CSC Blog

Do you remember that show?

Death Valley Days first aired on radio way back in 1930, and then it made the jump to television in 1954, where it remained until 1970.  

I watched Death Valley Days all the time when I was a kid.  In fact, some of you might remember a young fellow named Ronald Reagan who hosted and sometimes acted in the series (it was Reagan’s last acting job before he entered politics).  

I loved that show, and Death Valley held a special place in my mind for decades.    Living here in southern California I was only a couple of hundred miles away from it, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that I actually visited the place.   It was all I hoped it would be and more.    Magnificent scenery, great roads, and great riding.  

It took me awhile to actually get around to visiting Death Valley.   I saw signs on the 395 and the 15 pointing toward it, but I never actually got out there until Brown’s BMW dealership sponsored a ride, and then I went on my KLR (I was the lone el cheapo KLR in a sea of uber-expensive BMWs, and that was fun all by itself).  It was an awesome ride.     Then another opportunity emerged when MSILSF ran the Hell’s Loop Endurance Rally.   TK, Arlene, and I rode that event through Death Valley on our California Scooters.   That ride was even more awesome (you can read about it here).   

Opportunity struck again when Motorcycle Classics magazine asked me to do a piece on Death Valley for their “Destinations” column.   Interestingly, that article has been picked up as a reference for other works on this magnificent place.   Suddenly, I went from knowing about Death Valley only through the television show to becoming a cited expert on the place.   Truth is stranger than fiction sometimes.

What got me to thinking about Death Valley all over again was a super cool note and a couple of photos I recently received from our high mileage California Scooter pilot (and good buddy) Nevada Howard…

Joe…

I did a banzai run through Death Valley last week.    Here are a couple of pics I thought you might like.  First is from Dante’s View, overlooking Bad Water.  And a panoramic shot of Scottie’s Castle…

Be well and take care.

Howard

Howard, those are super photos.  Thanks very much for sharing them with us!

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m up for another ride through Death Valley.   Anybody want to go with me?

Whing-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding…..

You know the sound. If you’re one of us (that is to say, men of a certain age) two-strokes were a big part of the motorcycle world back in the day. And that’s what they sounded like….whing-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding…..

When I stopped by the factory on Friday, I spotted this classic moto-crosser tucked away in a corner of the warehouse.  Whoa!   What’s this?

Steve picked this puppy up last week…

It’s a 1967 Hercules Sachs, and our good buddy Jose traded it to Steve for some of our Pro-One VW parts.   The bike’s two-stroke engine is a 125…

The Earles front fork is pretty cool, too.   Better known on early BMWs, Earles forks give a very cushy ride, and folks in the know say they work way better if you’re hauling a sidecar.    I just like the way they look…

And here’s a macro shot of the logo…

This vintage stuff sure brings back memories…in 1967 I was a sophomore in high school!   It was all about Bonnevilles, Tigers, and Super Hawks in those days, but the two-strokes made their presence known…whing-ding-ding-ding-ding!

Later, boys and girls…just got some cool photos from Howard on his trip through Death Valley, and I’ve got to check those out!

I recorded another GoPro video  this afternoon, and this time I mounted the camera on my helmet.   I knew from my Midland camera experience that helmet mounts are much more stable (like I said below, my fat head makes a good vibration dampener…kind of like the rubber mounts Harley uses for their engines).  It was cold and misty up in the mountains today (real Thanksgiving weather for us), but it was still a lot of fun.   Anytime I get on a motorcycle, it’s fun.   

This video is a long one, folks…but making it sure was a hoot.   And the video quality and clarity are outstanding.   So, fresh from the run down Mt. Baldy (and starring the Baja Blaster), here you go…

I’m still getting used to the GoPro camera, and there are still things I like about the Midland better, but the GoPro is a nice little camera.   If any of you watched 60 Minutes this past Sunday, they actually had a segment on the story (and success) behind the GoPro company.   It was a great bit of reporting and I found a link to it on the Internet here.   That was quite a coincidence…I bought the GoPro on Saturday at Costco, and on Sunday I watched a TV show about it.

