California Scooter Company

[redhandmoto]

Originally Posted by MOPED MEDIC

In other words, the prototype was sourced here from companies selling Chinese parts and the ones that you actually sell will be uncrated, I mean assembled, here in the US from crated motorcycles, I mean components from the PRC that meet all you requirements. This is a Chinese bike. You describe it in a manner which suggests you took a course at the Learning Annex on how to avoid saying your product is from China. And it's worth about $1499. I think Pep Boys might want to sell them. Do you have their number?

Argumantum Ad Nothing at all. You, m'Lord, write in a manner that suggests that you are sitting on a throbbing, swollen, prolapsed and strangulated hemmorhoid. And that your health insurance company has denied your claim for a fix, and that you have been living with it so long that you have named it "Buster."

Simple disagreement, well-reasoned and simply stated in rebuttal is sufficient: ADVrider and Battle Scooters fans are learned and experienced enough to detect disingenuousness or mendacity. This, smoke-blowing of the Pep Boys and Learning Annex cracks included, does not help or illuminate.

The recent issue of "Scoot!" magazine has a sober evaluation of the prototype. They found problems, but nothing terminal, and their observations point out specific things that are easily fixed. That's why it's called a prototype. Prototypes are meant to identify and help fix issues before production, and gatling, et al, are likely all over them right now.

You criticize things that the OP did not say, and ignore things that he did say. Like it or not, PTWs and components from other places are and will continue to be imported. Only objective evaluation will help sort out the good from the bad. gatling spoke about getting stuff - at present - from Taiwan, but that this could change. He went on to say that nothing was gotten from the PRC, but not that it would always be so.

Yes, your credentials have been swung in a number of posts, and the tone and tenor noted. But do check the wind hereafter before pissing, lest your own shoes alone are puddled.

Shih', but they's some bitter muthafukas up in here, knowah'm sayin'?

Yo, gatling - how 'bout some more cc?

[approachbears]

Originally Posted by redhandmoto

...Yo, gatling - how 'bout some more cc?

I think the current 150cc (well, 149cc) is just about perfect for this proposed scooter. 150cc's should get it up to the 50-55mph range and, thanks to Chinese scoots, is a de facto standard for most scooters. Significantly smaller and it would have to compete on price and would seem to be for a very different set of buyers than they're trying to attract. A much bigger engine gets you into the Johnny Pag and Honda Rebel territory of full blown motorcycles and away from the scooter roots on this type of frame. Think of how much motorcycle riders would bitch about the price and mock it if it resembled a full size motorcycle--way more than the scooter riders have so far on this thread.

[redhandmoto]

Yeah, there's that hole in the market that only I, looks like, wishes would get filled - the old CB160 to 305s. Love 'em, miss 'em.

Here, the enterprising guys will prolly go ahead and retrofit or kit or something...

[gatling]

Originally Posted by damasovi

I am looking into buying my first scooter, I have a KLR, so I want one for around town and MPG. The price is very high, maybe if the scoot can hit 100 mph and deliver 80 mpg ? I am loosing fate in being able to buy a Honda or Jap. scooter sinde times are hard, so I am looking into a Chiness bike, Italika, they have around 50% of the market of bikes here in Mexico (source: TV ADD from Italika) and a couple of friends say they are very good with a bigger suppourt !!

So price? mpg? mph?

Damasovi

Hola, Damasovi, my KLR friend, hope all is well in Mexico. We've corresponded before on either ADV or the KLR board. I was planning to get down there and ride with you this year (maybe on a trip to see the whales in Laguna de Ojo Liebre near Guerrero Negro?), but I have to wait for this hip to get better before I can do that. Next year, amigo.

The price is $4995 on all three models, and the prototype/preproduction scooters get 60 mpg. We've incorporated a couple of preproduction design upgrades, and both the mpg and the top end will increase on the production models. The exact figures will be available soon.

Do you ever get up here to the Los Angeles area? Let me know, and if you'd like I'll get you in to see the factory.

