*****************************************
NOTE: ALL CONTENT OF THIS WEBSITE IS PRESENTED FREE OF CHARGE TO THE VIEWER AND IS TO BE CONSIDERED SOLELY AS ENTERTAINMENT. - FSSNOC, INC.
******************************************
GREETINGS FROM THE FOUR-STROKE SINGLES NATIONAL OWNERS CLUB OFFICIAL WEBSITE, KNOWN FAR AND WIDE AS THE THUMPERGARAGE ...
It's ole #000, up and at 'em ... 3:51 PM
12-11-25 UPDATE, actually I am doing the updated on Wednesday, 'cause we bee going for a lunch ride on Thursday.
It's a Christmas Lunch Ride, it can't get much better than that, eh? Forecast says 67 degrees?? Is this Arizona? I supposed to bring a Thumper-related worthless gift outta my shed for the hobo gift exchange ... hmmmmm?
And, yeah, I did mow the yawn, errr... the lawn, earlier today, it is green as a gourd ... in December!! I haven't mowed since my banner case of hives earlier this summer! Then, when done, I put up our Christmas decorations outside ... Whew!
Now I know why I've been seeing all those yard signs all over ThumperVille that proclaim to the world that the homeowner hired someone else to do his decoration duties ... that just doesn't seem right ... or maybe it does?
I thought about putting our own sign outside, telling the world that we put up our own house's decorations ... and if you want me to do yours, I'll call you ... but don't wait up, okay? Ha! Ha! No sign...
NOW, ON WITH THE SHOW.............
Yesterday, as you can see in the photo above (ain't that a snazzy Triumph Speed? Beautiful! Love that blue!), we gathered for a Chai tea at The MeetingHouse in Sedgwick, Kansas. I got in a 161 miles on the KLR650, ole #8, home at sundown.
Centerstage, that's Hieb, FSSNOC #5174, on the Triumph ... we've been friends for a long time, we go all the way back to our first racing days.
I started racing in 1967, bought my first new leathers from Bates in 1968 for a pricy $80.00. That was two, maybe three weeks pay, if you had a regular job. They were bright red with white trim full leathers, top and bottom.
I joined the AMA then as well. Did the AMA life member thing the hard way, one year at a time - 57 years a member. The AMA was doing all the races, even local races via local AMA clubs, like our own club, the Prairie Pups Motorcycle Club. I joined PPMC in 1968 as well, I'm still there, still causing problems (grin). I just took 2nd place honors in our annual and year long activity/riding contest, bet you can't guess who beat me??? I'll tell you later, maybe ... but for now, I'll tell you about Slidin' Sam...
Slidin' Sam Slatterly, an AMA Pro racer from back in the day, came to our fair city to race an AMA sanctioned half-mile motorcycle flat-track race at our local racetrack on the local State Fairgrounds. It's still there, still racing...
Of course, back in the day, I was there, walking about the pits and breathing in the moment (it was "awesome" ... but we didn't know that word in 1967).
I was watching quietly as Sam was doing his prep to go race later in the afternoon. He glanced up, didn't say anything, neither did I. Pretty soon he looked over again, this time he asked me my name.
I told him, "Jack". He nodded, saying ... "You have a motorcycle?" I replied, "Yes, I do, I have a Harley Davidson 250 Sprint."
Sam, of course, rode a Harley Davidson; a white one, no fancy paint, or chromed up, it was all business and it had the bruises to prove it ... I loved it. Those days race cars and bikes sometimes had a sponsor's name or a shops name or decal, but not like now days, they are multi-colored with lots of names and games painted (wrapped?) all over them, Sam's H-D didn't even say H-D on it ... but take my word for it, it was a veteran of many such moments as today.
"Slidin' Sam" ... does that give you a hint as to his claim to fame? Typically, he wasn't a front runner, maybe due to the lack of competitive speed of his garage-built racebike, I dunno. Sam was a one-man show, a nuts and bolts guy, he did it all ... no pit crew, no mechanics, no driver, no nothin' ... but a goody number of folks in the stands knew of Slidin' Sam.
