WELCOME TO THE
FSSNOC THUMPER GARAGE
scroll down for our update for ... 06-14-2018
Our next routine update is expected to be 06-21-18.
NOTICE TO THE READER OF THIS WEBSITE: CONTENT WITHIN IS THE OPINION AND VIEWPOINT OF THE SUBMITTING PARTY AND MAY NOT BE THE OPINION OR VIEWPOINT OF THE FOUR-STROKE SINGLES NATIONAL OWNERS CLUB. ALL CONTENT IS TO BE CONSIDERED SOLELY AS ENTERTAINMENT AND IS NOT TO BE CONSIDERED AS ADVICE. FOR MORE INFORMATION, SCROLL DOWN TO "SITE DETAILS AND INSTRUCTIONS" BELOW...
Want to make a comment, show us your Four-Stroke Single, ask a question, whatever ... you are invited to email us at: FSSNOCthumpers@yahoo.com or call us at 620-663-1869 (leave a message if we are riding!) or write to:
FSSNOC P.O. Box 1809, Hutchinson, Ks. 67504-1809 ... Thanks for stopping by! - Jack, FSSNOC #000-Director
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GOOD MORNING! IT'S GREAT TO BE BACK ...
WELL, SORT OF ... that Ozark jaunt (read about it in last week's post below) was a "one"derful brake in things! On my first day home, when I awoke, I thought for a minute that I was still there and it would be another day of riding ... but, alas, it wasn't to be ... instead, I mowed the yard! Oh well, guess we should be thankful when things are just "normal", eh?
HONDA IS BRINGING BACK THE MOST POPULAR VEHICLE OF ALL TIME ... THE SUPER CUB! It's true! This time it will be a 125cc, auto-type clutch with a manual shift transmission, mag 17" wheels, ABS brakes, telescopic front forks ... watch for it maybe about September at a dealer near you!
FREE COMMEMORATIVE 2018 THUMPERCAFE DECAL ... is in the works! Reserve one for your Thumper if you plan to attend a ThumperCafe this year ... let FSSNOC know as soon as possible. Those who reserve a decal in this manner will pay nothing, just show up at a ThumperCafe and claim your prize!
PEOPLE HAVE ASKED ME ... "WHY DO YOU DO THIS?" ... this is why:
Hi Jack,
Here's a check for a couple more years, plus a little something for the club. I'm still caring for my wife 24/7, so our Thumper has been in the garage for the past two years. Reading Thumper News and visiting the Thumper Garage website keeps us in the saddle.
Our best to you and Carrie. Happy Thumpin' ...(name withheld here - 26 year FSSNOC member)
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WHAT IS BETTER THAN A PICTURE OF ONE THUMPER?
A PICTURE OF TWO THUMPERS! (PHOTO ABOVE)
Jack,
You're forgiven for not running my Himalayan pictures three weeks in a row. Here's one you can't pass up. And inserting another Enfield last week was great. I just can't say enough good things about REs. And by the way, Natasha has given me her Okay to ride to Colorado in August, so maybe we'll see each other then, too. The C5 has new tires and will be ready for that trip.
Steve Oakman #5266 - Nebraska
PS Don't forget I've got a room for you and Carrie in Greybull on July 17th and am really looking forward to that ride on the Himalayan.
Hi Steve ... Love that shot! Kinda Two Worlds of Thumpin', right? The old and the new. I'm tempted to say, a photo of my "Pride and Joy", but that's an old joke involving two house cleaning products, you remember that one (z zz zzzzzzzzzz z z z z z z z ) ???
Oh yeah ... the WORLD BIRTHDAY DINNER (WBD) - 2018! We plan to be there on July 17th, in fact, via this website, we've invited anyone in FSSNOC who has or has had a birthday in 2018 to be there as well! We'll see if anyone shows up, eh? The idea is to bring a present of little or no value to the dinner in Greybull. Those with presents will exchange with another who brought a present, etc ... 'cept for Steve and I. We been doing this get-together for lunch on an annual basis now for awhile and he did say I could invite a few friends, "anyone that might be in the area", so that is what I'm doing ... how many people can we get around that table, Steve? ... the days are ticking down. See you soon, Good Lord willing! - #000.
