Old News | 123mcclub

OLD NEWS

There has not been much news to write about because of the Covid-19 lockdown for 2020 and 2021 there was no road trips and most if not all of the biking events were cancelled, it seems getting insurance for Covid cancelation was not possible so no one wanted to take the chance of the government implementing another lockdown and the organisers have to cancel the event and losing there deposits, all we can hope for is 2022 is a normal biking season with a road trip as we missed doing the road trip.

On first of July 2018 Barry went to the St Ives Festival of Motorcycling, it was a lovely sunny day if not a bit hot, had a bit of breaky at the Silver Ball on the way up, ended up joining a small group of motorcycles going towards St Ives, we got to the outskirts of St Ives only to find that they had shut the road off, I did think about just going home but I thought well I am nearly there now so it was back to the A1198 and a detour via Huntingdon and along the A14 and into St Ives, there was no direction signs for the venue going into the town centre and finding a small group of bikers there who told me that it was no longer being held there and told me where it had been moved to, they did say that it had been posted on the web site but I had not looked at the web site for months not imagining the they would move the venue but they also said that the local radio station was still saying that it was being held in the town centre and that festival had just got too big for the town and again I reconsidered just turning round and going home but I decided to carry on and eventually found the event, it was at a farm and they were parking the bikes on the farmers field, now I have parked bikes on grass fields before but they were playing fields which are by comparison smooth, this field wasn’t as you can see in the picture below, one poor sod ended up dropping his bike trying to get across the field to park his bike but he did have lots of help to pick his bike up, again I nearly just turned round and went home as I was not looking forward to getting that Beemer across the field, but I managed it and parked up, another chap said that he got his bike stuck in a rut on the field and had a job getting his bike moving again, It was quite a good event, it's just the same as when it was held in the town but the parking for the venue was very poor, and if it’s held at the same venue again I will not be going, if the ground was wet there would be a lot more stuck and dropped bikes on that field, I think that there would have been a lot more bikes at the event if it had been posted and direction sign up as I passed lots of bikes still making their way into the town centre.

THE EVENT HAS NOW MOVED FOR 2020 AND PARKING AT THE NEW EVENT LOOKS MUCH BETTER SO I MAY BE GOING TO THE NEW VENU.

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Glenn’s BMW K1200RS 1st Ride

Well that was different, got my normal gear on not my summer jacket as I did not think that it would be that warm, started her up and poodle off up the A10, I kept my speed down to let her warm up which she seemed to do quite quickly and the temp gauge was soon into the mid range, I gave her one quick blast up the A10 once warmed up and you can get to silly figures quite quickly on her, I can see why Glenn liked it, it goes like s**t off a shovel, I got to the Ware turn off and took the old road where the maximum speed there is between 30 and 50 MPH so it gave me a chance to get used to the bike, suspension is different because its Telelever / Paralever suspension, it's hard to describe really ok just different.

Getting used to the indicators will be fun with the left indicator on the left bar and the right one on the right hand bar the cancellation switch also on the right bar also but I suppose I will get use to it in time, its fine turning left because you naturally got to the left bar for the indicators, but turning right I am still having to think about what I have to do.

Got to the roundabout at the A120 and turned left up the A10 again and the bloody thing was at 70 MPH in no time, turned off at the next roundabout and off up to Hare Street, I can't see why Glenn kept squaring off his tyres as the bike goes round corners no problem it was probably a Glenn problem not a bike problem, probably not enough confidence to lean the bike, but because of the weight I noticed one thing when you come to a junction you can't creep up to it to see if there are any cars coming like I can on the Diversion (what a bike) and if there is something coming then changing your mind and having to stop especially if you are in a sort of turn at the junction as you can easily drop it, you have to make the decision to stop at the junction then make sure it is clear then go but once on the move the weight dissapears, one other thing I have noticed with Glenn's bike is easier to get on the centre stand than the Diversion is even though the Beemer is twice the weight, the Beemer's centre stand must have better weight distribution.

If I had to sum up Glenn's bike in one sentence it would be, it’s like riding a two wheeled car.

Is it better than the XJ600 Diversion, no, it’s smoother, but is it more fun to ride, no it's just different, you can tour on the Diversion and when you get into a city it’s brilliant for getting through the traffic, it’s just the Beemer would be better for the touring part but worse when you got to the city, it is better built than the Diversion but it would be as it is nearly four time the price new, is it better built than a Honda I would say it's on par with build quality of Honda, it's faster than the Diversion as it is more than double the BHP but you can throw the Diversion around easier and I would rather take the Diversion into London than take the BMW, and one other thing you would not be able to filter through the traffic on the BMW with the panniers on as they are wider than the bike.

When pushing the Beemer round the garage you have to remember its weight, it is a heavy bike 285kg nearly the weight of a Honda Pan European and it has the turning circle of a barge and you would have to be mindful of where you park it especially on slopes because of its weight and I think a side stand plate is a must on grass even if it’s dry.