What he was known for was his talent for "riding the rail" ... "blowin' dirt on the fence" ... sometimes he'd do a lap or two after the winner had taken the checkered flag. The crowd loved it, the only one who perhaps didn't like it was the race winner as Sam would often steal the show, for a couple of laps anyway, he was the Star.
Imagine your own race boot, or in Sam's case, maybe a lineman's lace-up boot bought at a Used-Economy store, that left boot was tightly strapped into a crudely crafted steel shoe, its bottom sole shined like chrome from sliding on the track while the spinning rear wheel of Sam's fully-crossed-up H-D was sand-blasting paint off the racetrack fence ... all this often in the neighborhood of 100 miles an hour, dual straight pipes at full song! You could tell who in the crowd knew about Slidin' Sam ... they didn't leave their seats to go home until after Sam put on his show.
This was who I was talking to...
"Do Ya race that Sprint?", he asked without looking up from his task.
"No. Not yet...", I said, quietly.
"Why not?", he queried, his brow wrinkled in feigned disbelief.
"Uhhh, I don't have any leathers...", I answered, I'm sure I sounded pretty lame.
He shook his head in silence.
"Hang on a minute. Don't go anywhere...", he said.
He returned in a few minutes, clutching a bundle of something, something old and smelly, like it had been stowed somewhere for a long while, and after surviving a hard life as well. He handed me the bundle.
It was a full set of racing leathers ... Slidin' Sam's leathers.
I was blown away (and we didn't have that verbal phrase back then either, but it was certainly true.) I was speechless as I stood there, that moldy bundle of trashed cowhide cradled in my arms.
My mind switched off there ... I don't have any recall of our ensuing conversation other than Sam saying with a level of finality, "Now you can race, you got leathers!"
Race I did ... maybe it was Plainville, Ks ... I can't say, but I was there to race and I had Sam's leathers, now my leathers. They didn't fit. They were wasted, totally laced with rips, tears, and snags, no doubt the result of the countless times over the years that Sam's butt hit the track and slid down that blue groove until he came to a stop ... I heard that he would bounce up and bow to the crowd, but I never got to witness him race again so I can't say about that...
Bring Hieb, from the photo, into the story now, he was there to race as well, maybe he can confirm that it was Plainville? Anyhow, funny thing, his leathers didn't fit him either, so as I recall, we traded, maybe it was the pants we traded, anyway, we went racing...
Those leathers were a game changer for me, thank you, Slidin' Sam!
Many people have givin' me a "leg up" in the 82 years of my life, but no one else has given me their racing leathers ... sure, they were worn-out, used-up, and smelly, but that moment was and remains a remarkable moment in my memory. - Oh yeah, as per my racing, which continued on at a sportsman level for many years, that experience included MX, Observed Trials, Hare Scrambles, TT races, Scrambles races, etc ... but in all those years no one ever called my "Slidin' Jack" but they did call me ... "Fast Jack" ... I'll take that.
Okay, you've waited long enough ... it was wife Carrie who beat me!
Lesson learned, never discount a determined rider on a Honda ADV160 Scooter. On days that I wasn't allowed to ride due to surgery or related health issues, when her chores were done, she would head out the door, helmet in hand. Early on, she'd do what was needed to garner the activity points, but as the miles and the weeks rolled up, soon she was coming back a bit later and with more than enough miles to accomplish the club quest.
I'd ask her how far she rode? Early on, it was sometimes a single digit, but now days, it's usually 40 - 60 - 80 miles! I think she has ridden in excess of 11,000 miles in 2025, many as a solo rider. She has grown to enjoy the solo ride, something that not everyone enjoys ... I am so happy for her, she earned that PPMC award ...
Way to go, Carrie! - JR, #000
Now, I'm headed for the History Page ... care to ride along?
