EVENT PAGE - updated on 07-15-'26
SEE HOW IT'S DONE? A PHOTO OR TWO, A TEXT OR AN EMAIL, A FEW WORDS OR MORE - and you could be famous? SHARE WITH YOUR FSSNOC FRIENDS WHAT YOU'VE DONE FOR FUN - AND WE, YOU. THAT'S WHAT WE DO HERE AT THE FSSNOC THUMPERGARAGE...
[email protected]
OR TEXT: 1-620-663-1869
OR MAIL: FSSNOC P.O. BOX 1809, HUTCHINSON, KS. 67504-1809
.....................................................................................
THUMPERS, OUT AND ABOUT AGAIN? YUP ... THIS TIME IT IS IN THE BLACK HILLS OF SOUTH DAKOTA!
(PHOTO) ... THREE RED CRF300 HONDAS - ALL NORTH DAKOTA FSSNOC MEMBERS.
ONE KTM690 - A NON-FSSNOCER ...
ONE BLUE YAMAHA XT600 - A NORTH DAKOTA FSSNOC MEMBER.
"A GOOD TIME HAD BY ALL ...", AS REPORTED BY DAVE THOM, #2585 - ND.
"AT HOME TODAY, IT IS 86 DEGREES, WAS 100 DEGREES THE TWO DAYS PRIOR..."
...........................................................................................................................................................................
FROM AN EARLIER UPDATE...
Got to hand it to Kerry even though he fell short by 3.6 miles.......
It's been my goal to do 3,650 for the year for a few years now. Yes, I know, not a very big deal, but for me at 84 years old and a few health issues, it's not bad for me. Last year I had the 3,650 with time to spare so decided to go for 4000.
Thought I was doing well on that but stopped 13 miles short. Problem is, I have 4 bikes to ride and got sloppy logging my miles. Hence, I did a Kerry.
Won't happen this year. I'm shooting for 4,050 miles which will be my best over the past 10 years. In case anyone is wondering, yes, I've had better years. Probably my best was 1986 when I did 11K miles in 5 weeks on a little ride to Alaska.
Keep up the good work Kerry, 20K by Dec. 31 should be easy for you.
Vic Force, #3701, NC
(REPLY) Hey, Vic ... We'd like to know more about that Alaska trip??? - #000
...........................................................................................................................................................................
Photo above WAS OF the original location of THE PSYCHO SHOP ... the building is still there at an intersection off Highway 14 (earlier it was Hwy17) and it now serves as a bodyshop for auto repair. Incidentally, it was in service as a gas station earlier on November 22,1963 when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
I was pumping gasoline into a local ladies car at that moment ...
Of Note: Those with a keen eye may have noticed the Hodaka on the end of the row and closest to the camera, and in those days, it really would have been a camera! ... It was a one-off racer built by the Hodaka distributor in Yukon, Oklahoma for our racing buddy, Hieb, now FSSNOC #5174 and riding a what? Yes, a TRIUMPH SPEED 400!
We rarely missed a week-end of racing, winter and summer, sometimes Flat-track, sometimes Hare-Scrambles, sometimes Moto-X ... We'd work on the bikes every evening during the week, then race ... and win (or not), crash, or blow-up, it was a repeat ... Wow, what fun! - #000
...........................................................................................................................................................................
A QUESTION FROM ROB, #5186 - MN ...
ALAN, #2950 - IL. What brand/model of panniers are mounted on your TRIUMPH SPEED 400?
BTW ... Great photo of the group at St. Francis THUMPERCAFE #67, sorry I could not make it.
I tracked my own miles year to date; 4402 miles and none on a Thumper as I am still "in-between" (Rob's earlier Thumper was an awesome Husqvarna 701 ... T/Y! - #000).
..........................................................................................................................................................................
It's just a few days past the ... HALF-WAY POINT in 2026!
... still time to note your own miles ridden in case you haven't done so yet. It's great fun and it is an effective way of leaving those famous "thumper trax" that we've talked about and our 2025 shirt displayed that logo as well.
Remember that OLD-GOLD-BOLD FSSNOC t-shirt of last year, 2025? AND ... if you have kept your miles ridden log, send us your results ... [email protected]
Have a awesome week, see you back here at the ThumperGarage next week for more exciting stuff about the "ONE'derful world of THUMPERS! - #000.