After being out on Glenn’s bike a few times now and the longest ride at the time of writing this was to the Dover Transport Motor Museum I have to say it’s a very nice bike but I find holding a constant speed is more difficult on the Beemer than on the Diversion but overtaking on the Beemer is just a matter of making sure its clear and just doing it then backing off the throttle quickly as you will probably be nudging three figures when you have passed the vehicle, on the Diversion its make sure its clear and hope a car does not come the other way too quickly before you have made the overtake, the mirrors are the best I have seen, rock steady at any speed but that is probably because the bike is just so smooth, the self cancelling indicators are fun, if you don’t touch the brake the indicators cancel themselves after about 20 seconds so if you are on something like a dual carriageway and you start to indicate that you are turning off at the 300 yard marker they can cancel themselves before you have reached the junction.

Glenn was talking about replacing it for a lighter bike but and after riding Glenn’s bike I don’t think he would have ever been happy with a different make of bike, I think it would still have had to have been another Beemer, I must admit I like shaft drive and did want the shaft drive XJ900 Diversion but could not afford it at the time, but I can say I am not converted to BMW, if I had the money for a new shaft drive bike I think it would be the Honda VFR 1200.

Just a small note, I would not consider buying a BMW K1200RS unless you are fairly good with the spanners or have deep pockets as all BMW's are expensive to service and repair at a dealership, and with an old bike like the K1200RS a major repair at a garage could well write the bike off as they do have known faults, the major one is either the clutch slave cylinder or the crankshaft seal leaks and either brake fluid or engine oil gets onto the clutch which means a major strip down of the bike to repair the fault and replace the clutch, and a lot of non franchised garages probably won't want to take the job on, the other one is the ABS unit can fail but you would be unlucky for that to happen but it's £2K plus for a new one but you can buy a brake bypass kit by passing the ABS unit.

Peak District Road Trip 2019

Paul and Barry went up to the Peak District on our road trip from Wednesday the 10th till Sunday 14th July, it was a lovely dry ride up although Barry did have a problem with his oil cooler as it decided to spring a very small leak on the way up which was a pain as he had to wear his waterproof trousers for the remainder of the road trip, it did not affect the running of the bike so the trip did not have to be canceled, the Peak District has some lovely biking roads and we had a great B&B (see our links) we did not do anything special on the road trip, we done a couple of museums and bike shops in Manchester, visited Buxton and Bakewell and generally had a great road trip, we had one day where it rained for two to three hours on one day and another day which was very overcast but dry and done about 980 miles overall, it was just a shame Barry had a oily road trip, but the bike is now all repaired with a new oil cooler so no more leaks.

Lincolnshire Road Trip 2018

This road trip to Lincolnshire was a short road trip and as very similar to the previous Lincolnshire road trip but shorter for family reasons so there is not a write up on this one, we still had a good road trip if not a bit short.

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Cheshire Road Trip 2017

Sunday 25th June Paul and Barry set off on the road trip, leaving Paul’s and onto the M25 west bound for 4 junctions and coming off at London Colney get on the A414 to the M1 then up one junction and off at the A5, carry on up the A5 to The Super Sausage Café for a bit of lunch, lots of bike there Sunday, Kawasaki had there mobile caravan there giving demonstration rides on some of there models, then it’s the A5 all the way passed Birmingham until we hit the A41 then it’s on up the A41 towards Chester, it started raining once we were on the A41 but is stopped when we stopped at Lynn Raven Café for a cup of tea, then carried on up to Chester then the sun came out and then still on the A41 passed Birkenhead to the Queensway tunnel (free for bikes) under the Mersey to Liverpool taking to left hand lane in the tunnel towards the docks along the river and passed the Festival site to Sefton Park in the Aigburth said (egg birth) area of Liverpool and to our hotel (Hallmark Hotel Liverpool Alicia) overlooking Sefton Park.

Monday after breakfast we headed off towards Widnes and Runcorn with a fuel stop just before we crossed the bridge at Widnes and headed to Jodrell Bank Radio Observatory which was very interesting and after having a cup of tea in the cafe there we then went on to the Anderton boat lift which again is interesting leaving there and heading towards Chester we stopped off at J&S Motorcycles and having a look around the shop headed off to Chester for dinner, after having dinner we headed of around the Wirral peninsular staying as close to the coast line as we could and headed back through the Queensway Tunnel and back to the hotel.

Tuesday was going to be a bit of a wet day so we headed off into Liverpool took a trip on the Mersey Ferry to see the U Boat experience but the weather improved by the afternoon and then we took a walk up to the World museum and had a good look round there and we walked down Mathews Street where the Cavern Club is and went up Radio City St John’s tower which has good views over Liverpool and with a stop for dinner in Liverpool it was back to the hotel.

Wednesday was going to be the worse day of the road trip, so we headed off back into Liverpool and it rained all day, went round the Albert Dock, Maritime and Liverpool museums then went on and had a look at St George’s Hall which again is interesting and a venue the not many people go to see when visiting Liverpool and again having dinner in Liverpool went back to the hotel.

Thursday was still a bit wet but after breakfast we went off to Chester reminded me a bit of York as it’s a walled city, we went down to the river and saw the rows where there are two layers of shops which I don’t think I have ever seen that in another town or city, and after having dinner there we headed of back to Liverpool.