It's that-a way ...
******************************************
Posts below the line above are old news ... but still worth a read - Thump! Thump! Enjoy...
It's 6:35 on Wednesday evening ... Greetings, All!
It's Jack, FSSNOC #000, Director of the Four-Stroke Singles National Owners Club (FSSNOC) among a host of other paltry duties. I hope you've had a really good day.
This is #000 and it's time for another update of the ThumperGarage. .................Thanks for tuning us in................
First of all, let me thank the folks who sent articles/stories/etc to be used in the upcoming (but it'll be awhile...) issue of Thumper News ... TN#162 ... our thanks to: Maynard, #1196 - CO. Steve, #3288 - CO. Lynn, #5063 - CO.
Our "Winter" Issue (it also contains the 2026 Thumper Calendar) went out a few days ago, it is TN#161 (Thanks to all who contributed to that one - well done!)
(12 - 04 - '25)
The strange thing about "Winter" is that for many motorcyclists, the "Winter" days, well, you and I perhaps learned early in our collective educational daze that "Winter" is made up of shorter days; fewer hours of daylight is really what they should tell us, and the trade-off is for longer darkness; dark nights, if yu will, and the blanket count doubles, triples, so what's not too like about "Winter"? Plenty, right? Or not?
Anyhow, today slipped by so fast, I have to pause to think where it went ... Let's see. At 8:40AM, my first "potential spam" call rudely interrupted my sleep. I reached for the phone and put it on silent ... back to slumberland I went. Little did I know that I was missing a total of four such calls, so my efforts expended to shut my phone off proved an excellent investment! 8:44AM 8:47AM 9:40AM 9:44AM
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
A blurry 10:00AM came and went, my next opportunity to roll out early came at 10:45AM, finally I had to do it ... out I popped at 11:05AM.
By the time I got done with all my daily morning "things", I was eating my daily boiled egg by 11:45AM ... it'd soon be NOON.
Now, to be fair, the evening prior, I worked at my FSSNOC table until 1:15AM (working on the aforementioned TN#162), then made my way to bed, it was nearly 2AM. I slept like a virtual rock! How sweet it is ... and look, no need for Lunch, right?
Carrie gets a break...
In the off-season, I didn't want to say "Winter" ... for the last 20 years, I've raced 1/32nd slotcars every Monday evening from Daylight Savings time to Daylight Savings time, November through most of March.
At 1:30PM, a fellow racer comes by to pickup a bunch of used track and related components that he had earlier purchased from me. We boxed up all the stuff, and, of course, we did a fair share of bench-racing, the 24 Hours of LeMans replay was on the big screen (bigger than 21" anyway), the stove was on, it was a toasty 64 degrees.
We had a good time, he left about 3:30PM or so, headed for his house to clean out the basement to make room for his intended racetrack.
We call ourselves "B.R.A.G." from "Basement Racers Auto Group" ... Our motto is: "185 miles per hour and never leave the house" ... yep, this has entertained us (usually 6 to 8 racers) since the "Winter" of 2005-2006.
Being a BRAG track owner, I'm right in the middle of perfecting my "new" track, my old one was a Scalextric, this one is a Carrera. Anyway, it's hard to walk by a track without piddling with some small little detail, nigh impossible, in fact ... about 4:30PM, Carrie stops by the shed, opens the door with a cheery "Soups on! - Whenever you are ready..."
She is SO demanding, right?
I told her I was ready, but ... finally, about 5PM ... I mosey to the house from my shed. It's a pretty good hike, my kind of hike, about 8 feet or so.
We sat down to enjoy some cheeseburger soup (don't ask me...), and to watch Itchy Boots' latest mid-week YouTube video. (Season 8 Episode #99) She is currently riding across TiJikistan, a tiny country in what used to be the Soviet Union, as I've learned ... on a 1987 Yamaha XT600 Tenere, rebuilt from the ground up by a disciple of the bike in Germany. Says he has every part! Had 26 completed motors there on the shelf.
