CSC Blog

I’m talking about the RX3, of course.   After leaving LAX at half-past midnight on Friday morning (literally an “O:Dark:30” departure), a 14-hour flight to Tapei, a 2-hour layover (the smoothest and quickest international transfer ever), and a 4 1/2-hour jaunt to Singapore (the cleanest city I’ve ever seen in my life), we happily settled in yesterday and started the time-change adjustment.  It’s 3:00 a.m. over here, and I’ve been up for an hour already.

We walked around a bit along Singapore’s Orchard Street yesterday (think Beverly Hills’ Rodeo Drive, but cleaner, bigger, and leafier) and I grabbed a few photos playing around with the D3300’s 8mm fisheye lens (like that one above).  Good fun, and I’ll get more on a city tour we’re taking later today.

About that tagline above, All Over The World:  I wasn’t talking about me.  I’m describing the RX3.  When I was in Singapore last June, I saw an RX3 the first afternoon I arrived…

The RX3 is an unprecedented worldwide success, and if you’re thinking about parts availability on a round-the-world trip, the RX3 is literally sold on every continent.   I’ll be in Bangkok next week and I’d bet a nickel I’ll see the RX3 there, too.

That’s it for now.  Susie just fired up the coffeemaker in our hotel room here in Singapore.   Time for a cup or two…

Wow, there’s been a lot going on in the last few days!

For starters, the 2017 WERA racing season ended and our Roland Wheeler won the season on his RC3.  How about that!  The first time a Zongshen motorcycle entered the WERA racing circuit and it won the season.  Our congratulations to you, Roland!

First season ever, and Roland rode his RC3 to a WERA season championship.  That’s impressive.

More good news…planning for the Destinations Deal Tour is moving right along.  I’ve sent an email to everyone riding with us about our hotels, and if you’re joining us, you need to call the hotels and and make your reservations now (I’m posting this here on the off chance that you haven’t checked your email).

More good news on the Destinations Deal Tour…our good buddy, riding compadre, and motojournalist extraordinaire Joe Gresh will be riding with us.   You know Joe from his articles in Motorcyclist and Motorcycle.com, and his awesome YouTube videos.  Joe rode with us on the 5000-mile Western America Adventure Ride when the RX3 first came to America, and he and I both rode 6000 miles across China on RX3 motorcycles last year.  These are two favorite Joe photographs (the first is in Idaho on our Western America Adventure Ride; the second photo shows Joe tearing across the Gobi Desert)…

I’m also very excited about the folks riding with us on the Destinations Deal Tour who have ridden with us before on prior CSC adventure rides.  There’s my good buddy Rob, an Iron Butt rider who rode with us in Idaho, Oregon and Washington, and on our most recent Baja ride…

There’s good buddy Willie, the world’s most interesting man and a veteran of three of our Baja runs…

And there’s Colorado Dan (of the Colorado Dans…we have three, you know).   Dan is my photogenic friend, he’s an expert rider, and he has a perpetual smile…

We also have new RX3 owners joining us on this ride.  I’ll post photos of them from the road.  It’s going to be grand!

More developments…there’s been a bit of minor buzz on the Internet about a new Zong with a photo or three that’s popped up in a few places.   It’s the RX3S, a new test platform of a bike styled like the RX3 but with a 380cc twin cylinder engine…

I saw the 380cc engine and a clay mockup of the RX3S the last time I was in Chongqing.   It’s interesting, it’s heavy, and it’s not happening any time soon.

Let me explain why we need to recognize a few things about the RX3S and the RX4 (the 450cc upsized version of your RX3) and Zongshen’s approach to motorcycle development.  Zongshen releases information on potential new motorcycles way in advance of availability.  This practice wasn’t noticed on the RX3 because nobody in America paid much attention to Zongshen (other than a few guys on ChinaRiders.net) before the RX3 hit our shores.  Now, with the RX3’s world-wide popularity, everybody keeps an eye on Zongshen. Any info that Zongshen releases (and some info that they haven’t officially released) gets widespread dissemination by your friends and mine, the keyboard commandos.