Friday was time to head back home so after having breakfast we loaded up as headed of back the way we came stopping off at Lynn Ravens Cafe for a cup of tea and stopping off at CMC Motorcycles just north of Birmingham for a look round the shop we got back home at about 17-00 hrs.

We only done about 634 miles on this road trip but we did do a few miles walking around Liverpool for two days, this road trip was not as hot as last year so was more comfortable for riding in bike gear and although we had one full day of rain it was not as wet as the 2012 road trip.

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Lincolnshire Road Trip 2016

On Saturday 16th July 2016 Paul, Kevin and Barry went on the Lincolnshire road trip, so it was off up the A10 with a stop at the Silver Ball for breakfast then on up to Huntington then via the old A1 to Peterborough then carry on through Spalding with a stop at Surfleet Cafe for a cup of tea, then on passed Donnington to Coningsby stopping RAF Coningsby and we were lucky enough to see the Lancaster, Spitfire and Hurricane out on the tarmac, and while we were there the Spitfire and Hurricane taxied and took off, we then carried on across the Lincolnshire Wolds to our accommodation in Cleethorpes.

Sunday it was a stop off for breakfast at the Hawaiian Eye cafe on Cleethorpes seafront then out on out past Louth for fuel and on to Woodhall Spa the is a video of us from the petrol station to Woodhall Spa is on the video page where there was a 1940’s event, there were lots of exhibits with displays of military vehicles and flypasts of aircraft, we saw the Lancaster fly over, there were battle re-enactments, it was very interesting and having some tea and cake sitting in the sun (very nice) it was then off to Lincoln to see the cathedral unfortunately for us there was a market on at the cathedral and some plonker of the market stall holder had decided to park his tow-a-van in the car park bike bay stopping us parking there so it was back down the hill to park in Lucy Tower car park to park in the bike bay there, it’s £2-50 to park a bike all day in Lincoln, Lincoln seems to be one of the few places that you pay to park a bike, central London (Westminster) being the other one we know of, so with a walk back up the hill to see the cathedral then back down to the waterfront for a tea then back to the bikes to get some dinner and on back to Cleethorpes.

Monday it was again a stop for breakfast then on to Squires Cafe for a stop for couple of cups of tea, then on to Leeds for a look round the bike shops then on to Harrogate for a look round, and having dinner there we headed of back to Cleethorpes via Hull crossing the bridge, free for bikes and arriving back after dark.

Tuesday it being the hottest day of the year so far we had a stroll along the front for breakfast and decided to hang around the accommodation until late afternoon before we went out because of the heat, we left late afternoon and headed out for Hull stopping of at Barton-upon-Humber at a viewing point to see the Humber Bridge and taking some photos we headed off back across the bridge to get some dinner, then back to Cleethorpes, you can see a video if us crossing the Humber Bridge on our video page.

Wednesday it was time to leave so getting breakfast it was load up and head of the way we came, it was still very hot and me Barry having my jacket open at the top to keep cool we stopped at the traffic lights in Horncastle and a wasp or similar had got in to my jacket and of course it was me who got stung, luckily I was stopped at the traffic lights as moving down the road could have been a bit more dangerous but I you have to weight up the cost of having your jacket open a bit to keep cool and having an insect fly into it, so with a stop off again at Surfleet Cafe for a drink it was back home arriving at about 17-00 hrs.

At least this was a very dry road trip if a bit of a hot one and we covered a little over 700 miles so that is an average of 140 miles each day, not a lot really, mind you being so hot we were stopping a lot to get drinks.

Barry went to the Old Buckingham Airfield Motorcycle Rally, it was a small event as I don’t think that it was well advertised as when I arrived there only about a dozen bikes there but a big group of Harleys and other assorted bikes turned up later, but the airfield has a very good cafe and you can sit and watch the planes come and go and they were coming and going all day, there is a small WW2 museum and other static exhibits, the airfield used to be a US airfield flying Liberators during the war, it has a concrete runway which is probably why it is still in use, there were flying trips if you wanted and you can also learn to fly there if you wished to, it was a good day and well worth a visit.

Barry went to the Classic Motorcycle Show in the High Street Buntingford Herts, it was a small event but a good one especially as the weather was good, there were a few very old bikes there, it is good to see them being used rather than just stuck in a museum and the owners were always willing to tell you about there bikes.

Barry went to Sand and Motorcycles at Leighton Buzzard, it was the same format as last year but there were a lot more bikes there this year than last year, it was a lovely sunny day although the ground was a bit damp so side stand plates were required, bikes were coming and going most of the day and there were a couple more stands there than last year, it is well worth the trip and I am looking forward to going next year.

Sunday 6th September I went to the Essex Air Ambulance Run, it was very much the same as all the other times I/we have gone although it is now £10 instead of the £5 that it was last time although that was at least 3 or 4 years ago, still it is in a very good cause, there was not as many bikes there this time as there was last time I was there, then the car park was packed with bikes, but this time the last section of parking was only a quarter full, but it was still a good event, and Harwich was packed with people and everything in Harwich was open so there were lots to see and do.

