Category: Baja

The Question: An RX4 or a KLR?

As you know, we published a series of blogs comparing the RX3 and RX4 motorcycles. Those have been widely read and we’ve received many comments from you, our readers.  Thanks for that, folks.

My good buddy Chris offered a brilliant suggestion a week or so ago:  We ought to compare the RX4 to the Kawasaki KLR 650, he said. That’s an idea that’s so good I’m embarrassed I didn’t think of it.  Chris pointed out that I had owned a KLR 650, I rode it extensively both on and offroad in Baja and here in the US, and I was in a position to make the comparison. That makes sense. It also makes sense because since the RX3’s introduction, a constant refrain from the China-bashers was that you could buy a used KLR for what a new RX3 cost. That’s not true; used KLRs generally cost less than a new RX3, but that’s neither here nor there. It might become more relevant now that the KLR has been discontinued, because it won’t be long before the only kind of KLR you can buy will be a used one.

My KLR in Guerrero Negro, with the only two dogs in Mexico that did not want a piece of me.
The RX4 in the San Gabriel Mountains. It’s a magnificent motorcycle

First, a bit of background. I bought a new KLR in 2006 and I rode it for roughly 10 years before selling it with 15,000 miles on the clock. That may not seem like a lot of miles for 10 years, but there were times during that period when I owned as many as six motorcycles, somewhere in there I took a year off to recuperate from a bad motorcycle accident, and after 2009 I was spending most of my seat time on other bikes as a consequence of my CSC association.  But before that, a lot of my KLR time was in Baja and a good chunk of that was spent in the soft stuff.

Somewhere in Baja along the Transpeninsular Highway.

Another bit a trivia you should know: I’m a big fan of the KLR 650. Kawasaki didn’t keep that bike in production for 30+ years because it was a turkey. The KLR 650 was (and still is) a great motorcycle. It makes way more sense for serious adventure riding than do any of the liter-plus/full-figured/stratospheric-seat-height litter of current offerings from Japan, Germany, Austria, and Italy. I say that with great confidence because when I was writing the CSC blog, I watched CSC sell boatloads of RX3 motorcycles (literally, boatloads) to guys who owned monster ADV bikes but were afraid to ride them off road.  Big bikes off road just don’t make a lot of sense. Not to me, anyway.

Like I said above, my KLR was a 2006 model, which made it a First Gen KLR. There were basically two KLR iterations: Ones that burned a lot of oil, and ones that did not. Well, okay, I’m being a little sarcastic. The First Gen KLRs went from the mid-‘80s to 2007, and they ran well. In 2008, the great green Good Times Folks introduced a restyled KLR with a slightly-tweaked engine (those were the Gen II bikes, for which production concluded this year). A serious oil consumption problem ensued with the 2008 Gen II engine tweaks, which was subsequently corrected by Kawasaki. There were other minor differences: Reduced fork travel, a new dash, and the aforementioned-styling changes.   And, the Big K claimed a fix for the doohickey issue (more on that in a bit).  Other than that, the Gen I and Gen II KLRs are essentially the same motorcycle.

Don’t take my snarkiness as a dart aimed at the KLR. Like I said above, it was (and still is) a great motorcycle. I loved mine. And like I also said above, the KLR didn’t have a three-decade production run because it was a bad motorcycle. They are, in fact, great motorcycles.  The question here is not whether or not the KLR is a good bike (it is); rather, the question is: How does the RX4 compare to the KLR?  We’re getting there, folks, but let me go tangential a bit first.

So why did Kawasaki discontinue the KLR?  Gresh and I wrote a couple of blogs about that and what might follow the KLR (see here and here). In my opinion, Kawasaki’s decision was most likely based on sales and profitability. Manufacturers don’t discontinue products when they are selling well and making money. Some of the self-appointed keyboard commandos filled the forums with opinions, one of which was that Kawasaki killed the KLR because it was carbureted. That’s pure Bandini, folks. CSC Motorcycles, Janus Motorcycles, and others get carbed bikes approved by EPA and CARB on a regular basis. Carbs are  fine as long as the bike meets Uncle Sam’s and the Peoples Republik’s emissions requirements.

Okay, I guess that’s enough background. Let’s get to the main attraction of this piece, which is how the KLR and the RX4 compare.

The RX4 450cc fuel-injected engine. It has more horsepower but less torque than the KLR 650.

As good as place to start as any is speed and acceleration. The KLR 650 and the 450cc RX4 have essentially the same top speed, which is approximately 100 mph. Handling at top speed is another topic, and I’ll get to that in a second. From an acceleration perspective (and this is all from Berk-butt-based impressions not involving the use of a stopwatch), the KLR has a bit more grunt on the bottom end, and the RX4 pulls a little stronger near the top end. The KLR, to me, felt more torquey at low rpm (and I liked that). When you consider the two bikes’ horsepower and torque specs (assuming what the manufacturers are telling us is accurate), the reason becomes apparent. The 450cc RX4 has 40.2 horsepower and 27.3 ft-lb torque, the 650cc KLR has 36 horsepower and 33.4 ft-lb torque.  More torque means more bottom end (the KLR has more torque and a stronger bottom end pull), more horsepower means more of a top end rush (the RX4 has more horsepower and feels substantially stronger than the KLR above 70 mph; much of that is also due to the RX4’s better high-speed handling).

Okay, let’s talk about, and that bring us to the doohickey business. The doohickey is the KLR 650’s spring-loaded counterbalancer drive chain tensioner (a mouthful, I know). The Gen I KLR part was a cheap stamped weldment, and it had a tendency to fail (taking the engine with it). Kawasaki never admitted it was a problem, but they improved the part for the Gen II KLR engine. Folks who were serious about their KLRs replaced the stock doohickey with a much better machined part from Eagle Mike (a great guy who is a legend in the KLR community).  I replaced the doohickey at the 500-mile service on my KLR (which I did myself).

It bothered me that Kawasaki became the Good Times Ostrich on this doohickey business.  I have no doubt it was a genuine weakness.  There are no known comparable weaknesses on either the RX3 or the RX4 (although admittedly, the RX4 doesn’t have the miles yet to really know). What I do know is that where there were issues in the first shipment of RX3 motorcycles, CSC stepped up immediately (and publicly). I was one of the guys who communicated with CSC customers, and if you don’t believe that, read the CSC blog and buy a copy of 5000 Miles At 8000 RPM. Kawasaki ignored the doohickey issue the entire time it existed. In my book, that gives a clear advantage to CSC and Zongshen. Yeah, I’m biased toward CSC. I admit that. But facts are facts.

Back to the motorcycles…another difference is the transmission.  The RX4 has a six-speed gearbox; the KLR has a five-speed.  That’s perceived as a big deal, I guess, by most folks.  The reality is that five gears were enough for me, but I suppose six are nicer.   Back in the day I rode a lot of motorcycles with four-speed transmissions and I never felt like I was missing anything.  But it’s a difference, and on this count, the nod goes to the RX4.  Also, the RX4 has a gear indicator on the dash; the KLR does not.  Is that a real issue?   Not for me.  Maybe I’m conceited, but I kind 0f know what gear I’m in all the time.  But again, it’s something the RX4 has that the KLR does not.  Where there is a transmission issue that’s worth noting is first gear.  On the KLR it is a granny gear; it’s way lower than second.   All of the gears on the RX4 (including first) are closely spaced.   I would have liked the KLR better if its gears were similarly closely spaced.   On the KLR, when you drop the bike into first, it’s really throwing out the anchor. On the RX4, it’s just one gear down.

As a fuel-injected bike with a smaller displacement engine, the RX4 is probably the winner from a fuel economy perspective. The Zongers tell me that the RX4 will get 65.3 mpg, but I haven’t verified that. I’m guessing I could do better (I usually do better than the manufacturer’s claims).  My KLR returned a measured mid-50s mpg figure when I rode it at reasonable speeds. From a range perspective, I expect the two bikes are about the same. I could get an honest 250-miles out of a tank on the KLR. The RX4 has a 0.7-gallon smaller tank than the KLR (but it’s bigger than the RX3’s tank by one gallon), and as mentioned above it will probably get better fuel economy. There’s that business about how much fuel the RX4’s tank will actually hold when you delete the volume occupied by the fuel pump. From my perspective, if a bike can go 200 miles, that’s good enough for me (that’s the stretch south from El Rosario to the next Pemex, just north of Guerrero Negro). I’m pretty confident the RX4 will do 250 miles, and I know the KLR will.

Let’s talk handling. On the street, in the twisties, and at highway speeds and above the RX4 is the clear winner. The KLR gets very light and drifty at anything over an indicated 75 mph, and it’s downright gangly when pushed hard in the twisties. You can go faster than 75 mph on a KLR, but I didn’t feel comfortable on my KLR doing that.  The RX4, on the other hand, feels rock solid up to indicated 99 mph (and it had more left at that speed; I just ran out of room). In the twisties, the RX4 is in its element. The RX4’s stock CST tires are great, and the RX4 frame, forks, rear suspension, and geometry are modern. The RX4 feels way more planted and secure in the twisties and at high speed than does the KLR (so does the RX3).  The RX4’s design is nearly four decades more advanced than the KLR’s.  What I’m saying here is not a slam on the KLR; that old bike did pretty well for its 30-year run.

