CSC Blog

Folks, check out our latest flyer…

I like it.   The new 250cc bikes look great, and I am looking forward to riding my CSC motorcycle this weekend.  I hope you get to do the same!

I sure had a great time with the 909 Scooter Club on our Saturday ride.  I posted the photos you see in the blog entry below on the Modern Buddy website (that’s the site for the Genuine Scooter line), the ADVRider site (a cool dual-sport adventure riding website), and our Facebook page.   The comments on all of these sites have been positive.   Interesting stuff, and I have to tell you, the folks who ride step-through scooters have a distinctly different personality than do folks who ride motorcycles.  I think the best way to describe it is to say that scooteristas tend to be less focused on equipment and more focused on just having fun.

The Morphmobile

Me, I’m a gearhead.  I found myself greatly interested in the scooters on this ride, and what made it more fun is I saw several bikes I had never encountered before.  Yamaha started and then quit making the Morphous (which is kind of a low-slung, Cadillac-looking, The-Empire-Strikes-Back sort of step-through) before I ever even heard of it.   My new buddy Steve, the Morphmobile pilot, got a big kick out of the photos I grabbed of it (like that action shot above).

Maybe the vibe difference is just my perception.   When I ride with other motorcycle folks, the discussions invariably center on the hardware (the motorcycles, their engines, tires, etc.).  The scooter groups I’ve ridden with are more of a rolling, laid back party, and the emphasis on all of the scooter rides (at least the ones I’ve been on) has not been on who’s faster.  You motorcycle dudes and dudettes know what I’m talking about.   On a motorcycle ride, especially in the twisties, the ride almost always turns into who can cook the corners faster.   On a scooter ride, that just doesn’t happen…it’s far more easy going.  It’s a cool experience.  I think the scooter group rides are more enjoyable.

There are guys and gals who ride both step-through scooters and motorcycles (I guess I’m in that group now).  I’m talking about folks like our good buddies Kevin J, Jerry N,  and many others.  I have to talk to them about their perceptions to see if I’m on the money here.

When I rode with the 909 club on Saturday, I was on my CSC 150, which is really a motorcycle (it’s not a step-through scooter), and I wanted to get a bunch of photos for the blog.    When we were up on Glendora Ridge Road, I found myself racing ahead to get photos of the group coming into the corners, and moving up and down in the formation to get photos of different riders and scooters in action.    I found it pretty easy to do because my CSC 150 handles incredibly well in the twisties (Howard Forrest had the right formula back in the 1940s with the original Mustang design), and the scooteristas were enjoying an easy ride.  I didn’t want to make anybody nervous and I told my new friends in advance what I was doing, but on three different occasions, the scooter folks asked if I was riding the new 250 CSC.  I wasn’t, but my ability to get through the corners quickly on my Baja Blaster 150 apparently impressed a few people.

So now I’m both a step-though scooterista and a motorcycle rider, as is the case with many other folks.  It’s a split personality kind of thing, but it feels okay.   I think it’s going to be like the differences that exist between Harley riders (the cruiser crowd) and those who ride other motorcycles.  The big joke here is that most Harley riders only wave to other Harley riders; they won’t condescend to wave (or return a wave) to riders on sports bikes, dual-sport bikes, or anything other than a cruiser.   It’s something I never quite understood, as I enjoy riding all kinds of bikes.  At one point, I owned a Harley, a Honda CBX, a Triumph Daytona, and a KLR-650 (all at the same time).   It left me in a real quandary.  I didn’t know if I should wave to myself or not.

Okay, enough philosophizing…on to other things.    Our good buddy Howard is still on the road, and I received this nice note and photo from him late last week…

Joe:

This one was taken at one of the many tunnels in Custer Park in South Dakota.  I would recommend this park to anyone who really wants to enjoy their bike.  It has been the best ride of my entire trip.

Howard

Our good buddy Howard in Custer State Park in South Dakota

Howard, you are our hero.  When I grow up, I want to be just like you!

More good stuff…there was an article in The Wall Street Journal this morning that said being bald is the new power and status look in the business world, and they listed a bunch of executives who have no hair.   Who knew?   I was ahead of the curve on this one!

