Check out the seat!  It’s genuine leather from the brown-shoe Army days.

All in all, this is a very sweet ride, and it’s on display at the Los Angeles Roadster Show this weekend (along with several of our other bikes). 

Here’s a very mild custom California Scooter.   Doing this bike the way you see it here was a great idea.   We took a stock blue Classic and instead of putting the black engine in it, we substituted the Babydolls’ silver engine.  Wow, this color combo works!  The bike’s silver engine goes well with the stock silver wheels, the fork lowers, and the heat shield.  I think the silver works well with the blue paint and the California Scooter logo, too.

One of the cool things about our neighborhood is we have some pretty interesting businesses around us.  There’s a place just a few doors away that outfits law enforcement vehicles, and they let me grab a few photos with cool cars like that Dodge police cruiser in the background.

I guess the mildest custom is the one I’ve shown on here a few times already, and that’s my ride…I have a red Classic with the Greaser’s red wheels that we use for checking out new accessories…

I’ve got three accessories on my bike right now…the CSC chrome rack, a windshield, and saddlebags.   I love the look of this bike…it’s a mini-dresser, and I gotta tell ya, it’s a real conversation starter!  The bags are great (it’s nice to be able to carry stuff in there), and the windshield…well, what it does for the bike is incredible.  It’s good for another 7 mph or so on a completely stock bike.   The bike’s faster charging up through the gears, too.  I thought it would slow the bike down a bit, but it had exactly the opposite effect.  I guess that windshield is a lot more aerodynamic than I am!   California Scooter is offering both the bags and the windshield as factory options now, so give the guys a call if you want to add these touches to your bike.

There were 17 riders in Bill’s class.  Bill rode with a friend who was on a Honda 200.  Bill tied for 4^th in Class III (bikes up to 200cc for new bikes, or up to 225 cc for vintage bikes).  That’s right, Bill Murar and California Scooter placed 4^th in a major endurance event with a motorcycle that has only been in production a few months!!! (against the likes of Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, etc.!!!)  Wooo Hooo!

Bill told me that on the first 200 miles (when he left Wellington heading west to Toledo), he rode into a stiff headwind and had to downshift to 4^th to hold 50 mph.  Towards Detroit, Bill picked up a tailwind and he really flew.   The first 200 miles took 5 hours, the 2^nd 200 miles took 3.5 hours, and the 4^th 200 miles took 3.5 hours.   Bill averaged 57 mph for the last 400 miles.  This was on a stock CSC motorcycle…the only options were the 28T rear sprocket, a windshield, and an auxiliary gas tank!

Bill used this event to get the bike ready for the Cannonball Run (www.scootercannonball.com), which goes from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Portland, Maine.  The Cannonball Run is September 9^th through the 18^th, and we are proud to be sponsoring Bill for that run, too! 

This is very cool stuff.  As a guy who’s been around motorcycles for a long time, I can tell you this is an outstanding showing for a new bike, and it speaks volumes about the engineering of this fine machine.

Bill told me he’s plenty tired.  Hey, I’ve had 650 mile days on big street and touring bikes, and it wiped me out for days afterward…I can’t imagine what it must be like to do it on a 150cc bike. 

Bill’s a trooper, and he sent a few photos of his California Scooter LakeErieLoop adventure….so here we go, with Bill’s captions…

The bike at 5AM race day. I attached a small magnetic tank bag to hold my passport, cash, St. Christopher’s medal, etc. Just kidding about the medal.

At the starting line awaiting our 0602 wave off…

Welcome to Michigan. Could be the first time a CSC has been ridden in the state??!!

Leaving the US via the Ambassador bridge between Detroit, Mi. and Windsor, Ont. We filled up both tanks once into Windsor.

Self portrait at 60mph… 

Heading back into the US via the Peace Bridge between Ft. Erie, Ont. and Buffalo, NY…

Taken by one of the chase vehicles that was hauling 2 bikes and riders who broke down. There were several DNF’s…

Bill is an interesting man and a serious distance rider.   His big bike is a BMW GS, and he told me he seldom leaves home without Max, his traveling buddy…you can see Max peeking out of Bill’s tank bag in the photo below… 

Bill, you did a great job, and all the guys and gals at California Scooter Company wish you the best!  We’re proud to have you as our factory rider!

More to come, but we just heard that Bill Murar completed the Lake Erie Loop on his blue California Scooter Classic….some preliminary stats…

• 653.9 miles total distance traveled
• Average running speed approximately 53 miles per hour
• Max GPS-measured speed 66.9 miles per hour

We’ll have more info tomorrow…our congratulations and thanks to Bill Murar for a great job!

We’ve got a few tricks up our sleeve to get a bit more top end from our California Scooters, the most significant being the addition of the windshield we talked about in a couple of our recent blog entries. 

Funny thing about top end…I was thinking about it on the way home tonight when I saw a truck delivering a brand new ZR1 Corvette.  Somebody’s paying for a focus group to provide their impressions of the ZR1, an R8 Audi, and a Turbo Porsche.  I guess I’m too much of a red-blooded American guy…I didn’t bother shooting any photos of the Audi or the Porsche…but that ZR1!  Wow!  It’s the first one of these I’ve ever seen!

This is a car that, completely stock, can run 200 mph.  A couple of years ago Chevy ran one at Nurburgring and it showed up on YouTube.  It’s worth a look…

And speaking of cool stuff, the Lake Erie Loop starts with a party at the campground Friday night, and the run starts at 0:Dark:30 Saturday morning.  I spoke with Bill Murar earlier today, and he’s primed for the ride.   I sure wish I could be out there with him…650 miles in a single day on a 150cc California Scooter.  Bill, you’re our hero.  We wish you and all the rest of the Lake Erie Loopers a safe ride.

