KEEP ON THUMPIN' ...
NOTE: ALL CONTENT OF THIS WEBSITE IS PRESENTED FREE OF CHARGE TO THE VIEWER AND IS TO BE CONSIDERED SOLELY AS ENTERTAINMENT. - FSSNOC, INC.
CURRENT UPDATE: 09 - 30 - '26 NEXT EXPECTED UPDATE: 10 - 08 - '26
STOP! LOOK! LISTEN! This site is designed for PREMIUM viewing on a tablet, laptop, or desk computer. In some cases, the photo sizing MAY NOT be compatible with a particular cellphone's architecture. Thank You for visiting our site. We invite you to visit weekly ...
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When is the last time you all took ...
A LAZY DAY SUNDAY AFTERNOON RIDE?
Sometimes it just feels good to break off by yourself or with your road-mate for a semi-unplanned loop through the backroads of your own, though in this case somewhat distant, backyard ...
Last Sunday, Carrie and I did that very thing ... and yes, it felt good! No road map, no GPS, just a general destination of nearby Pratt City, Ks ... a mere 55 miles away by Highway 61, generally in a southwest direction.
So why Pratt City? Well, it's a long story short ... our local m/c club has an annual member activity "contest", one gets "points" for completing various riding destinations throughout the month. These accumulated points are to be each member's answer to the monthly club business meeting's roll call ... and at the end of the year, one usually gets what the little boy had in his hand ... nothing. But for some, that is enough ... as we all know, the fun is in the miles and smiles, particularly if those miles are Thumper miles, right? Pratt was the Simon Sez ride for September.
At 1:15PM this last Sunday, we rolled our Thumpers out of the shed and into the afternoon sunshine of a beautiful late Summer/early Autumn day. Not too hot, not too cold ... still wearing our Summer Outer gear but today we did wear long sleeved tees as we motored out of the hustle and bustle of the city ... (grin).
We stayed on paved backroads, turning left, then right, then straight, etc ... as we worked our relaxed way generally toward Pratt.
At 3:07PM, the above photo, according to my phone, was taken. We had stopped to visit a site that has been there for years, so familiar to the locals that most motorists don't even lift as they go by this impressive array of yesteryear planes ... it is what is left of the old WWII Pratt Army Airbase. According to local signage, this Base is noted to be a very important USA Base during that period of history. This location was on Highway 281 just a few miles north of Pratt.
We motored on toward Pratt, stopping for a bit in Pratt so that Carrie could refuel her Honda at a local "Pumps On 24 Hours" site on south Main street. Pratt's spacious Main street was so quiet on this Sunday afternoon that the stoplights were on "auto-blink yellow" ... kinda nice, kinda Sunday afternoon lazy, really.
I had parked in the shade on the west side of the street while Carrie had gassed across the way ... when she was topped-off, she returned to park alongside. We paused for a moment just to enjoy the quiet...
I heard a Thumper! A small bore, yes, but still a Thumper ... a silver with wine colored graphics Honda SL125 chugged by, its helmeted rider turning to look and wave ... time stood still ... it was 1971 again.
When the time warp faded, we continued on our way ...
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BE SURE TO VISIT ALL OUR PAGES HERE ON THE THUMPERGARAGE WEBSITE BEFORE KICKSTANDS UP ... see navigational aids above.
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GUESTS ARE WELCOME HERE ... VISIT US EACH WEEK WITHOUT BOTHERSOME PASSWORDS AND/OR SECRET CODES ... RIDE IN, FIND A PLACE TO PARK, ENJOY YOUR VISIT! THANKS FOR STOPPING! - #000.
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POSTS BELOW ARE FROM AN EARLIER UPDATE:
BACK IN THE _______ AGAIN,
BACK WHEN A FRIEND WAS A _______ ...
WHERE THE LONGHORN _______ FEED
ON THE LOWLY GYMPSON _______ ...
BACK IN THE _______ AGAIN!
.......... the above words came to me when I viewed the above photo. I attempted to figure out what song they may have sort of came from, with no results. I thought maybe it was from the Roy Rogers theme song, but that path came to a "dead-end"... or as they say now days, "No Exit".
THEN ... Gene Autry popped up! Yah! And his horse was named ____________ !
Now I can have a measure of peace, one's mind is an endless source of information, is it not? Now we go to the above photo and related story from Aero Alan:
Hi Jack (000),
Looking for thumper pictures? I was trying to figure out what would be a good thumper picture to send you. Looking around my garage and yard I couldn't help but notice my poor neglected 1982 Honda CT-110 sitting unused for years. Luckily when I put it away, I flushed out the carburetor and gas tank.
