CSC Blog

We’re at capacity for our ride to the Owen Collection on 6 January (we’re sorry; there’s no room for more riders), but you can get a feel for what we’re going to see during our visit to this fantastic collection in the most recent Motorcycle Classics Destinations piece.  The article is right here!

Folks, check this out…it’s a Christmas card from none other than Clement Salvadori, with  artwork by his wife Sue…

Clem Salvadori is the guy who first inspired me to ride Baja with his great book on motorcycling in Mexico…and I’m sending him a copy of Moto Baja! this week.

Cool stuff, folks.

Wow, another nice note from my good buddy Joe Martin (whose photo appears on Page 109 of Moto Baja!). Joe recently rode his RX3 from Washington down to So Cal, and he assembled several very cool YouTube videos as part of his adventure. Here’s Joe’s note to me, along with his supercool videos!

Joe,

I put together some videos from my trip down there on my RX3 and thought you might be interested in posting one or more of them on the blog

In Washington we don’t allow lane splitting but it’s legal in California. Traffic sucked so I followed another rider to learn the ropes. I survived but it was terrifying! 

Lane splitting:

As I approached Azusa on my way to visit the folks at CSC I came across the brush fire that had jumped the 210 freeway the previous day and closed the highway. I came through right after it was reopened.

Wildfires close by: 

I met up with a friend and his friend for a ride around the Salton Sea. On the first day we did a ride late in the day to check out some of the local trails. Desert riding is pretty new to me. Very different than the Pacific Northwest and our actual dirt, trees, roots and mud.

Dusk ride: 

On our second day at the Salton Sea we did some sightseeing around an area call Salvation Mountain, Slab City and East Jesus. It was an amazingly crazy place but totally worth visiting.

Salvation Mountain (Whoville):

On our way to do some serious trail riding in the Anza-Borrego Desert we did some sightseeing in the town of Borrego Springs where there are dozens of metal sculptures all around the area. Amazing work!

Sculptures:

I rode with a couple guys on Enduros in the Anza Borrego Desert. Not the typical terrain to take the RX3 on but it did fantastic. Fast sand, deep sand, big rocks, awesome and scary climbs and descents were tall handled by the bike.

Anza Borrego Desert big ride: 

Happy Holidays!

Joe

Joe, this is awesome.  Thanks very much for your note and for the videos.  Ride safe, my friend, and enjoy the holidays!

Carlos and his beautiful wife Veronica just posted this video on Facebook. It’s from our Baja adventure and it is one of the best videos I’ve seen from our trip. (You may need to unmute it with the button in the lower right hand corner.)

Nicely done, Carlos and Veronica, and thanks very much for posting this!

One of the grandest things about the adventure riding experience are the cool people you meet, like my good friend Nicole Espinosa.   Nicole posted this very cool video and I thought I would share it with you…

You might remember my good buddy Sara who rode with us on the 2nd Annual CSC Baja run. Sara is a real hoot, and I had a great conversation with her in the CSC plant today. I could tell you more, but hey, take a look at this…

My good buddy Joe Gresh just released this YouTube video and the marques it mentions are interesting…

That was quite a trip. It’s still hard to believe we actually rode across China.

Yep, Moto Baja! hit the No. 1 motorcycle books spot on Amazon this morning!

Thanks very much, guys!

I promised I’d let you know how that new custom Howa 1500 barreled action in 375 Ruger shot, and in a word, it’s awesome.   I like a straight low power scope on these kinds of big bore rifles, and I had a very cool old Weatherby 4X I bought used a few years ago (the guy wanted just $25 for the scope, and I couldn’t get my wallet out fast enough).   I put the old Weatherby scope on the new rifle and I sent a few rounds down range late last week.  It sure was fun!

Big bore rifles are impressive. The 375 Ruger was a collaborative effort between Hornady (a components and ammo manufacturer) and Ruger.  The intent was a round that would work through a standard-length rifle action and offer a little bit more speed than the old 375 H&H belted magnum, although it wasn’t more velocity I was seeking.  I wanted this big bore for shooting cast bullets only.

I handloaded my first rounds the night before, with 275-grain bullets and the right powder charge to get about 1800 feet per second.  That’s not as fast as you can go with this cartridge (it will shoot copper-jacketed bullets well north of 2500 feet per second), but it’s more than enough for what I have in mind (which is chasing hogs in Arizona and beyond).

This rig is a shooter, folks, and it’s a big bore powerhouse…the recoil was just shy of being unbearable (stout, but manageable).  And it groups!  It’s my new favorite toy.