..........................................................................................................................................................................
Mr. Thumper,
Well, Drat, Pooh, and Bother!
My goal was to do 10,000 Thumper miles the first half of the year. Took the GB500 for a ride, but didn't remember exactly how many miles I needed to get to 10,000 so as I started my route I figured I'd do part of one of my usual routes then head on up to Jerome. Did that.
Thought I'd head on up the mountain and turn around at the top, but the traffic was pretty heavy and the trip up the mountain would have been a bit frustrating. Figured I was good anyway and turned around in Jerome and headed home.
But, NOOOOO!!
My total motorcycle miles for the first half of the year = 12,862.1.
My Total Thumper miles, 9996.4! Grrrrrr. . . Kerry #4543, AZ
==================================================
TO KERRY ABOVE: HA! HA! HA! - YA LIGHWEIGHT! I LIVE IN KANSAS, WE GOT WINTER ... AND I BEAT YA ON THOSE THUMPER MILES! I'M AT 10,653 MILES; ALL THUMPERS, AS OF JUNE 30, 2026! - #000.
WHAT ABOUT YOU ... YEAH, YOU THERE ... WHAT IS YOUR JANUARY TO JUNE THUMPER MILES RIDDEN TOTAL? WANNA SHARE? WANNA GET IN ON THIS CHIT-CHAT? SEND IT OUR WAY: [email protected]
==================================================
Here we are, Woodrow and I, headed for a FSSNOC ThumperCafe ... the year is 2019. Note the machines - less than 550cc collectively to get us to our destination in Alabama. (this photo appeared as a text on my phone this AM)
"Hey, that must have been the 2019 Alabambam trip!", I typed back.
"Yes, it was...", Woodrow, #5420 replied.
"Hard to believe that was 7 years ago!!", I wrote.
"No kidding...", from Woodrow.
Next came a photo of a plate overflowing with homemade food ... with one single word attached: "Agape" ("Agape" was the one word name of a restaurant that was disguised as a once-active in an earlier time implement dealership complete with now-rusting farm machinery still on display out front which we walked around to enter! We didn't have a clue what was soon to occur...)
"Wow! An incomparable dining experience. One never knows what awaits...", I commented back, remembering back with a big smile how we had been fed like family ... with agape, literally.
"The best meal of the entire trip in my opinion.", Woodrow recalls.
"Better than beanie-weanies in a can! Ha! Ha! And I do recall a rather spectacular hamburger at some five stop sign intersection, you sent them a Facebook review later...", I rambled, one eye on the texts and the other eye on this glowing screen that you see...
"Yes", he texted.
A few minutes go by in silence ... not a "ding" to be heard. I'm hard at work on this update, with an occasional sip on my now rapidly cooling java ...
"Ding"
"Shady Dale, Georgia. That was a different trip...", Woodrow scolded.
Woodrow then forwarded a photo of his review on Facebook:
The best cheeseburger and fries I've had in a long time. My "yankee tea" was refreshing and hit the spot as well.
... signed: The Two Adventure Riders from Kansas
- then in reply, the lady at Shady Dale had written back:
Thank You for such a nice review. I'm so glad you stopped and had lunch in Shady Dale with us, we really enjoyed talking to you two!! Hopefully your adventures will bring you back our way and I'll always have some "Yankee tea" waiting for you.
Be safe and have a great trip, Adventure Riders...
signed: Owner of Robby and Cindy's Cafe.
And Woodrow was right, it was a different trip. That time, we were in Georgia for an amazing ThumperCafe in Blairsville in 2022. Wow! That floods my mind with a literal galaxy of other memories ...
The "cafe" was only open for walk-ins, maybe due to covid-19, we ate outside on a ramshackle picnic table surrounded by those big plastic containers that chemicals come in these days, like farm fertilizers, etc. The cafe sign said one name, a magic-marker piece of paper on the front door read another: Robby and Cindys Cafe ... and yeah, it was gastric heaven in the rough! This is only a couple of all the adventures we have had, such a life ... and every ThumperCafe trip produced moments like this one, over and over and over ... amazing!