Saturday 8th August 2015 I went to the Stilton Bike Show, so with a stop at the Silver Ball for breakfast it was then up the A1195 to Huntingdon then on to the B1143 which is the southbound carriageway of the old A1 which runs parallel to the A1M to Stilton, the show is held behind a pub in Stilton, it is quite a small event but was very well attended, I got there 20 min’s after it started so got to park behind the pub, there was a BBQ, a live band, and a few stalls, it was a beautiful sunny day which is probably why it was so well attended, and when I left the event the high road was packed with bikes, I would go again next year as even though it is a small event it was still well worth going to.

Author Barry.

Norfolk Road trip 2015

On Friday 26th June at 10:00 Barry and Paul left Waltham Abbey for Driftwood B&B (NOW CLOSED) just on the outskirts of Norwich, heading along the crooked mile out towards Harlow. Where we stopped at the Cornish cafe for breakfast. We then head out towards Takeley and Finchingfield along country roads, then it was on through Bury St Edmunds and onto the A143 before stopping at Adam's cafe for a cup of tea. after getting through Norwich we head out onto the Wroxham Road towards the B&B.

Upon arrival we were greeted by John and Kate who had just come back from shopping, whilst talking to John who is a biker himself another guest turned up on his Kawasaki who had been out for a ride along the coast, we were then invited in for a cup of tea before being shown the room.

John was going to the Reepham bike night so the plan was to see him there, after about an hour rest at the B&B we headed out to Weatherspoons for dinner before heading to Reepham Bike night which is a disused railway station upon arrival the place was packed with lots of bikes, but we did not see John we must of missed each other whilst walking around, we headed to the cafe for another cuppa whilst there it started to rain and all you heard was engines starting up and a massive rev of engines as the not so well ard left, eventually after an hour so we put on our wets before riding back to the B&B.

Saturday 27th June

After a lovely full English breakfast we headed out locally and checked out a few shops before heading towards Wroxham where we stopped for tea then it was on to Horning before we boarded a boat trip and had a 90 min trip up the broads.

We then headed back to B&B, a bit later we headed for Norwich Station bike park and walked into the centre to Pizza Hut for dinner, after being stuffed Paul fancied a coffee so we walked and tried to find Starbucks but when we got there it was closed. After that It was then just a short ride back to B&B. And only a 5 min walk to local pub where a nice pint and a cider was consumed.

Sunday 28th June.

We started the day with another lovely full English we headed out through Wroxham and onto the coast road which lead out towards Cromer where we had to stop a for a tea and to put on our wets, we carried onto Sheringham before reaching our destination of Hunstanton, when we arrived there seemed to be some village fate so lots of things going on whilst having a cuppa there was an aircraft display we had a short walk along the beach and it dried out as the sun shone, then we headed back across country for dinner at Brewers Fayre (There was no ribs on the menu) Paul was very disappointed, it was then back to B&B where John greeted us and over an hour later after chatting about bikes we went up to room

Monday 29th June.

Our final breakfast before loading up the bikes and heading home the same route as going, it was a lovely sunny and warm ride home, we arrived home about 14:00

Author Paul

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Barry went to the Ride Free Event 2015 run by Motorcycling Matters forum which I think is run by Bedfordshire Council, it was a bit smaller than last year, but the usual organisations were there, Bedfordshire Fire Brigade and the Police doing assessed rides, I.A.M, Blood bikes, and a couple of bike clubs as well, it was a lovely sunny day if a bit windy and well worth a visit.

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On 28th September 2014 Barry went to Sand and Motorcycles event Leighton Buzzard Buckinghamshire, it was a lovely day very much as last year, lots of bikes were there, there was a couple of more modern classic bikes there that I had only seen pictures of, and if you wanted to you could go on a ride on the railway.

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Cornwall Road Trip

On the 15th of July 2014 we went on our Road Trip to Cornwall, so it was our usual route to the west country, M25, M3, a small part of the A303 then on to the A30 with a stop at Hill Top café (now Haven Cafe) for tea and a quick bite to eat, then on through Salisbury with a fuel stop at Yeovil, it was then on to Exeter and across Dartmoor National Park to our B&B in Callington.

Wednesday we headed back across Dartmoor to see Hound Tor which was supposed to be the inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Homes Hound of the Baskervilles, but I lost Paul and Kev going across Dartmoor and for some reason and I am not sure why Paul followed his sat nav to approximately 1 mile from Hound Tor then decided to carry straight on rather than turn left as the sat nav told him to, well with a stop at the tea hut at Hound Tor car park, waiting and hoping for them to turn up I decided to have a walk up to Hound Tor have a look round and take some photos, it was while I was up on Hound Tor that I got a text saying that they were lost and had ended up near Becky Falls, so after getting there Lat and Long from Paul’s sat nav I met up with them at a car park near Becky Falls, then it was on via Kingsbridge with a stop at Slapton Sands to see the Sherman Tank Memorial and some more photos, then on to the Dartmouth Lower Ferry and on to Paignton Bike night, the Slapton Sands to Dartmouth this road is a great road with some stunning views, so with Dinner at Paignton and a look round the bikes on the sea front it was then back to Callington, and that is when I lost them again, and this was just leaving the bike night along the seafront road, so I carried on slowly hoping that they would catch, and after 10 min’s I saw some bike lights in my rear view mirrors, thinking that they had caught up I carried on slowly only to be passed by some 20+ motorbikes, and none of them were Paul or Kev, so I carried on to the B&B, some 45 min’s later Paul and Kev turned up at the B&B, and it turned out that they had missed the turning that I had gone down, turned around and got stuck at the railway level crossing in Paignton, then Paul’s demented sat nav obviously liking Dartmoor had decided to return that way rather than going via Plymouth, I was surprised that they were only 45 min’s behind me going via Dartmoor, and at night.