Look, here’s the deal.  Zongshen recently rode a group of RX4s through China and they found the bike had problems.   It’s back to the drawing board with no forecasted production date.  Even if there was a production date (and there is not), I would take it with a 55-gallon drum of salt.  The fact is we just don’t know when this bike will go into production.  And once the RX4 finally goes into production in China, we’ll have to get a couple and take them through the EPA/CARB maze.  That tacks another 6 to 9 months on to when the bikes can sell here in the US.  My best guess is very late 2018 or more likely sometime in 2019, but that’s just what I called it: A guess.

Now, regarding the RX3S’s availability, let me put it this way:  The RX4 is way ahead of the RX3S in terms of design, development, and testing.   I won’t even hazard a guess on when the RX3S will be available.

These new bikes are interesting things to watch and read about.  I’ve ridden prototype RX4 motorcycles in China and my feeling is that at this point the RX3 is a much better motorcycle.  I’m sure the RX4 will be improved and refined by the time it goes into production, but when I rode it I knew I preferred my RX3.  The RX4 is a bigger bike, and yeah, the keyboard commandos are (as always) clamoring for more displacement.  But that bigger bike comes with a penalty: More weight.  The production RX4 will hopefully be lighter, but as it stands today, I like my lighter RX3 better.

Here’s the bottom line:  If you’re waiting for tomorrow’s RX4 or RX3S instead of buying an RX3 today, I think you’re cheating yourself out of a lot of good riding.   That’s something I’m not doing.  I’m riding today.  You could be, too.

It’s a tradition…every multi-day CSC adventure ride has to have a decal, and every one of the riders who are riding with us next month will get one of these to put on their bike!

I like it, and I am really looking forward to this ride.  Watch the blog, folks.  We’ll be posting more information on the Destinations Deal Tour soon!

I just saw this Turkish RX3 video on Facebook and I thought I would share it with you…

Wow, after listening to that music, I don’t know what I want more…a nice plate of hummus, dolma, and maybe some iskender, or a motorcycle ride.  I think I’ll ride my RX3 tomorrow and go for a good Turkish lunch!

This is a hot rifle with a cool story.   Folks, check out this left hand 7mm Weatherby Mark V…

It’s one of the great ones, and the story behind it goes like this.   About 35 years ago I was an engineer working for Aerojet (we manufactured cluster bombs and artillery ammunition) and the Weatherby plant was just up the road from us.   I stopped in one day and mentioned to the sales guy that I wanted to buy a Weatherby in 7mm Weatherby Magnum for my Dad.   I told him I wanted a rifle with exceptional wood, and in those days, they would take you into the Weatherby armory to pick out the one you wanted.  I got it down to two rifles and told the sales guy it would be cool if I could tell Dad that Roy Weatherby helped me select the rifle.

Well, that’s exactly what happened.  In two minutes I was in Roy Weatherby’s office and there he was.   He was a hell of guy.   Old Roy asked us to put both rifles on his desk, and when we did he said, “from this side I like that one the best.  Turn them over.”  We did, and Roy said, “from this side, I like the other one best.”   Then he looked at me and said, “Joe, which one do you like best?”

“I like this one,” I said, pointing to the rifle in the above photo.

“That’s the one I would have selected,” Roy said.  He obviously had done this before.  Just being in his presence was an amazing experience.  Like I said, he was one hell of a man.

I gave the rifle to Dad and he loved  it.  We spent several days on the range shooting the Weatherby, and then Dad passed away a few days later.   That was a tough pill to swallow, but life goes on.

The Weatherby had not been out of my safe since, other than to run a patch through the bore and to keep it oiled.  I didn’t shoot it because it’s left handed (I’m a righty), and then one day recently I was thinking about that.  My Dad was left handed and he shot right hand bolt action rifles, so I reasoned I could shoot a left hand rifle.   And three weeks ago, I did.

That 7mm Weatherby Magnum cartridge is a real powerhouse.  It’s hotter than the 7mm Remington Magnum by about 100 to 200 feet per second and the bark is ferocious.  The recoil is significant, but truth be told, when I’m hunting I never feel the recoil and I never hear the rifle.

I’m working on different loads trying to zero in (pardon the pun) on the secret sauce that will provide the tightest groups.    And I’m having a lot of fun doing it.