On the tire issue, I like the CSTs that come with the RX3 and the RX4.  I get great life out of the CST tires on my RX3 (usually, 6000 miles on a rear tire).  The Kendas that come on the KLR are, at best, 2500-mile tires.  They hook up okay, but they don’t last long.  I replaced my KLR tires with Shinkos and never looked back.

On the issue of consumables, I got good life on my KLR’s chain.  I had good buddy Gerry throw a new chain on the KLR at 14,000 miles, but it didn’t really need it.  I don’t know about the stock chain’s life on the RX4, but the stock chain on the RX3 is a substandard component that is toast after about 5000 miles (and that, to borrow a word made popular two years ago, is deplorable).   Like I said, I don’t know if Zongshen addressed this on the RX4, but if the chain is from the same company that provides the chain on the RX3, I’d expect to replace it with a real chain either immediately or after just a few thousand miles.  The KLR gets my nod for stock chain life unless Zongshen has addressed this issue.

One more note on the Kawasaki’s road manners. My Gen I had this monstrous Tupperware fender that was attached high and wide on the forks. It caught any wind blowing from the side and that had a tendency to steer the bike. I think it was also one of the things that made the KLR’s high-speed handling flighty. The Gen II design changed the front fender, but I haven’t ridden a Gen II bike. I don’t know if the Gen II’s redesigned fender made the problem go away.   As I said earlier, the RX4 is much better behaved at high speed.

I have not yet ridden the RX4 off road, so a lot of what I’m going to say next is speculation on my part. But it’s informed speculation. I felt my KLR did very well in the dirt and soft sand. The KLR is heavy, but it has good bottom end grunt and more torque than the RX4.  That allowed me to get up to speed and on top of soft sand quickly. The KLR’s 21-inch front wheel helps, too (the RX4 has a 19-inch front wheel, and in anticipation of the obvious question, I don’t know if a 21-inch front wheel can be fitted to the RX4). The offroad keyboard commandos say the KLR is a pig in the dirt. Hey, what do I know? I thought it did well when I was tear-assing around Baja. I don’t know the suspension travel on the RX4, but I’m pretty sure it’s going to be less than the KLR. The bottom line: I think the KLR is the better choice if you are going to ride exclusively in the dirt. But then if you were going to do that you probably would not buy a KLR (there are other, better choices for dirt bikes).

I went a lot of places off road in Mexico. This is near El Marmol. I was with good buddy Baja John, who also rode a KLR.
Another KLR Baja boonies photo, near a Pacific coast shipwreck.

With regard to standard equipment, there’s no comparison. The RX4 is equipped with luggage, better instrumentation, dual front disks, adjustable suspension, adjustable windshield, engine guards, 300-watt alternator, accessory outlets, switchable ABS, fuel injection, and that six-speed transmission. The KLR 650 has none of these things.

I had soft luggage on my KLR, which worked well enough, but I couldn’t lock it and it gave the bike a Beverly Hillbillies kind of look (not that there’s anything wrong with hillbillies).  Some people like that look.  I did at the time because it was a step up from bungee cords and gym bags.  But that’s old school.  The RX4 luggage is a huge improvement (both the stock bags and the optional aluminum bags).

From a maintenance perspective, the RX4 gets the nod. For starters, if CSC does what they have done for all their other bikes, you’ll get a shop manual and online maintenance tutorials for free. You won’t get that with a used KLR (and you didn’t get it with a new KLR, either). That means if you own a KLR you either bought a shop manual to do the work yourself, or you went to the dealer for maintenance. I’m not a big fan of dealer technicians for three reasons:  Cost, competence, and honesty.

I believe the RX4 will be easier to maintain than the KLR. I don’t know this for a fact yet, but based on the RX3’s reliability and design I suspect it will be the case. The RX3 uses threaded adjustor nuts for adjusting the valves, and I’m guessing the RX4 will, too (I haven’t removed the valve covers on the RX4 yet). I know that the KLR uses shims and buckets; that approach greatly complicates the valve adjustment process.  It involves removing both cams and it makes adjustments technically challenging and time consuming (which dealers and technicians love, because you get to pay for the time).

From a price perspective, a new RX4 will cost less than what a new KLR cost.  And that’s before the typical Kawi dealer’s obscenely-bloated setup, freight, and documentation fees (it’s not unheard of for dealers to routinely add $1500 freight and setup fees).  Folks, from the port to just about anywhere in the US, you can ship a bike for not more than $400, so the dealer shipping fees they put on their pricing sheets are twice (or more) actual cost.  And their setup fees are pure, well, you know. Ask your dealer if they do the setup themselves or if they outsource it. Most dealers go with Door No. 2.  Outsourced motorcycle setups typically cost between $35 and $50 per bike, and they are done by unskilled labor (not trained motorcycle techs). I know this because I’ve been an expert witness in motorcycle lawsuits, and this is what the dealers admit when they have to tell the truth during the discovery and deposition process.  How much effort goes into setup and how well is it done?  Let me explain it this way:  When I bought my new KLR in 2006, the windshield fell off during the 5-mile ride home.  It’s a ripoff of gargantuan proportions.  I’ve never paid anywhere that much, but it’s what many of the dealers ask.  It’s dishonest.

Back to that earlier keyboard commando statement:  You can buy a used KLR for less than a new (fill in the blanks with any brand).  Regarding used KLRs (which they all will be pretty soon), there’s no argument here:  A used KLR will be less expensive than a new RX4.  Duh.  But then you’d have a used motorcycle with no warranty. If you want to go that route, someday in the near future you’ll be able to buy a used RX4, too.  A used RX4 might be even less than a used KLR.  I never understood the argument that posits you can buy something used for less money than new, particularly when it’s put forth by people with the same kind of conviction they might display if they had just discovered and announced that F=ma.  It’s kind of like saying things fall when you drop them. The statement about new versus used is a dumb one. It’s obvious. Buy used, and it costs less.  That’s true for just about everything on the planet (except maybe some guns). Like I said: Duh.

With regard to comfort, that’s a tough one. I’d say that’s a draw, with maybe the edge going to the RX4. I felt the ergos were perfect on my KLR. I also feel that way about the RX3 and the RX4. While I’m on that topic, I’ll briefly mention the RX3S (the 380cc twin from Zongshen with ADV styling and equipment comparable to the RX3 and the RX4). The RX3S had terrible ergos. My feet felt like they were scrunched up to my butt and my hips hurt as soon as I got on the RX3S. The RX3S might be a good bike, but with the current feet/butt/handlebars relationship, it was a nonstarter for me.  To go tangential again for a second, I didn’t get the naming, either.  The RX3S?  Is that like a plural RX3?

Back to the KLR:  The stock KLR seat is way too soft, which sounds like it would be a good thing, but that squishy seat gets uncomfortable quickly.  I fixed that with a sheepskin seat pad, which I also use on RX3.  The stock RX3 and RX4 seats (the two bikes use the same seat) won’t win any prizes for all-day comfort, but to me they are tolerable. The KLR 650 seat sits significantly higher than the RX4. When I rode my KLR, it was a tippy-toes affair at every stop (if you play for the Knicks, this won’t be a problem, but I don’t and for me it was an annoyance). The RX4 is not nearly as tall. I liked it better from a seat height perspective.  It is slightly taller than the RX3 but lower than the KLR, and way lower than the GS1200 or those Special K giraffes from Austria.

Having said the above about seat height, I will tell you that the KLR was a bit easier for me to move around in the driveway than is the RX4. Kawasaki advertised the KLR’s weight at 432 lbs, which I know is baloney (mine tipped the scales well above that number). Zongshen advertises the RX4 at 450 lbs, and as you now from reading my previous blogs, I haven’t weighed the bike.   Pushing the bike around in my driveway, though, the RX4 felt heavy.  Maybe that’s just be the result of me being used to my RX3.  But once I was moving on the RX4, it felt way more planted and it handled way better than the KLR (both in the twisties and at high speed), and it didn’t feel heavy at all. I can’t quantify the difference; I’m only giving you my impressions.

World class fit and finish are what the RX4 is all about. The RX4 is way ahead of the KLR in this area. I think it is as good or better than any motorcycle made anywhere, by anyone.

Fit and finish are unquestionably superior on the RX4. That’s not just compared to the KLR; that’s compared to any bike. Those of you who haven’t owned an RX3 may default to the typical China-bashing response.  You know, the one that says:  That-can’t-be-possible-it’s-made-in-China.  But it is what it is. I think the finish on the RX4 is even better than the RX3. It’s very good. Little things stand out. The RX4 footpegs are nicely-cast aluminum affairs with rubber inserts; the KLR’s footpegs are cheap bent stampings with a rubber liner that wears out quickly. The RX4 has tapered handlebars and high-end switchgear; the KLR has a regular constant-diameter handlebars and cheap switches. The RX4 paint is world class (it’s deep and luxurious); the KLR used plastic with the colors molded in. The RX4 has a steel skid plate and engine guards as standard equipment; the KLR has no engine guards and a plastic skid plate.  A plastic skid plate? Really, Kawasaki?