I found these YouTubes on the Lake Erie Loop, and they are really cool.  These guys aren’t running  179 mph at Nurburgring (they’re not going to complete their loop in 7 minutes and 26 seconds like that slippery Vette did), but in my opinion, what they are doing is even more impressive than the ZR1 in that Nurburgring video.  There’s a lot here in these videos (that’s Bill in the first one), and it’s all good stuff…enjoy!

California Scooter is proud to be sponsoring Bill Murar (a retired firefighter, paramedic, and event organizer) in the Lake Erie Loop and the Cannonball Rally. 

All the action in the last few weeks has been focused on the Lake Erie Loop.  As the name implies, “the Loop” runs all the way around Lake Erie.  It starts in Wellington, Ohio, heads west through Detroit, crosses the border into Canada, runs around the northern tip of Lake Erie, and then returns to Wellington.   It’s 650 miles in a single day, and it’s all done on small bikes!  The activities start on June 11 (just a few days away).   We’ll keep you posted on the outcome.

Bill Murar Dodging Tornadoes Earlier In The Week!

Bill is the original Lake Erie Loop organizer.  He started the ride as a means of raising money for the Burned Children Foundation.   It’s hard to imagine a more worthy cause, and it’s hard to imagine a better guy to represent the California Scooter Company in this event.  If you’d like to make a contribution to this most worthy foundation (and we’d encourage you to do so), just click on the link for instructions.

Bill will be riding a blue California Scooter Classic with no engine modifications, but the bike does have a few minor mods to “Iron Butt” his bike…it’s got an auxiliary fuel tank, a windshield, and a slightly larger rear sprocket for a bit more “giddy up.”  The windshield makes a huge difference in the bike’s performance…it’s good for another 5 mph on the top end.  Bill changed his rear sprocket to a 28T (from the stock 26T) to get a bit more acceleration.   Even with the lower gearing, the windshield bumps the top end up big time.  It’s the hot ticket, and it’s exactly the setup I run on my California Scooter. 

Bill's California Scooter Classic, Ready for the Lake Erie Loop!

Bill, we wish you and all of the other Lake Erie Loop riders a successful and safe run!

One last note before signing off tonight…

I spotted this lovely California Scooter Babydoll in the factory today, and it is really a show stopper! 

This one is going to lucky Elizabeth in Pennsylvania…you are getting one fine-looking motorcycle, Elizabeth!

So, which show made the word shazam famous?

I did a bit of homework yesterday, and this one was tougher than I thought!

When I asked the question, I thought the answer was simple. Gomer Pyle – USMC was a show I enjoyed as a kid, and I knew I’d heard Gomer use the expression frequently.  I kind of picked up on that phrase and it’s stuck with me as an expression of wonderment ever since.   When my good friend Joseph Lee first came over to my place with a bright red California Scooter Classic, my first reaction was Shazzzzzam! (in my mind, I could even hear Gomer Pyle’s voice).  I spent a lot of time, though, trying to find a YouTube with that phrase in it…

Carl and Jim sent a couple of responses indicating the correct answer was Captain Marvel, and when I looked into the YouTube library, I sure was surprised…

Sergeant Carter and Private Pyle

This is pretty interesting stuff, but the key question is:  Which one was first?

Here’s what I was able to learn from my internet research…

Captain Marvel first appeared in comic book format in 1939.  He was the most popular comic book

Captain Marvel

superhero in the 1940s (he actually sold more comic books than Superman), and Captain Marvel appeared in the 1941 film, The Adventures of Captain Marvel.   Billy Batson was a seemingly ordinary young radio reporter who morphed into Captain Marvel when he uttered the word shazam! (Billy Batson should not be confused with Billy Buster, another character who indirectly influenced creation of the California Scooter Company).  The Captain Marvel character made it to the small screen with Shazam!, a television show that ran for three seasons on Saturday morning TV back in the early 1970s.

Gomer Pyle – USMC, on the other hand, ran on TV from 1964 to 1969, and the Gomer Pyle character first appeared on The Andy Griffith Show the year before that.

After considering all of the above, the answer to my original question is:  I don’t know.  This created a real dilemma for me…the stakes were high…who gets a free California Scooter Company T-shirt?  I called Steve late Saturday morning to tell him about this situation I’d put myself in, and he saved the day with a great answer…just give a T-shirt to each of the guys who responded! 

Shazzzaammmm!

Dave, Carl, Lynn, John, and Matt, shoot me your snail mail address and T-shirt size (jberk@californiascooterco.com), and your T-shirts will be on their way!

Another quick blog entry for you guys and gals before we post the answer to our Shazam contest!

Arlene Battishill, President and CEO of Go Go Gear (high end, fashionable women’s riding apparel) rode with us through the Angeles National Forest this afternoon, and we had an awesome scoot.  I can’t do as good a job as Arlene did in describing the fun we had, so I’m inviting you to take a look at the Go Go Gear Blog.  Arlene wrote about her impressions, and, well, you just have to read it (it’s really good).

Just a couple or three photos from our fun today…here’s one of Arlene enjoying the ride…

Steve, Arlene, and Tony out in front as we rode through the Angeles National Forest in full bloom…

I love riding these mountain roads on my California Scooter.   And we have some exciting new things coming your way to make the experience and the motorcycle’s performance even more impressive.   Here’s a teaser photo showing my red Classic…you wouldn’t believe the improvement in top end performance this windshield provides!

Keep checking the California Scooter Company website accessories pages, as we’re adding quite a few new items in the very near future.

And all of you Captain Marvel and Gomer Pyle fans…man, I thought I knew the answer to the question I asked you earlier this morning, but it turns out I need to do my homework!   

Stay tuned!