FSSNOC THUMPER GARAGE
************************************************************************************ THIS WEBSITE UPDATE IS FOR ... 01-17-19
OUR NEXT ANTICIPATED UPDATE IS ... 01- 24 - 2019
See "Website Details and Instruction" section at the bottom of all this great conversation.
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Royal Enfield Starter Woops (photo above)
Last fall I noticed that my RE wouldn’t turn over with the electric starter when it was cool in the morning. One kick would fire it right up. After riding it awhile, the electric starter would work fine. I could hear the starter motor whirring when I pushed the button. That couldn’t be the problem.
I did some research on the internet, and found that it could be a sprag clutch failure. That’s the part that the starter turns and which then turns the engine over. Why it only did it when cold was not something I thought through. But it must be my problem, so I ordered a new clutch.
Ken, FSSNOC #4800 from Helena, sent me a video of replacing it and it looked simple enough. After two days with no luck getting it off, I called my oldest motorcycle buddy, Tom, who came over with an impact wrench and crowbar and we had it off in no time at all. We put the new one on and it did the same thing as the old one.
Not one to accept failure when it meant I might not be able to ride this thing again, I called Baxter Cycle to see if they had any ideas. A reply came back right away to check my battery. I’ve always paid close attention to it, keeping it on the maintainer during periods of disuse, and it had never given me trouble in FIVE years. Okay, I buy a new battery and put it in, hit the starter button and it fires up and settles into it’s lazy idle. Great!!!
Lessons learned—don’t try to out-think your problem, never doubt an Enfield, and it’s good to have more money than brains, (hope that holds out).
Keep on REing
Steve Oakman #5266 - Nebraska
Hey Steve ... Nice photo above! Glad you got it starting good again. Your five years on the original battery must be some sort of record. Was it a Fiamm brand like mine? Baxter's told me to not expect anything above one year or so, and I got along with it for about 2 1/2 years, then it went south. I replaced it with a Yuasa of the same number but the posts were at a different angle, but I did get it to work. Right now, the Enfield is under a blanket and the battery is in my basement. Like a bear, the Enfield hibernates through the winter months. I just hope it's in a good mood when it wakes up ... #000.
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Jack
Did you sent out the 2019 calendar in alphabetical order ? Meaning I would get mine in MAY. I did check my membership card and it says I'm good 'til April 2020. Just wondering?
Congrats on the XT250, I had one, just didn't fit the urban environment. Dr. Dirt is a big fan and has ridden his all over Mexico and Central America.
Happy New Year everyone, at least I think it's the new year?
Curt Worthen #3826 Indiana
PS Working on getting a new member for Indiana.
Yo Curt ... Yep, you are still in good standings on this end. All my records indicate that an issue left here via the US Post Office. Do you still live on Classic View? I do have a few issues in inventory so let me know if I should mail you another at that same address. That class of mail does not qualify for forwarding, vacation holds, etc ... they just toss it into a black abyss somewhere so we not only lose the magazine, we lose the postage as well.
Thanks for the "congrats" on the XT250 Yamaha. I've had it one month and 4 days, have 1048 miles on it. So far, other than adjusting the chain two notches, everything is fine. Not a hot rod, for sure. I'm considering gearing it up a tooth on the counter-sprocket (up to16T), looks to be some extra room under the sprocket cover. It really enjoys a sandy loose backroad, but is less thrilled with pavement and tarmac speeds.
Haven't heard from Dr. Dirt of late, it gets pretty cold in Michigan this time of year, he may be riding in some warmer climate somewhere!
I may have bragged about getting three new FSSNOC members in early January, 2019 way too soon! We haven't received any new members since ... we really do need to grow the club to offset the firmly underway "aging out" process so I'm thrilled to hear of your efforts! Let me know on that address, Curt. You can text me at 620-663-1869 if that is easier ... Thump On! ---- #000.
