Attention All Drivers: Before turning or changing lanes, make it a habit to double-check your blind spots—taking just an extra moment could save a life.

“Motorcyclists are often hard to spot due to their smaller size, and they can easily disappear in a vehicle’s blind spots,” explained Scott Schloegel, Acting President and CEO of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. “Even though modern vehicles may have blind-spot detection systems, these technologies aren’t foolproof. That’s why we strongly encourage drivers of cars and trucks to remain vigilant for motorcyclists. Always use your eyes and mirrors to check twice, particularly when it comes to your blind spots, before making any moves on the road.”

The Motorcycle Safety Foundation has provided essential safety tips for both drivers and motorcyclists to help ensure everyone stays safe on the road.

For Drivers of Cars and Trucks:

• Be proactive in looking for motorcyclists: They can easily be obscured by blind spots, other vehicles, or roadside obstacles like trees or signs. Make sure to scan your surroundings thoroughly before making any maneuvers.

• Stay focused on driving: Avoid distractions like your phone, pets, or passengers while behind the wheel.

• Use your turn signals: Signaling lets others know your intentions, helping them stay out of your blind spot or anticipate your actions.

• Give motorcycles space: Don’t tailgate or crowd riders. Allow them enough room to maneuver and adjust to road conditions.

• Keep your trash inside the vehicle: Avoid throwing items like cigarettes or trash out the window, and make sure all cargo is securely fastened to prevent road hazards.

For Motorcycle and Scooter Riders:

• Enhance your visibility: Wear bright clothing and a light-colored helmet, keep your headlight on at all times, and avoid riding in other vehicles’ blind spots. Consider flashing your brake light when slowing down or stopping.

• Ride defensively: Assume that other drivers might not see you, which will keep you more alert and aware of your surroundings. Use the Search-Evaluate-Execute (SEE) strategy to assess and respond to potential hazards before they become emergencies.

• Wear protective gear on every ride: Equip yourself with full-face helmets, jackets, pants, gloves, and boots designed for riding, which offer abrasion resistance and additional armor for better protection.

• Obey traffic laws: Riding legally and respectfully contributes to a safer environment for everyone. Unexpected moves can confuse others and lead to accidents.

• Inspect your bike before riding: Perform a pre-ride check, including tires, wheels, fluids, cables, chassis, lights, and electronics. Use the T-CLOCS inspection checklist for guidance.

“According to the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA), motorcycle fatalities increased by 1.2 percent in 2022, the most recent year with complete data,” Schloegel added. “Although motorcyclists represent only 3 percent of the vehicles on the road, they account for 15 percent of fatalities. It’s up to all of us to make our roadways safer.”

For more safety tips, booklets, and resources, visit the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s website at msf-usa.org. If you’re interested in learning to ride, getting your license, or improving your riding skills, consider enrolling in a hands-on safety course. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation, the nation’s top safety resource and advocate for motorcyclists, offers courses tailored to riders of all experience levels, including the highly recommended Basic RiderCourse.

If you’re in California and near Merced, Fresno, or Visalia CSC Motorcycles recommends check out Valley Motorcycle Training. They teach you a ton of great things about riding motorcycles. The best part is that they’ll teach you on a CSC Motorcycle. If you’re nearby CSC Motorcycles we recommend looking at Arryo’s Motorcycle Training School in Walnut, CA at Mt SAC Community College. They also use CSC Motorcycles in their training classes.

 

 

 

 

 

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Why many motorcycle riders choose smaller and less expensive cycles.

Motorcycles have gotten bigger, more complex, and MUCH more expensive. In the past, riders bought motorcycles to SAVE money! Today, many motorcycles cost MORE than economy cars – with financing terms to match!

But there are AFFORDABLE alternatives to high-tech, high-cost motorcycles! Look no farther than the SG250 from CSC Motorcycles.

