CSC 250cc Motorcycle $1895 Pre-Order Price

jrsjr · Post by **jrsjr** » Thu Dec 03, 2015 5:10 pm

If CSC (California Scooter Company) hadn't been around for a few years, I would be deeply suspicious, but they did a similar pre-order price discount on another motorcycle before. Here's a link to the article that alerted me to the deal. One caveat, CARB certification is a work in progress as of now.

DeeDee · Post by **DeeDee** » Thu Dec 03, 2015 7:43 pm

What happened to CSC's Mustang Scooter? It was everywhere a couple of years ago, then it vanished.

walke2jd · Post by **walke2jd** » Thu Dec 03, 2015 8:10 pm

Top speed of 74mph and a 5 speed transmission? Sounds exhausting for city driving.

jrsjr · Post by **jrsjr** » Fri Dec 04, 2015 2:21 am

walke2jd wrote:Top speed of 74mph and a 5 speed transmission? Sounds exhausting for city driving.

Because you spend a lot of time doing 74 MPH in the city?

RoaringTodd · Post by **RoaringTodd** » Fri Dec 04, 2015 12:19 pm

I've had my eye on those guys for some time. What I am really impressed with is the hands on tutorial they provide on their page on how to maintain the motorcycles. The pictures and step by step instructions are very clear. I just am not in the market for an adventure bike or dirt bike or I would have been very tempted.

Those bikes are from China, the same the g400c is from. Is China going to be our next Japan?

walke2jd · Post by **walke2jd** » Fri Dec 04, 2015 1:45 pm

jrsjr wrote:
walke2jd wrote:Top speed of 74mph and a 5 speed transmission? Sounds exhausting for city driving.
Because you spend a lot of time doing 74 MPH in the city?

Most of the roads are 45, meaning I am realistically doing 55, which sounds like 5th gear to me...

jrsjr · Post by **jrsjr** » Fri Dec 04, 2015 3:40 pm

RoaringTodd wrote:I've had my eye on those guys for some time. What I am really impressed with is the hands on tutorial they provide on their page on how to maintain the motorcycles. The pictures and step by step instructions are very clear. I just am not in the market for an adventure bike or dirt bike or I would have been very tempted.

Todd, this bike really has two things going for it, cheap price and light LIGHT weight. Learning to ride a motorcycle is a daunting task, even in the relatively safe confines of a MSF course. To a new rider, every extra pound on the bike is something they have to wrestle with. At this price, my fond hope is that a bike like this can be a learner (or more appropriate to this forum, a gateway bike for scooterists). And, at that price, it wouldn't be difficult to justify a set of more street-oriented tires and a little work on the suspension to make it a little more street oriented. That's basically what the the SuperMoto folks do to their bikes.

It's all just grist for the mill except for walke2jd, for whom it's something to argue with me about to see if he can tempt me into banning him...

az_slynch · Post by **az_slynch** » Fri Dec 04, 2015 4:18 pm

RoaringTodd wrote:Those bikes are from China, the same the g400c is from. Is China going to be our next Japan?

You could argue that China already is our next Japan, depending on your perceptions of the relationship between Taiwan and the Mainland.

Personally, I am a fan of the Taiwanese-built bikes and find them on par with offerings from Japan.

A lot of global firms are partnering with Mainland manufacturers now and have learned over the years the nuance involved in driving production of quality goods there. I'm sure there are still cases of the "devil is in the detail" to be refined in process, but yeah, I think that Mainland China will be the next-next Japan.

Dooglas · Post by **Dooglas** » Fri Dec 04, 2015 4:37 pm

walke2jd wrote:
jrsjr wrote:
walke2jd wrote:Top speed of 74mph and a 5 speed transmission? Sounds exhausting for city driving.
Because you spend a lot of time doing 74 MPH in the city?
Most of the roads are 45, meaning I am realistically doing 55, which sounds like 5th gear to me...

And your point is - that it is not practical to ride a manual transmission bike in a city? You do know many people do that. A quick look around reveals more motorcycles than scooters in urban areas in the US by a large margin. (to each his own, of course)

az_slynch · Post by **az_slynch** » Fri Dec 04, 2015 6:56 pm

Jrsjr,

Thanks for the reminder; I'd given serious thought to a very clean and local Husqvarna TE450 but the timing wasn't right and it slipped away. Elements of the CSC design immediately reminded me of it. The TT 250 looks the business and the early adopter price is pretty tantalizing.

If I thought I could 'splain it post-purchase, I'd nab one.

Post by **ericalm** » Fri Dec 04, 2015 7:57 pm

RoaringTodd wrote:Those bikes are from China, the same the g400c is from. Is China going to be our next Japan?

Our next Taiwan, in some ways, but in others it will overtake Japan and Taiwan.

It wasn't long ago that Japanese and Taiwanese manufacturing were as derided as Chinese is now. Japan may have never deserved it, Taiwanese quality improved quickly, largely through partnerships with Japanese and European companies with manufacturing and QC expertise.

This is what's happening in China right now. At the same time, the cost of labor in China is going up — as it should.

The big difference is that China's manufacturing capacity is enormous compared to Japan and Taiwan, and the same goes for its potential size as a market.

HowHH · Post by **HowHH** » Fri Dec 04, 2015 8:26 pm

DeeDee wrote:What happened to CSC's Mustang Scooter? It was everywhere a couple of years ago, then it vanished.

They discontinued the production of the Mustang. See here: http://californiascooterco.com/. CSC seems to be mainly focused on the MC market now.