The windshield on the RX4 looks better finished, it’s adjustable, and it just flat works better than does the KLR windshield (and the RX4 windshield didn’t fall off on the way home). I know, I know, I keep coming back to that windshield falling off my KLR on the ride home from the dealer. It still pisses me off, even though I negotiated the Kawasaki dealer setup fee down from pure larceny to a much-more-modest profit contribution. What rubbed salt in that wound was that the KLR windshield mounting screws were lost when the windshield fell off, they were non-standard screws, and when I went back to the dealer they didn’t have them in stock. In my experience, that last part is a typical response from most dealers (you know, the not-in-stock thing). CSC stocks everything; that’s another plus for the RX4.  While I’m on a windshield roll, there’s one more thing that I didn’t like about the KLR’s windshield.  I went through five or six of the things over the life of the bike.  They always developed cranks that migrated out from the mounting holes, mandating a replacement windscreen.  My RX3 never did that, and I suspect the RX4 won’t, either.

Having said all of the above, I liked the looks of my First Gen KLR. Yeah, it was a Tupperware Titan, but I liked it. It was a tool that looked like a tool. It was utilitarian and honest. I think the Gen II KLR looked like Kawasaki was trying to put lipstick on a pig. I like my pigs to look like pigs.  The Gen I KLR did and I liked that.

I already mentioned that the RX4 comes standard with USB and 12V power outlets, and underseat accessory plugs. The RX4 has a 300-watt alternator; the KLR alternator output is substantially lower.  A funny story about CSC’s practice of putting 300-watt alternators on their ADV bikes:  When I was looking at the RX3 in Chongqing back in 2014, I saw a police variant.  I asked the Zongmen how the police versions handled the extra police equipment.  A Zongshen engineer told me that they install 300-watt alternators on the police bikes to support the added lights, flashers, radio gear, siren, speakers, etc.   Hmmmm, could CSC get that on all of its bikes?   No problemo, they said.  And thus the 300-watt CSC legend was born.  The TT250 has a 300-watt alternator, too.

The RX4 instruments are the same as those on the RX3. While the info is more complete than on the KLR, lighting for the RX4 and RX3 indicator lights (the turn signal indicators, the high beam indicator, etc.) is too dim to read in the daytime. My good buddy Rob Morel has relatively simple fix for this problem; he removed the sort-of-translucent plastic layer between the lamps and the dash cover, and oila, now you can see the indicator lights. Zongshen ought to spec all of their bikes that way.

Neither the RX4 nor the KLR has a centerstand. Both bikes have tool kits, but both are laughable.  The stock tool kits are the standard cheap items you get with most new bikes, if you get anything at all (my umpteen-thousand-dollar Harley Softail had no toolkit whatsoever, which is kind of funny if you think about it).

So there you have it. Chris, my apologies for the longwinded response to your question about the RX4 and the KLR.  Thanks very much for the suggestion.

Having said all of the above, I guess the obvious question is: What would I buy?  I wasn’t riding my KLR very much the last few years I owned it because I had my RX3 and TT250.   I finally sold the KLR, but I miss the bike and like I said, I enjoyed it. If I had to make a choice, would I buy a new KLR or a new RX4?  A motorcycle is an emotional purchase and an individual decision, and it’s a decision not usually based on logic. My belief is that most people buy a motorcycle that projects an image they want to see of themselves, which is why the industry has tended toward oversized, overpowered, and ridiculously-tall adventure bikes. KLR versus RX4? I don’t think it would be a mistake going with either bike.  But I am convinced the RX4 is a much better motorcycle.

Want to see the RX3 versus RX4 comparisons?  You can do so here.

Want to read about the RX3 and KLR adventures in Baja?   Pick up a copy of Moto Baja!

A quick update…

Wow, we sure are generating a lot of interest, a lot of hits, and a lot of comments here on the ExNotes website and blog.   We appreciate the comments, folks, so please keep them coming.

I need more form-generated junk emails like I need a summer cold, and I’m willing to bet you feel the same way.   That said, please consider adding your email address to the list of folks we auto-notify every time we post a new blog.   We try to post every day, and I know many of you probably just check in when it’s convenient.   Getting on our email list, though, will add one advantage you won’t otherwise get.   On a quarterly basis, provided we get at least another 200 folks sign up each quarter, we’ll give away a copy of either Moto Colombia, Riding China, or 5000 Miles at 8000 RPM to a name drawn at random from our email database.  The first winner will be announced sometime around Christmas this year.   Please encourage your friends to sign up, too.   If you’re already on the list, you’re eligible for the first drawing.   We don’t give or sell our email list to anyone, so your address is safe with us.

More news:  The next Long Beach Moto Show is just around the corner.  I’ll be there, and I’ll have lots of photos of Bold New Graphics from the Big 4, and interesting new models from everyone else.  And yeah, I’ll get a few photos of the young ladies in the Ducati, Harley, and Indian booths, too.

Buy it online or at your favorite newsstand!

Make sure you check the newsstands for the latest offering from Motorcycle Classics magazine.  It’s titled Tales from the Road, and it’s a dynamite collection of great travel stories that MC, one of the greatest motorcycle magazines ever, has run in the past. Two of my stories are in there, and I know you’ll enjoy them.

We’re going to be adding a couple more index pages to the ExhaustNotes site, as we have already done for the Resurrections, Baja, Dream Bikes, YouTube, Tales of the Gun, and Books pages.   We’re thinking the next index pages will be on e-bikes, and another one for the CSC RX4.  Those areas are getting a lot of attention and a lot of hits on the blogs we’ve done, and the idea is to make it easy for you to find all of our blogs on a particular topic.  And speaking of resurrections, Joe Gresh tells me we may not be too far from hearing Zed, the star of the Resurrections page, fire up.   I’m excited about that.   Joe’s work on that barn-find Kawasaki Z1 sure is interesting.  And there’s more good stuff in the works…a feature on an old Ruger rifle in 7mm Remington Magnum for which I finally found the secret sauce (a load delivering less than 1-inch groups at 100 yards), and a special feature on something that weighs more and has less power than a full-dress potato-potato-potato cruiser (I know you didn’t think that was possible, but I have the photos to prove it).

It’s getting dark what with the time change being in effect, and my keepers are telling me I have to take my pills and get ready for bed.  Stay tuned; there’s more good stuff coming your way.

RX3 to RX4 Comparisons: Part 3

The RX4 on the road. I wanted to get a shot at the truck scale, but conditions were not conducive to good photography.

The next two blogs (this one and the next) address more differences between the RX3 and the RX4, including the weight, the dash and instrumentation, the rear fender, tire sizes, the radiators, the radiator bottle fill port, the kickstand, the rear brake and gearshift levers, the rear wheel adjust mechanism, the swingarm, and the engine mounts.   This blog will focus on the bike’s weight and the two bikes’ highway performance.  I’ll sweep up the other differences mentioned above in the next blog.

Let’s talk about the 450-lb gorilla in the room first, and that’s the RX4’s weight.  The RX4 is a heavier bike than the RX3, and I guess the question is:  Is this a good thing or a bad thing?  It’s all a question of perspective and intended purpose.

For starters, I still don’t have an accurate, measured weight on either bike.   That’s a shame on me, although I will tell you that I tried.

My plan was to get the RX4 weighed first, and then return with my RX3 to do the same.  I took the RX4 to our local certified truck scale, but the bike was too light to register on the scale and a loudspeaker-borne voice basically told me to get out of Dodge.  It was a scary experience.  There’s a monstrous Petro truck stop on the I-10 freeway about 10 miles from where I live, and I thought it would be a simple matter to roll the RX4 onto the scales and come back with The Number.  That was my plan, anyway.

I entered the super-busy truck stop through an area teaming with idling 18-wheelers, engines barking and belching, crammed together weighting (or is that waiting?) to funnel onto the Petro parking lot scales.  On my RX4, I was acutely aware of three things:  The guys driving these monsters couldn’t see me, the engine noise and fumes were overwhelming, and the RX4’s fat rear end (those Tourfella bags are wider than the bike’s handlebars) made maneuvering through the 18-wheeler maze a dicey proposition.  The pucker factor was elevated, folks.  Big time.

I made it through, though, and I was finally on a scale with a platform as long as, well, an 18-wheeler.  There was this elevated control house sort of thing next to the platform.  It wasn’t clear to me what was supposed to happen next, as I couldn’t see anybody running the operation, and there was no digital or analog readout telling me the weight.  I stopped the bike and dismounted, and I walked toward the elevated control house when an  electronic voice from the Heavens boomed.  It was way louder then the idling diesel engines surrounding me and I could tell:  It was pissed.  At me.

“Can I help you?”  It didn’t come across as a request that implied an intent to be helpful.  It implied anger.  Seething anger.  Directed at me.  As a two-wheeler, I was but one-ninth the vehicle I was supposed to be.

Well, yeah, I want to weigh my bike.  I mean, why else would a normal person be here?

“You’re setting off my alarms.”

Sorry about that, dude.   What alarms?

“You’re too light and my alarms are going off!”

I want to weigh my bike (sometimes repetition helps, I thought).

