CSC Blog

Just a couple of quick photos, boys and girls…

Josh and I went to lunch today, and while Tony and the boys were servicing my bike, Steve let me borrow his Sarge.   As an old Army guy, I like the Sarge’s look and feel, and apparently so do a lot of other people.  That bike sure draws the looks and smiles.  My red Classic does, too, but the Sarge is in a league all by itself.

We get so many compliments on the Sarge, and it draws so much attention, we’re wondering if OD green should be a factory option.  What do you guys think?

While I was out, the boys installed one of our new fringed seats on my red Classic.  I’ve never been one of the fringe and conchos crowd, but I gotta tell you, that black fringed seat really works on my bike.  It’s a completely new look, and I like it!

It’s amazing how just a little touch like fringes on a seat can really change a bike’s personality.   If you want more information about our custom seats, take a look here.

I’m going to put some miles on my bike tomorrow up in the San Gabriels, and I’ll grab a few more shots.  That’s it for now.   Tomorrow, I’ll get my knees in the breeze…so watch for more photos on our California Scooter blog!

Yep, another John Esposito custom paint job...two-tone turquoise-and-white!

This bike has beach cruiser handlebars, and lots and lots of chrome.   I’m sure many of you noticed the wire wheels…

Yep, wire wheels are coming...

We don’t have these wheels in stock yet, but they are on the way.  They sure are pretty.   I think I like my solid wheels better, because the solid wheels run tubeless and require a lot less maintenance.   But if you like wire wheels, it won’t be long before you can get them on your California Scooter.

Steve and the boys put lots of detail into this bike.   It’s not for sale (it’s a show bike), but it is a good platform for showing off some of the accessories and chome work you can pour into your custom bike…

Tons of chrome (read the list below)

Our beach cruiser Scooter has chrome all over…the taillight assembly, the luggage rack, the exhaust pipe, the controls, the airbox, the hand controls, the foot controls, the fork lowers, the upper and lower triple tees, the speedometer case, the speedometer mount, the kickstand, the front and rear wheel hubs and spacers, the wire wheels, the battery box, the brake calipers, and the list goes on and on.  The chrome is nice, but what really does it for me is that two-tone turquoise-and-white paint job.

Do you like this color combo?   Drop us a line and let us know…we’d love to hear from you!

How about this…check out Norma and her new California Scooter!

Norma’s Classic has a John Esposito factory custom black-and-purple paint job, a luggage rack, chrome engine guards, a windshield, and chrome wheels…it’s a real show stopper!

Norma is a new rider…she’s taking the Motorcycle Safety Foundation class to learn how to be a safe rider, and she’s learning on the perfect bike!

Norma, our best wishes to you!  Ride safe, and we’ll see you on the road!

Yep, yet another magazine is running our story on the Baja trip!  This time it’s White Line Magazine…it’s the number one online motorcycle magazine, and they are running our Baja story!  

Shadow Wolf runs this great magazine, and this is WLM’s second featured California Scooter Company story (WLM ran a story on CSC a few months ago).   Shadow, thanks very much!   You have to come along on our next Baja trip!

So, boys and girls….the latest publication to pick up the story of your intrepid California Scooter Bajaenos (uh, that would be us) is none other than Rider magazine!   This was such a fun trip…and every time I read about it, I remember just what a hoot it was!

The gas station in Catavina, about 350 miles south of the border

I’ve had an association with Rider magazine for a while, and I’m glad they’re sharing the Baja story with their blog readers.   This was a real adventure, and I know that Rider’s readers will enjoy it.  We sure did!

Last January, I wrote a story for Rider on police motorcycles.   Writing that story was a lot of fun (and seeing it in print was great), but the best parts were talking to the motor officers and then seeing their comments in the following issue about how much they liked the article.  Hey, I enjoyed writing it!

This article appeared in the January 2010 issue of Rider magazine...and these fellows are Harley-mounted motor officers in San Fernando, California

I have an interest in police motorcycles that started a long time ago (I wrote a book on this topic back in the ’90s), and as a result, I get police motorcycle photos from all over the world.   I put the most interesting ones on the www.motofoto.cc site, and you can see them here.

In fact, I just received another interesting photo this week from US Army Sergeant First Class Ron Bowers showing a police officer in Dohuk, Iraq, and an Iraqi police motorcycle (SFC Bowers was in Iraq in 2008).  SFC Bowers makes friends easily, and when his Iraqi counterparts learned he’s a rider, they arranged for the good sergeant to get some seat time on several bikes, including this 750cc Suzuki police motorcycle…

SFC Ron Bowers in Dohuk, Iraq

Okay, all you loyal blog readers…I know what you are wondering…are we developing a police motorcycle based on our California Scooter….maybe one for urban use?   

Steve….oh, Steve….hey, I’ve got this idea…

I was playing around a bit with YouTube today and I found this cool video of Evel Knievel at the Gardena, CA, racetrack way back in 1967!

Very cool stuff, folks!   I didn’t know that Evel rode a Triumph in those days (I remember him on Harley flat trackers).  In the video above, Mr. Knievel is on a 1967 Triumph TT Special (Triumph’s hot rod in the late ’60s).   A few lucky guys bought TT Specials, added lights, and used them on the street.  The Triumph TT Special was the ultimate bike back then…it had all of 54 hp and nothing could touch it! 

My Dad had a 1966 Bonneville, and we actually saw Evel Knievel perform at the East Windsor Speedway in Hightstown, NJ in ’67 (Evel had switched to a Harley by then).   He put on quite a show, and when I think about what it cost to see him (and a full night of racing), I realize just how much the world has changed.  That night, my Dad and I saw stock car races, 250cc flat track motorcycle races, open class flat track motorcycle races (think Gary Nixon, Bart Markel, and others), Evel Knievel jumping over a bunch of cars, and a fireworks show…all for a $2 admission fee!

Sylvain Binau stopped by the plant last Saturday to check on the progress of his ride…and Sylvain’s ride is the bike we’re prepping for our 150cc land speed record attempt.  Steve took a few measurements and we’re custom fitting this extra-special California Scooter to fit Sylvain perfectly…

Sylvain Binau on the 150cc land speed record assault vehicle

We met Sylvain on one of our group rides…he was piloting a 1-liter Yamaha sports bike, and we thought he would be perfect for our land speed record attempt in November.  I won’t tell you how much Sylvain weighs, nor can I tell you how much our land speed record Scooter weighs…but I can tell you their combined weight is a cool 306 pounds!

There's a lot of work left to do, but things are moving along nicely

Our speed bike is looking good…a custom lowered frame, a shortened front end, original Mustang tanks for a lower profile, and many, many other goodies.  We’re just getting into the engine, and I can tell you, this puppy will snarl!

Any suggestions on the color combo we should use for this bike?   Drop me a note and let me know!

We’ll keep you posted.