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More validation of the concept:
"Keep it Simple. Keep it Single" ... Ken Conrad, #4800
The Janus' website is pretty interesting. Their motorcycles are really intriguing. Hope they are successful; they have a good philosophy about motorcycle design.
https://www.janusmotorcycles.com/journal/2018/10/17/bulletproof-the-heritage-of-the-janus-250-engine
Hi Ya, Ken ... Thanks for thinking of us down here in the land of 50 degree days, unlike Montana where even the sheep layer-up ... I know, a ba-a-a-a-a-a-d joke!
Keep the faith, I got a text the other day that we are enjoying 24 minutes more daylight now than on December 21st... I'd say that depends on how late I sleep!
See ya up the (back)road ... #000
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Hi ... "000" I thought I would give you a six-month update on my Royal Enfield Continental G T. ( the last of the 535cc Singles).
I found out that we had an Enfield Dealer in Tulsa. They had a green GT on the floor. I've liked the looks since I saw one in 2015. I bought it the next week.
Like you said, at 55mph, it was very sweet. At 65mph, it would shake your teeth out. There were a few things I wanted to change.
First came the six-inch head light had to GO. Enfield has a seven- inch kit for it. I installed a seven-inch H/D two projector lens LED light. Much better light now.
The bike can't start or run with the side stand down. I rewired the side stand SW, to bypass it.
The pegs and seat don't shake much, but the bars were bad from 60mph to 70mph. The old bar weights were 5.7 ounces, I made some new ones that weighed 13.7 ounces. That made a big improvement. I now run about 60 to 65mph. All and all, it is a very nice town bike.
If I had a way to put luggage on, I would tour in a heartbeat !!!!!!!!! I'm still working on that ! I'm getting about 71+ miles to the gallon. The gear box is very sweet and the brakes are just fine.
I had a problem with my idle speed when I got the bike. Being a new dealer, they weren't able to fix it right away. They worked with me until they received a map reader. After that, it ran great !!!
I've got a little over 3,000 miles on it now. I'm liking it more and more every time I ride it.
My dealer has been great. If they are all this good, Enfield should have a great FUTURE !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thump Thump!
Threefenders, #162 - Oklahoma
Happy to hear all this positive feedback, Mr. ThreeFenders, #0162! I may need you to make me up a couple of those handlebar weights while it is still wintertime and you have a cheap rate in your shed? Do the bar end mirrors still work on your custom weights as I wouldn't want to give those up, for sure? - #000.
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Thanks for the mention of Jim Crank.
I still find it hard to believe he's gone. We all did many trips together, and the one mentioned, Gold Point, was one of the best. The destination was unique and fun, and I wonder from time to time if the guy is still out there.
Jim was a great riding partner, and I'm going to miss him a lot. He was one of those guys that would do anything for you. We were planning a trip to Canada this summer, but he's riding in a much more beautiful place now. Motor Mike
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That's it for today, Ladies and Germs! Thanks for stopping by the ole THUMPER GARAGE. Don't leave before you've checked out the other pages here at this website. While this website happily allows free access to fellow motorcycling enthusiasts, please know that it is paid for by the Four-Stroke Singles National Owners Club so it is our desire that visitors would tell others about our site and that they would consider joining our organization as well. Keep On Thumpin'! - #000.
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Posts below the above line are from a previous update:
"Sure, I like the mud!"... that was Kevin's comment.
This mud is special. It is red, as you can see, but what you can't see is how slick it is! One minute you are doing fine, the next second, you are down and looking up at the world ... fun stuff, but it is messy! We did get the BMW F650 picked up but it was all we wanted, largely because our footing was so insecure.
The following story which goes with the photo that ran last week on the Event Page so it'll be a repeat here but you might enjoy it again or you can skip down over it as you desire...
SOME DAYS ARE JUST SPECIAL!
My day in mind was last Friday. A bit of background here ... I have a text loop of sixteen local FSSNOC members who allow me to invade their media privacy several times a week, sometimes later in the day than I should, and sometimes with information that is of little or of debatable value.