That's me on the left...the powerful bald guy!

That’s it for now, folks.   Ride safe.   Oh, and if another rider waves to you…wave back.   It doesn’t matter what they’re riding…it only matters that they are riding.

Whoa, whaddaya know…this is our 600th blog post!   And I’m posting it on the great ride we had with the 909 Scooter Club today up in the San Gabriel Mountains…complete with Abby the scooter dawg!   But I’m talking too much…the photos tell the story, including a super cool panoramic shot PhotoShop stitched together for me (it merged seven photos)!

I tried something on the blog a bit different today, and that is the insertion of the gallery you see below.   You just click on the photo and it shows it to you in a larger size.

Here you go, boys and girls!

Great day today!  Hope you had a chance to ride and that you had as much fun as we did!

I’m not sure what Steve has up his sleeve, but he wants to make room on the showroom floor and we’ve got three custom bikes we’re offering smokin’ hot deals on…just how smokin’ these deals are I don’t even know, but if I know Steve, I’m guessing they’re going to be good!

The first two bikes are the last two Bobbers we have left, and when these go…well, they’re gone.  They’re the last of the very limited run we made this year, and both of these bikes are brand new 2012 models.

I had an idea to do a super-wide shot of the two bikes side by side with our blue California sky in the background when Steve told me what he wanted to do yesterday, and the weather really cooperated this morning.  It’s hotter than you-know-where out here, but the air is clear and the conditions are right for good shots.  In fact, I shot a few photos to dial in my Nikon with the big 12-24 Tokina lens, and I liked one of the “gettin’ ready” shots so much I thought I’d include it here, too…

Both of these Bobbers have our custom Satin Blue paint, and they sure look good against that vibrant sky!

We have another blowout bike…and that’s the CSC Silver Shadow.   This bike has an interesting story.  We built it to see what a nearly-completely-dechromed scoot w0uld like like, with silver tank and fenders to match our stock wheels.   It actually cost us a lot more to build this bike than it would to build a stock Classic with all of its chrome features, but we wanted to see what it would look like.   We thought it might give the bike a bit of a less expensive look, but boy oh boy, were we ever surprised when we finished it.  When the bike rolled out of the factory, it looked far richer than a stock Classic.

We used the Silver Shadow (as it quickly became known) a few weeks ago as our Canadian certification bike.   When it came back from our friends up north, the bike had 24 miles on it, and that’s what it has today.  Maybe a moose chased those boys…I don’t know.  Anyway, I personally think this is one of the best looking bikes we’ve ever built…

The Silver Shadow is another bike you can give us a call about.  It’s a stunning bike and it is absolutely one of a kind.  And it only has 24 miles on it.  Oh, and just so you have it handy, our toll free number is 800 884 4173.

I’m pretty excited about the weekend…we’re having another 909 Scooter Club gathering here tomorrow morning, and from there we’re going to ride Glendora Ridge Road up in the mountains.   I’ll have my camera with me and I’ll have a bunch of photos for you in the next few days right here on the blog.

One more thing…I’m putting a new battery in the Baja Blaster tonight.   Mine lasted a little more than 2 1/2 years, which includes the Baja trip we did to wring out the CSC design back in the day.   More than two years is pretty good for a motorcycle battery.  I might have been able to get a few more months out of it, but it sounded like it was straining a bit more than usual when I started the bike and I thought it would be a good idea to throw a new one in my favorite motorcycle.

That’s about it for now, folks.   I’m looking forward to getting some miles in this weekend on my CSC, and I hope you are, too!  Ride safe!

You guys and gals may remember a great photo we posted last January of our good buddy Roger…

We really like that photo, so you can imagine how much we enjoyed hearing from Roger again with this great photo…

Yep, that’s our buddy Roger and his wife Donna…they’ve been together 46 years, going all the way back to their high school days. The photo above is when Roger and Donna rode a Gold Wing…they went to the big Gold Wing Aspencade rally 10 years in a row!

Roger, thanks very much for sending these great photos to us. Ride safe and we’ll see you on the road!