Steve had a visitor near his home early this morning….

In case you were wondering, that’s a California bobcat, a beautiful wild animal you see in these parts occasionally.

The Bobcat.  I like that name.   Hmmmmm…….

Nope, the ride wasn’t mine, but wow, another nice note and a great ride report from one of our RX3 riders!   Check out Jim’s email, his ride report, and his incredible photos!

Joe,

I really enjoy reading the CSC blog and check it daily. Attached is a trip report and 10,000 mile update on my RX3. You are welcome to use it on the blog, if you wish.  I think the Blue Ridge Parkway would make a wonderful CSC group ride, especially for us East Coast customers.  I would be happy to help with the planning.

Jim G.

PS:  When will you announce the price on the Cafe Racer?

And here’s Jim’s awesome ride report…

I just completed a 4-day ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  My brother and I started at my house in Simpsonville, SC on Thursday morning and rode to the Parkway at Milepost (MP) 423.  Then we rode to his house near MP 86, North of Roanoke, Virginia.  We took 2 days to go up, stopping for the night at a motel in Pineola, NC on Thursday.  I rode back by myself on Saturday and Sunday, taking the same route.

Day 1 South to North and Day 4 N to S

Day 2 S to N and Day 3 N to S

My RX3 performed wonderfully for the nearly 1,000 mile, 4-day weekend (200-250 miles / day).  I was a little worried that my 250cc adventure bike would have a little trouble on the hills and might slow down my brother on his big Harley.  FYI, I am 6’1” and weigh 230lbs.  When we came to the mountains on day 1 we had about 20 miles of twisty climbing roads (Hwy 178 in SC/NC and Rt 215 in NC) to get up to the parkway, gaining about 3,500 feet of elevation.  When we got to the top on Hwy 178 my brother said two things, 1. “That was a great road” and 2. “I had trouble keeping up with you”.  At that point I knew I was not going to have a power issue.  The weather was great (60-75 degrees, two little showers) and the bikes performed flawlessly. 

Cone Mansion, MP 294

Grandfather Mountain, MP 305

My only complaint on the trip was from my butt!  Although I ride to work nearly every day, it is just 20 minutes each way.  5 hours in the seat for me was quite painful (after 2-3 hours).  I just have the stock seat, maybe a cushion or Seat Concepts upgrade would help.  I ended up standing, sliding back, sitting on the back seat, moving up on the edge of the tank, … anything to get a new pressure point.  I survived.

I think the RX3 makes a great bike for the Blue Ridge Parkway!  I was able to put all I needed in the stock luggage easily (we were not camping).  It is light and easy to maneuver through all those glorious curves.  It has plenty of power to get up all the climbs, some downshifting required on the steepest ones.  The speed limit on the Parkway is 45mph so top end was never an issue.  Even when we were trying to make up some time and my brother was leading (a little over the limit) I had no trouble keeping up.  I averaged about 65 miles per gallon so I only spent about $35 in gas for the whole trip!  My brother needed to be careful where he parked due the weight of his bike.  I didn’t have to bother backing into spots since my RX3 is so light and easy to walk back out any parking spot.  Although we did not take any gravel road adventures (due to my brother’s bike), I knew I could if I wanted to.  There were a lot of opportunities to do so, I will have to go back and try some of them out.  Overall I loved riding the Blue Ridge Parkway on my RX3, a great bike for a great road.

Mabry Mill, MP 176

Mount Mitchell, MP 355

I have nearly 10,000 miles on my bike now, purchased in June 2016.  I have done all the oil changes myself (conventional oil @ 2,500 miles) and paid a local shop to adjust the valves twice, change the tires at 8,000 miles, and adjust the chain tension. The only issues I have had were very minor.  The shift lever tip broke off at about 2,000 miles.  When I emailed CSC they responded immediately and sent me a new lever the same day.  My battery died at 5,000 miles = 10 months old, CSC told me the battery only had a 6 month warranty so I was on my own.  I found a good replacement on Amazon for $45 and it has been working for 5 months now with no issues.  I have only seen 2 bolts work loose.  One was on the rear protector / luggage rack.  The other was on the rear brake lever.  Actually that nut came completely loose and was resting inside the plastic cover.  The bolt never came out, not sure it can, and the brake never stopped working.  I got the torque value from CSC and put it back on with some LocTite.