“You need to get out!”  There it was.  No more implying or inferring.  It was out in the open now.  It was as if I was wearing a MAGA hat on the Harvard campus.  I was not welcome.

Okay, I can take a hint.  Hell, a weight is just a number anyway.

Which brings me to my next point.   What’s in a number?

Whatever the answer is to that question, I can tell you these three things: One, the RX4’s official number from Zongshen is 450 lbs.  As I said before, I don’t know if that is the right number, but I suspect it is not.  Two, the RX4 is substantially heavier than my RX3, and weigh heavier (or should that be way heavier?) than my TT250.  It feels it, and it feels to me like the weight rides higher.  Three, the RX4 is a substantially better road bike than the RX3, and the bike’s added heft and longer wheelbase (along with that marvelous 450cc motor) probably plays a role here.  Anyway, the bottom line here is this:   There’s no Joe Berk official weight yet (read that to mean a weight actually measured on a scale).

Like I said, I can feel the difference in heft between the RX3 and the RX4.  It’s enough to make me wonder:  Am I man enough to take this puppy off road?   I suppose I could be.  I know there are a few guys who actually take GS 1200 BMWs off road, and those things have seat heights and weights that require altimeters and maybe truck scales to measure.   But would I want to go off road?

The short answer, I think, is this:  If your main objective is off-road riding, there are other choices.   I’d go for my TT250 or something else.  If you are primarily a road rider, though, with the occasional off-road excursion, then the RX4 is a good choice.   In my opinion, the RX3 would be better off road, but that’s just what I said it was:  My opinion.  Your mileage may vary, as they say.  I was thinking about the stretch to the Sierra San Francisco cave paintings in Baja, and to me, I’m right at the limits of what I feel comfortable with on that gnarly stretch on my RX3.   It’s heavily rutted, there are big boulders, and it’s a challenge.  But then, I freely admit I’m not a dirt biker.  I know there are guys reading this who are thinking they would have no problem taking the RX4 off road.  If you’re one of them, you’re probably right.

If you are primarily a road rider, though, the RX4 is the better choice.  I put about 100 miles on the RX4 on freeways and surface streets here in So Cal, and I can tell you this:  The RX4 is clearly a more capable road machine than is the RX3, especially at freeway speeds.   I didn’t get a long enough stretch to measure the RX4’s top speed, but I can tell you there were spurts where I cranked it up to an indicated 99 mph and there was still more left.  That’s indicated (not actual) top speed, and the speedo is 10-12% optimistic.  Zongshen claims a top speed of 97.5 mph for the RX4, and that’s probably accurate.  The RX4 is a bike that can cruise comfortably at 80+ mph all day long; the RX3 has essentially run out of steam at that speed. The RX4 makes running with the big dogs seem easy.  It is rock steady at high speeds, and it’s comfortable.  It feels secure.

That magnificent 450cc motor…

In many ways, the RX4 reminded me more of my Triumph Tiger than it reminded me of my RX3.   The Triumph was essentially a touring machine/sports bike styled like an off-roader with saddlebags. The Triumph was heavy and I only took it off road once on purpose (and that was enough).  I rode the Triumph off road a few more times when I had to in Mexico, but it really was not an off-road bike.  I know there are guys who ride the big Tigers off road, but it’s not where the bike wants to be.   It wants to be headed to the next state, or maybe the next international border.  That’s what the RX4 wants, too.

My Triumph Tiger. In many ways, the RX4 is quite similar to the Tiger. It was a stellar long-distance touring machine; I think the RX4 is, too.

I’ll make a prediction:  Within the next two years, someone (perhaps several someones) will do the Iron Butt on the RX4.  I don’t mean a single 1000-mile Baby Butt day (good buddy Rob Morel has already done that on his RX3).  I’m talking the full-tilt boogie here:  The 11,000-mile, 11-day Iron Butt.  I think that’s going to happen.  And I think the RX4 is the bike that will do it.

I was talking to Steve Seidner about this a day or two ago, and he asked me to mention to you that CSC is taking deposits now on the RX4 (here’s a link to get to their page for placing your deposit).  CSC will sell a lot of RX4s.  The bike is that good.

Baja, 150cc at a time: Part VI

As you’ll recall from our last installment of the CSC Mustang Baja saga, we left Ciudad Constitucion the next morning and we continued south.   We wanted to make Cabo San Lucas that evening.  That would be the turnaround point for our journey from southern California to the tip of the Baja peninsula, and we rode the entire distance on our little single-cylinder, 150cc, hardtail Mustang replicas.

Our intent was to bypass La Paz, as it is a large city and we didn’t want to get bogged down getting through it.   The map showed a bypass road, and that’s what we intended to grab.  But, our plans meant nothing. We missed the bypass road, and we found ourselves in downtown La Paz. Like I said, it’s a big town, and the temperature was over 100 degrees again.  We were getting goofy from the heat.  It’s almost hard to describe how oppressive the heat was.  We were literally in the tropics, having descended past the Tropic of Cancer.   High heat, high humidity, the hottest month of the year in Baja, fully suited in our riding gear…it was tough sledding.   Simon had the best idea…he started shedding the heavy riding gear.

Simon, with red suspenders flying…all the gear, all the time!
John and Arlene, suited up and sweating.

Simon wrote an entry on his blog that said it all…

La Paz is a hot sweaty city on the Sea of Cortez. We are hot and sweaty (other than J. who travels in air-conditioned splendour). We miss the bypass and are lost. I ask a lady for directions. She begins describing the route. I understand individual words, even entire sentences. The whole becomes a jumble. My eyes betray a fatalistic acceptance of inadequacy.
The woman halts her instructions. Her smile is familiar. It is the generous female’s smile of understanding when faced by male incompetence. Men are men. They have their uses. However, rational thought is not the male’s strong point (expect even vaguely mature thought and you will be disappointed). Humour them. Lead them by the hand. Such is the Latin way…

In brief, she stops giving directions and says, “It will be best if you follow me…”

A very patient woman and her daughter in La Paz, who guided us out of downtown…

Once we were out of La Paz, we were on the open road again and it was much better. Even when it’s hot, you can still stay cool on a motorcycle if you are moving.  When you stop, though, it gets warm and it does so immediately.  So, we kept moving. We were approaching the Pacific Ocean on the other side of Baja, and the temperature dropped a couple of degrees.

After La Paz on the eastern side of Baja, it was about 70 miles directly across the peninsula to Todos Santos on the Pacific side.  It was a nice ride.

We stopped in Todos Santos for lunch.  I grabbed this shot of my bike and I want you to notice the BajaBound.com decal.

Taking a lunch break in Todos Santos. BajaBound!

BajaBound was one of our sponsors on the CSC 150 run, and they are one of our advertisers now.  We were very grateful to Geoff and the good folks at BajaBound for their help on this adventure.

I wish I could remember the name of the place we had lunch in when we stopped in Todos Santos. It was great.

John and J enjoying lunch in Todos Santos.
Our Todos Santos waitress, Erica.

After lunch, we were on the road again…headed to our next stop and our destination for the evening, Cabo San Lucas!

Simon taking a break just north of Cabo San Lucas. He was 77 years old when I took that photo. I really admire him.
Curva Peligrosa means “dangerous curve.” I don’t know how you say “watch out for the goats.”
Just north of Cabo. This guy pulled out right in front of us…anybody who would do this has to be a real ass…

We encountered a lot of construction during our trip, which gave the CSC Mustangs a real workout. I would guess that we probably did about 50 miles or so on dirt roads where the main highway was under repair.

We didn’t intend to do any dirt riding on this trip, but we sure rolled through a lot of dirt. One of the things that surprised me was how well the little Mustangs handled in the dirt, and in particular, in soft sand. Soft sand has always scared me on a motorcycle.   At the time, I also owned a  KLR 650 and a monstrous 955cc Triumph Tiger.  With their narrow tires, these bikes would just sink into soft sand and do their best to toss me.  The Mustangs didn’t do that. They had wide tires (almost balloon tires) and they were very light. They handled the soft stuff just fine. I’m not advocating using a CSC 150 as a dirt bike, but if you find yourself on a dirt road with soft sand, these bikes handled it with grace.

And finally, the California Scooter contingent arrived in Cabo after 1100 tortuous, hot, and beautiful miles through Baja!   This was the perspective from our guest villa.

Cabo San Lucas! That’s the Sea of Cortez on the left, and the Pacific Ocean on the right.

Yep, some of the toughest riding in the world…and we did it!  We ran the entire length of the Baja peninsula!   I will tell you that I was absolutely beat when we finally made it to Cabo.  The heat was bothering all of us, my leg was giving me a lot of grief from a prior injury, and we were all feeling the burn of a long ride.  But we made it.

More good Baja trips on all different kinds of motorcycles…check out the ExhaustNotes Baja page!

If you would like to get up to speed on the prior installments of our CSC 150 Mustang replica ride to Cabo San Lucas, you can do so at this link:  The CSC 150 Cabo Run

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Learn more about motorcycling through paradise in Moto Baja!

The RX4: First Impressions

A stunning RX4 in the San Gabriel Mountains. The paint is pearlescent metalflake orange, the new fastest color.

