"SNAP - CRACKLE - POP - COAST - STOP - PUSH"
(01-27-22)
GREETINGS ALL on this wintery day from our digs here at the THUMPERGARAGE located smack dab in the center of these United States of America. We are FSSNOC.com and we are the club website for and of the Four-Stroke Singles National Owners Club or FSSNOC, as is often commonly used ... Club member or not, we hope you will enjoy your visit today and we cordially invite you to tune in each week.
Of course, we would invite you to join our club by visiting the Club Application page on this site, see navigation aids above. This site is a service of communication and entertainment for our club members, however, we also offer it as a gift to the general public in support of a sport and lifestyle that we all enjoy, that of Motorcycling ... or as our latest t-shirt proclaims, "Thumpin' in the USA" - Jack Robinson, FSSNOC#000
Below, we hear from Alan in sunny California, and in advance, Thank You, Alan!
Hi Jack (000),
I see you have been watching my weather in sunny California. Hard to believe that Kansas had warmer weather. Earlier this month the wild flowers are blooming in the fields. Yesterday, California is having a rare January forest fire. As I write this, the forest fire is not contained yet.
Jack, I know you use white lithium grease to lube your chain, well ... me too. I came across something that might also do the same thing, Motul chain paste. This chain paste is slightly darker than white lithium grease and comes with a built-in applicator brush.
While on the subject of motorcycle chains, over the years I've broken a couple of them. Most of my motorcycle chains usually last easily 30,000-40,000 miles. The links and sprockets are usually still in great shape with that many miles on them. Then again, I usually gently ride my motorcycles and lube the chain often. After a while, I've learned the sound when one of the links side plates break. Have others broken their motorcycle chains? See attached photo above.
Currently the weather is nice outside. I guess I better go for a Thumper ride.
Alan Smith (5286) California
Hey, Alan ... "Motorcycle drive chains are a service-oriented item "... I think many of us would nod our heads in the affirmative of that statement. Some bikes have shaft drives, some have belt drives, but many of today's machines have the same basic chain system that has been used on many models and brands of motorcycles for decades.
In fact, and I offer my opinion here for its entertainment value only, I would note that we may have gone backwards a bit in design due to the popularity of smaller diameter type counter sprockets used on modern day machines. Case in point, the Brit bikes of yesteryear, to my knowledge, often used 19 teeth on the front sprocket. The advantage of this appears quite simple, the lubricant, whatever it may be, doesn't sling off nearly as quickly at high sprocket speeds due to the larger diameter, also the drive chain is being forced to go through a much tighter turning circle with a small sprocket, which I assume creates heat and thins the lubricant.
I, not having an engineer background or education, probably don't see the perfect and total picture here, a smaller sprocket may and likely does offer advantages that I am not aware of ... but to my untrained eye and brain, the larger counter-sprockets of yesteryear may have had advantages.
Life is different for each of us, and I think that we can add to that, that life with a motorcycle is different for each of us ... and what a journey it is ... enjoy your journey.
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Post below are from previous weeks............
WELCOME TO THE EVENT PAGE of the THUMPERGARAGE FSSNOC WEBSITE ... we are thrilled to have you with us!
What are the Thumper-related events in your life? FSSNOC members are invited to share their stories here on the club website ... think of it as the water fountain at work, or your favorite coffee hangout, or just spending time with friends who enjoy what you enjoy, Thumpers!
Think of this site as a bulletin board, send your posts via an email to: FSSNOCthumpers@yahoo.com
Should you have a photo to send, please note that horizontal format shots fit our site's framework best ... send photos as an attachment to your email. We'd love to hear from YOU!
The photo above:
Here in ThumperVille and surrounding area, we do what we call, "Moto-Coffee" ... usually weekly, and we do pick and choose the warmest days, particularly through the winter months.
I simply send out a text to local members that I know enjoy this kind of thing and are usually free to attend; and with that being said, if you are reading this and you are within attending distance and would like to attend, please let me know and I can add your text to my list.
Our group does vary in size, usually at least 3 or 4, sometimes up to 10, you can count the Thumpers at the curb ... always fun and always a joy to be there and this winter's weather has been spectacular!
A few days back, we had 67 sunny degrees, I checked the temperature in Castro Valley, California for the same day ... was a high of 54 degrees! Whoa! Awesome...
Usually our destinations for these informal gatherings are within an hour's ride of ThumperVille and, like our ThumperCafe events, everyone meets at the Cafe, arriving via the route of their own choosing.
One small point of order, yet a very important point to this type of spontaneous group get-together where a prior head count isn't available, attenders are encouraged to NOT go in and seat themselves prior to the advised given time of gatherings, which by the way, are often exact times, such as 11:42AM or 1:05PM. This way, we all go in together and management can seat us all together at one time. No one gets "stranded" away from the group that way.
I do try to contact the Cafe ahead of time so they have a heads-up that we are coming, that does help things go smoother for them and our group.
Great fun, the weeks fly by ... and soon we'll be seeing all of you again for lunch in the state of Iowa on June 17th, then in Oregon on August 18th, and later we'll do lunch in the peach state of Georgia in October, the 13th.
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