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FROM ONE MOUNTAIN TO ANOTHER?
Jack, we've moved to Sedona, AZ. So busy getting things unloaded and stuff that I've only had 2 rides all month! Aaaaaaaargh. But this, too, shall pass.
Here's hoping all will be squared away by ThumperCafé time!
Kerry
#4345, formerly of CO, now AZ.
Enjoy the new sounds and sights, my friend! Thanks for the address update, too. Send us a photo or two here at the Thumper Garage when you get out and about, okay? #000
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Hello, JR Howdy, Vic!
How are things going out there in the great plains? Great! :) Need any water? Yah, from time to time. Carrie usually gets it for me out of the fridge :) We've got plenty here in the SE. Oh. You mean "rain" water...?
Now, down to business. Are any FSSNOC members also members of the Mustang Motorcycle Club of America? Not 100% sure if that club is still going or not. Although I never owned one, I was a club member for almost 10 years. My membership number was 026. Wow! You were in on the ground floor, Vic!
I still have most of the clubs newsletter/magazines starting with Vol. 1, No. 3 thru Vol. 10, No.1. I need to let these go before my kids take them to the recycle center. First preference will be to any FSSNOC member who is also in the Mustang club. Second preference will be to any other member here. From there, if the MMCOA is still active I'll ask over there. Those Mustangs pop-up now and then, I see them at Cushman Scooter shows and in the ads in the Vintage For Sale magazines quite often.
This is a free, one time offer, just pay shipping costs, or if you are in the Ashville, NC, just swing by and I'll load you up. My email is vija22@bellsouth.net Vic Force Thanks for the offer, Vic! Best to ya! - #000
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WORDS FROM A SUZUKI SAVAGE 650 RIDER:
Good Day
I’m the proud owner of a Suzuki Savage 650. I’d like to get involved with the club. Before I join I’d like to know what Club Events are planed…
I live in Potwin KS 67123 so I’d be able to make some day rides from SCK
Thank You ... David Sirota Potwin, KS.
And a good day to you, David! Thanks for the note. You may go to the Event Page at this website to see what our annual schedule offers our FSSNOC membership. We do national-based "THUMPERCAFES", these are events where members may gather for conversation and camaraderie, all in the Thumper vein, of course (grin) and, of course (another grin) typically over the best chow we can find in that particular area.
Our club's service to the Thumper lifestyle or sport, if you like, as we see it, is to provide a communication link between owners and riders of the time-honored Four-Stroke Single Cylinder motorcycle. We do this with our equally time-honored publication called THUMPER NEWS, a quarterly publication that is mailed via the USPS to a mailbox near you and also through this internet presence we call the "THUMPER GARAGE" and we are on social media with a Facebook Page as well.
As for providing a source of weekly local events for individual members, that service is hopefully provided by a local motorcycling club in your area. Now, having said that, once you are in the FSSNOC "loop" for awhile, it isn't unusual for fast and enduring friendships to form among our members and from those personal links can come a source of motorcycling enjoyment, both local and national, depending on the logistics.
KANSAS is smack-dab in the middle of the good ole UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! Half the motoring world goes through our state at any given time. Based on that fact, each week throughout the year, on a general basis, wife Carrie and I love to invite those FSSNOC members who are traveling through our state or FSSNOC members who are visiting our area, and local FSSNOC members to join us for lunch at a vast array of locations, usually within a couple hundred miles of ThumperVille (that be Hutchinson, Ks in code). Upon joining, that would include you and your 650 Savage Suzuki, David.
Look at it this way. It's $40.00. Yah ... not quite 11 cents a day. You get a $25 club t-shirt for FREE if you haven't ever been a member. You get a $3.00 club decal, a membership card, some club membership application cards, AND a full year subscription to THUMPER NEWS, some of the best reading in motorcycling (priceless-right, guys and gals?) plus 12 months of club membership itself ... GEE! WHAT A DEAL, EH?