If you are in the market for a light, low displacement dual sport you probably can't go wrong with the TT (as long as you have the leg length for the 34" seat height!). I've been following the RX3, and based upon the posts of those who own them, seem to be a pretty satisfied bunch.

CSC seems to be on a roll. They will be releasing a street bike soon, the RC3. I'm interested to see the specs and the price.

Dooglas · Post by **Dooglas** » Fri Dec 04, 2015 8:45 pm

ericalm wrote:It wasn't long ago that Japanese and Taiwanese manufacturing were as derided as Chinese is now. Japan may have never deserved it, Taiwanese quality improved quickly, largely through partnerships with Japanese and European companies with manufacturing and QC expertise.

This is what's happening in China right now. At the same time, the cost of labor in China is going up — as it should.

The big difference is that China's manufacturing capacity is enormous compared to Japan and Taiwan, and the same goes for its potential size as a market.

You could probably say most of the same things about India. The LMLs (Stella and Star) and the Royal Enfield could do better regarding construction and quality control, but that will likely happen as well. I don't think there is any doubt that India is the other great economic/manufacturing power on the rise.

thumper650 · Post by **thumper650** » Fri Dec 04, 2015 10:14 pm

HowHH wrote:
DeeDee wrote: I've been following the RX3, and based upon the posts of those who own them, seem to be a pretty satisfied bunch.
I clicked on the link and saw the RX3, that intrigued me. I started out on dirt bikes, moved on to dual sports, then to street motorcycles, then to scooters. Now I want another dualsport, and the RX3 looks awesome. I love that it has EFI. Engine's a bit small, but for real off roading, a 650 is a handful.

walke2jd · Post by **walke2jd** » Fri Dec 04, 2015 11:14 pm

jrsjr wrote: It's all just grist for the mill except for walke2jd, for whom it's something to argue with me about to see if he can tempt me into banning him...

It's great to see we have level headed mods on the boards!

Dooglas wrote: And your point is - that it is not practical to ride a manual transmission bike in a city? You do know many people do that. A quick look around reveals more motorcycles than scooters in urban areas in the US by a large margin. (to each his own, of course)

Not at all. I (speaking only for me and myself) think that 5 gears every time to get up to 55 sounds exhausting. Hence why I am currently riding a Buddy!

I will, from here on out, only extoll the virtues of every bike posted. My bad. Carry on.

jrsjr · Post by **jrsjr** » Sat Dec 05, 2015 9:01 pm

walke2jd wrote:
jrsjr wrote: It's all just grist for the mill except for walke2jd, for whom it's something to argue with me about to see if he can tempt me into banning him...
It's great to see we have level headed mods on the boards!

Actually I thought I exhibited great restraint not banning you after you directed this post to me on September 28th.

walke2jd wrote:Wow, you sir are being a dick. I came back to this forum after a few years to see what was going on. And the answer was not much...

Now I see why.

I guess I was just sort of hoping the situation would resolve itself...

babblefish · Post by **babblefish** » Sat Dec 05, 2015 10:11 pm

If the TT is equipped for what it looks like, then it will have fairly low gearing which means low speed torque vs top end speed. If one wanted to attain higher speeds without shifting as much, then change the rear sprocket to a smaller one. On that note, if I were to buy another motorcycle, I'd want one with a manual 5 speed, or better yet, a 6 speed, especially if it had a small displacement engine. In the same vein, I prefer manual transmissions in any 2 seater sports cars, too. Shifting is all part of the driving experience that i enjoy. But that's just me.

Btw, I think the TT looks great, but like all dual purpose bikes out nowadays, it's sized for the freakishly tall, not us normal folks.

jrsjr · Post by **jrsjr** » Sat Dec 05, 2015 11:17 pm

babblefish wrote:tw, I think the TT looks great, but like all dual purpose bikes out nowadays, it's sized for the freakishly tall, not us normal folks.

Hey! I resemble that remark!

babblefish · Post by **babblefish** » Sun Dec 06, 2015 1:36 am

Yup, hamster on an elephant, that's how I felt last time I tried sitting on an adventure bike.

I'm wondering how or if that TT will meet CA emissions laws. Seems all of the new bikes are coming with FI. I know that FI is a requirement for all new bikes in other parts of the world, including Taiwan and Japan. Unless they're hiding the FI inside a fake carburetor body, ala Triumph, but I doubt it considering the price.

wheelbender6 · Post by **wheelbender6** » Sun Dec 06, 2015 2:26 am

"It wasn't long ago that Japanese and Taiwanese manufacturing were as derided as Chinese is now."
I bought a Kawasaki dual purpose back in the early 70s, when nobody had heard of them. There are still a lot of those early 70s Kawasakis still running and for sale on EBay.

az_slynch · Post by **az_slynch** » Sun Dec 06, 2015 7:23 am

Let's compare the utility of a butter knife and a steak knife.

You can use either knife to spread butter on toast, but the butter knife will do a tidier job of it.

Now, when it comes to carving up a porterhouse...unless it has been thoroughly tenderized, you may have a bit of a job ahead of you depending on which knife you chose.

thumper650 · Post by **thumper650** » Mon Dec 07, 2015 9:53 pm

I've done a ton of reading on the RX3, CSC's dualsport. While I really like it I think I'll pass, and just get a KLR. I think Chinese bikes are better than they were, but the quality is not up to what I'm used to. I've put thousands of miles on Japanese bikes with very little more than routine maintenance.

BTW a CVT is fine around town, but if I'm riding outside of the city nothing beats the control of shifting manually.

Modern Buddy

CSC 250cc Motorcycle $1895 Pre-Order Price

CSC 250cc Motorcycle $1895 Pre-Order Price

Analogous.