It only took me a few minutes to get the CT-110 running. Looking for a good place to take a picture, I put a few miles on it. I forgot how clunky shifting the gears. Also my memory of how fast it could go ... 35 MPH feels like a good cruise speed. I was sure it could easily reach 50 or even 55 MPH. Oh well, it was a short trip down memory lane.
Aero Alan (5286) Northern California
REPLY TO AERO ALAN: Good stuff there, Aero! Carrie and I had a couple of HONDA Super Cub 125cc city version of the above bike back in 2020 or so, and yeah, the shifting is indeed "clunky", with its automatic clutch type drive system with manually sourced gear selection. We had been previously spoiled by having two different stints on Piaggio Scooters, much much nicer around town where shifting is repeated at every intersection and corner!
BUT ... out in the Trails, out in the Mountains, out in the Woods ... the HONDA Trail 55/90/110/125 will do their job! Easy to get on, Easy to get off, Easy on gas, Easy to load, and Easy to have fun with ...
AND ... yah, we are looking for Thumper Pictures (of your thumper?) ... for our 2027 FSSNOC THUMPER Calendar and time is drawing nigh, get'tem to us ASAP: [email protected] or send them from your phone by texting to: 620-663-1869.
THANK YOU, SIR AERO ALAN ... so why did I use your excellent photo here on our website INSTEAD of using it in our new 2027 calendar? Well, Whit, FSSNOC #5484, beat ya to the punch, sending FSSNOC a photo of his HONDA TRAIL 125 several days ago ... so don't give up, get out there and snap up some more Thumper pics, ay?
OH, AND AS A REMINDER ... shooting the photo with the camera/phone in the horizontal attitude results in a photo that generally works well in a calendar format ... you know, like one holds a 100 dollar bill as one mumbles, "I hope this isn't a phony!" or "Now which President is on this?".
ONE MORE THOUGHT ... keep an eye on what is in the background. Scenic or interesting is better than a garage door or a driveway shot, right?
KEEP ON THUMPIN' ... we're headed for the ___________ Page! See ___ there!! - #000
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FROM AN EARLIER UPDATE, but you knew that... (grin)
Good Afternoon Jack and club members:
While hard at work rewriting the Burt article, I saw this in my gallery from the visit to E. Hayes and Sons. Thought you might find this of interest as it appears there might have been some “speedway adventures” in your past.
I’ve heard of the JAP engine but have not researched it thoroughly. The placard for the bike might be another Thumper Rabbit Hole opening?
Take Care Be Safe, Keep On Thumping
Flying Fran #1440
(REPLY TO FF...)
Hi Ya, Flying Fran! We received your Burt Munro article, Thank you very much ... and I'd like to use that in a future issue of our magazine, Thumper News. The photos came out kinda fuzzy to my eye on this end, see above ... but the article content was very enjoyable, again ... Thank You!
As for Speedway Racing, my experience has been almost zero, other than reading about them in magazines over the years and, of course, now daze, on U-tube. Definitely with the minimalistic design of the whole machine and the apparently common use of a four-stroke Single powerplant, who couldn't like that, ay?
As for those photos, perhaps you could text them to 620-663-1869 ... maybe we'd have a better product that way, maybe not (grin)? That guy in the awesome orange FSSNOC shirt really upgrades the shot, we gotta have that, yes?
Keep On Thumpin', Sir Flying Fran... #000.
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BSA COMES TO AMERICA?
Hi Jack,
I’m a member of the BSA Owners club of Southern California and in the latest issue of our journal, Piled Arms, there was an announcement of the new BSA GoldStar being available at a dealer in San Diego; GP Motorcycles www.gpmotorcycles.com
Their website reflects them arriving soon, but inventory shows a couple of them in stock (along with a nice looking ‘71 B50). The main BSA website doesn’t show a dealer in the LA area, but I have signed up for updates. She who must be obeyed wants to go see her Alma Mater play football in San Diego in October and if we end up going, I’ll go by the dealership to check them out. ... Joe #4591
NOW THAT IS EXCITING, JOE! ... Keep us posted ... Good Stuff! - #000
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#000 here ... I want to share a couple of renewal letters with you all ... I thought about the title of:
A PAIR OF JEANS
( ... no, make that a pair of "Gene"s! )
FROM FSSNOC #059:
HELLO JACK,
WHERE DID THOSE 41 YEARS GO BY? WE'LL TALK SOON OR I'LL WRITE A LETTER. AND THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK ON KEEPING THIS CLUB TOGETHER.