Thursday we went along the southern Cornwall coast, going via Looe across on the ferry at Fowey, and with a stop at Fowey for tea, we carried on to Charlestown to see the harbour, and with a stop there for a cream tea we carried on to Penzance and with a very quick stop there at the harbour it was then on through Mousehole and on to Lands End, by the time we got to Land End it was all closed up which was probably not a bad thing as it seemed to be designed for the tourist, it was then on via the B3306 northern coast road which is another lovely biking road to St Ives, so again with a stop for Dinner overlooking the harbour which was very nice we headed back to Callington, but by this time there were flashes of lightning and it started to rain, by the time we were on the outskirts of St Ives the lighting was very bad, there were flashes every 20 seconds or so, front, rear and both sides, a lighting strike even put all the street lights out as we were riding, but we got back to Callington by 22-30 and we were only riding in the rain for half the distance.

Friday Paul had decided that his biking trousers were a bit hot for walking around in when we were at our destination, the pajamas being sewn into them as a lining probably did not help, we said the only person to ride a motorbike in his pajamas so he decided that he would buy some Kevlar jeans like ours, so it was a short hop to Plymouth, so Paul followed me as his sat nav would probably would have taken him via Dartmoor again, so with a stop at J&S Accessories Paul got his jeans, and Kev got himself a new lid as the lining had decided to start to come away on his one, it was then north bound across Bodmin Moor where we crossed the ford and on to Boscastle for some dinner then on to Tintagel and Port Isaac and then back to our B&B.

Saturday Paul was not feeling 100% and wanting to be 100% for the long ride home the next day, so just Kev and I want out again, heading northbound we had a quick stop to see the Golitha Falls, then it was on to Padstow, so stopping in the bike bay in the harbour car park, it is supposed to be 40p for bikes but the nice lady in the car park hut said not to bother as we were in the bike bay, so with another cream tea for Kev, we went back to the B&B to meet up with Paul, who had been spoilt rotten by the Geraldine at the B&B by feeding him tea and home made cakes, we were not sure who had got the better end of the deal, so with a pub that was recommended we took the 1.7 mile walk for dinner, and with a lovely meal it was a return walk back to the B&B, but not slapping the bull that was in the field we walked passed as Kev had suggested.

So Sunday being unfortunately the last day, it was a return the same way that we had come with a stop in Exeter for fuel, and later a stop for something to eat it was back via the A30, M3 and M25, again I lost Paul and Kev because of the traffic on the M3 at J4, and the M25 was not much better around Heathrow, but we all made it back safe and we can’t thank Geraldine at the B&B enough, as for reasons we won’t mention she saved us a lot of trouble and made it a great holiday, we have stayed at some very good B&B’s but hers was probably one of the best.

We did 1170 miles on this trip, although Kev said that he had done more as he had followed Paul going via Dartmoor, Kevin said “we must have done well over 2000 miles with Paul’s directions,” the roads in Cornwall were fairly good but some of the lanes were more grass than tarmac and a trials bike would have been more suitable, you could tell the quality of the road by how much grass was growing up the middle of it, the less grass the better the road, and the only other problem we had with some of the roads was that the council seemed to prefer to re-surface them with the spray tar and throw the chippings on and let the traffic bed them in, which is a nightmare for motorbikes as you get loose chippings in the centre of the road.

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Barry went to the St Ives Festival of Motorcycling Sunday 29th June 2014, it was a dry ride there until I got to Papworth and then it started to rain which is a shame as it looked like a very good event, there were lots of stalls, a live band, and they had shut half the car park off for bikes, but walking around the event in the rain was not much fun, and when I left and got more or less back to Papworth it stopped raining so it was mostly a dry ride there and back.

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Barry went to the Herts Auto Show at Stanborough Lakes W.G.C. 2014, it was really a car event but was still very good, they had every thing from custom cars / hot rods, old cars, a few American cars, and quite a few fast Fords, there were a few stalls, a couple of car dealers were there as well, it was interesting if you are a bit of a petrol head, if you are not it could possibly have been a waste of time for you.

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Paul & Barry went to the Winter Skills Day at Flitwick on a Sunday 2013, it was a very good event, after booking in as this event has to be booked in advance, you are then broken up into small groups, you then try your hand at slow riding skills in the car park, which is much harder than you think, then with a break for something to drink it was then on to a hands on demonstration with the fire service fire bikes showing what to do at first on scene at an accident, then another break for refreshments it was then a talk on riding in bad weather and what type of bike gear to wear, we done the afternoon event, but there is a morning event if you wanted to do it, we thought that it was a great learning day as you are always learning when you ride a motorcycle and you can never stop learning, we can’t recommend this course enough especially as it is a free event, and you can’t get better than free training, and there was even a goody bag at the end, so can’t be bad.