Anyway, after a bowl of soup and a couple cinnamon rolls, it was a done deal, and here I am ... Your day?
See the rest of this update on the other pages of this site ... no charge, no password, tell your friends and neighbors ... yeah, for real, it's been said that the ThumperGarage is the best entertainment on the Internet ... tell them to check us out?
It is 7:26PM. I'm headed for the History Page to see what's happening there. As you know, history never stops... Put up that kickstand and ride along???
*********** Anything below this line is old stuff, but good old stuff **************
(11-26-25) Oh yeah, doing this a day early so I can take THANKSGIVING off ...
Have an awesome day, we have so much to be thankful for ... !! NOW, ON WITH THE SHOW...
WE HAVE CHILLING NEWS!
Our first Snow Shot of the Season.
This one is from member #5186, Rob, from Minnesota ... and Rob, well, let's just say that it's not Rob's first rodeo ... so no Thumper-shaped silhouette in the frame, though that would have made a fun foto ... Send us one if that happens to you or has already happened at your house?
So far, here in ThumperVille, it's been a beautiful and enduring Autumn, offering one or two days a week that made for a fun day to ride without too much cold weather gear.
But, when I rolled into the shed a few days ago, I did take time to install my liner in my winter riding jacket ... and I think my electric vest works. My electric gloves do not, one battery didn't make the first winter season (bummer) ... so they were kind of a bad joke, at least in my case.
They were highly rated, a brand named GERBING, but weren't satisfactory not only in the fact that the battery died a quick death, but they do not offer any crash/abrasion protection should one fall off his/her motorbike.
Carrie bought the Highway 21 brand which offers a protective outer layer and she has had good results, so I may have to try that brand. Anyone out there that can recommend a particular brand based on your own results, let us know via email:
................................... [email protected]
Winter time is shed time for many of we FSSNOCers ... share with us your "projects" and/or your maintenance via the email address above, and take a look at the History Page. I've been piddling with my Royal Enfield Himalayan as you can view on the referenced History Page. I share more with you there...
"DING DING" ... Hey, Hey, ... it's a text from FSSNOC #002, Darrel from South ThumperVille! Check it out if you like ...
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BrGkWFeSh/?mibextid=wwXIfr
WOW! Carrie just brought me a CHAI TEA ... yeah, ever had one?
Yummmy! It's an Itchy Boots favorite "go-to" --- Over the last year and a half, we've viewed all 7 seasons of her remarkable adventures starting with Season 1, Episode 1 and working out way through the past basically 7 years of her exploring the world on a motorcycle, and usually her mount is a Thumper, btw.
Evening after evening, we would view three or four videos each evening. It is amazing what and where she goes and lives to tell us about it!! We have learned so much current information and history about tiny little countries, some of which we can't even pronounce their names, let alone knew that they existed, and she doesn't shy away from what we think of as being political hot-spots and/or war ravaged countries like Iran and Iraq.
A few weeks ago, somewhat sadly, we finally caught up with her current travels. She is now on Season 8 and typically posts two videos per week on YouTube. When winter sets in hereabouts, we may go back and re-view from Season 1, Episode 1 and forward, it is that good.
Chai Tea, in my own words, is kinda like a hot liquid gingersnap or maybe a hot liquid piece of pumpkin pie ... made from black tea, milk, and various spices ... or one can get a bag of concentrate from the store or Amazon. She adds equal parts of the mix and milk and heats.
Oh yeah, Carrie has a "Frother" from Pampered Chef (she sells PC) and she puts a "cute" layer of white foam on top, which usually ends up in my "stache" ... but for that special moment after a cold ride ... yummmm! - #000
You read it here. I'm headed for the History Page, 'cause today's news is tomorrow's History ... see the navigational aids on the masthead above and come hang out with me there? THUMP/THUMP!