As I was enjoying my morning coffee reading the papers, I saw this interesting preview in The Wall Street Journal…

You can bet I’ll be watching for that story next week, because I’m guessing CSC motorcycles will hit all of the criteria necessary for becoming a future classic.    Heck, they’re Classics already, and not just because that’s what we’ve named them.   I know these bikes are destined to be future classic and collectible motorcycles.

Good weather here today, so I won’t be on the Internet for too long.  I’m going to fire up my future collectible (the Baja Blaster) and take a run over to the showroom after I cook breakfast for Susie and me…hope you all get in some good riding this weekend, just like I’m going to do!

Here in southern California, we have some of the highest gas prices in the country.   Nor Cal is a little higher, but they do some funny things up there that gets reflected in their gas prices and their overall cost of living.   As it is, we are paying somewhere north of $4 per gallon down here in So Cal.  As you probably know, it’s a little less larcenous in other parts of the United States (most of you guys and gals don’t have the same nutty laws we do here in  California), but it’s still larcenous everywhere they sell gasoline.   

Four years ago gas was about half what it is today, as the politicians keep saying (not that anyone needs to tell me that).   It’s hard to imagine why the price has doubled in just 4 years.  The gas companies are still pumping the same amount of oil out of the ground and it still costs about the same amount to distill it.   If anything, I would have expected the price to go down, because the folks who make and sell it have had four more years to find ways to get the production costs down.  Ah, what do I know.

The good news is that when I filled up my Scooter this morning, it cost $10.  That’s still kind of nutty, but not as nutty as spending over $60 to fill up my car. 

Alright, then, that’s enough of a rant.  Back to the good stuff…check out this photo of a wire-wheel-equipped 250cc Greaser that’s on its way to Tucson John…

That sure is one good-looking bike, Tucson John!  You’ve got the right kinds of roads around your town, too, for some great riding – just watch out for the coyotes, the road runners, the javelina, and the cougars out there, TJ!

My good buddy and co-author Jimbo took a ride out to Crater Lake in his home state this week, and he sent back some great photos!  Take a look…

Jimbo, thanks for sending these great photos to us.   Crater Lake is one of my favorite spots.  I’ve only been there twice, once coming home from Canada on my 1200cc Triumph Daytona, and the other time on a Subie trip with my sweetheart Susie.  It was bitter cold both times. 

On the moto trip, I was traveling with my buddy Marty on the Three Flags Rally.   Heading south from Canada, we came in from the northwest (I don’t remember the highway) just after the sun came up.    We had been seeing “Elk Crossing” signs throughout Oregon, but we hadn’t seen any.   I was kind of thinking we never would.   In fact, that’s exactly what I was thinking on that bitter cold morning when a monster bull elk stepped out in front of us on the way in to Crater Lake.  The bull was gigantic and he just stood there, staring us down in the middle of the highway, in perfect profile. 

That gigantic elk was awesome, large, and clearly in charge.   We stopped about 60 yards away and he just looked at us for maybe 2 minutes.  Then he walked across like he owned the place.   I guess he did own the place.   Then maybe 20 elk, a few at a time, followed him from the woods on the right and crossed the highway into the forest on the left.  I remember it like it happened yesterday.  That’s the great thing about motorcycle adventures.  The memories stick with you forever.

Here are a few of my Crater Lake photos from that first trip…the first one isn’t the elk I described above (I saw the guy in the photo below the next day), but I’m pretty sure they were probably buddies…

This is my old Daytona 1200 parked on the road running around Crater lake…

And here’s another shot of the lake from that trip…

Yep, that’s snow on the ground, and yep, it was cold.  In fact, on the way down, we rode around the shaded side of the mountain, and there was still ice on the road.  I know that because on that ride I wondered who was trying to pass me on the left so closely.   I caught someone coming up close behind me and to the left in my peripheral vision, and then I realized it was the rear end of the Daytona sashaying around!  Whoa!

As cold as that trip was, the next one was even colder.   I knew that going in, though, and Susie and I rolled up to Crater Lake in the Subaru that time…which was a little bit better choice on icy roads!