Weather-wise, last Thursday was a nice day, last Friday was a great day, and Saturday looked like, and today proved to be, an over-the-top day!
This assemblage of thoughts and memories before you and the photo above is about what went on or as street-speak says, went "down" on Friday.
I don't watch much TV, well, regular TV, as I dislike commercials, mostly, that and the fact that most TV shows are of little interest to me and I seldom to never watch the weather channel. I do hope to catch some SuperCross later this evening but first I need to get my story told here, eh?
12:01PM. I think it was on Thursday, in anticipation of Friday's great weather as forecast on my I-phone, I had put a message on our text loop that I planned on riding dirt roads to Kingman, Ks. and to dine at Smitty's Drive-In ... did anyone want to go?
Silence... then:
12:09PM. I get a text from Kevin, FSSNOC #5414. "What time, #000?".
12:10PM. This is cool! I text him back, "About 1:00PM?"
12:12PM "Let's ride. I just need some air. Stop by my place, I'll be ready at 1" he replied by return text.
01:58PM. I get another text nibble. "Mr. Kenny will join you!" ... that be my ole pal, FSSNOC #5313.
07:30PM. At our local M/C club's monthly meeting, Dwain, #5174 and Ro, #5357, tell me they're coming.
Smitty's Drive-In will make your day special. Onion rings as big as softballs, cut and cooked within a few feet of where one places the order. You will want to pay cash 'cause they give a discount for cash, save that plastic for another time, okay? And, sweet tea! Ahh, one thing that global warming has done for us here in Kansas is to bring us this delectable beverage, along, however, with a few hundred Armadillos up from Texas and Oklahoma. You can tell the ones from Oklahoma 'cause they are covered with red dirt and the Texas 'dillos make a sound that sounds curiously like "ya'all got any grubs 'round here"...
Another thing that is special about Smitty's is the opportunity to dine outside just a stone's throw away from US50 as the east-west bound traffic charges smack-dab through the center of town, shaking the ground and stirring my tea, all in one fail swoop. I can sit there for hours, or at least as long as the sweet tea and the onion rings hold out ... and the burgers are really good, too.
1:00PM. Anticipating meeting everyone at Smitty's at 2:30PM, I get to Kevin's house as planned, the garage door is open, no one is around. I steal some tools, I top off my tank from his lawnmower fuel, I snack on some day old (?) powder donuts that I discover laying about, and I wash all this down with some cold beverage from his double-door garage fridge...
1:10PM. Kevin shows-up from inside the house, his eyes look sleepy and his speech seems slurred as he struggles to put on a layer of cold-weather gear, that micro-thin stuff that I can't afford. (grin)
1:20PM. After finally getting a medium-sized bike bag strapped onto the rear rack of his F650 BMW, he pushes the bike outside in the sun and hits the starter.
Silence.
1:30PM. He hastily attempts to connect one of those mini-jump starter things that will jump-start a left-over from WWII tank but again, silence ... except for that warning signal that they give off when the wrong terminals are connected...
1:36PM. "You better go, I'll see you there...", he mutters.
1:36.5PM. My Yamaha is running and my wheels are turning, I'm humming, "Onion rings on my mind..."
2:37PM. I arrive at Smitty's few minutes late. Dwain and Ro are already eating. I catch some flak for being late, I just smile and shake my head, it's how we roll. I, of course, attempt to blame Kevin, which they didn't buy that...
2:45PM. Kenny and Barbara arrive. By then, I've dragged the picnic table out into the Drive-In driveway to take advantage of the warm sunshine and you know what, they don't mind at all, they're good folks at Smitty's!
2:55PM. Kevin rolls in on his BMW F650, a smile on his face.
It was a wonderful afternoon. Great conversation. Tasty food. The sky so blue it almost hurt to look at it. Not a cloud, not a flaw. Perfect.