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On Sunday the 4th August 2013 Barry went to the Flitwick Classic Bike and Car Show, it is a small event which I am sure will get bigger, it was only on from 12-00 till 16-00 hrs but when I left at 14-00 hrs there was still a queue to gain entrance to the event, there was quite a few stands and quite a lot of old cars, not too many bikes but there were a few there, from quite old to 70’s and 80’s machines, and the range of cars was even greater, it was well worth going, and if on next year I will make an effort to go again.

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Yorkshire Dales Road Trip

On Monday the 24th June we set off on our Yorkshire Dales road trip, with a stop at The Silver Ball cafe on the A10 for breakfast we headed north for the A1, then turning off on the A1 to the A606 towards Melton Mowbray and stopping for a cup of tea at Rutland Water we then turn right and cut across country towards Bingham, then joining the A6097 then the A614 back towards the A1, stopping at Limes cafe for lunch and then a short distance to stop at the Sherwood Forest visitors centre to have a look at the Major Oak, which is supposed to be in excess of 1000 years old, we then carried on towards the A1, then turning of the A1 at Ferrybridge to continue on the old A1 to Leeds for a fuel stop, then on to our B&B, in the early evening we rode to Harrogate for dinner then back again to the B&B.

Tuesday as we had been on the bikes all day yesterday we decided to do a walk round the Harewood Estate, it was a lovely day and the 7 mile walk, Which is a lovely walk and well worth doing, but some of the hills can be steep so you have to be fairly mobile, that took us well into the afternoon, so with a stop at the Harewood arms for a well deserved drink we decided to have dinner in Harrogate, then back to the B&B.

Wednesday we headed south towards Otley and with a stop at the Woolpack in Esholt for tea where they used to film Emmerdale, we continued on to Bolton Abbey, we where going to stop at the Cavendish Pavilion, park and have a walk along the river to Bolton Abbey and then back to the Pavilion for something to eat, but they charge £7 per vehicle no matter what type of vehicle you have, not too bad if you are 4 up in a car but on a motorcycle it seemed a bit steep, so we turned round and continued on to Aysgarth Falls for a better look round as last year the weather was terrible and with a stop there for tea and something to eat, we decided to continue on towards Leyburn at go to The Manor Bikers Cafe as Wednesday night is bike night, we were surprised how many bikers turned up as it is in the middle of nowhere, well it is for us who live down south, and although the weather was dry it was very overcast, so with a stop for tea we continued south to Harrogate for Dinner, then back to the B&B.

Thursday it was still overcast but dry, so we set off to Brimham Rocks, as when we went last year the weather was bad and you get some lovely views from there, so we went back to see them, (parking free for motorcycles) so with a stop there for a cup of tea we cut across towards Leeds and Bradford, but by 2 o’clock it started raining and Kevin had forgotten his wet weather gear so we headed back to our B&B, by very late afternoon the weather brighten up so we decided to walk to the next village for dinner, two and a half miles, half of that up hill, then a walk back along the river back to the B&B.

Friday the weather forecast was not looking good, so we decided to go to Leeds and visit the Royal Armories, but with at stop first in Leeds at the bike shops, GetGeared, Hein Gericke, and J&S which are altogether in Regent Street, we then continued on to the car park in Armories Drive, (get a ticket at the barrier, but when you go to leave go to the ticket office to pay as motorcycles only pay half the price of cars).
The Royal Armories are well worth a visit, by late afternoon it had brighten up, so with a stop for dinner in Leeds in the early evening, it was on to our B&B.

Saturday it was time to head back, so with a stop at Leeds for fuel, we continued on to Squires Cafe for a cup of tea and a look at the bikes, then it was a repeat of the journey up, with a stop at Limes cafe for lunch and back home, the weather was much better this year than last, we really only had one really wet half day and that was only the afternoon, with the odd shower on Friday, so all in all it was a very dry road trip, and a total of 680 miles were done, not a lot compared with other road trips, but we did do more walking on this one.

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On Sunday 2nd of December Kevin and Barry went for a breakfast run to the Silver Ball cafe on the A10, it was a bright and sunny but a very cold day, and we were very surprised to find that we were the only bikers there, the cafe on the whole was busy with car drivers but no bikers, but 3 bikers did turn up as we were leaving, Kevin remarked "well they would now it has warmed up a bit," I think he was implying that we were well ard bikers.

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On Sunday 19th August Barry went to the Brackley Festival of Motorcycling, this is the first time I have been back since the event first started in 2009, so with a stop at Whiteways Cafe (now closed) on the way it was on to Brackley, this event has grown enormously, the fields in the school were the bikes were once parked is now filled by stalls, trade stands and the Wall of Death, there is a small section for the parking of bikes on site, but you would have to get there early to park there, but there is still ample and free parking for bikes, see web site link in forthcoming events for details, it was a shame it was so hot, although some people might not think so, but I found it too hot, so my look round was shorter than I would have liked, but I still had a good day and a great ride through the Buckinghamshire countryside.