You know, it’s 100 degrees here in So Cal right now.   Looking at those photos above somehow makes it seem a little cooler.

Anyway, that’s it for today, boys and girls.  Steve’s firing up his P-51 for some photos, so I gotta run!

Looks like the vintage bicycle stuff is striking the same “I love classic designs” sentiment as our CSC motorcycles.   I posted a photo of my Bianchi bicycle (the one you saw in yesterday’s blog) over on ADVRider, and it elicited some cool photos in response. 

This one, in particular, really caught my eye…

I liked it so much I asked the guy who posted it (that would be HD) if I could use the photo here on the blog.   He was okay with it…

Use at will, I’m not a psycho picture Nazi.

I found this at a garage sale about a month ago completely disassembled and put in a box. After a quick look see, to my surprise, all the parts where present and knowing what it was (the seller did not), I gladly paid the full $15 asking price taped on it.

Here is a completely re-greased, tuned up, and assembled 1964 Schwinn Stingray Super Deluxe. What an absolute hoot to ride around on, gets huge smiles from the over 40 crowd.

I dig my bikes with original patina, dialed in, and ready to ride, as apposed to fully restored garage queens.

– HD

And then our new buddy HD posted another showing the entire bike…

This is definitely cool stuff.  $15.  Amazing.  And I know you’re right about the response from the over 40 crowd, HD.  I’m definitely in that category.  In fact, 40 was a good age for me (it was the best 10 years of my life).   And I agree with your comments about keeping stuff original and unrestored, too.   Steve did that with his original Mustang, and it just oozes class…

Hey, I have a question for our readers…in that first bicycle photo above (where it shows the initials “AS”)… the “S” is easy…it stands for Schwinn.  What’s the “A” stand for?   Ed, if you’re reading this, I’ll bet you know!

And HD, thanks much for allowing us to use your great photos!

Busy is our byword these days, boys and girls…in many, many areas…

Wow, where to start…there’s so much going on!

I guess we’ll start with the scooters.  The 250 P-51 Mustan…(oops, I meant to say the 250cc  P-51 CSC) is going like gangbusters, and our retail business is doing the same. 

Steve's custom P-51 CSC motorcycle!

We actually run several businesses here. You are all familiar with the California Scooter Company, or CSC Motorcycles as we’re now known, but that’s not all that we have happening here.

Pro-One Performance Manufacturing is one of our companies, and that’s the operation that sells the big V-twin street choppers (I’m talking up to 124 cubic inches here, folks) as well as parts and accessories for big cruisers of all kinds (and a complete line of cool car stuff, too).  Our Thin Man (aka Josh) runs that side of the business, and he uses a lot of what he sells…check out his dynamite Camaro!

Josh and the Joshmobile...

Pro-One Motorcycles is our retail operation.   We sell the complete Genuine Scooter line, used motorcycles that folks trade in on CSC motorcycles (or that they just ask us to sell for them), and now, a few lower-cost Chinese scooters. 

We frequently get calls from folks who want a twist-n-go scooter (one with an automatic transmission).  The CSC bikes shift like regular motorcycles, so we added the Genuine line to cater to folks who wanted a step-through twist-n-go.   The Genuine bikes are priced right around the same as the CSC motorcycles, and one of the things we hear a lot is how much less expensive Chinese twist-n-go bikes are.   You can guess where this is going…we added a few of the low-bucks Chinese scooters to the Pro-One showroom for comparison purposes and to meet the needs of folks who want a sub-$2K scooter.  You can see the quality differences, but these bikes, as they say, ain’t bad.   I’ll post more about them in subsequent blogs.

A palette of bikes from the Pro-One sales floor...

In the used bike arena, there’s always interesting stuff floating in and out of the showroom.   Harleys with sidecars, ‘Busas (yes, boys and girls, they really will touch 185 mph…don’t ask me how I know, but I notice Steve is real careful about where he leaves the keys these days), all kinds of sportbikes, and other cool stuff.

