Day: July 20, 2019

5K@8K

As Gomer Pyle would say:   Golllleeeee!

That was my reaction when the photos you see below popped up on my Facebook feed, telling me it had been four years since I posted them.  Yep, it was in July of 2015 that yours truly, Joe Gresh, and riders from China and Colombia descended on CSC Motorcycles to christen the RX3 with a ride through the great American West.  So Cal to Sturgis, due west to Washington and Oregon, and then a run down the coast home, hitting every National Park and site worth seeing along the way. It was an amazing adventure, and truth be told, I was shocked that it has been four years already.  That meant it was about four years ago that CSC brought the RX3 to America, it was four years ago that I first met Joe Gresh in person (a living legend, in my mind), and it was four years ago that we took a ride that made the entire motorcycle world sit up and take notice.   A dozen guys, a dozen 250cc motorcycles fresh off the boat from China, 5000 miles, and not a single breakdown.  Tell me again about Chinese motorcycles are no good?  Nah, don’t waste your breath.  I know better.

It was a hell of a ride, and good buddy John Welker did a hell of a job as our very own Ferdinand Magellan, defining the route, making all of the hotel reservations, keeping us entertained with great stories, and more.  These are the same photos (I took them all) that popped up on Facebook.  They represent only a small portion of the ride, but they give you an idea of what it was like.  It was grand.

Somewhere along Highway 89 in Arizona. The guy in the foreground is our very own Baja John Welker.   That’s Joe Gresh way at the other end of this row of motorcycles.
Same location, with Hugo out front. Hugo is the Zongshen factory rep. He’s a great guy who kept us constantly entertained.
Mr. Tso, posing for me in Zion National Park. This guy makes for a great photograph. He rode with us in China, too!
We stayed in Panguitch, Utah, the night before we visited Bryce Canyon National Park. Dinner that evening was at the Cowboy’s Smoke House. I liked it so much I later returned with my wife just to have dinner there.
Tony and his mascot inside Cowboy’s. Great times.
Bryce Canyon National Park. Everyone was captivated by this place. It was awesome.
Kyle, one of the Chinese riders, and Big John, our chase vehicle driver. Good guys both.
Tony and Kyle, posing at Bryce.
The crew when we returned to So Cal. From left to right, it’s Juan from Colombia, Joe Gresh, Tony from China, Mr. Tso from China, John Welker, Lester from China, Kong from China, Big John Gallardo, Hugo Liu, Gabriel from Colombia, and Kyle from China.
The obligatory photo at Roy’s in Amboy, somewhere in the Mojave Desert. God Almighty it was hot that day.
The guys at the Grand Canyon…Lester, Kong, Tso, and Hugo.
In Capitol Reef National Park in Utah, at an impromptu photo stop.
I grabbed this photo of Joe Gresh along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. It looks like he’s Photoshopped into the picture, but he’s not.
Same spot, different guys: Gabriel and Juan from Colombia. Juan later invited me to ride with him in Colombia, and I went. That, too, was an incredible ride.

So there you have it, or at least snippets of what was one of the greatest rides I’ve ever done.  I’m hoping Facebook has more of these anniversary photos pop up for me, as the ride lasted 19 days and I know I posted more on that ride.   Good times.  Great riders.  Superior camaraderie.

As always, there’s more good stuff coming your way.   Stay tuned!

Hey, the whole story of that ride is here.   You can get the whole nine yards by buying your own copy of 5000 Miles At 8000 RPM.   There’s a lot more good information in there, too, like CSC’s no-dealer approach to market, how we dealt with the Internet trolls who tried to hurt the company, the first CSC Baja trip, the RX3’s strengths and weaknesses, and much, much more!