
HISTORY
PAGE ...
Please note that all content on this site is presented without cost to you and is presented as entertainment, it is not to be considered as advice. - #000
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UPDATE: 02-13-25
FIRST RIDE ... (how special is that? There is only one FIRST RIDE!)
Princess CHEPA is Tagged, Titled, and Thumpin'! (photo above)
Six Speed, 250cc, Four-Stroke Single, upside-down forks, single shock, fuel-injection, electronic ignition ... are just a few of the notable components. A Lifan KPX250.
As my gloved hand carefully eases the clutch lever out, my right hand, also gloved, puts a tiny twist to the throttle, I feel the chain slack grow tight as, yes, yes! ... the wheels begin to rotate. I wave at Carrie (and you - above) and ease out of our drive and serenely motor down the street.
First Ride ... first corner, first brakes, first turn indicators, first time up through the gears, and soon, first time back down through those gears to first gear. I stop at my first stop sign. Ahhhh ... this feels good.
I motor about in such a way that it might appear to be an aimless non-pattern to the observer, but not really. I have a plan, a plan to ride through the residential streets of ThumperVille in such a manner as to miss as many (all) Stop-Light intersections as possible, but yet I welcome the momentary stop and go or turn of the familiar red octagon sign that we are all accustomed to seeing on a daily basis.
The transmission gears from neutral go down one for first and the rest of the six are up, with neutral being the detent between first and second. It, this, might sound like a bit of over-simplification, but hey, everything about this bike remains an unknown, every step is a learning experience, and there is the possibility of a surprise or two ... ie, the non-o-ring drive chain that we've talked about earlier.
I turn onto a through street, slightly roll on the throttle, shift, repeat ... going through the gears, the numbers on the display blink their way up to 36 miles per hour on the speedo portion, the gear indicator tells me that I am already in 6th gear. That was quick.
The span between the individual gears and the overall gearing reminds me of my Yamaha XT250 of a few years back. I remember that at stop signs on the XT, little ole ladies in their Prius' would readily blow me away when the light went green. What? Why? Because in the first few feet, I was shifting gears and they weren't ... in short order, I installed a one tooth over front sprocket, end of problem ... I feel the same issue is prevalent here with this bike.
Can you say "Light" - "Nimble"? A wise man from my past once remarked, "It matters little what a motorcycle actually weighs, it's how much it feels like it weighs that counts ... unless it is lying on the ground." This motorbike, which I have joyfully dubbed "Princess of the Orient", is light and nimble like a Princess should be, like in a Walt Disney advertisement for example.
My ride was short. 32 miles as I recall, it was a cold day, in the mid-30s, and I wanted to ride far enough to get the oil temperature up and to get in some break-in miles but not too far in these early stages. I had learned years ago, that for me, the best break-in for a new motorcycle was back and forth to work, using such a route that minimized the stop time at those dastardly stop-signs. Lots of speed-ups and slow-downs, turns, brakes, etc. Typically my route was 12 to 20 miles, good to get internal things heated up but then a nice long cool down upon arrival at the shop where I'd do a daily oil check after taking in my helmet and returning. Repeat come lunch, if I got to go that day, and repeat again at work days end ... it worked on many new motorcycles during those 30 years (grin).
It seemed but the blink of an eye, but my fingers were screaming ... brrrrrrrrrr! ... time to get back to the shed. Oil was good. ---- Jack, #000.
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UPDATE: 02-06-25
Sorry, this (the photo above) ISN'T my shed! It is the St. Francis Motorcycle Museum in St. Francis, Ks. (upper left hand corner ... a hop and a skip from Colorado)
The days of the Single cylinder Harley Davidson models were numbered by now, 1911. A twin had been sold in 1909, didn't return for 1910, but did come back to stay in 1911. This single-cylinder model had the new for that year vertical cooling fins on the cylinder head and had a displacement of 494cc with a top speed of 40mph.
Kansas has been referred to as a "Fly-Over" state. Should you find yourself flying over, take a moment and seek out this museum, 1-785-332-2400 or check out their website at: st.francismotorcyclemuseum.org to learn more about this destination.
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THE PRINCESS OF THE ORIENT ...
(AMERICAN IFAN KPX250) continues:
I've owned the PRINCESS CHEPA for a month or more now, I still haven't ridden it.
Earlier I had blamed it on the weather, then I realized that I had no license tag, so then I scurried down to my Insurance mogul's digs to procure the required insurance papers, guess what? ... They had never heard of the American Ifan brand.
An inquiry was emailed off to the parent company ... guess what? They hadn't heard of them as well ... but ... "Give us 24, no 48, errr, maybe 72 hours, and we'll get back to you..." they communicated to my local agent.
Crickets
About a week later, I stop by the insurance office to "Light a fire under my agent...", but my agent's agent told me that they had yet to hear from the big guys at the main office, so my agent's agent went old school, a phone call, yeah, to the big guys ... what a concept, eh? (grin)
Getting right to the point, the agent's agent informed me that the main company doesn't write insurance on that brand of motorcycle ... and yes, it was a short phone call.
Well, I gotta have insurance to get a tag so now what? My agent's agent fired off an inquiry to another house brand, and "boom" ... yeah, no problem, we can do that ... so we did! I now have that crumpled-up little piece of paper in my wallet that "proves" I am covered, or at least "CHEPA" is covered.
So, tomorrow, I'll slide by the tag office and ...
Stay Tuned ... Hopefully, for the maiden voyage aboard PRINCESS CHEPA.
... #000.
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Update #01-23-25 ... Enjoy the latest from FSSNOC:
We have a NEW club t-shirt for 2025. They are spectacular ... and they have a description as follows:
OLD ... this stands for COMMUNITY, the family we are after 40 years of fellowship.
GOLD ... this stands for COMMITMENT, the quality of being a member of FSSNOC.
BOLD ... this stands for ADVENTURE, our enjoyment of the Thumper life.
This shirt, as you may know, is FREE to NEW or RENEWING members. If you do not want to wait on your renewal date, you may renew early, it doesn't shorten your membership but it does get you the awesome shirt to wear ALL year long!
So what does "THUMPER-TRAX" mean? See the soon to be mailed to you, if you are a current FSSNOC member, Thumper News Issue #158-Spring club magazine. Read more about "The City Of Gold" ... ElDorado, via some poetry by Edgar Allan Poe. You'll enjoy reports and stories such as "RIDE, BOLDY RIDE", "I BOUGHT A PAIR OF TRANSFORMERS", "THE LONG RIDE", "ELDORADO DESTINATIONS FOR 2025?", "BACKROAD BANGER", "I GOT HOME ABOUT 5PM TODAY", "A TALE OF TWO FLATS","THUMPER-TRAX", and more ... and I am having extra copies printed so that YOU, should YOU decide to join the FUN, can have YOUR own copy to THUMPER NEWS ... mail us your membership application today? - Thump On! - #000 ... and don't miss the other pages on this Thumpin' website, eh?
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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...
Donn't misss the EEEVent PPagge ------>
and if you aren't already a FSSNOC member and you have $100 to invest in the New Year of 2025 and beyond, please consider joining our motorcycling organization.
Go to the Application Page, and make it happen ... We've been THUMPIN' since 1986!
You can't ketchup,
but you can get onboard now... - #000.