The CSC SG250 San Gabriel reminds us why we love to ride. The San Gabriel is handsome, yet rugged. It has all essentials and intentionally avoids complications. The SG250 is equipped with a proven 230cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine. This small motorcycle is a throw-back to purist motor bike riding!

There are MANY reasons for intentionally downsizing and simplifying your choice of motorcycle:

1. Lower Purchase Cost for Small Motorcycles

Motorcycle manufacturers have followed the auto brands by continually offering bigger models with more expensive technology.

But new riders aren’t looking for $30,000 to $50,000 bikes. The fact is that your memories are made by the MILE and are not determined by the cost of the motorcycle. Do you see more scenery, sunsets, or wildlife?

NO – an affordable motorcycle might enable you to ride MORE and work LESS to cover the payments, helping you create MORE memories!

2. Lower Operating, Maintenance, Repair, and Insurance Costs of Small Motorcycles

Expensive motorcycles are as complex as modern automobiles.

In terms of maintenance and repairs, less expensive motorcycles are simpler and more accessible to the owner or an independent cycle shop. Generic parts and accessories typically don’t fit expensive motorcycles. Likewise, smaller, simpler motorcycles do not require premium gas.

A $2,500 or $5,000 motorcycle costs much less to insure than a $25,000 or $50,000 motorcycle.

Smaller, less expensive motorcycles are often purchased by riders who already have other bikes. It costs less to buy and own two (or three) smaller motorcycles than one over-priced hog!

3. Safer Riding on Small Motorcycles – Especially Older, Smaller, and Solo Riders

If you have experience riding a bigger motorcycle, smaller cycles will feel nimble and “flickable” in comparison.

With less mass you will have better control in corners, when braking, and in rough conditions. Simply parking on an uneven surface is impossible with huge motorcycles. Big, heavy motorcycles require perfect balance – because there is NO WAY you are going to pick up that 500-pound beast!

Smaller, lighter motorcycles are PERFECT for smaller and lighter riders – as well as older riders and anyone who rides solo.

4. The Simplicity and Minimalism of Riding Small Motorcycles

YES – you can tour on a smaller motorcycle!

Andrew Pain, the author of Going Small, advises getting off the freeway, setting a slower pace, and enjoying the journey. He encourages riders to choose the smallest motorcycle to cover the miles, and then pack as lightly as possible. Every gas stop and local meal will provide the opportunity for interactions with local residents.

Adopt the minimalism of bicycle touring for light, motorcycle touring – which I have dubbed “MotorBikePacking”

5. Display Your Maturity by Riding a Small Motorcycle

“Mature” riders (regardless of age) place less value on horsepower, speed, and noise.

Big or small, I am happy to cruise at 5 or 10 miles over the speed limit and seldom ride over 70 MPH. Much of my riding is on rural gravel roads where 25 to 40 miles per hour is the norm. I agree with the admonition: “Anything bigger than 250cc is just wheel spin.”

Small motorcycles are often labeled “beginner bikes”, but they will also extend the YEARS of riding that you enjoy.

Slow down. Take longer breaks, Enjoy a siesta. Start later, then quit earlier in the day. Remember: Less is More!

6. BONUS Reason: Riding Smaller Motorcycles Is FUN!

It’s not surprising that most small motorcycle buyers have previously owned or still own larger motorcycles.

The owners of multiple motorcycles readily admit that the one that they ride the most is their smallest motorcycle. Why? Because smaller, lighter motorcycles are pure fun!

A light cycle skips across rough road sections with less stress to the rider and the bike.

When riding a smaller motorcycle, you will voluntarily avoid the road rage on the freeway. Not only are you SEEING the scenery flow by, but you get to ENJOY the ride longer! In town, a smaller motorcycle maneuvers effortlessly through traffic.

The fun continues when you customize the SG250 to fit your style. Staring out from a BRAND NEW motorcycle under $2,500, you can transform the bike into a retro ride, hooligan racer, or back road scrambler!