I rode my TT 250 to the CSC plant early today and picked up a new RX4. Steve asked me to ride the RX4, make observations, and write about the new bike on the ExhaustNotes and CSC blogs. I’ll be preparing several blogs on the RX4; this is the first of many.

I rode my favorite Azusa Canyon, East Fork Road, Glendora Mountain Road, and Glendora Ridge Road route. It’s one of my favorite rides, it’s just under 50 miles of the best riding on the planet, and I knew it would give me a good chance to wring out the bike’s handling. The RX4’s handling was my biggest concern going into this review, as the RX4 I first rode in China two years ago left a bad taste.  That early bike was porky and it handled poorly.

First significant observation:  The RX4’s handling is phenomenal. It’s really, really good.  I’ll get to that in more detail, but I wanted to mention that first.

Tourfella bags…lots of capacity.

Next, let me tackle the weight issue.   That was another one of my earlier concerns, but not anymore. The RX3 has a published weight of 386 lbs. The RX4 has a published weight of 450 lbs. I never put much stock in any published weight figures, because I know how the manufacturers calculate weight. They do it the same way we did it in the defense industry: Mass properties analysis. Some engineering weenie tucked away in a cubicle looks at the dimensions of every part, calculates each part’s volume, identifies the part’s material and its density, and puts it all together in a spreadsheet to calculate total weight. It’s a scientific guess.  They’re always low compared to reality.

Me? I go by what the bike feels like and how it handles. Sometimes if there’s a scale handy I’ll do something old-fashioned and actually weigh the thing. My KLR 650, for example, had a published weight of something in the low-400-lb range. We had a scale when I worked at Layne, and I rode the KLR onto it one night and saw that my Kawasaki actually tipped the scales at well over 560 lbs. So much for published weights.

So, the RX4 is heavier than the RX3. No, I didn’t have a scale available, so I didn’t weigh it today and I don’t know if that 450 lb number is accurate or not. The weight concerned me big time in China two years ago, and then again when I first sat on the new RX4 last week. Last week, it was mostly because the bike felt heavy when I tipped it off the sidestand.   Last week, the RX4 had the CSC tall seat on it.  And, the RX4 has a 19-inch front wheel (the RX3 has an 18-inch front wheel).  The bigger wheel and the tall seat make the bike taller, and that 19-inch front wheel means the bike leans at a perceptibly steeper angle on the sidestand, so tipping it to vertical (off the sidestand) made for a noticeable increase in effort compared to my RX3. First order of business was to have the boys put the stock seat on the new RX4 (it takes the same seat as the RX3).  That alone made it easier to get off the sidestand.  But yeah, it’s heavier than the RX3.  Is it a problem?   Read on, my friends.

It was on to my ride, where I would soon learn if the RX4’s added weight adversely impacts handling.

Let me get to the good stuff.  I was soon on Highway 39 and in the twisties. The bottom line?  The bike handles phenomenally well. It feels more planted than the RX3 and handled the twisties just fine. Actually, it was great. The bike handles better than the RX3, and the RX3 is a sweet handling ride.

I wanted to stop for photos on 39 (I have a few favorite photo op spots), but truth be told, I was having too much fun riding the thing. The RX4 sounds a lot like the RX3, but the exhaust note (love that phrase) is a bit deeper and a bit louder. Not objectionably so, but it’s noticeable.

I stopped for a few photos on the East Fork Road, and then I was on Glendora Mountain Road.  I had the road to myself and it was a glorious morning.  Cool, crisp, California mountain air.  Life is good.

Glendora Moutain Road is all tight uphill twisties. This stretch climbs sharply and it literally has no straights; it’s curve city all the way to the top. To cut to the chase here, it was on this stretch that I could feel the RX4’s huge improvement over the RX3.  In the lower rev ranges, the RX4 has more grunt than the RX3, but it’s not a dramatic difference. It just has more oomph in the 3500-5000 rpm range.

Then I noticed a couple of things: I was getting through this stretch way faster than I would on my RX3, and I wasn’t rowing up and down through the gears like I would on my RX3. I just left the RX4 in 3rd and throttled up and down as needed. The bike wasn’t in its power band yet (and it’s not broken in yet), but it liked being in 3rd powering up into the San Gabriels. Then I noticed something else: This bike handles. It’s rock solid and it doesn’t seem to have any lean angle limits. Oh, I know it does and at some point something would have to scrape, but let me tell you, I was surprised at how good I must have looked carving my way up there this morning. I kind of wished somebody had been there to YouTube the thing. I was cooking. I’m not normally a guy who cooks, but I sure was cooking this morning.

The run east on Glendora Ridge Road was similarly exciting (I mean that in a good way).  From the time I left Highway 39, all the way up on Glendora Mountain Road, and then all the way to Mt. Baldy Village on Glendora Ridge Road, I had the road to myself. I didn’t see a single other car or motorcycle. That doesn’t happen too often.  Like I said, it was a glorious morning.

Up on Glendora Ridge Road. I was the only guy up there this morning.

A quick check on my GPS shows the RX4 speedo to have the characteristic Zongshen 10-12% optimism built in. The speedo reads faster than you are actually going, just like it does on my RX3.  I don’t know why these guys won’t correct this. I tried.  Hey, it is what it is.

More impressions: The peg to seat distance felt very slightly cramped for me with the stock seat. It wasn’t a big deal. I guess I need to find something negative to say to be like one of the magazine guys, and so far, this and the speedo error are it. I have the tall seat on my RX3 (which is a better deal from a comfort perspective). I may have Steve put the tall seat back on the RX4. There may be an opportunity down the road for CSC to offer a footpeg lowering kit. But it’s not a deal breaker. I guess I’d say the RX4 felt about like my Triumph Tiger used to feel.

A lot of guys want to know about the brakes. They’re a significant step up from the RX3’s stock brakes. The RX4 has dual disks up front. I have the large diameter aftermarket front brake on my RX3, and the RX4 subjectively felt maybe a little bit better than that. On that subject, though, I will tell you that I think the whole issue of the RX3 standard front brake has been overblown.  I made a comment about the magazine guys having to find something to bitch about to prove they are objective and not unduly influenced by advertising dollars. On the RX3 it was the front brake.  I never quite got that, though. I had a Harley Softail and a KLR 650 before I got my RX3, and the stock RX3 front brake was better than either of those bikes.

I like the headlight on the RX4. I have no idea how good it is at night (that will come later); my comment is based on the looks of the thing. The way it works it has a trace light around the headlight (that’s the daytime light). You can either switch the headlight on, or leave the lights on auto and when it gets dark, the lights will come on automatically.  When I first saw this headlight in China, I thought it looked too much like BMW’s GS headlight design, but it’s grown on me.  You can bet some Internet weenie will make a snarky comment about Zongshen copying BMW.  Throw ’em a bone, boys.  They gotta bitch about something.

The RX4 headlight. I don’t yet know how it does at night. I sure like the look!

The bike I’m riding has a pearlescent metalflake orange and silver paint theme. It’s beautiful. I don’t know what colors CSC will specify for their production order, but I hope this one makes it to our shores. It’s way nicer, I think, than the standard RX3 orange.  I know that orange bikes are faster, too.  It’s a win-win.

My RX4 has the optional Tourfella aluminum bags and top case. I rode with these through the Andes in Colombia (I like being able to say that).  The Tourfella luggage capacity is amazing. They are huge, though, and I know on an RX3 I can feel the difference in handling between the stock bags and the Tourfella bags (on an RX3, the stock bags are faster). I didn’t have an RX4 with stock bags to make a similar comparison. It’s a tough question; I don’t what I would do on a new RX4.  I do like those big aluminum boxes, though.

So, my first impression is that the RX4 is an awesome motorcycle. The handling is great. It just seems to find its way through the corners and the added power makes the bike feel more planted and more stable, if that makes sense to you. I would say it’s the bike’s strongest point.

Steve told me the RX4 is going to sell for $5,895. That’s $2,000 more than an RX3. Is it worth it? In my opinion, yes (assuming you’ve got the shekels). But I will also say this: The RX3 is one hell of a motorcycle, and I like the idea of a 250 for serious adventure touring in less developed countries.  We’re a freeway country.  In other parts of the world, freeways are rare or non-existent.  Don’t get me wrong; I’ve done a lot of freeway miles on my RX3 and it’s quite capable in that environment.  But the RX4 would probably be better on the freeway.  I say that having ridden no freeways on the RX4.  Yet.  All in good time.

There’s a lot more coming on this bike, folks. I’m just getting started. Top end, high speed long distance touring, fuel economy, freeway handling, and more…I’ll get into all of that. I’ve got a lot going on back at the ranch right now, but I may see a quick two-day ride through Baja on this bike. Hey, I gotta probe for weaknesses, or this wouldn’t be a complete report.

One last thing…somebody asked the spoke diameter. Before I forget, Joey measured that for me before my ride this morning. It’s 3.5mm up front, and 4.0mm in the rear.