4:15PM. Kevin and I ride out of town in search of some cotton bales to photograph for the monthly PPMC "Simon Sez" contest which, earlier in our meal, Kenny and Barb had put me onto the location of said bales. They suggested taking "old 54 highway" to get there. It was my bright idea to take a rustic (as they are called in Indiana) route that runs parallel to their prescribed route, what could be the harm, right?
4:22PM. We clear the city, topping a couple of red bluffs and negotiating a damp and rutted curve or two. I take note that I can no longer see Kevin's headlight in my rearview, not good. I make a tight u-turn on the wet red clay surface and back-track...
4:23PM. I find Kevin, standing beside his BMW. He is upright, the BMW is not. We'd crossed a wickedly muddy section, or at least, I had ... Kevin had made it halfway. Does a bike make a sound in the woods when it falls? How about in 6 inches or more of red gooey mud?
I hurriedly dismounted and did what? I fished for my phone and snapped a couple of photos, of course. I may never get another chance to get a photo of Kevin's bike on its side in the mud. Kevin's comment, "I've just returned from a five week motorcycle trip in Viet Nam and I didn't ever fall down! I come back here and fall down in the mud!"
Why no photo of Kevin in his moment of plight here on the Thumper Garage? Well, I'm going to wait to see what Kevin says about me writing all this and if he is still friendly and speaking to me, I'll run the photo at the next update ... so as they say, tune-in next week!
As for the photo above ... it was the toasted marshmallow after a weaner roast on a crisp Autumn night, it was the last morsel of that really flaky crust on one of Carrie's cherry pies, it was a thin layer of 90wt oil on a dry shiny chain, it was a hot cup of french vanilla laden coffee at the end of a super day.
I really enjoyed Kevin's company and I hope he'll ride with me again someday. Of note, I didn't really steal any tools or gas up my bike or eat those stale donuts, but sometimes a writer just can't pass up the opportunity to embellish, ya' know? What is it they call that ... poetic license? Anyway, I hope he enjoyed the day like I did and he'll go again, it isn't easy to get people to ride with me for some reason, can't figure that one out?? - #000
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Now on a sad note ... Jim Crank, an old riding buddy of mine has departed this earth after fighting the good fight against cancer. A fellow resident of ThumperVille, Jim was an active FSSNOC member until just a few years ago, having joined in 2004. He often rode his Kawasaki KLR650 with me to attend club ThumperCafe events. One of our favorite trips was to a ghost town called Gold Point, Nevada. We covered lots of miles in almost two weeks time on the road during that trip and we always marveled that we didn't get rained on, nary a drop! I had the pleasure of meeting Jim's step-dad, Richard, in the mid-sixties, introducing him to the joys and follies of the two wheeled world, then it wasn't long before Jim followed suit. Richard still takes an occasional spin on his 650cc BSA leftover from the old days. Good people, Good friends. - #000
You are welcome to read Jim's obituary at the address below:
https://www.elliottmortuary.com/obituary/jim-crank
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HAPPY NEW YEAR, SIR! ... Hard to believe it is 2019! Time to renew and stay up to date. I really treasure this membership and I appreciate your enthusiasm and commitment to the club.
Currently, it's 34 degrees here in the Pacific Northwest, but I see a good chance for a ride on day 1, 2019.
Have a great year! Dale, FSSNOC #5369 - Washington
Hi Dale ... Enjoy that ride! Thanks for the nice comments. It is a pleasure to have you as a member... #000.
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For those of you who have opened your FSSNOC Thumper Calendar for 2019, hopefully you have read the two center pages titled,
"Welcome To The New Year of 2019!"
The gist of my comments is that we, as a body of Thumper enthusiasts and fellow members of FSSNOC, need to get serious about building our club membership numbers so that we may prosper well into the future. Now I'm sure this isn't a new subject to many of you, and believe me, it isn't very fun to have to always be talking about getting new members, BUT ... it's true, so what can I say?
However, I have good news! The New Year has kicked-off, here it is the 10th day of January, we have three new members, each one signed on by an existing member ... and that is exactly the action we need! Two Kansas members responded and one Ohio member responded to the challenge ... Guys, THANK YOU SO MUCH!