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Yorkshire Road Trip

On Tuesday the 5th June 2012 we set off on our Yorkshire Road Trip, with a stop at Morrison’s for breakfast, as the Silver Ball was not open it being a public holiday, it was on passed Peterborough and up the A15 towards Lincoln, with a stop for tea at the bike friendly Caenby Corner Cafe before Hull it was on across the Humber Bridge, free for bikes now, then on to our B&B, after unpacking we decided to ride to Bridlington for some dinner, can’t say that we were impressed, but there again we did not see that much of the place, and being very overcast and drizzling at times does not help a place look it’s best.

Wednesday it was off on our trip round the Yorkshire Moors, the weather forecast was not good, but it started off dry and we headed off north towards the Dalby Forest, £2-00 for bikes £7-00 for cars, I can’t say I would bother going in a car for that money, the road through the forest was excellent but there is a 30 MPH speed limit, so with a stop at the visitors centre for a cup of tea and a look round, we continued on through the national park, but we had not been going for no more than 5 min’s it started to rain, so continuing on towards Whitby going via Goathland to have a look where they filmed Heartbeat & Harry Potter, and by the time we got there the heavens opened up and it fell down with rain, so we did not stop, don’t think we would have stopped anyway as it was full of coach trippers even on a day like we had, it must be extremely busy on a sunny day, so with a stop at the bike friendly cafe in Whitby station car park, (bike bays at the front of the cafe free for bikes) it had stopped raining by the time we got to Whitby and the sun had come out, we continued on with our trip round the moors and down the B1257 which is known as the Yorkshire TT, and we can see why, a lovely bit of road which you could quite easily loose your licence on, so with a stop in York for Dinner then it was on back to our B&B.

Thursday it was on to our B&B in the Yorkshire Dales, again the weather was not favorable, we had only been going for about 45 min’s and the rain started, but by the time we got to Squires Cafe it had stopped, so being the only bikers there we stopped for tea before continuing on to our B&B near Harrogate, it remained dry although the roads were wet, we had only just unpacked the bikes when it started to rain and it rained quite heavily all afternoon and through the night, and it was still raining in the morning.

So Friday after breakfast we decided to go round the dales despite the weather, thankfully the rain had stopped, so we continued on round the Dales to Brimham Rocks, the car park is free for bikes, if the weather had been better the views there would have been spectacular, then it was on through Pateley Bridge and Grassington to Aysgarth Falls, bikes have to pay to use this car park, park all the bikes in one bay and just buy one ticket, with a stop there for tea and a look round the falls which were in full flood with all the rain that we have had, and other waterfalls which we saw on the way there were something else, the only good thing about all the rain that we had, then it was on to Hawes via the Buttertubs pass and a stop for tea at Penny Grath biker cafe it was then on to B6255 via the Ribblehead Viaduct and then onto the Sun Inn bike friendly pub for dinner, and then back to our B&B, the rain was not too bad Friday we were more dry than wet.

Saturday it was time to go home, we set off home via Lincoln, luckily it was a dry ride home, but the wind going through Lincolnshire was quite bad as Lincolnshire is quite flat so that part of the ride was not so enjoyable but was good riding practice, but we all enjoyed the holiday and we done 829 miles in total we have decided to go back to the Yorkshire Dales again next year hopefully in the better weather and we might get better views and see a bit more of the dales and even get off the bikes and do a walk or two.(Author Barry)

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On Sunday the 1st April Barry went to the Ride Free event, with a stop off at the Silver Ball for breakfast and a look round the old MG's, Triumph's, Morgan's, and Lotus's that were parked in the car park, the Hertfordshire police bikes were there I think doing there training, there was about 10 police bikes there at the time, it was then on to the Ride Free event, they are normally quite small events, but they seem to be getting bigger, the Wall of Death was there this time with a couple of bike dealership, the I.A.M. were doing slow riding skills, and if you have never ridden a bike before you could have a go round the playground on a 125cc machine with an instructor, and of course the police were doing Bike Safe, well worth a visit next time it is run.(Author Barry)

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On Sunday the 2nd October Barry went to the Bike Safe Winter Event at the Millbrook Proving Ground, what a place that is, it is worth going just to see the place, I don't think that it was very well publicized as there was only about 50 bikes there, but there where bikes coming and going all day Craig Jones was teaching riders how to do manoeuvres quickly, and was doing his stunt show, and the I.A.M. were doing slow riding skills, which is harder than it looks, and the Bedfordshire police were doing Bike Safe runs, but they were all pre-booked, so if the event is run next year you would need to book in advance, you could also do a tour by mini bus of the proving ground, which I think would be very interesting, and if the event is held again next year I will be looking at going again.(Author Barry)

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On the 25th September Barry went on the M.A.G. EU Hands Off Biking Nationwide Demo, the local meeting point was South Mimms Services on the M25 with a 13-00 hours start, there was about 400 to 500 motorbikes at the start, and with a police motorbike escort stopping the traffic we all set off , M.A.G. said stay in the inside lane and keep the speed to about 45 MPH but I think that some riders had other ideas and before the Potters Bar junction the whole M25 was down to 45 MPH, I came off at junction 25 and went to get some petrol which took me about 20 mins, by the time I came back to the M25 the traffic was at a complete standstill, so even though M.A.G. was not intending to bring the M25 to a standstill that is what happened, so there point was well made I think in my opinion. (Author Barry)

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Devon Road Trip

On Monday 16th May we left on our Devon Road Trip, with a stop for fuel and breakfast at Morrison’s we decided to go round the M25 instead of the A406 because of the road works, then on to the A30 at Staines then with a stop at the Hill Top cafe it was the A30 all the way to the bungalow in Devon.