NOTE: ALL CONTENT OF THIS WEBSITE IS PRESENTED FREE OF CHARGE TO THE VIEWER AND IS TO BE CONSIDERED SOLELY AS ENTERTAINMENT. - FSSNOC, INC.
******************************************
GREETINGS FROM THE FOUR-STROKE SINGLES NATIONAL OWNERS CLUB OFFICIAL WEBSITE, KNOWN FAR AND WIDE AS THE THUMPERGARAGE ...
It's ole #000, up and at 'em ... 3:51 PM
12-11-25 UPDATE, actually I am doing the updated on Wednesday, 'cause we bee going for a lunch ride on Thursday.
It's a Christmas Lunch Ride, it can't get much better than that, eh? Forecast says 67 degrees?? Is this Arizona? I supposed to bring a Thumper-related worthless gift outta my shed for the hobo gift exchange ... hmmmmm?
And, yeah, I did mow the yawn, errr... the lawn, earlier today, it is green as a gourd ... in December!! I haven't mowed since my banner case of hives earlier this summer! Then, when done, I put up our Christmas decorations outside ... Whew!
Now I know why I've been seeing all those yard signs all over ThumperVille that proclaim to the world that the homeowner hired someone else to do his decoration duties ... that just doesn't seem right ... or maybe it does?
I thought about putting our own sign outside, telling the world that we put up our own house's decorations ... and if you want me to do yours, I'll call you ... but don't wait up, okay? Ha! Ha! No sign...
NOW, ON WITH THE SHOW.............
Yesterday, as you can see in the photo above (ain't that a snazzy Triumph Speed? Beautiful! Love that blue!), we gathered for a Chai tea at The MeetingHouse in Sedgwick, Kansas. I got in a 161 miles on the KLR650, ole #8, home at sundown.
Centerstage, that's Hieb, FSSNOC #5174, on the Triumph ... we've been friends for a long time, we go all the way back to our first racing days.
I started racing in 1967, bought my first new leathers from Bates in 1968 for a pricy $80.00. That was two, maybe three weeks pay, if you had a regular job. They were bright red with white trim full leathers, top and bottom.
I joined the AMA then as well. Did the AMA life member thing the hard way, one year at a time - 57 years a member. The AMA was doing all the races, even local races via local AMA clubs, like our own club, the Prairie Pups Motorcycle Club. I joined PPMC in 1968 as well, I'm still there, still causing problems (grin). I just took 2nd place honors in our annual and year long activity/riding contest, bet you can't guess who beat me??? I'll tell you later, maybe ... but for now, I'll tell you about Slidin' Sam...
Slidin' Sam Slatterly, an AMA Pro racer from back in the day, came to our fair city to race an AMA sanctioned half-mile motorcycle flat-track race at our local racetrack on the local State Fairgrounds. It's still there, still racing...
Of course, back in the day, I was there, walking about the pits and breathing in the moment (it was "awesome" ... but we didn't know that word in 1967).
I was watching quietly as Sam was doing his prep to go race later in the afternoon. He glanced up, didn't say anything, neither did I. Pretty soon he looked over again, this time he asked me my name.
I told him, "Jack". He nodded, saying ... "You have a motorcycle?" I replied, "Yes, I do, I have a Harley Davidson 250 Sprint."
Sam, of course, rode a Harley Davidson; a white one, no fancy paint, or chromed up, it was all business and it had the bruises to prove it ... I loved it. Those days race cars and bikes sometimes had a sponsor's name or a shops name or decal, but not like now days, they are multi-colored with lots of names and games painted (wrapped?) all over them, Sam's H-D didn't even say H-D on it ... but take my word for it, it was a veteran of many such moments as today.
"Slidin' Sam" ... does that give you a hint as to his claim to fame? Typically, he wasn't a front runner, maybe due to the lack of competitive speed of his garage-built racebike, I dunno. Sam was a one-man show, a nuts and bolts guy, he did it all ... no pit crew, no mechanics, no driver, no nothin' ... but a goody number of folks in the stands knew of Slidin' Sam.