Thanks to CSC for offering such a great product at a great value,

Jim G

Jim, that’s an awesome report and we (I and our readers) thank you for taking the time to put it together and send it to us.   We love getting these ride reports.

Allow me to answer your questions and comments.

A Blue Ridge Parkway ride is a real possibility.  Thank you for offering to help with organizing it.  I’ve never ridden the Blue Ridge Parkway (a character flaw I aim to correct).   Everything I’ve heard about that part of our great country sounds perfect for a great motorcycle adventure.  I had hoped to get out your way this summer, but I retired from teaching at Cal Poly in May and I have been busier than I’ve ever been.  Let’s tentatively talk about doing a Blue Ridge ride next summer.  I’m up for it if you are!

Regarding the issues of engine size and keeping up, like you, I have never had a problem keeping up with anyone on a Harley-Davidson.   A lot of folks assume that a 250 is down on power and can’t run with the big dogs.   It’s never been a problem for me.

On the seat:  I’m an older guy and I’ve never found the perfect motorcycle seat.  To me, they are all uncomfortable after a long day in the saddle, and I’ve ridden or owned most of the motorcycles out there.  I had to give up riding Harleys after I tried to buy a T-shirt at a dealer one day and the sizes all started at 2XL.  When I asked the sales guy if he had a medium or a large, he looked at me and told me I was too little to ride a Harley.   I don’t much care for Starbuck’s, I don’t have a 35-inch inseam, and I get a cramp in my neck from looking down my nose at other riders, so that ruled out BMW.  I am a degreed engineer so I thought I might have a shot at riding a KTM, but I’m a mechanical engineer and after reading the KTM forums I concluded that I really needed an electrical engineering/computer science degree to keep a KTM going.  Some folks have told me I’m not one of nicest people they ever met, so that cut out Honda. I never believed that old slogan about loud clutches saving lives, so there went Ducati.  I did like letting the good times roll and I rode a KLR for a while, but when the RX3 came on the scene I sold the KLR and never looked back (even though I miss having a doohickey on my RX3).  Anyway, to get back to the seat issue, many of our customers like the Seat Concepts seat.  I have a sheepskin cover on my RX3 seat and it’s worked well for me.  I rode an RX3 6000 miles across China on the stock seat with an aeration-type cover and I was okay with it.   It all depends on your individual shape, your pressure points, and your preferences.   You might want to consider one of our Seat Concepts seats; I don’t know of anyone who’s purchased one and did not love it.

On fuel economy, 65 mpg is about right.  I can typically get over 70 mpg on my bike if I ride to minimize fuel consumption (I’ve twice got over 80 mpg coming down from the Continental Divide at moderate speeds).  Small bikes’ top speed, acceleration, and fuel economy are more sensitive to rider weight, headwinds, tire pressure, oil levels, and other factors that would have less of an impact on a larger bike.

Regarding the price on the Cafe Racer, we have not officially announced it yet.  I know people in high places, though, and if you promise not to tell anyone, I’ve heard it’s going to be $2,495.

Jim, again, that was an awesome ride and an awesome report.  Thanks so much for sharing it with us!

Hey, I received another note related to our upcoming Destinations Deal Tour, this time from our good buddy Nevada Johnny!

Hello Joe,  

Just for fun, since I just saw the photos from Stan, here is a 1951 photo of my mother, Scotty, my sister and me.

I do not remember anything about that trip to Death Valley except that the family went on numerous trips around So. Cal deserts.

Dad drove us around in a 1949 Ford woody wagon. He shoulda kept that one.

Thanks for the blog, always a pleasure to read.

Johnny B.,  Boulder City, Nevada

Johnny, thanks for the note and the photo, and your kind words on the blog.  It’s always fun hearing from our readers.  Ride safe, my friend!

Detailed planning is underway for the Destinations Deal Tour and the excitement is building.   There are seven of us on this ride.  Some of the guys are folks I’ve ridden with before on our CSC adventures, and some are new to the CSC world.  It’s great; old friends and new friends.   I sure am having fun.