[techguy]

I had been staying out of this urination contest but the bike/components built in Taiwan are worlds different than those of the PRC. Kymco and SYM have been making engines, compnanents,and complete bikes for the likes of Honda, Suzuki and BMW since the mid-sixties. To my knowledge, they produced the lions share of the over 60 MILLION Honda Cubs (now the SYM Symba or Wowow). It's great to see the worst of the china-heap importers pulling out of the US market with their poor, unreliable products. I hope that the better mainland PRC manufacturers start to develop reliable complete scooters. Zongshen and Lifan should be able to... but will they?

IMHO...The CA Scooter products are designed to be sold to customers who enjoy the finer things in life and are willing to invest several thousand dollars into a mini-chopper thay can be proud of. They are not looking for a "reliable camp bike" they are looking for a statement..a look at my "toy" (in as much as thier Harley or GoldWing is their "big toy"). They are likely to placed inside the ToyHauler, next to the dresser Harley or the OCC scooter, as a way to get around when the big bike is not able to be ridden.

[redhandmoto]

Originally Posted by techguy

I hope that the better mainland PRC manufacturers start to develop reliable complete scooters. Zongshen and Lifan should be able to... but will they?

The Lifan engine (106.7cc) in my LF CT 70 clone has been very solid and reliable - it's the secondary components, connectors, etc., on the bike that have stripped & failed. Only experience I have with PRC stuff.

+1 on Taiwan bikes.

[Mandello]

um, that's no scooter

[redhandmoto]

Originally Posted by Mandello

um, that's no scooter

"Scooter" in 'Oldspeak' - even HDs were often called scooters.

[blackjenner]

Originally Posted by gatling

How about this? A new manufacturer (California Scooter Company; www.CaliforniaScooterCo.com) is opening a factory in southern California to produce a scooter with styling reminiscent of the 1940s/1950s Mustang. Deliveries start in March of this year. I've just started working with this company, so if you have questions, ask away!

The old...


The new...

We saw these at the moto show. They are cute. They even have a pink and white one too -- it's called the Baby Doll.

I was impressed with the overall look and feel. I didn't see much plastic. Five grand though, for a 150?

[Bugtussle]

They do look cool. I was doing a little window shopping today and for $1500 more I can get a T-Max 500.

[redhandmoto]

Not that it shows anything at all, but just for fun, looked at a quick & dirty 'net inflation calculator after seeing a 1957 Mustang ad with an MSRP of $656 ( http://www.mmcoa.org/ads01/ads01-Pages/Image6.html ).


$656 1957 dollars were calculated at $5,132.70 in 2010.

'57 Mustang displacement - 19.4 cu. in. = ah, 300cc (?).

Advertised 'top speed' - 70mph +.

Like I said, just for fun...any attempt to demonstrate real meaning here would be fraught with bogosity.

[hugemoth]

I could only find ads there with a retail price of between $346 and $399. I guess they were heavily discounted?

Originally Posted by redhandmoto

Not that it shows anything at all, but just for fun, looked at a quick & dirty 'net inflation calculator after seeing a 1957 Mustang ad with an MSRP of $656 ( http://www.mmcoa.org/ads01/ads01-Pages/Image6.html ).


$656 1957 dollars were calculated at $5,132.70 in 2010.

'57 Mustang displacement - 19.4 cu. in. = ah, 300cc (?).

Advertised 'top speed' - 70mph +.

Like I said, just for fun...any attempt to demonstrate real meaning here would be fraught with bogosity.

[redhandmoto]

Muustang collector's site: http://www.mmcoa.org/

I navigated to the ads, looking for one I could date.
Didn't read through the history - were there different models?

Times and the economy were so different, I don't really know if they can be compared in any way, but they had a (albeit simpler) bigger engine in that little frame.

Suppose that a modern 300-ish engine would demand oil-cooling and what-not for reliability and drive the price up, but I'm just wonderin'...

[Barnone]

The tail light sure look like the one on my Chinese Pitster Pro Classic 125 (CT70 copy). Bike was $1100 deivered in the crate.

[approachbears]

Originally Posted by redhandmoto

...
'57 Mustang displacement - 19.4 cu. in. = ah, 300cc (?).

Advertised 'top speed' - 70mph +.

Like I said, just for fun...any attempt to demonstrate real meaning here would be fraught with bogosity.

I suspect that most 300cc's from 60 or 70 years ago are similar in output to a modern 150cc.

I also suspect that the advertised top speed is just as bogus as today. Probably even more so based on the old Honda ads for the Cub.