What he was known for was his talent for "riding the rail" ... "blowin' dirt on the fence" ... sometimes he'd do a lap or two after the winner had taken the checkered flag. The crowd loved it, the only one who perhaps didn't like it was the race winner as Sam would often steal the show, for a couple of laps anyway, he was the Star.
Imagine your own race boot, or in Sam's case, maybe a lineman's lace-up boot bought at a Used-Economy store, that left boot was tightly strapped into a crudely crafted steel shoe, its bottom sole shined like chrome from sliding on the track while the spinning rear wheel of Sam's fully-crossed-up H-D was sand-blasting paint off the racetrack fence ... all this often in the neighborhood of 100 miles an hour, dual straight pipes at full song! You could tell who in the crowd knew about Slidin' Sam ... they didn't leave their seats to go home until after Sam put on his show.
This was who I was talking to...
"Do Ya race that Sprint?", he asked without looking up from his task.
"No. Not yet...", I said, quietly.
"Why not?", he queried, his brow wrinkled in feigned disbelief.
"Uhhh, I don't have any leathers...", I answered, I'm sure I sounded pretty lame.
He shook his head in silence.
"Hang on a minute. Don't go anywhere...", he said.
He returned in a few minutes, clutching a bundle of something, something old and smelly, like it had been stowed somewhere for a long while, and after surviving a hard life as well. He handed me the bundle.
It was a full set of racing leathers ... Slidin' Sam's leathers.
I was blown away (and we didn't have that verbal phrase back then either, but it was certainly true.) I was speechless as I stood there, that moldy bundle of trashed cowhide cradled in my arms.
My mind switched off there ... I don't have any recall of our ensuing conversation other than Sam saying with a level of finality, "Now you can race, you got leathers!"
Race I did ... maybe it was Plainville, Ks ... I can't say, but I was there to race and I had Sam's leathers, now my leathers. They didn't fit. They were wasted, totally laced with rips, tears, and snags, no doubt the result of the countless times over the years that Sam's butt hit the track and slid down that blue groove until he came to a stop ... I heard that he would bounce up and bow to the crowd, but I never got to witness him race again so I can't say about that...
Bring Hieb, from the photo, into the story now, he was there to race as well, maybe he can confirm that it was Plainville? Anyhow, funny thing, his leathers didn't fit him either, so as I recall, we traded, maybe it was the pants we traded, anyway, we went racing...
Those leathers were a game changer for me, thank you, Slidin' Sam!
Many people have givin' me a "leg up" in the 82 years of my life, but no one else has given me their racing leathers ... sure, they were worn-out, used-up, and smelly, but that moment was and remains a remarkable moment in my memory. - Oh yeah, as per my racing, which continued on at a sportsman level for many years, that experience included MX, Observed Trials, Hare Scrambles, TT races, Scrambles races, etc ... but in all those years no one ever called my "Slidin' Jack" but they did call me ... "Fast Jack" ... I'll take that.
Okay, you've waited long enough ... it was wife Carrie who beat me!
Lesson learned, never discount a determined rider on a Honda ADV160 Scooter. On days that I wasn't allowed to ride due to surgery or related health issues, when her chores were done, she would head out the door, helmet in hand. Early on, she'd do what was needed to garner the activity points, but as the miles and the weeks rolled up, soon she was coming back a bit later and with more than enough miles to accomplish the club quest.
I'd ask her how far she rode? Early on, it was sometimes a single digit, but now days, it's usually 40 - 60 - 80 miles! I think she has ridden in excess of 11,000 miles in 2025, many as a solo rider. She has grown to enjoy the solo ride, something that not everyone enjoys ... I am so happy for her, she earned that PPMC award ...
Way to go, Carrie! - JR, #000
Now, I'm headed for the History Page ... care to ride along?