More good news ... another member noted that we should have a bigger, better calendar in 2020! How is this good news, one might ask? Because he cares, he shares his thoughts ... and he's right, who wouldn't enjoy a bigger, better calendar. So, why don't we have it? Because we can't pay for it. What happened to the nice printed response form that we used for years to thank members for their annual renewals? It had to go, same deal ... no funds to pay for it. Now don't get me wrong ... fancy paper products do not make a club, in fact in years past some major motorcycle companies attempted to form clubs. You can count the ones that survived on a couple of fingers. They had slick paper, fantastic photos, lots of ads and lots of commercial content to pay the bills ... but no personality, no heart ... and little success. Hopefully, we can regroup, we can grow, we can revitalize ... but trust me, it won't happen without member involvement. Thankfully we do have the opportunity to act and 2019 is that opportunity, don't let it pass by unnoticed...
I'll try to keep you all posted on our progress, and just for fun, I suggest we make a competition out of it, based on the states: Example - the score is currently Kansas - 2, Ohio - 1
If you don't live in one of those states, your state has a goose-egg, nada, zip, zero - 0
Thanks for listening, thanks for being a FSSNOC member ... you are appreciated!! "Thump-Thump" - #000
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*************************************************************** (Website Details and Instructions: )
Hello Thumper Enthusiasts...
I'm Jack Robinson (FSSNOC #000), your club Director. It is an honor to introduce you to THE THUMPER GARAGE. This mini-venue is in addition to our legendary hard copy THUMPER NEWS quarterly magazine. After enjoying this page, please visit our other pages on this site. Go to the masthead above to make it happen...
You are encouraged to thump by the THUMPER GARAGE weekly. This is a FREE site for you and your friends.
Members may contact us anytime 24/7 with comments, conversation, stories, or questions via a mailed letter, a phone call or an e-mail. When you E-mail, please give us your first name, your FSSNOC member number, and your state. You'll receive a courtesy confirmation E-mail back. Our actual response to your E-mail will generally be posted on the following Thursday's THUMPER GARAGE posting so be sure to tune back in then... (Address-phone number-email address is below... **)
We encourage you to join our club: Complete the application found elsewhere on this site (click on "more" above) and mail it to us with $40 dues for a 12 month membership or save a few bucks by sending $75 for a 24 month membership. Include your shirt size so we can gift you a FREE club t-shirt if this is your initial membership.
A subscription to THUMPER NEWS magazine, mailed to your mailbox, is included in your membership as well.
Our U.S. POSTAL address is: FSSNOC P.O. Box 1809, Hutchinson, Ks 67504-1809.
To call our club, phone 620-663-1869 or you may send an E-mail: FSSNOCTHUMPERS@yahoo.com
NOTICE: Please understand that your E-mail will likely be reproduced on this site. Any/all subject matter and information may be used in-part or edited and will become the property of the Four-Stroke Singles National Owners Club and FSSNOC,INC. All included content in Thumper News or The Thumper Garage is solely for entertainment, not advise....
THE CLUB STORE ... CLICK ON IT WHEN YOU ARE DONE HERE?
The Autumn season means awesome riding for many areas ... time to get some new club gear, eh? Order yourself a bright new yellow and black club cap, a couple cotton t-shirts, and at least one sweatshirt to wear under your riding gear. Remember, every day is FSSNOC gear day. Tell the world about our club ... Thanks!
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YOU'VE JUST VISITED THE THUMPER GARAGE. PLEASE CLICK ON THE "MORE" ON THE MASTHEAD ABOVE ... AND CHECK OUT ALL THE OTHER PAGES OF THIS SITE. PLEASE CONSIDER BECOMING A MEMBER OF THE FOUR-STROKE SINGLES NATIONAL OWNERS CLUB (FSSNOC) TODAY ...Thank You! - Jack, FSSNOC #000/Director
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