Need I say it?  Stay tuned…

A Suggested Baja Itinerary: 4 days on the road…

This is a nice leisurely run down to San Felipe on the Sea of Cortez, mostly staying off the freeways.  It’s ideal for a smaller bike.  I’ve done it many times, most recently on the CSC TT250 (a bike with a 229cc Honda CG clone engine) and it’s a laid back, fun ride.    About half of it is through the lower portion of southern California, and the other half is through the upper portion of northern Baja, touching two oceans and taking in the best scenery of both areas.  Here’s what the Baja portion of this ride looks like on a map…

A day in So Cal heading south, two glorious days in northern Baja, and a fourth day in So Cal headed home.

The idea is to spend a day meandering through southern California to get to Tecate. My favorite route heads east on Rt. 66 through San Bernardino and beyond into Yucaipa, diverting north for just a bit through the mountains into beautiful Oak Glen, crossing I-10 (without getting on it) to the 243 up to Idyllwild, and then picking up 79 to head south through Julian and on to Tecate.   This part of California is an amazing country ride, and it’s likely you’ll see bobcat, wild turkey, deer, and coyote.   Good times, to be sure.  There are two Tecates, actually…one on the US side of the border, and the  far more interesting Tecate on the Mexico side.

Headed south through So Cal toward Tecate on a 229cc roadburner. Life doesn’t get much better!

Tecate is a fun town.  If you call ahead, you can arrange for a tour of the Tecate brewery.   Tecate’s town square is cool, and if you stay at the El Dorado Hotel, it’s within walking distance.   There’s a great Chinese restaurant across the street from the El Dorado, although you probably didn’t venture into Mexico to eat Chinese food.   That’s no problem, as there are a couple of outstanding taco stands (also an easy walk from the El Dorado, and any of the Mexican restaurants on the town square are great.  Trust me on this; I’ve tried them all.

On Day 2, pick up Mexico Highway 2 out of Tecate and head east toward Mexicali.   The Rumarosa Grade is the best part of this road.   The scenery is breathtaking and it’s a spot where you will want to stop for photos.

Good buddy Dan the K on the Rumarosa Grade. This is dramatic scenery and a fabulous ride.

Highway 2 runs directly into Mexicali, but you don’t want to do that.  Mexicali is a large industrial town (some might argue that Mexicali has its charms, but I’m not of them).  Take the bypass that veers off to the right before you enter Mexicali (it’s well marked), and you’ll cut a quarter circle around Mexicali.  The bypass will put you on Mexico Highway 5, which heads due south toward San Felipe (and that’s our destination for the second evening of this 4-day road trip).

Mexico Highway 5 is a cool road.   For the first 15 miles or so south of Mexicali, it’s built up.   I haven’t tried all of the taco stands along this stretch, but the ones I have visited have all been great, and the timing will be right for a lunch stop.   As you continue south along 5, the surrounding land changes dramatically.  You will enter a volcanic field that borders the northwest corner of the Sea of Cortez.  The scenery is stark, with bleached white and beige desert accented by dark burgundy and black rock formations.  You’ll smell the sulfur (this is a geologically active area, and it’s another great spot for dramatic photos).

A taco vendor on Mexico Highway 5. The real deal.
Wow, were they ever good!
A stop along geologically-active Highway 5. I can still smell the sulfur.

You will soon see the Sea of Cortez as Highway 5 parallels the shoreline.   Highway 3 cuts off on your right; but don’t take it (it’s the road we’ll travel the next morning).  For now, continue south on 5 and you’ll run right into San Felipe.

There’s a Pemex as you enter town, and I always like to top off there.  Bear left to downtown, and you’ll enter the Malecon area.   It’s a tourist area, but it’s nice.   The Rice and Beans restaurant is the dominant eatery in this area, but any of the others are good (my favorite is Chuy’s).  There are several hotels along this stretch; I like to stay at the El Cortez on the southern edge of town.   The El Cortez has a fine restaurant, and they do a great job for both dinner and breakfast.

The photo ops in San Felipe are what make this a great destination.   I like to grab evening shots, and then get up early the next morning for sunrise photos looking out across the Sea of Cortez.  The tidal variation in the Sea of Cortez northern regions is extreme, and in the evening, you’ll see miles of exposed ocean floor.  As you look out over the Sea of Cortez in the morning you’ll be facing due east, and the dawns are dramatic.

San Felipe is a hopping town!
A room with a view at the El Cortez Hotel.
San Felipe in the evening.
A San Felipe sunrise.

The next day brings us to Day 3 of this Baja adventure.   After a great breakfast at the El Cortez restaurante, head north on Highway 5 again for maybe 20 miles, and then pick up Highway 3 east (the one we passed coming the prior afternoon heading down toward San Felipe).  Highway 3 is another great road.  It cuts through the coastal deserts and then climbs into northern Baja’s mountains.  Watch for the rock art in this area.   A favorite is a set of boulders painted to look like a whale skeleton, or maybe a giant lizard.  It’s cool.

Highway 3 cuts across northern Baja, running from the Sea of Cortez to the Pacific Ocean.
Rock art along Baja’s Highway 3.

There’s a Pemex on Highway 3 in Valle Trinidad and it’s a good idea to top off here.  Stay on Highway 3 and you’ll ride completely across the Baja peninsula.  You’ll see the Pacific Ocean as you enter Ensenada on Baja’s west coast.  It’s a gritty ride into town and you’ll get to see what a Mexican city looks like.   Stay on Highway 3 and you’ll soon find yourself in the Zona Turistica.  Highway 3 joins Mexico Highway 1 (the Transpeninsular Highway) for a few miles, and then it veers off to the right in El Sauzal.  That’s on Ensenada’s northern edge (you’ll be headed northeast once you make the turn).

This is the Ruta del Vino, another great road.  We’re headed back to Tecate for our third evening in Baja, and we’re passing through northern Baja’s wine country.  This is an awesome stretch.  Lunch has to be at Naranjo’s (it’s on the left as you head toward Tecate).   There are many wineries through this magnificent stretch; my favorite is the L.A. Cetto vineyard.  They have a great tasting room, but keep two things in mind: Don’t overdo it (remember, you’re on a motorcycle ride), and you can only bring one bottle back across the US border.

That night, the stay is in Tecate again, and you can try a different restaurant than the one you visited two nights ago.   Like I said before, they’re all great.  On the morning of Day 4, I always take my breakfast at the little restaurant right next to the El Dorado, and I’ll fill up again at the Pemex diagonally across the street.  The lines at the garita (the border crossing) are usually hideously long, but hey, that’s not a problem for us.  There’s a break in the concrete K-barriers just before the entry point, and nobody ever seems to mind when motorcycles use it to jump the line.

Day 4?  It’s a rerun of Day 1 if you wish (and that’s what I always do, as the scenery is magnificent) or you can take any of several other options through So Cal as you head home.

Baja, 150cc at time: Part V

The trek south on our 150cc California Scooter Mustang replicas continues. On the off chance you haven’t followed this ride, here are the first four installments of this grand adventure.   I almost called it a mini-adventure, but only the bikes were “mini.”   Everything else about this ride was a full-bore adventure.   So, to bring you up to speed…

Part I:  Baja, 150cc at a time…

Part II:  Baja, 150cc at a time…

Part III:  Baja, 150cc at a time…

Part IV:  Baja, 150cc at a time…

And with that, we’re back on the road, with our little 150cc Mustang CG clones, built by CSC Motorcycles, thumping their way south yet again…

Here’s a shot of our bikes parked in front of the Las Casitas Hotel in Mulege (it’s pronounced Mool-a-hay). The Tropic of Cancer was just a few miles down the road.

After a great stay at the Las Casitas Hotel in Mulege (one of my favorite places in Baja), we were on the road again, headed south to Ciudad Constitucion, our stop for the next evening. The regions we passed through were amazing, but the riding was beyond brutal. September is one of the hottest months of the year in Baja, and we were riding in 100-degree weather.

We soaked our clothes several times that day. J had a bunch of water in 5-gallon jerry cans on his big Dodge Power Wagon, and we used a trick I learned in the Army a long time ago…we soaked ourselves and then put our jackets on. The jacket keeps the water from evaporating too quickly, and in this kind of weather, you can stay cool for about an hour before you need another soaking. It really works.

My riding gear. Joe Rocket gloves. They work. Don’t ask me how I know. My new Bell helmet. Lightweight, comfortable, and very, very cool. Everybody loved it. My Olympia riding jacket. Visible, and I’m still wearing it.

After Mulege, we continued south out of Mulege, and we soon found ourselves along what I believe to be the most beautiful part of Baja…and that would be Bahia Concepcion. I’ll let the photos do my talking here.

John’s California Scooter parked in front of Bahia de Concepcion on the Sea of Cortez.
The Sea of Cortez along the Transpeninsular Highway. The water really is that color.

South of Bahia Concepcion, we stopped in Loreto. It’s a nice town but it is a touristy spot. John and J got nailed for a couple of traffic infracciones, paid their fines, and we bolted.

We stayed the night in Ciudad Constitucion on the way down and on the way back.  It’s a pretty interesting town, but it is not a tourist spot (which is why I find it interesting).

This local motor officer on a 250cc Suzuki stopped us as soon as he saw our bikes. He knew they were new and different. I tossed him my keys and asked for the keys to his police motor. We both had a good laugh about that!