Make it happen ... go to the membership application page on this website and WOWZA ... it begins!
Great to hear from you, David. Thanks much... Jack, #000
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KEN'S ISLE OF MAN TT EXPERIENCE:
It was amazing. Laying on the grass berm downhill from I think it was Kate's Cottage to Creg Ny Baa watching them accelerate, downhill, for maybe a half mile to a hard 90 degree right turn, you're literally within an arm's reach as they fly by at about 150mph! Astounding! You can feel the bow wave as they streak past and hear the air off the fairing. Kinda like being close to a fast airplane going by. Was an incredible experience being there. I rode the course. I have absolutely no idea how Michael Dunlop averaged just short of 134mph, from a standing start (!), the year I was there. Ken Conrad, FSSNOC #4800 - Montana
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THUMPERGATE 2009:
Jack, hard to believe the Gate gathering was 2009! I really enjoyed that one and had hoped to hear from the girl on the bicycle who had ridden from D.C. thru Ohio and was there. Humble pie. We plan to see you in Creede and will be in Anamosa before that but not same time as you. We now have another 4 stroke single Vespa (gasp) but not riding it to Creede as we can't carry our fishing poles.
Lookin forward to lunch.
Mike, FSSNOC #3118 in Oklahoma ... where the wind comes sweepin down the plains. Mike Truel
Greetings, Mike! Yeah, she did contact Laurie several times over the years, so don't worry about that Humble Pie. You can bet that day stood out amongst a sea of others for her, obviously!
As for it being 2009, time just keeps on Thumpin'...
Like I been saying, MAKE THOSE MEMORIES NOW, MY FRIENDS ... "roses in the winter" - #000
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Hey, Jack,
Man, sounds like you had a great Ozark ride! (Read about it in the previously update section below) I have barely been riding trying to get the move to Sedona done. It is amazing what one can accumulate in 17 years in one house! Last month I only got 3 rides in. One was a fun blast from here back up to Golden on the ZRX. Went over Wolf Creek pass and up 285. 690 miles in about 12 hours. (That eclipsed my time, for sure!!)
But hadn't ridden this month until Saturday when I took the new DR down hwy89 through Jerome to Prescott. Left here and it was 94 degrees which at first seemed really hot but I soon found it tolerable. The thermometer on the bike kept going up and at one point reached 112 degrees! I'm sure that was just the sun beating down on it. (dry heat, doncha know?) Couldn't have been a bit over 102. Heading up the mountain to Jerome and over the pass the temperature read only 82, and I'm sure it was in the 70s. Really perfect riding weather, and the road and the views are spectacular. (Agreed!)
Stopped by the KTM, Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki dealer in Prescott Valley and had a nice little bench racing session. And a free bottle of water! Needed that. Then rode home the same way. Just some great thumpin'. 130 miles roundtrip. Now I only hope to get more rides in as the house gets more put together. Hard to imagine how much more work is needed. (moving is like ... w o r k !)
Looks like I'll be missing the Iowa portion of the ThumperCafé, but I still plan on doing Creede. See you then! (oh, come on! Yu can make it to Iowa, too! I'll put your name on the commemorative decal list ... see you there, as you say, in Colorado ... but remember, he with the most thumper miles has the most thumper smiles! Have fun! - #000)
Kerry #4543 - AZ
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CHECK IT OUT! All the other pages of this site! Don't miss a thing ... and tell your friends to stop by as well. We, like most clubs, are actively seeking new members so pass out those FSSNOC cards, tell your friends about us, buy a membership for your good friends (Hey, you only go around once, they say, so why not?)
THUMP WHEN YA' CAN! Best Wishes ... slide back by next week for all new stuff every Thursday evening! - Jack, FSSNOC #000/Director
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............. ANYTHING BELOW THIS LINE IS "OLD NEWS" from an earlier update - ignore or read it again, still fun stuff! Keep On Thumpin! .....................................................................................................................................................