Did you spot the shoe in the above photo? - #000.
SEE HOW IT'S DONE? A PHOTO OR TWO, A TEXT OR AN EMAIL, A FEW WORDS OR MORE - and you could be famous? SHARE WITH YOUR FSSNOC FRIENDS WHAT YOU'VE DONE FOR FUN - AND WE, YOU. THAT'S WHAT WE DO HERE AT THE FSSNOC THUMPERGARAGE...
[email protected]
OR TEXT: 1-620-663-1869
OR MAIL: FSSNOC P.O. BOX 1809, HUTCHINSON, KS. 67504-1809
.....................................................................................
THUMPERS, OUT AND ABOUT AGAIN? YUP ... THIS TIME IT IS IN THE BLACK HILLS OF SOUTH DAKOTA!
(PHOTO) ... THREE RED CRF300 HONDAS - ALL NORTH DAKOTA FSSNOC MEMBERS.
ONE KTM690 - A NON-FSSNOCER ...
ONE BLUE YAMAHA XT600 - A NORTH DAKOTA FSSNOC MEMBER.
"A GOOD TIME HAD BY ALL ...", AS REPORTED BY DAVE THOM, #2585 - ND.
"AT HOME TODAY, IT IS 86 DEGREES, WAS 100 DEGREES THE TWO DAYS PRIOR..."
...........................................................................................................................................................................
FROM AN EARLIER UPDATE...
Got to hand it to Kerry even though he fell short by 3.6 miles.......
It's been my goal to do 3,650 for the year for a few years now. Yes, I know, not a very big deal, but for me at 84 years old and a few health issues, it's not bad for me. Last year I had the 3,650 with time to spare so decided to go for 4000.
Thought I was doing well on that but stopped 13 miles short. Problem is, I have 4 bikes to ride and got sloppy logging my miles. Hence, I did a Kerry.
Won't happen this year. I'm shooting for 4,050 miles which will be my best over the past 10 years. In case anyone is wondering, yes, I've had better years. Probably my best was 1986 when I did 11K miles in 5 weeks on a little ride to Alaska.
Keep up the good work Kerry, 20K by Dec. 31 should be easy for you.
Vic Force, #3701, NC
(REPLY) Hey, Vic ... We'd like to know more about that Alaska trip??? - #000
...........................................................................................................................................................................
Photo above WAS OF the original location of THE PSYCHO SHOP ... the building is still there at an intersection off Highway 14 (earlier it was Hwy17) and it now serves as a bodyshop for auto repair. Incidentally, it was in service as a gas station earlier on November 22,1963 when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
I was pumping gasoline into a local ladies car at that moment ...
Of Note: Those with a keen eye may have noticed the Hodaka on the end of the row and closest to the camera, and in those days, it really would have been a camera! ... It was a one-off racer built by the Hodaka distributor in Yukon, Oklahoma for our racing buddy, Hieb, now FSSNOC #5174 and riding a what? Yes, a TRIUMPH SPEED 400!
We rarely missed a week-end of racing, winter and summer, sometimes Flat-track, sometimes Hare-Scrambles, sometimes Moto-X ... We'd work on the bikes every evening during the week, then race ... and win (or not), crash, or blow-up, it was a repeat ... Wow, what fun! - #000
...........................................................................................................................................................................
A QUESTION FROM ROB, #5186 - MN ...
ALAN, #2950 - IL. What brand/model of panniers are mounted on your TRIUMPH SPEED 400?
BTW ... Great photo of the group at St. Francis THUMPERCAFE #67, sorry I could not make it.
I tracked my own miles year to date; 4402 miles and none on a Thumper as I am still "in-between" (Rob's earlier Thumper was an awesome Husqvarna 701 ... T/Y! - #000).
..........................................................................................................................................................................
It's just a few days past the ... HALF-WAY POINT in 2026!
... still time to note your own miles ridden in case you haven't done so yet. It's great fun and it is an effective way of leaving those famous "thumper trax" that we've talked about and our 2025 shirt displayed that logo as well.
Remember that OLD-GOLD-BOLD FSSNOC t-shirt of last year, 2025? AND ... if you have kept your miles ridden log, send us your results ... [email protected]
Have a awesome week, see you back here at the ThumperGarage next week for more exciting stuff about the "ONE'derful world of THUMPERS! - #000.