It's that-a way ...
******************************************
Posts below the line above are old news ... but still worth a read - Thump! Thump! Enjoy...
It's 6:35 on Wednesday evening ... Greetings, All!
It's Jack, FSSNOC #000, Director of the Four-Stroke Singles National Owners Club (FSSNOC) among a host of other paltry duties. I hope you've had a really good day.
This is #000 and it's time for another update of the ThumperGarage. .................Thanks for tuning us in................
First of all, let me thank the folks who sent articles/stories/etc to be used in the upcoming (but it'll be awhile...) issue of Thumper News ... TN#162 ... our thanks to: Maynard, #1196 - CO. Steve, #3288 - CO. Lynn, #5063 - CO.
Our "Winter" Issue (it also contains the 2026 Thumper Calendar) went out a few days ago, it is TN#161 (Thanks to all who contributed to that one - well done!)
(12 - 04 - '25)
The strange thing about "Winter" is that for many motorcyclists, the "Winter" days, well, you and I perhaps learned early in our collective educational daze that "Winter" is made up of shorter days; fewer hours of daylight is really what they should tell us, and the trade-off is for longer darkness; dark nights, if yu will, and the blanket count doubles, triples, so what's not too like about "Winter"? Plenty, right? Or not?
Anyhow, today slipped by so fast, I have to pause to think where it went ... Let's see. At 8:40AM, my first "potential spam" call rudely interrupted my sleep. I reached for the phone and put it on silent ... back to slumberland I went. Little did I know that I was missing a total of four such calls, so my efforts expended to shut my phone off proved an excellent investment! 8:44AM 8:47AM 9:40AM 9:44AM
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
A blurry 10:00AM came and went, my next opportunity to roll out early came at 10:45AM, finally I had to do it ... out I popped at 11:05AM.
By the time I got done with all my daily morning "things", I was eating my daily boiled egg by 11:45AM ... it'd soon be NOON.
Now, to be fair, the evening prior, I worked at my FSSNOC table until 1:15AM (working on the aforementioned TN#162), then made my way to bed, it was nearly 2AM. I slept like a virtual rock! How sweet it is ... and look, no need for Lunch, right?
Carrie gets a break...
In the off-season, I didn't want to say "Winter" ... for the last 20 years, I've raced 1/32nd slotcars every Monday evening from Daylight Savings time to Daylight Savings time, November through most of March.
At 1:30PM, a fellow racer comes by to pickup a bunch of used track and related components that he had earlier purchased from me. We boxed up all the stuff, and, of course, we did a fair share of bench-racing, the 24 Hours of LeMans replay was on the big screen (bigger than 21" anyway), the stove was on, it was a toasty 64 degrees.
We had a good time, he left about 3:30PM or so, headed for his house to clean out the basement to make room for his intended racetrack.
We call ourselves "B.R.A.G." from "Basement Racers Auto Group" ... Our motto is: "185 miles per hour and never leave the house" ... yep, this has entertained us (usually 6 to 8 racers) since the "Winter" of 2005-2006.
Being a BRAG track owner, I'm right in the middle of perfecting my "new" track, my old one was a Scalextric, this one is a Carrera. Anyway, it's hard to walk by a track without piddling with some small little detail, nigh impossible, in fact ... about 4:30PM, Carrie stops by the shed, opens the door with a cheery "Soups on! - Whenever you are ready..."
She is SO demanding, right?
I told her I was ready, but ... finally, about 5PM ... I mosey to the house from my shed. It's a pretty good hike, my kind of hike, about 8 feet or so.
We sat down to enjoy some cheeseburger soup (don't ask me...), and to watch Itchy Boots' latest mid-week YouTube video. (Season 8 Episode #99) She is currently riding across TiJikistan, a tiny country in what used to be the Soviet Union, as I've learned ... on a 1987 Yamaha XT600 Tenere, rebuilt from the ground up by a disciple of the bike in Germany. Says he has every part! Had 26 completed motors there on the shelf.