Yeah, I know ... we be late! Sorry about that...
but I do have a really good excuse (*)!
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*We went riding!
For four days, we rode from dawn to dark ... and we had a blast! Hundreds and hundreds of curves, hills, valleys, and smoking tires! (one of those comments might be a exaggeration ... okay, its the last one!)
Monday morning, we saddled-up and rode out on the CBR250R Honda Thumpers, Carrie and I, and our "third wheel" as he called himself, our friend and fellow FSSNOCer, Jerry Kahn on his squeaky new Honda CRF250L, showing just 600 miles plus a few on the odometer.
That's Jerry in the background, Carrie in the foreground of our photo above. We head-quartered out of Eureka Springs, Arkansas at the Edelweiss Inn, hosted by Robert Schmid, originally from Switzerland. 800-870-2529 www.EdelweissInn.com
Leaving ThumperVille, we rode directly to Eldorado, Ks, our first gas stop. Jerry's CRF250L has a frightfully small fuel tank, so he had wisely fitted a spare container holding another gallon to his also freshly mounted luggage rack. Of all his extra goodies, he sang the praises for his Corbin saddle, said he'd never made it on the stock seat! An alloy skidplate graces the underneath of his Honda, though on this trip, it was just eye candy, and a fine looking piece it is, no doubt...
From El Dorado, we hit the back roads that wind their way across the Flint Hills Grassland area, dumping us back out onto a numbered highway at Cambridge, Ks on HWY 160. This area is always nice to ride, but on this particular trip, the grass was in its prime, so green it nearly hurt my eyes, the sky a velvet blue without a blemish, not even a vapor trail.
Another gas stop at Moline, and another at Oswego where we stopped long enough for some Mexican food, then back on the bikes, headed for the Ozarks. It wasn't long before we picked up about a four mile section of I-44 (choke ... couldn't be helped), then dropped south on highway MO#43.
There is this little known "short-cut" that is along in here somewhere, where IS it?
There it is ... blinker on, brakes on, eyes on my mirrors, and I dive off the highway onto a gravel-laced section of narrow one lane black-top macadam, at least it had been at some point ... up, down, repeat, across a wet low water crossing, make that three such crossings, then we bump and grind our way through the woods. This is why I came, though I'm not sure Carrie and Jerry were quite so jubilant, but they were good sports and we soldiered on, twisting and turning, seemingly lost, until we WERE lost for about 5 minutes, then I figured it out and we continued on...
Jerry is on fumes! Way more miles than he should have been capable of ... but in those on-off throttle situations, these fool-injected Honda's get amazing gas mileage, my own best tank was a miserly 85.4mpg! Jerry did about 5% less on his dual-sport bike. We rolled into the next gas stop at Washburn, at the conclusion of awesome highway #90, breathless and grinning from ear to ear, we were! Jerry bought an ice cream cone called the Lil' Trojan to celebrate his good fortune of being on this ride! We hung out for about 45 minutes, just 'cause we could, now only about an hour out of our destination. 388 miles for the day, what a wonderful day it was...
Tell you what! If you want to be treated like a ROCKSTAR, go touring on a 250cc motorcycle! Local people approach with all kinds of questions, big loud Harley riders can't believe that you can leave home on anything under 900 pounds dry, teenagers actually take an interest and ask questions that make sense, mature women aren't afraid to chat with you about the beauty of the day, and this repeats itself gas stop after gas stop ... our helmets got tighter and tighter as the trip went on! That night, it was BBQ at the Rockin' Pig Saloon, then we tumbled into bed, just like last week's check, completely spent!
Tuesday morning, up at 8AM, leave at 9AM ... such a beautiful morning, words fail me here, hence this...
- b l a n k s p a c e -
Sorry about that (the blank space), I'm still giddy from the trip! There is absolutely something amazingly special about riding a Four-stroke Single cylinder motorcycle on curvy, undulating, scenic asphalt hour after hour, mile after mile, daylight until dark, day after day. Agree?