I received a nice note from my good buddy Stan yesterday (complete with a couple of killer vintage photos) and I thought I would share it with you…

Joe,

Enjoy reading your blog and just wanted to share a few things that might enhance your upcoming tour. I see you plan to ride through Death Valley which is one of my favorite places (beauty, history, desolation) and recalling the record rainfall 2 years ago and the damage to roads that I think still exists, (Scotty’s Junction entry..)  At Scotty’s Junction there’s a B&B ‘Shady Lady’ that was formerly a brothel with themed rooms…check out their website).  Also in this area and used in a unique promotion with ‘Airbnb and Audi’ (enter Airbnb and Audi into YouTube to see the commercial) is another unique B&B…. Your likely entry into Death Valley is through Beatty, NV (Hwy 374).

Right before you pull into Beatty, stop at the crash-landed airplane right in front of the former Angels Ladies brothel… 4 brothels in this region have gone ‘belly-up.’

100+ years ago, Beatty had a rival city called ‘Rhyolite’ (once being hyped as ‘The Chicago of the West’). Well, that didn’t quite pan-out, as you’ll notice this recurring theme passing through what’s left of the boom and bust towns on your way south on Hwy 95.

Both photos above are from Rhyolite (just a few miles west of Beatty) and both the Cook Bank building and Porter Bros store (the circus elephants are right in front of it) have ruins that still stand.

Walter ‘Death Valley Scotty’ Scott, seen above eating his lunch next to the Cook Bank with a Chinese businessman he owed money to (Scotty loved to spend other peoples’ money) was a huge part of the history of this region (after being fired by Buffalo Bill Cody).  There’s a ‘Castle’ named after him in DVNP (well worth checking out once they get it reopened after the flash flood damage).

You must attend an organ concert at Scotty’s Castle once they reopen. A one weekend per year happening, where a human being plays the theatre organ live (played by computer during tours of the Castle, on every other day).  A unique venue to say the least. Check the DVNHA website for updates…(don’t fret, I’ll be sure and give you a heads-up).

Here’s an historical event you might not be aware of from back in his day; quite the celebrity https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Special

Next to Rhyolite you can’t miss some unusual sculptures (Goldwell Outdoor Museum) and some great photo-ops.  The statue of the miner swinging the pick, standing next to the penguin is Frank ‘Shorty’ Harris; 1 of 2 men to find the gold that made this area boom.

Not in the cards for this run, but a road you’ll pass by and must take another time is the 266/168 that connects Hwy 95 (the junction where The Cottontail brothel used to take lonely truckers money) and Hwy 395 in Big Pine (where Yelp! #1 rated restaurant in the USA for 2015, Copper Top BBQ is located). What a hoot this road is, either by car or motorcycle. And at night? Wow! I’ve done it at night solo on 4 wheels and that was weird enough…and this was while camping in the Eastern Sierra (west of Bishop) and the contrast of being high in the mountains and in the heat of the summer in Death Valley in the same day was awesome (the Death Valley run was to see the organ concert mentioned above and it always seems to be scheduled during the summer…).

And off the 168 out of Big Pine is The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest (home to the oldest trees, some predating the Great Pyramid of Giza) get your hiking legs on…   

Have fun,

Stan

Stan, thanks very much for your note, the photos, and your suggestions.   We’re going to have a great time, and we appreciate the inputs!

The open road…our Destinations Deal Tour is going to be great!

The names are in for the Destinations Deal tour, and it looks like it’s going to be six of us…Willie, Orlando and his wife, Dan, Leighton, and me.  That’s a right-sized group, and I’m looking forward to this adventure.  Keep an eye on the blog, as we’ll be posting more information on this upcoming adventure ride as our planning continues.   It’s wheels up on 22 October and we’ll be returning on 27 October.

Hey, next topic up…we’re moving out on our CSC rifle postal match, and the rules are simple:  50 yards, 20 shots at the standard SR-1 target, any centerfire rifle, any sighting system, any shooting position (including shooting from the bench), and you have to own a CSC motorcycle to participate.

The SR-1 target

If  you want to participate, drop us a note at info@cscmotorcycles.com, and we’ll send your target to you.  You’ll have to get your target back to us by 15 November 2017.