..........................................................................................................................................................................
Mr. Thumper,
Well, Drat, Pooh, and Bother!
My goal was to do 10,000 Thumper miles the first half of the year. Took the GB500 for a ride, but didn't remember exactly how many miles I needed to get to 10,000 so as I started my route I figured I'd do part of one of my usual routes then head on up to Jerome. Did that.
Thought I'd head on up the mountain and turn around at the top, but the traffic was pretty heavy and the trip up the mountain would have been a bit frustrating. Figured I was good anyway and turned around in Jerome and headed home.
But, NOOOOO!!
My total motorcycle miles for the first half of the year = 12,862.1.
My Total Thumper miles, 9996.4! Grrrrrr. . . Kerry #4543, AZ
==================================================
TO KERRY ABOVE: HA! HA! HA! - YA LIGHWEIGHT! I LIVE IN KANSAS, WE GOT WINTER ... AND I BEAT YA ON THOSE THUMPER MILES! I'M AT 10,653 MILES; ALL THUMPERS, AS OF JUNE 30, 2026! - #000.
WHAT ABOUT YOU ... YEAH, YOU THERE ... WHAT IS YOUR JANUARY TO JUNE THUMPER MILES RIDDEN TOTAL? WANNA SHARE? WANNA GET IN ON THIS CHIT-CHAT? SEND IT OUR WAY: [email protected]
==================================================
Here we are, Woodrow and I, headed for a FSSNOC ThumperCafe ... the year is 2019. Note the machines - less than 550cc collectively to get us to our destination in Alabama. (this photo appeared as a text on my phone this AM)
"Hey, that must have been the 2019 Alabambam trip!", I typed back.
"Yes, it was...", Woodrow, #5420 replied.
"Hard to believe that was 7 years ago!!", I wrote.
"No kidding...", from Woodrow.
Next came a photo of a plate overflowing with homemade food ... with one single word attached: "Agape" ("Agape" was the one word name of a restaurant that was disguised as a once-active in an earlier time implement dealership complete with now-rusting farm machinery still on display out front which we walked around to enter! We didn't have a clue what was soon to occur...)
"Wow! An incomparable dining experience. One never knows what awaits...", I commented back, remembering back with a big smile how we had been fed like family ... with agape, literally.
"The best meal of the entire trip in my opinion.", Woodrow recalls.
"Better than beanie-weanies in a can! Ha! Ha! And I do recall a rather spectacular hamburger at some five stop sign intersection, you sent them a Facebook review later...", I rambled, one eye on the texts and the other eye on this glowing screen that you see...
"Yes", he texted.
A few minutes go by in silence ... not a "ding" to be heard. I'm hard at work on this update, with an occasional sip on my now rapidly cooling java ...
"Ding"
"Shady Dale, Georgia. That was a different trip...", Woodrow scolded.
Woodrow then forwarded a photo of his review on Facebook:
The best cheeseburger and fries I've had in a long time. My "yankee tea" was refreshing and hit the spot as well.
... signed: The Two Adventure Riders from Kansas
- then in reply, the lady at Shady Dale had written back:
Thank You for such a nice review. I'm so glad you stopped and had lunch in Shady Dale with us, we really enjoyed talking to you two!! Hopefully your adventures will bring you back our way and I'll always have some "Yankee tea" waiting for you.
Be safe and have a great trip, Adventure Riders...
signed: Owner of Robby and Cindy's Cafe.
And Woodrow was right, it was a different trip. That time, we were in Georgia for an amazing ThumperCafe in Blairsville in 2022. Wow! That floods my mind with a literal galaxy of other memories ...
The "cafe" was only open for walk-ins, maybe due to covid-19, we ate outside on a ramshackle picnic table surrounded by those big plastic containers that chemicals come in these days, like farm fertilizers, etc. The cafe sign said one name, a magic-marker piece of paper on the front door read another: Robby and Cindys Cafe ... and yeah, it was gastric heaven in the rough! This is only a couple of all the adventures we have had, such a life ... and every ThumperCafe trip produced moments like this one, over and over and over ... amazing!
Did you spot the shoe in the above photo? - #000.