One of the things about the GoPro I haven’t decided if I like or dislike is the field of view.   The Midland seems to have a wider angle lens, and because of that, it is less sensitive to where you aim the thing (in other words, the up or down and left or right angle doesn’t matter too much because the Midland’s wider angle lens captures it all).   On the GoPro, the angle is not as wide.  I think I got the left and right part squared away, but the up and down is off a little (I think the camera was aimed to low).   Next time I’ll angle it up a bit more.  It might be that there’s an adjustment on the cameras that would make them the same, but that would require actually reading the instructions and I don’t do too well with stuff like that.   I want to just take the thing and use it.   In that area, the Midland is clearly the winner.   But wow, the image quality from the GoPro is outstanding!

The GoPro comes with two camera case backs, as I mentioned earlier today.  One is for below 100 mph and above water (it’s open), the other is intended for use above 100 mph or under water (it completely seals the camera).   The earlier video (the one I posted with the camera mounted behind me) had the open back, and I could hear a lot of wind noise (not as much as with the Midland, but still more than I liked).   In the video included in this blog, I used the “over 100 mph” case back.   It let almost no noise get through (you can barely hear the engine).   But as my speed increased, I could hear the wind.   I’m not sure where I picked up the idea that the GoPro had wind noise canceling software (maybe it does, and it’s just not that effective, or maybe I just need to read the instructions).

I hope you enjoy the video as much as I enjoyed the ride.   You can bet there are more coming.

Yep, it’s our latest custom, and it’s awesome!   Wow, the factory has sure been creating some magnificent custom bikes in the last couple of months!   I can barely keep up with the flow of custom California Scooters, and Glendora Duane’s P-51 is yet another example.    Take a look at Lupe putting the final touches on Duane’s magnificent ride…

You know, that turquoise and white combination really works.  I believe it’s been around since 1954 when Chevy offered it on the ’55 Chevy (if you know different, please let me know).   It just screams class, and I love it.  

I just happened to be in the plant when the production folks were finishing Duane’s new motorcycle, and I was there when Steve, Lupe, and Andy rolled Duane’s bike off the fabrication stand.  (That’s Andy’s hands way off on the left side of the photo…Andy kind of got cut off in that photo…sorry about that, Andy.)   So, back to the bike…take a look at its wheels hitting the ground for the first time…awesome stuff, folks!

By the way, our fabrication stands (the yellow fixtures in the photos above) are based on the original fixtures used by the Mustang factory back in the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s.    Jim Cavanaugh (a great friend, one of our company’s advisors, and the Production Superintendent at the original Mustang Motor Products Corporation) helped design these fixtures.   It’s a good example of the staying power of a great design! 

Here’s a final photo of Glendora Duane’s nearly complete P-51…

Duane’s bike is just flat beautiful, and you can bet you’ll be seeing more of it here on the CSC blog.   Glendora is the next town over from our factory, and I’m looking forward to riding with Duane (along with Twin Peaks Steve, my good buddy Bruce, Bobber Bill, Nevada Howard, and all of our other CSC riding buddies) on the next company ride.   Speaking of which, keep March in mind, folks…it’s going to be our biggest ride yet, complete with a barbeque, RV camping, and more!  

We hope to see you there!

So here’s that first GoPro video, boys and girls…

Cecil B. DeMille I’m not, and the mounting system was pretty shakey, but I think the GoPro video quality is great.  

The helmet mount I’ve used before works much better (it’s what most folks use), so I think I’m going to use the windproof camera cover, put the mount on my helmet, and get out for the next ride!   I guess my old noggin makes a good vibration damper.   Who’d have thought?

This is fun!

Stay tuned!

I just shot my first motorcycle video with my new GoPro Hero camera, and my initial impressions are mixed.   To cut to the chase, I think I like my Midland XTC-300 video cam better.  It sure is a lot easier to operate than the GoPro.  

I know you guys want to see the video, but it takes a awhile to upload this stuff.   Two hours, actually, to upload a 6-minute video to YouTube.  That’s not the camera’s fault…that’s just the way it is.   And I’m running off on a couple of cool errands this morning (including a stop at the scooter factory), so it will be much later today that the first video will be up. 

Some first impressions:

• The wind noise cancellation feature is not as good as I hoped it would be.   It’s a little bit better than the Midland, but it’s still there.   GoPro has another camera back that cuts down on the noise a lot more, but it cuts down on everything (including the engine noise).   I’ll put that camera back on for the next video.
• The operation is not as easy as the Midland.   More on this later.
• Downloading the video from the camera to the computer was not intuitive.    More on this later, too.
• The video quality is outstanding.  It might be better than the Midland, but for YouTube uploads it really doesn’t make much difference.  What you see on the Internet is not what the camera actually produces.