And there’s more cool stuff…Motorcycle Classics magazine is running my piece on Memphis in the current issue, and in the next issue they’re going to run my story about Dahlonega.   If you’ve never heard of Dahlonega, Georgia, I’m not surprised (most folks haven’t).  It’s one of the coolest little towns I’ve ever seen.  It’s the site of the first gold rush ever in the US, and the roads in that part of the world are tailor-made for motorcycles.  Cool stuff.

Beale Street in Memphis on Motorcycle Night!

There are good things happening on the Mustang book, too.   We just finished an article on the original Mustangs (as soon as I know the publication date, I’ll post that here).   Great stuff with lots of great photos, including very cool stuff about the custom bike that got it all started.   I’ll keep you posted on this exciting new development as things move along. 

Howard Forrest's custom creation posing with a Harley 45!

Our good buddy Howard is still at it, too.  Howard just sent a photo showing what the CSC lifestyle is like on the open road (in this case, Badlands National Park).   Here’s the note Howard sent to me…

Joe:

I am at Badlands National Park, SD, and had a very enjoyable and interesting day today.  As I pulled into the Pinnacles Overlook near the north entrance to the park, a tour bus pulled in right behind me.  When the people came off the bus, the lady in the lead rushed over to me, wanting to know what I was riding and where to get one.  I dug out one of the catalogues, gave it to her and we talked for a few minutes.  I found that her name is Maureen and she is the International & Domestic Trade Sales Manager for the South Dakota Department of Tourism.

It wasn’t very long before the tourists from the bus were crowded around us and a lot of them were taking pictures of the bike, me, her and the guy I think was the driver.  I gave the people the 10 catalogues that I had with me.    Six or seven people sat on the bike and we just had a fun time. 

Take care,

Howard

And here’s Howard’s photo with Maureen…

Howard and his CSC at Badlands National Park in South Dakota!

Good stuff, boys and girls!   Howard, I’d tell you you’re having entirely too much fun, but hey, there’s nothing wrong with that!

From a slightly different two-wheeled vantage point I told you guys and gals I’m seriously into bicycling, and I think I mentioned the beautiful mid-80’s celeste Bianchi I bought a few weeks ago.  I’ve been racking up the miles on it (and bringing my belt in a few notches, too), and I’m having lots of fun.  I grabbed a few macro shots last night showing some of the details on the Green Monster, and I thought I’d share them here…

A classic lugged steel celeste Bianchi road bike from the 1980s!

And one last thing, just goofing around.  I always heard it was bad luck to step on a cricket…but there’s no admonition against photographing them!  This guy was on the sidewalk trying to stay out of the sun just a few minutes ago…

Jiminy Cricket!

More to follow, folks, so stay tuned.

More good stuff, boys and girls!  Check this out!  Yep, it’s the 2012 Hell’s Loop Endurance Run through Death Valley, and it’s going to be a hoot.

TK, Arlene, and I ran the Hell’s Loop run last year on our California Scooters, and I plan to run the Baja Blaster in it again this year.   We had a super time, too.  

Death Valley is stunning…there’s no other way to describe it.   Most folks think of hot dry heat when they think of Death Valley, but I have to tell you when we ran in it last year we just about froze our tootsies off.   It was bitter cold!   Whatever, though…if it wasn’t extreme, the good folks at the Motor Scooter International Land Speed Federation wouldn’t call it an endurance run.  It’s a big deal just to finish the Hell’s Loop ride (it’s 400 miles in one day), but folks, I ain’t going just to finish this year…

So recognizing that 1st place is already spoken for, can we get any of our fellow California Scooteristas to ride with us in the 2012 Hell’s Loop Endurance Run?  If you’re thinking of joining the fun, you can learn more about it here.

More good stuff…our good friend Howard is still out there touring the American West and living large!   Take a look at these recent photos from Howard!

Howard on his CSC in front of the Crazy Horse monument in South Dakota!

Howard, his CSC motorcycle, and Devil's Tower in Wyoming!

And our good buddy Twin Peaks Steve is racking up the miles on his CSC Bobber, too. Check out the personalized plate on his bike…

Twin Peaks Steve's CSC Bobber!

And that personalized plate…well, take a look!

You gotta love this license plate!

That’s it for today, boys and girls.   Ride safe and keep an eye on the blog!