Ciudad Constitucion was celebrating the Mexican Bicentennial, as Santa Rosalia had been the day before, and they had an awesome fireworks display.   It was impressive.

We had dinner at a sidewalk restaurant in Ciudad Constitucion, and we ate at a plastic table with plastic chairs right on the sidewalk. It was a cool evening, the town was festive, and it was great. The green things in the photo are nopales, or boiled cactus (very tasty). The tacos were delicious, too.

Simon ordering his dinner: Dos tacos.
Yours truly flirting with the waitresses. Dos senoritas.

We were up early the next morning, and we continued our southward quest. We knew the next major town was La Paz, but we didn’t want to get into it. La Paz meant heavy traffic and more heat.

You might be wondering…what were these little 150cc Mustang replicas, and what were the original Mustangs?   Hey, if you want to know more about that, you can read that story right here…

Original Mustang motorcycles. Click on the image to get to the story!

CSC Motorcycles no longer manufactures new Mustangs, but more often than not they’ll have a nearly new trade-in on the showroom floor.  If you have an interest in these born-again Mustangs, here’s a link to the CSC website.

To be continued…

Want to learn more about riding in Baja?   Check out the ExhaustNotes Baja page!

Baja, 150cc at a time: Part IV…

The trek south on our 150cc California Scooter Mustang replicas continues…

If you are coming into this adventure in the middle of the movie, you might want to take a minute or two and get caught up with our first three installments…

Part I:  Baja, 150cc at a time…

Part II:  Baja, 150cc at a time…

Part III:  Baja, 150cc at a time…

Back to the main attraction…

After the spending the night at the Desert Inn in Catavina, fueling the bikes and checking that everything was tight the next morning, we were ready to continue south. We had agreed that if the group separated (which happens on these trips), our next rally point would be Chapala. Sure enough, that’s what happened, and Arlene and I waited for John and Simon to catch up to us near Chapala.   We had a soft drink and after waiting a bit, we pushed on.  We’d catch John and Simon later.

Arlene and I at the only loncheria in Chapala…

We had left early that morning and the weather was tolerable, but it soon became a brutally hot.  September is the hottest month of the year in Baja, and we were feeling it.

1000 Island. What else?

When we hooked up with Simon and John, they were eating a morning snack…a salad with 1000 Island dressing.  We continued down Mexico’s Transpeninsular Highway, and I grabbed this shot of Simon and Arlene headed toward Guerrero Negro…

On the road, on 150cc bikes, headed south in Baja.

Guerrero Negro means “Black Warrior” in Spanish.  It is the name of a ship that sank near there in the 1800s. Guerrero Negro is right on Parallelo 28 (the 28th Parallel), which separates the states of Baja California and Baja California Sur. The town is also a good spot in the winter months for whale-watching tours. There’s a Mexican Army compound on the highway, and they have this cool whale skeleton right next to the highway.

Balleno!

From Guerrero Negro, the highway cuts southeasterly across the Baja peninsula, and we moved from the Pacific side to the Sea of Cortez side of Baja.

Going across the Baja peninsula was a fun ride, especially the last few miles into Santa Rosalia. It’s a 2,000-foot descent in just a few miles, and it’s wild. The name of this stretch is La Cuesta del Infierno.  There are no guard rails and nightmarish drops if you let things get away from you. I didn’t grab any photos on the way down.  When we arrived on eastern shore of the peninsula, we stopped for a few photos.

Arlene Battishill, Go Go Gear riding apparel, a custom California Scooter, and the Sea of Cortez.
Arlene’s CSC 150 had a custom paint job with the Go Go logo. John Esposito, who was with CSC at the time, did the painting. He is easily the most gifted custom painter I’ve ever known.
The crew, and one of my favorite photos from this trip. From left to right, it’s Simon Gandolfi, Arlene Battishill, J Brandon, John Welker, and Joe Berk.

We ate in Santa Rosalia, and by now, the temperature and humidity were beyond oppressive.  That didn’t kill our spirits, but it came close.   We were in heavy traffic, we were fully suited up, and it was a steam bath.  We were close to the Tropic of Cancer, and it was about as miserable a set of riding conditions as I’ve ever experienced.  Something was going on but I didn’t know what, and then traffic stopped altogether.  As we sat in our riding gear and sweltered, a heavily-armed military parade marched by, music and all. Right in front of us.  Had a revolution started?  We didn’t know it yet, but we soon found out that Mexico was celebrating the bicentennial of the Mexican Revolution!  John and I looked at each other and starting laughing.  This was perfect!

John and I have been exploring Baja on motorcycles for close to 20 years now. He’s an easy guy to travel with, and he always laughs at my jokes (so I naturally like the guy).  We’ve done the cruiser thing, we’ve both owned KLR 650 Kawasakis, and we’ve both owned CSC RX3 motorcycles.  John was a great guy on this (and many other) trips…he’s a guy that just doesn’t let the small stuff bother him. A flat tire in the middle of the jungle?  Hey, no problemo!  That’s John in a nutshell, and it’s why I like traveling with him.

My good friend John Welker.

You may recall that part of the reason we making this trek was to road test the CSC 150 Mustang replicas under harsh conditions.  Our intent on this trip was to beat the heck out of our California Scooters and find issues offering improvement opportunities. Baja is a proving ground…there’s no question about that. When I was a kid, American Motors came out with a new car that they entered in the Baja 1000 (I think it was their AMX model). Their commercials had a race car driver explaining to a Bajaeno that they were entering the car in the Baja race. The Bajaeno responded with “You’re going to enter theese hunk of tin in the Baja? Ha ha!” It was an image that stuck in my mind.  Our direction from Steve Seidner, the CSC CEO, was to try to break the bikes, and Baja would be the place to do it.

And try we did…the trip would be 2200 miles through Baja. Simon commented that what we were doing with these bikes was probably something no other owner would ever do with their California Scooters, and time proved him right.   It’s been nearly 10 years, and no one repeated what we did.  Rough asphalt. Dirt roads. Hundreds of miles a day with wide open throttles. 100+ degree temperatures. High humidity.  Up and down mountain passes. Long straights through the desert. You get the idea.

So, what broke?

I expected to have lots of light bulb failures, as I’ve had those on virtually any motorcycle I’d ever taken through Baja. I bought a bunch of 1157s for the tail lights, and a half dozen headlight bulbs. As it turned out, that was massive overkill. We had one headlight failure (Arlene’s conked out just before we reached Cabo San Lucas), and I had two tail light failures on my bike. Part of what caused my tail light failures might have been my defective rear tire…it was unbalanced due to the rip I put in it (I’ll get to that later in this saga) and that made the rear end on my bike vibrate a lot. Nobody else needed a bulb replacement, and I was surprised at how few bulb failures we had.

I guess I should point out that we had two preproduction bikes and two production bikes on this trip. Part of the test was to gage CSC’s success with  improvements made when the company went from the preproduction to the production configuration.  We wanted to see the same failures on the preproduction bikes as we had seen earlier, and we didn’t want to see those failures on the production bikes.

One of the problems CSC had experienced on the preproduction bikes was an occasional failure of the welded frame tab to which the muffler attaches.  CSC strengthened that tab and its weld joint on the production bikes. Both tabs failed on the preproduction bikes within the first two days of riding in Baja; neither of the production bike muffler mounting tabs failed during the entire trip. I found a welder somewhere south of Guerrero Negro (my new buddy Umberto). I asked Umberto to fabricate new tabs identical to those on the production bikes, and to weld the new tabs on the preproduction bikes using the same weld pattern as the production bikes. Umberto did so, and the welds on the preproduction bike held for the remainder of the trip.

My new buddy Umberto upgrading a preproduction muffler tab to the production configuration, while simultaneously demonstrating proper personal protective equipment use. Welker is pulling fire guard duty.

We had two battery failures on the entire trip, and both occurred on the preproduction bikes. Neither of the production bikes had any battery problems.  There was nothing different between the preproduction bikes’ batteries or charging systems and those on the production bikes, and at first, I was a little nervous about having a similar problem on the production bikes. Then, as the miles rolled by, I realized that the preprod bikes had old batteries.  The batteries in both preprod bikes had been in those bikes for at least a year and a half, and who knows how old the batteries were before that.  When we got back to the CSC plant, the boys put new batteries in both preproduction bikes, and they fired right up. The lesson here:  Don’t leave on a long trip through Baja with an old battery. Duh.

The weather conditions – high heat and humidity – were tough on batteries…even J’s big Dodge Power Wagon (our chase vehicle) had a dead battery one morning.  One thing about this battery business that was interesting was that Simon’s preproduction bike battery failed and his bike wouldn’t start at all. John’s preproduction bike battery failed and his bike could be kick started.  John rode that preproduction bike for 9 days and 2200 miles, kick starting it all the way.