That’s it for now, folks.   Keep an eye on the blog; I’m shooting more video this weekend.

It’s beautiful, and there’s no telling just how high this one will go.   The bike is a 1938 Harley WLD Solo Sport (looks like it’s a 45-cubic inch flathead), and it’s not too far away from where I’m sitting as I type this blog entry (it’s going to be sold at a Mecum auction in Anaheim, California).    According to the article I read a short while ago, the bike has the original factory paint, the odometer says it only has 21,000 miles, and it most recently sold at McQueen’s 1984 estate sale.    Wowee!

Today is Veteran’s Day.   

I don’t have any shiny thing words, photos, or cool videos to show you today.   My thoughts for the blog today are simple:   Think of and thank the folks who have made our way of life possible.  

It’s hard to keep sight, sometimes, of what our veterans have done for us.  The news media pushes its agenda, our elected representatives spend most of their time pandering for votes and campaign contributions, special interest groups flat out lie to gain meaningless advantage, and politicians posture and release sound bites.   Through it all, one group steadfastly risks it all to preserve our way of life:   Our nation’s military.

My thanks to all who have served and to all who are serving.

We just built this motorcycle for the good folks at Arcadia Cushman in Indiana, and it’s a beauty!  Check out the billet wheels, the engine guards, and that awesome 250cc P-51 power plant!

There’s tons of chrome on this classic black Classic, and it’s a honey.   These bikes just look great, and there’s something special about a tuxedo black motorcycle with lots of the shiny stuff.   I really like it…and the CSC Classic is, well, a classic!

Steve at Arcadia Cushman bought this motorcycle to sell it in his dealership, so if you’re in the Midwest and you want a great bike from a great organization, give Arcadia Cushman a call at 317 984 2874!

I mentioned that I’d post a photo of some of my friends a blog or three down, and here it is…

That’s TK, Steve, and Lupe in the background, and of course, yours truly behind the camera.  

I’ve done a bunch of these reflection shots, and I think they’re pretty cool.   The airbox covers on a California Scooter make for a pretty good mirror, and you can get good shots if you play around a bit.   I may have a few more on the hard drive here…let me see what I can find…

Okay, here we go. 

Here’s a recent photo from our day at the VW drags…the mirror here is a VW hubcap…

Susie and I spent a weekend in San Diego a month or two ago.   Here’s a photo showing us in front of an art shop…

Here’s another VW hubcap shot…I took this photo in front of the CSC plant.

Here’s one from the 2004 Hansen Dam classic bike meet…it’s my buddy Marty and me.   I was mostly using film back in those days, and I probably had my old Nikon N-70.  

This is another Hansen Dam photo…this time from the 2006 BSA meet…

You gotta love those old BSAs and their big chrome tank panels!

This next one is from Hansen Dam in 2008…I can’t remember what this bike was, except that it was almost certainly British.   The Brits loved chrome on their motorcycles…

Wow, I guess I had more of these reflection shots than I realized.   Okay, I know, but bear with me…there’s just a few more.

Take a look at this one….I took advantage of a Harley Knucklehead chrome air cleaner cover at the 2002 Long Beach motorcycle show…

I grabbed the Knucklehead shot above (please note that “Knucklehead” refers to the Harley engine, not the photographer) with a Sony Mavica digital camera.  It was one of the first digital cameras and it did a nice job.

This one is cool…it’s an “in the grill” shot with Steve at the SEMA 2010 show…

And here’s one last one I grabbed in front of “the Bean” on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue last December.   The Bean is a cool (and huge) polished sculpture.  It makes for an interesting photograph.  

We’re in the lower left corner and that’s the Chicago skyline behind us…

I’ve got a few more, but you get the idea.   My apologies if this blog seems ego-centric (it’s not all about me, I know), but I really like these reflection shots.  It’s a cool technique.   And there’s the obvious reason I’m in the photos…I’m the guy behind the camera.

Looks like it’s a nice day today, and we bought a new GoPro Hero video cam yesterday (it was an impulse purchase…they were on sale at Costco).   If I don’t get to it today, I’ll set it up in the next day or so and grab some CSC “on the road” video with it.   My new GoPro has the wind-noise cancellation feature, and I’m eager to see how that works out.

Ride safe, my friends!