Back to my report, we stopped at Turner Bend for what? You gassed it!
Someone stop me! On to Oark on stunning highway 215. First time I was there, years ago, it, Oark, was a hippy commune and Hwy #215 was dirt. They, the Oark populace, invited me and my late friend, FSSNOC #1092 Chuck Thomson from California to eat with them out of several huge steaming pots. I remember that they didn't make much sense when they talked and their eyeballs all seemed to be glassed-over, but the food was good and we didn't have any lasting ill-affects, so all is well, right? Chuck, if you are listening from up-there somewhere, I sure do miss you, buddy!
Maggie was our server at the Ozark Cafe about mid-afternoon in Jasper. And, they had the best sweet tea ... the best! From there, we cruised by Low Gap, AR, home of a ThumperCafe in 2017, good memories as I dropped a gear and gassed it around the bend and on down the road. Love this CBR! We gassed in Kingston, home of a FSSNOC event probably 15 years ago ... then in the softening light of evening, we snuck, or is it sneaked, into Eureka Springs via a little known tree-covered "short-cut" called Rockhouse Road that adds about ten more delicious miles to the day. Once in town, we went directly, we did not pass GO, to the ice cream place! The day prior, after our BBQ, we had walked over only to find that the ice cream place had closed at 8:15, it was about 8:20PM! We made sure that didn't happen again... 295 miles today, awesome!!
Wednesday, aptly called "hump day" ... and hump we did! 433 miles of curves in one 12 hour riding day! Up early, north into Missouri at BlueEye, many years ago I was told that the town was named after a lady who had one blue eye and one eye another color, hence the town's name. The story continued that if you called ahead, she would keep an eye out for you ... then the storyteller would laugh and slap you on the back ... strange.
About noon, we enjoyed lunch at Angler's White River Resort Restaurant in Allison, AR. as per a text from FSSNOC #4643, Ron Caffrey (KS). We dined while over-looking the White River ... a very cool spot and very good food, and yes, more sweet tea!!
After lunch, maybe one of the best scenic routes of the trip, though that is debatable, was highway #9 from Allison northeast to Melbourne, after which we worked our way over to highway 5/341 junction. Highway #341 is called Push Mountain Road, why I don't know, maybe it goes over Push Mtn. Whatever it is, it is vaguely rumored by some to be the "motorcycle road" of the area. It does fit the description, with freshly mowed wide shallow green ditches, basically very few driveways, and seemingly no venues or businesses for its 25 miles of winding white tarmac, very light traffic, and it doesn't go anywhere that I could see ... and we did meet a Triumph chopper, and a couple of sport-bikes, all out enjoying the springtime scenery.
From there, south to 254 highway, then farther south to highway 16, which is the crookedest (wow! spellcheck let me get by with that??) highway I've ridden, in fact there is at least one place where I was undoubtedly going blatantly west and the sign said Hwy16-East, true story! It seems that the odd numbered highways go north and south, the even numbered highways go east and west ... not sure if that is an absolute or not, could just be an observation...
Back into town, later than the night before and too beat to care that the ice cream store was open or not, but we did summon the energy to eat two medium pizzas from the local Pizza Hut next door, and they were fabulous, absolutely the best pizza I've eaten, or at least it seemed so ... if you are in the area, give them a try, eh?
Thursday, it was blaze a trail home day, mostly on the mainstream macadam of Highway 400, boring ... except we were, as Jerry put it, "sorta ready for boring", if you can believe that...
So there you have it, my official "excuse" for being a few days late, hope you can forgive ... and thanks to all who gave us a shout to make sure things were okay here in ThumperVille, that was nice of ya'...
Next week, we'll plan to get back on track ... unless we go riding again (grin). Remember those "winter-time roses" from last week? That's what we were doing, making memories ... hope your week was even better!
Best to you! Sign up a friend into our club. Go thumpin' when you can.
Until we meet again ... Jack, FSSNOC #000/Director ... See YOU soon!
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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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