So you’ve probably noticed I haven’t been riding too much lately. You know how it goes…it gets cold, you have other things going on in your life, you want to send some lead downrange, and on and on it goes.
I needed to break that pattern, and there’s no better way to do that than to buy a motorcycle. Yeah, I know…I already have two motorcycles (what has to be the world’s most well-traveled RX3, and a pristine, low miles TT 250). I like CSC motorcycles. But you may recall that Uncle Joe Gresh and I road tested two Enfields last year and I fell in love with the 650 Interceptor.
I was primed to buy a Royal Enfield when I returned from Mexico, but the Enfield dealer in Glendale had done a God-awful job prepping the Bullet (I wouldn’t buy squat from those guys now), and the Enfield dealer in Brea was doing the normal bend-you-over-a-barrel, here-comes-the-setup-and-freight-charges routine. Folks, I’ve worked in the industry, and I know what setup and freight costs actually are. Trust me on this…they ain’t $1500. So I didn’t buy an Enfield.
Then an amazing thing happened. One of the few dealerships I trust picked up the Enfield line last week. It’s Art Guilfoil’s Douglas Motorcycles in San Bernardino. I asked Art what he could do for me on a new Enfield, I was shocked at how low the number was (don’t ask, because I won’t tell), and, well…
I’m picking up my new 650 Royal Enfield on Thursday, and to say I’m excited would be an understatement of immense proportions. It was a tough call for me between the Enfield and the new CSC RX4, but truth be told, I love my RX3 and it checks all the boxes for what I want in an adventure touring motorcycle. Arguably, the RX3 is the finest adventure touring motorcycle in the world if you’re going places other than the corner burger joint (for all the reasons I explained in my piece titled Why a 250?). I know. I’ve been to places other than the corner burger joint, and I’ve made most of those trips on an RX3.
So with my new Royal Enfield coming in, it begged the question: What should I do with my RX3 and TT 250? My first thought was that I’d sell them. Then I got to thinking about the RX3. I’ve done some miles on that thing, folks, and we’ve bonded. Nope, I’m going to hang on to it. Baja beckons, and all that. The RX3 is perfect for poking around the peninsula. And next, month, that’s where I’m headed. Susie’s going with me, and we’ll share a Tequila or two with Baja John. You can read about it here.
That leaves the TT 250. Hey, I was involved in bringing the TT 250 to America, and it all started when I eyeballed the 150cc version on display in Zongshen headquarters. It was a bit of an uphill struggle…you know, getting Zongshen to make a 250cc version, and then selling the idea in Azusa. I got the powers that be to go along and then I was out of town when the prototypes arrived in California. A couple of the CSC underlings didn’t like the bike, and I had to sell it in Azusa all over again. But it worked out, and the TT 250 is one of CSC’s best selling motorcycles ever. It should be…it is a hell of a bike for a stunningly low price.
With the Enfield coming in, I thought I would sell my TT 250. Hell, it’s pristine, but because I don’t ride it too much, the carb gummed up on me. I thought maybe I’d bring it to CSC and have them make it perfect again, and then another serendipitous thing occurred. A few days ago, a post popped up on Facebook (why do I spend so much time on that moronic site?) from Revzilla, and what do you know, it was about doing your own maintenance on a CSC motorcycle. In this case, it was the San Gabriel (a wonderful name for a motorcycle if ever there was one), and the guys from Revzilla said the CSC shop manuals were wonderful. I thought that was great for a lot of different reasons, including the fact that, along with help from Gerry Edwards and the guys in the shop, I wrote many of the CSC manuals. Then I realized…hey, I wrote the TT 250 manual. I can fix my own carburetor. I looked up the carb stuff and this afternoon I took mine apart, I cleaned the low and high speed jets, and now my TT 250 is running great. There’s something uniquely satisfying about fixing your own motorcycle, and the Revzilla boys were right: Those CSC manuals are amazing. So are the motorcycles. And so is the 650 Enfield. I know, because I took one on what had to be the longest demo ride ever…all the way to Baja and back!
Ha, ha, ha, this from the guy who said he wasn’t thinking about buying any more bikes! I’ll look forward to seeing you “out and about”, Joe, especially because orange is the fastest color!…
Orange is the fastest. Ask Orlando.
Congratulations Joe, on your new Interceptor. It’s been on my radar since Royal Enfield announced it, with a very attractive features for the price ratio. I also like that it is not laden with electronic rider aids; my thinking being that if the bike needs computers to help me ride it, then it is probably more bike than I should be riding. I haven’t heard of any major reliability issues with them, so I think that it will give you a great ownership experience, like your RX3 and TT250. I might pick one up in the future, but right now I already have five bikes in the garage and I am out of space; from here on out it’s going to have to be one in, one out, as far as new bike additions go. Please be sure to keep us apprised of your ownership experiences, good and bad, as you put the bike through its paces.
You can count on it, Daniel. And thanks for commenting.
I think you need to buy a new gun to go with your new motorcycle. It’s been at least a couple of weeks since you’ve bought a gun.
Enfield used to make guns. An Enfield rifle would be cool. Hmmmm….
Joe you are not a dirt bike guy so let the TT250 go. I only sold mine (for an RX3) because the TT250 didn’t have a 6th gear.
I was thinking that’s what I would do, Dave, but then I rode it this afternoon. It’s just too much fun.
That 650 really suits my riding. It’s fast enough, light enough and gosh darn it, people like it.
The orange is the one to get.
Indeed it is. Picking it up tomorrow. Can’t wait.
I see no bags on the Enfield yet so I am reserving judgement until the actual Yoo-hoo capacity can be measured. Speaking of Yoo-Hoo…..
Yoo-Hoo is on the list, Fred. I guess I need to check the shelf life on that container of Yoo-Hoo I bought.
Just shake the bottles occasionally and Yoo-Hoo can last through the next apocalypse.
Fastest colour… Better Red than Dead!
Congratulations Joe! BTW how is it that you always get photos with beautiful women! How about you send me your RX3 to keep a bike on the East Coast?
Seeing that I am literally out of space in the fleet garage, I may take you up on that, Mike. Baja John wants me to store my TT250 in Bahia de Los Angeles down in Baja for the same reason. It’s all very tempting.