The riders of smaller motorcycles are CONTRARIANS in our “Bigger is Better” culture. But they know the “secret” advantages of smaller motorcycles. Not only do they have full “memory banks” of tours and destinations, but they have more money in their wallets, too!

With a light, CSC SG250, you can ALSO take the FUN with you when you travel!

See more FUN rides by the members of the CSC SG250 Owners Group on Facebook. Learn more about the CSC SG250 and the other affordable motorcycles at CSCMotorcycles.com

Randy Reek is an experienced motorcycle rider who has toured from Key West to Alaska. He has ridden the Trans-American Trail and numerous Backcountry Discovery Routes. Over the years, he has owned dozens of cycles, from 50cc scooters to 1700cc cruisers – including FOUR CSC models! Randy divides his time between the Wisconsin woods and deserts of Arizona and Utah. You can follow his adventures at GreatOutThere.online and The Great Out There on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.

CSC Wolf 125: Manufacturing Date Delayed

The MUCH-anticipated introduction of the CSC Wolf 125 has been delayed – stay tuned for updates in 2025!

CSC Motorcycles has been delivering “Fun You Can Afford” for over a decade. There has never been a motorcycle model that promised more AFFORDABLE FUN than the new CSC Wolf 125.

This past Spring, CSC announced that they had begun the certification process for this new model. This small, 125cc motorcycle (the Zonsen “Cub” or “Yemi”) has been sold in other markets around the world for nearly two years. The introduction of the “CSC Wolf” to North America was planned as a 2025 model. But first, the new motorcycle needed to pass the DOT, EPA, and CARB certification processes – which are long and expensive.

If you follow this channel, you have seen more and more content leading up to the actual introduction of the 2025 CSC Wolf 125. This includes the first and only offroad content where I put the Wolf to the test in the mountains and on remote back roads in Arizona.

After many months, the tedious testing processes were nearly complete. In the meantime, CSC built the website for the new Wolf 125 and was fielding DOZENS of inquiries per day from enthusiastic, prospective buyers – including many who wanted to pre-order multiple motorcycles.

Just as CSC Motorcycles was ready to begin accepting deposits on the first Wolf 125’s to be delivered later this Fall, they were informed of a halt to manufacturing.

Besides technical, mechanical, and environmental standards, the CSC Wolf and the Zonsen Yemi/Cub are also subject to DESIGN standards. Just last week, reps from Zonsen notified CSC Motorcycles that the MUFFLER on the Wolf/Cub/Yemi violates the design patent on the Honda Trail CT125 and Super Cub.

The worldwide sales of this model were STOPPED via a court order in Thailand. (Thailand is where the Honda CT125 and Super Cub are manufactured.)

After a massive investment of time and money, the introduction of the CSC Wolf 125 is delayed until the muffler is redesigned and ready for manufacture. At that point, CSC Motorcycles must submit the new design for recertification of the emissions tests.

How long will the redesign and recertification processes take? No one knows!

Best case – early in 2025. Both the design and certification timelines are beyond the control of CSC Motorcycles. To say this is a disappointment is an understatement. THOUSANDS of motorcycle riders have been watching and waiting for the new Wolf 125. We will all need to wait a little longer!

But – what if you are ready NOW for an economical and affordable motorcycle?

Your BEST alternative is the same as it has been for several years. CSC Motorcycles still sells the TT250 Enduro and the SG250 Café Racer. These two models share the same 229cc, air-cooled motor. CSC has thousands of satisfied customers who own and love these dependable models. BOTH of these 2024 models are IN STOCK NOW. BOTH models are for sale on the CSC Motorcycles website for $1,995 and $2,495, respectively.

The SG250s have finally hit the ocean and are scheduled to arrive in Long Beach on July 2nd! Expect another 7-14 days to clear customs and then we will start contacting our pre-order customers to let them know we’re getting their bike ready. 

There are two great free websites to track the ship.

https://www.vesselfinder.com/vessels/details/9767998

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:5530004/mmsi:477157700/imo:9767998/vessel:CMA_CGM_MUNDRA#overview