MY ONLY SHORTFALL IS THAT I'VE NEVER GOTTEN TO MEET YOU. I'VE HAD FOUR STROKE SINGLES ALL MY LIFE AND I'VE ONLY RACED THEM, BUT NEVER RODE THEM ON THE STREET. MY LOVE HAS ALWAYS BEEN FLAT TRACK AND TT RACING, FOR 70 YEARS! I'M GOING ON 85 YEARS OF AGE NOW...
TAKE CARE AND BEST TO YOU AND CARRIE! ------------ GENE, FSSNOC #59
FROM FSSNOC #0262:
HI JACK, HOPE ALL IS WELL WITH YOU! I'M LIVING THE DREAM! IN FEBRUARY, I BOUGHT A ROYAL ENFIELD GUERILLA 450 TO REPLACE THE 2007 SUZUKI DR650 THAT I SOLD. I LOVE THE GUERILLA!! LIGHT AND HANDLES WELL.
I MISS THE TORQUE OF THE 650CC BUT I USED TO ROADRACE TWO-STROKES SO I KNOW HOW TO USE THE "REV'S UP" TO RIDE THAT WAY.
THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO!
YOUR 40 YEAR FRIEND,
GENE #0262
NOTE FROM #000 ... 40 YEARS PLUS? WHERE DID THEY GO? HA! HA! HARD TO SAY! THE TWO LETTERS ABOVE ARRIVED IN THE MAIL HERE AT FSSNOC; ONE FROM THE EAST COAST, ONE FROM THE WEST COAST, BOTH FROM "GENE", AND BOTH LONG TIME LOYAL FSSNOC MEMBERS. CHECK OUT THOSE MEMBERSHIP NUMBERS!
IT TOTALLY MADE MY DAY! I WANTED TO SHARE IT WITH YOU ... JR, #000.
NOW, ON WITH THE SHOE .... SEE YA ON THE HISTORY PAGE! -----> THUMP THUMP
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FROM AN EARLIER UPDATE:
Good Labor Day Morning Jack and club members...
Jack, I can see your point and will return to my creative design studio to re-pen my Ode to Burt for FSSNOC,
Flying Fran 1440 .......................... Thank You, Sir Flying Fran! Keep On Thumpin' - #000
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WHEN IS THE LAST TIME I VIEWED A MOTORCYCLE GOING INTO A CURVE ON DIRT GOING AT LEAST 90 MILES PER HOUR, MAYBE 100?
... I must confess, my most recent Dirt Track Race exposure, not counting YouTube, of course, was many a moon ago! THE ABOVE RACE AT SPRINGFIELD, THE FAMOUS SPRINGFIELD MILE in Springfield, IL ... I USED TO BE A REGULAR IN THE STANDS AND WALKING AROUND THE PITS, but, alas ... it's been decades! SEE PHOTO ABOVE ... from a member many of us know as "Smiley", FSSNOC #4031, think of our FSSNOC Thumper Calendar for 2026, maybe hanging on your wall, see page 8, February ... there he is with his pristine Honda XR250R.
Thank You, Smiley!! (And, by the way, that's his Yamaha SR400 ... also pristine, posing in front of the Gate #2 "Welcome" sign in the photo above. Posted 09-09-26.) It's a mile long track, very fast, always with spectacular racing ... I did see a reference to it posted on YouTube just last evening but I didn't get to view it yet ... but I plan to! - #000
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HELP! FSSNOC NEEDS SOME THUMPER PHOTOS FOR THE "NEW" CALENDAR FOR ... 2027!
WOW! THAT WAS ONE FAST YEAR,
BUT IT HAS THE BEST SEASON OF ALL YET TO COME ... THAT BE AUTUMN!
COLORFUL LEAVES, PERFECT TEMPS, KEEP ON THUMPIN'!:
GOT ANY PLANS TO SHARE?
WHERE YA' WANTIN' TO GO?
IS A NEW THUMPER OUT THERE?
EMAIL OR TEXT, LET US KNOW?
[email protected] or Text to: 620-663-1869
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Below are posts from earlier days ... like a slightly worn knob, just too good to toss!
KICKSTANDS -UP, WE ARE HEADED FOR THE HISTORY PAGE (But Wait ... I gotta go make me a coffee ... be right back! - #000
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