Anyway, after a bowl of soup and a couple cinnamon rolls, it was a done deal, and here I am ... Your day?
See the rest of this update on the other pages of this site ... no charge, no password, tell your friends and neighbors ... yeah, for real, it's been said that the ThumperGarage is the best entertainment on the Internet ... tell them to check us out?
It is 7:26PM. I'm headed for the History Page to see what's happening there. As you know, history never stops... Put up that kickstand and ride along???
*********** Anything below this line is old stuff, but good old stuff **************
(11-26-25) Oh yeah, doing this a day early so I can take THANKSGIVING off ...
Have an awesome day, we have so much to be thankful for ... !! NOW, ON WITH THE SHOW...
WE HAVE CHILLING NEWS!
Our first Snow Shot of the Season.
This one is from member #5186, Rob, from Minnesota ... and Rob, well, let's just say that it's not Rob's first rodeo ... so no Thumper-shaped silhouette in the frame, though that would have made a fun foto ... Send us one if that happens to you or has already happened at your house?
So far, here in ThumperVille, it's been a beautiful and enduring Autumn, offering one or two days a week that made for a fun day to ride without too much cold weather gear.
But, when I rolled into the shed a few days ago, I did take time to install my liner in my winter riding jacket ... and I think my electric vest works. My electric gloves do not, one battery didn't make the first winter season (bummer) ... so they were kind of a bad joke, at least in my case.
They were highly rated, a brand named GERBING, but weren't satisfactory not only in the fact that the battery died a quick death, but they do not offer any crash/abrasion protection should one fall off his/her motorbike.
Carrie bought the Highway 21 brand which offers a protective outer layer and she has had good results, so I may have to try that brand. Anyone out there that can recommend a particular brand based on your own results, let us know via email:
................................... [email protected]
Winter time is shed time for many of we FSSNOCers ... share with us your "projects" and/or your maintenance via the email address above, and take a look at the History Page. I've been piddling with my Royal Enfield Himalayan as you can view on the referenced History Page. I share more with you there...
"DING DING" ... Hey, Hey, ... it's a text from FSSNOC #002, Darrel from South ThumperVille! Check it out if you like ...
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BrGkWFeSh/?mibextid=wwXIfr
WOW! Carrie just brought me a CHAI TEA ... yeah, ever had one?
Yummmy! It's an Itchy Boots favorite "go-to" --- Over the last year and a half, we've viewed all 7 seasons of her remarkable adventures starting with Season 1, Episode 1 and working out way through the past basically 7 years of her exploring the world on a motorcycle, and usually her mount is a Thumper, btw.
Evening after evening, we would view three or four videos each evening. It is amazing what and where she goes and lives to tell us about it!! We have learned so much current information and history about tiny little countries, some of which we can't even pronounce their names, let alone knew that they existed, and she doesn't shy away from what we think of as being political hot-spots and/or war ravaged countries like Iran and Iraq.
A few weeks ago, somewhat sadly, we finally caught up with her current travels. She is now on Season 8 and typically posts two videos per week on YouTube. When winter sets in hereabouts, we may go back and re-view from Season 1, Episode 1 and forward, it is that good.
Chai Tea, in my own words, is kinda like a hot liquid gingersnap or maybe a hot liquid piece of pumpkin pie ... made from black tea, milk, and various spices ... or one can get a bag of concentrate from the store or Amazon. She adds equal parts of the mix and milk and heats.
Oh yeah, Carrie has a "Frother" from Pampered Chef (she sells PC) and she puts a "cute" layer of white foam on top, which usually ends up in my "stache" ... but for that special moment after a cold ride ... yummmm! - #000
You read it here. I'm headed for the History Page, 'cause today's news is tomorrow's History ... see the navigational aids on the masthead above and come hang out with me there? THUMP/THUMP!