I tore up a tire on the way back from Cabo (I’ll tell you more about that in a subsequent installment).  I noticed one afternoon that the tire was bald in just one spot, almost as if the rear wheel had been skidded for a long distance. I know I didn’t do that; maybe someone who rode my bike did (we swapped bikes a lot on this trip). Or maybe I hit something in the road that damaged it. Whatever the cause, I opted not to change the tire until later that day, and sometime in the next 150 miles, the tread split down to the cord in that bald spot. This caused a lot of vibration, but I took a chance on reaching San Ignacio before replacing it and it worked out okay.  One thing about 12-inch tires…they were out quickly.  It’s a common issue on scooters of all kinds.  Well, maybe not an issue.  You just need to know about it.  A smaller diameter tire rotates a lot more than a bigger diameter tire, and the natural result is that the tires wear faster.

We also learned which nuts and bolts you have to keep an eye on our bikes. Nothing new there…I’ve gone through this with every motorcycle I’ve ever owned. On my KLR 650 it was the lower fairing bolts, the muffler heat shield, the muffler mounts, and the steering stem. On my Triumph Tiger it was the right foot peg and the saddlebag acorn nuts. On my Harley Softail it was nearly everything.  On the California Scooter I soon learned it was the two 10mm exhaust clamp bolts at the cylinder head, and the 12mm elongated bolt at the bottom of the muffler. It became part of our ritual to check these bolts on our California Scooters each morning.

And the engine?  Well, as far as I’m concerned, that old CG design was bulletproof. We flogged the bikes (we ran wide open for the last 500 miles), and we didn’t have a single engine problem. The CG engines are good, solid, reliable motors.

So, I digressed a little bit to tell you about the tech issues on the bikes.   Now, it’s back to the main attraction…our ride.   So where were we?  Oh, yeah…I left off in Santa Rosalia.   After having lunch and celebrating the Mexican Revolution in that fair city, we continued south.   Mulege, a city about 40 miles south of Santa Rosalia, was to be our destination that evening.

To be continued…

Want to learn more about riding in Baja?   Check out the ExhaustNotes Baja page!

Baja, 150cc at a time: Part III….

So we’re back on the story about our trek to Cabo San Lucas on reborn Mustangs, the little CG clone 150cc hardtails.   We’re doing this story in installments.  This is the third, and if you are new the ExNotes blog, you might not have seen Part I and Part II.   My advice?   Take a few minutes and read them before continuing with Part III (this part of our ongoing 150cc adventure ride)…

Part I:  Baja, 150cc at a time…

Part II:  Baja, 150cc at a time…

And with that, I’ll pick up where I left off at the end of our Part II Colonet coffee stop.  After our coffee stop, we rolled on for another hour and stopped for breakfast. Here we were, in this little Baja restaurant, and they had wireless Internet access. That’s where I posted the first CSC blog entry on our Baja trip (and we wanted to keep moving, so it was short).

Check this out…Simon Gandolfi checking his email on my laptop!

What is the world coming to, though? Wireless Internet access in Baja.  I was surprised.   That trip was the first time I had Internet access in Baja.  I knew the peninsula was changing.

Breakfast was good, and after that, it was a short hop down to El Rosario to top off the tanks before climbing into the Valle de los Cirios. Our bikes climbed, and so did the temperature. I’ll bet we had a 60-degree temperature swing that day. It was right at about 100 degrees in the desert. September is the hottest month of the year in Baja.  Why make it easy?  We stopped several times to peel off our layered riding gear as the temperatures continued to climb.

Arlene, dropping layers and trying to stay cool.

When Catavina came into view, we decided to call it a day. We might have pushed on to Guerrero Negro, but there is literally nothing between Catavina and Guerrero Negro, and it’s another 140 miles or so down the road. Too hot, too far, and we didn’t want to ride after dark.

We had a lot of fun with Simon, and we quickly dubbed him “the world’s most interesting man.” Do you remember those Dos Equis commercials? You know…the ones where a guy holding a Dos Equis beer is proclaimed the world’s most interesting man…with descriptors like “he never uses lip balm” and “his mother has a tattoo that says ‘Son.’”  We really enjoyed getting to know Simon, and he most definitely is the world’s most interesting man. Before I left, someone gave me a list of “world’s most interesting man” descriptions he grabbed off the Internet, and I dribbled them out to our group as we journeyed through Baja. The one that got the best laugh was “Simon Gandolfi is the world’s most interesting man…he once called a psychic…to warn her.”

I grabbed this shot of Simon with his California Scooter in the Valle de los Cirios south of El Rosario. It’s one of my all time favorites.

Simon was also keeping a blog for his readers. Here’s an entry from Simon’s blog…

The bikes are small and pretty, surely an unusual description of a bike. Best of all they make people smile, not with scorn but with pleasure – as does watching your children play out in the yard.

The bikes were performing well. We had two current production bikes (mine and Arlene’s), and two preproduction bikes (Simon’s and John’s). During development Steve and the boys found a few improvement opportunities on the preproduction bikes, and these resulted in upgrades on the production bikes. Simon’s and John’s preproduction bikes have had some of the problems we found earlier, but the production bikes performed flawlessly.

We didn’t coddle the little Mustangs. We ran on some pretty rough roads, and the speed bumps (topes) in every little town we pass through were brutal. The Mexicans don’t just use one speed bump. They use about 20 of the things in a row, maybe 30 feet apart, one after the other. When they tell you to slow down, they mean it. We’d slow down for the speed bumps when we saw them in time (which didn’t always happen), and then we’d speed up after the topes. As I said earlier, the bikes liked running around 45 mph. We occasionally cranked them up to over 60 mph, but then we’d settle into a relaxed putt to enjoy the scenery and the ride. It’s a sweet way to see Baja.

Here’s another cool entry from Simon’s blog…

The desert here is a vast up-and-down jumble of immense gray boulders, candelabra cactus, Judas trees and skinny scrub. To the south and west lie mountains scrubbed to their stone core by a few million years of wind and occasional rain. To the east a long roll of cloud or fog lies low over the ocean. The dawn light washes the mountains a pale chalky blue. The cloud bank is touched with pink.

I have ridden on ahead. I haven’t met another car or truck in twenty minutes. Cut the engine and the silence is total. Two buzzard glide overhead. Nothing else moves. I am absorbed into the stillness and the quiet and the beauty and find myself shivering, not with cold, but with that exultation that comes sometimes when, tired yet wonderfully content, you get into a bed spread with Egyptian cotton sheets stiff from the laundry and wriggle in minor ecstasy as you clutch yourself in your own arms. Never done that? Never slept between Egyptian cotton sheets? How sad…

And if you have never visited Baja California, start planning. Right now this is about as close as you can get to heaven without a one-way ticket.

We rode into the Catavina boulder fields, one of the prettiest parts of Baja.  It’s a surreal region with huge white boulder and enormous Cardon cactus.

Headed toward Catavina.
You’ve seen this photo before. It’s another one of my favorites. I shot it from the saddle with my old D200 Nikon and 24-120 lens as we rolled through the Catavina boulder fields.
The Catavina gas station. No kidding.

Our destination that night was Catavina, where we would spend the night in the Desert Inn. It was a grand day and a great place to call it a night. I’d stayed there many times before on prior Baja adventures, and I knew it was good. The Desert Inn is nice. It’s 100 miles from anywhere.

The courtyard in Catavina’s Desert Inn Hotel.
Our bikes parked in front of the Catavina Desert Inn.

They turn the generators off from 12:00 to 4:00 at the Desert Inn, so there’s no electricity in the afternoon.  The desolation and the surrounding landscape just make it a cool place to be, even if was 100 degrees (as it was when we stopped that day). We ate in the Desert Inn’s restaurant, we sampled their Tequilas (hey, our riding was over that day), and then we hung out in the pool. Wow, that sure felt good.

To be continued…stay tuned for Part IV!

Want to learn more about riding in Baja?   Check out the ExhaustNotes Baja page!

Required Baja Paperwork

We’re often asked: What kind of documentation will I need to ride a motorcycle or drive a car in Baja?  Here’s the list of what documents are required for a trip into Baja:

1.  You’ll need your US passport, or a passport card. I’ve always used my passport; I’ve never had the passport card (the passport card is issued by the US State Department).  Either one will work.

2.  You’ll need a Mexican tourist visa. This is something you get immediately after you enter Mexico, not before.  If you enter through Tijuana or Tecate (my typical points of entry), there are Mexican immigration offices off to the right as soon as you enter.  That’s where the tourist visas are issued. You might be tempted to just blow this off because you can drive by and continue your trip into Baja, but if you’re stopped further inland and you don’t have the tourist visa, you’ll have to go back to the border to get one (don’t ask me how I know this). The good news is that if you’re planning a stay of less than 7 days, the tourist visa is free. If you staying longer, it’s $20.

3.  You’ll need your US driver’s license.

4.  You’ll need your vehicle registration.

5.  You’ll need Mexican insurance for your motor vehicle (your US insurance is not adequate).  We use BajaBound insurance exclusively, and we did a post about that great company here on the ExNotes blog a short time ago.

 

You can contact BajaBound directly at this link or by clicking on the photo above.  If you get stopped in Mexico and you can’t show proof of Mexican insurance, you’ll have a real problem (like we said above, your regular US insurance won’t cover you in Mexico). You’ll need to print a copy of your policy (which you can do online after you purchase it from BajaBound) and bring that with you.

And that’s it, folks.

Want to know more about riding in Baja?   Check out our Baja page!