(HISTORY PAGE ... Please note that all content on this site is presented without cost to you and is presented in the interest of entertainment and is not to be considered as advice. - #000
(12-12-24) Update:
The following is in response to the Scooter conversation that is in review (see here on the History Page, then catch more on the Event Page) ........................................ read on, and thank you for being here. Invite your friends...
I believe it was Bikecentennial...
Hi ya, Jack! (Yes, you are correct, Maynard... #000, and those maps have arrived.)
I had a DR650 Suzuki 15 years ago. I acquired a ZRX1200 Kawasaki with more than double the DR's horsepower that I rode at roughly the same speed. I sold the ZRX and bought a V7 Moto Guzzi five years ago that I ride just as fast (or slow) as I rode the DR or the ZRX.
If I bought a new 350 Royal Enfield or a Himalayan, I'd ride more slowly on highways marked 70mph than I do on my Guzzi. Would I hate that?
I don't think so.
If I took the next step down in speed and bought a smallish Scooter, I'd ride at 50 or 55mph. That's still 35 or so mph faster than I can ride a bicycle on a flat road for any distance.
I'd avoid interstate highways, but I do that now. I'd choose country roads much the same way I would if I were riding a bicycle - to avoid motor vehicle traffic.
I wouldn't want to be in the way and I wouldn't want to mix it up with Mr and Ms Over-Caffeinnated Motorist, scourge of our highways.
After a day or so, I feel sure I'd get over that in-a-hurry feeling...and I'd relax into the pace.
Small-town folks would call one another: "Come down to the Casey's. There's a whole flock of motor scooters down here! They come all the way from Kansas...and Minnesota...and Ohio!"
No sensible adult needs a 250cc motorcycle anyway. Where are you gonna use all that power?
Mark up those maps, Jack and Carrie!
your friend, Maynard, #1196 -CO. ---- and to follow this "thread" see below on this page and then go to the Event Page ---------------------------------------------------------------------------->
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(Let's enjoy some history today! 12-05-24)
Ever been to Europe or Asia or...? What do they have that we don't have? Give Up?
SCOOTERS ... yes, hundreds, maybe thousands, tens of thousands of scooters; parked at the curb, leaned against a building, zooming about at what looks to us from the USA as at a pell mell speed ( I asked Siri how to spell "pell mell", she replied with her infinite wizdom ... "parallel" ... oh well, onward and upward!).
We do have Scooters here in the USA, just not in the numbers that one sees elsewhere, and over the years we've had several FSSNOC members who've been tagged Scooter Jim, Scooter Bill, Scooter Bob, and so on...
A bit of personal history: Carrie and I enjoyed a pair of red Italian Piaggio 150cc scooters back in 2007- 2012, we even organized a local socially assembled little "gang" of nine adult mid-life crisis scooterists that we hung out with on summer evenings at local drive-ins, even did day trips into the countryside and on occasion, weekend runs ... great carefree fun, Indeed.
In 2013 she traded her scooter for a red-white-blue new 2012 Honda CBR250R and I bought the orange 2013 Repsol Honda CBR250R that now since 2019 respites in the garage with 93,000 miles on it.
After riding it some 43,000 miles, she sold her CBR250R to me in 2019 and in 2020 we both bought new Honda Super Cub 125s. While the Cubs were great machines, Honda having sold over 100,000,000 examples worldwide, they weren't nearly as capable (fun) of zipping about the city streets as were our previously owned Piaggio scooters.
So ... they went bye-bye, Carrie's to be replaced by a 2021 Honda Rebel 300 that proved to be a bit too bulky for her comfort, so it in turn was replaced by another pair of Piaggio scooters. There is an old axiom, "You can never go back home" that might apply here, we've now both sold our most recent Piaggios. Carrie has since purchased the latest and greatest, a 2025 Honda ADV160 ... whew! ... and she loves it!
#### See this week's conclusion (of sorts) of this ramble on the Event Page...
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PSSSSSSSST! BUD - NEED A NEW FSSNOC CAP? ... Yes?
Order yours today ... if you are a current member of FSSNOC.
Mail your purchase request with a check made out to: FSSNOC, INC.
at: P. O. Box 1809, Hutchinson, Ks. 67504-1809
Details:
First of all, it is called black but due to the pre-stressing effect it is more of a charcoal to me - an excellent choice as it should be slow to discolor with hard use, eh? Toss it into my tankbag? Stick it under my riding jacket? Wear it proudly every day? Yes!
Secondly ... It adjusts with a strap that disappears into a slot (as opposed to using that sticky velco) and it is said to be designed to fit many different head sizes.
Third ... In gold, "FSSNOC EST. 1986" is up front. On the example above, one may observe the FSSNOC member number on the left side. This is an optional service to each individual member upon their request and payment of an additional modest fee. It'll proudly exhibit your membership number and it will identify your cap from another member's FSSNOC cap when tossed onto a nearby table at a gathering ... both excellent reasons to choose that option.
Fourth ... Yes, it is as affordable as it is comfortable, it's always fun to make a good deal!
$20.00 for each cap, mailing (only to USA addresses) is via a polybag mailer for $6.00 per cap. Add your FSSNOC member number for $5.00 additional per cap.
Should you purchase additional caps at the same time, you save on the postage, yes ... a great idea. Add just $2.00 per cap to cover the additional mailing costs. Dollars here are in US funds. So, order up ... Tell the world that you proudly belong to the Four-Stroke Singles National Owners Club (FSSNOC).
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ENJOY A LITTLE OF OUR OWN HISTORY ... CHECK IT OUT, RUNS AN HOUR AND MAYBE A BIT MORE, MIGHT TAKE THE PLACE OF SOME BAD TV, EH? - #000
A THUMPER RIDER'S PODCAST ...
To view the podcast ... CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZb4CgjfmEk
The podcast above was generated by Janus Motorcycles in Goshen, Indiana. EP.#1 ... In this podcast, FSSNOC #000 (Jack) is the guest being interviewed by Richard and Grant from JANUS MOTORCYCLES.
Play/View time is a tick over an hour so some popcorn might be nice, I like the chocolate drizzle kind, btw. Formal wear (FSSNOC club t-shirts, cap, etc...) adds to the mood, but not mandatory. Contact your friends, invite them in, share as you like. No cheat sheets, no prompt boards, no prior discussion and no Thumpers hurt in the making of this podcast.
574-538-1350 JANUSMOTORCYCLES.COM
And, this podcast is for entertainment only...