Tuesday it was east bound and again breakfast at Morrison’s in Bridport, then with a stop at West Bay, it was then on to Weymouth and Portland, with a short stop there for a cup of tea, then it was on to Swanage with a stop to see Durdle Door and with a short stop in Swanage and then on to the Studland ferry to Poole for Poole Bike Night, with a look round the bikes it was a stop for dinner on the outskirts of Poole then back to the bungalow.

Wednesday the weather was not going to be good until the afternoon, so it was a stroll in to Lyme Regis, luckily for us there was a vintage bike rally along the sea front, so with a look at the vintage bikes there we went and bought some lunch to take back to the bungalow, then when the rain had gone we went to Exeter to have a look round the bike shops, then with a stop for dinner it was back home.

Thursday again it was breakfast at Morrison’s then on to the Haynes Motor Museum, the museum is well worth a visit and with a good look round the museum and a cup of tea in the museum coffee shop it was then on to Weymouth Bike Night, that bike night was very different compared to Paignton or Poole, it reminded us more of a Hells Angels bike meet, other than the marshals we were the only ones in florescent vest, and we were mistaken for marshals, but it was all very friendly and was still well worth visiting.

Friday after a stop for breakfast it was on to the A30 and with another stop at the Hill Top Cafe on the A30 for a cup of tea, it was back to London, other than the rain on Wednesday it was dry all week and we all had a good holiday
(author Barry)

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Barry went to the Ride Free show at the Shuttleworth Collection Bedfordshire, in support of the Bedfordshire Air Ambulance, this was free and was a small event, but Bike safe where there so you could sign up and go out with a motorbike police officer for a short assessment ride and it was well worth the visit.(Author Barry)

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Barry went on the Essex Air ambulance 11th anniversary motorcycle run, the weather very good and it was very much as last year, but this year the air ambulance landed at the Ford technical center at Dutton, this is where the run starts, and done a demonstration of what they do at the scene of a RTA, and Craig Jones done his stunt riding which was both very good, then at about 11-00 it was off to Harwich, which again was very much the same as last year, not that I want to make is sound boring, it was a very good day, and all the money goes to the running of the air ambulance, the air ambulance landed on the beach at Harwich so people could look round and ask questions, if you have never done the run you should make a point of doing it next year, you won't be disappointed.(Author Barry)

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Isle of Wight Road Trip

On Wednesday the 14th April 2010 Paul and Barry left for our road trip to the Isle of Wight, the weather was overcast but dry, we met for breakfast at Morrison’s at 10-00 am and then left taking the A406/A30 then taking the B3349 to Alton then the A32 stopping of at Loomis Cafe for tea before catching the ferry at Portsmouth at 15-00 pm, after a short crossing to Fishbourne it was a stop at Newport for petrol and then on to our bike friendly B&B.

Thursday we started our clockwise tour taking the A3055 military road to the Needles, stopping in the car park (free for bikes) to go and see the Old & New Battery, which is where we once in the 60’s and 70’s had a space program, it is well worth a visit, and then carrying on through Yarmouth following the coast road to Cowes using the chain ferry to cross the river back to Newport and onto the B&B.Friday we continued or clockwise tour round the island, again taking the coast road via Ryde/Bembridge/Sandown/Shanklin/Ventnor, the roads on the island are either very good or very poor with a combination in between, stopped off for dinner in Newport, and then back to the B&B.

Saturday morning we went to Osborne House, which was Queen Victoria’s holiday home for want of a better word, it is well worth a visit, but you would get more from it with a guided tour, we went a bit early in the season so there was no guided tour, then in the afternoon we stopped off at Ryde and had a lovely sunny afternoon along the sea front.

Sunday morning after breakfast we left for the ferry and caught the 10-00 boat and followed the same route back, again stopping at Loomies cafe on the A32, which on a Saturday was packed with bikes, so with a stop for tea and a look round the bikes we made our way back, we were very lucky with the weather, it was sunny on all the days that we were there, all the pay and display car parks on the island seem to have a bike bay, and parking is free for motorbikes, so the Isle of Wight seems to be a very bike friendly island. (Author Barry)

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On Sunday the 13th September 2009, Barry went on the 10th Essex Ambulance Run, there was approximately 5000 bikes on the run and just over £40,000 pounds were raised for the air ambulance, the weather could have been better but at least it stayed dry and a good day was had by all, although I took photos I have not put any on the web site at there are lots of photos on the net and videos of the run on You Tube.(author Barry)

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On the 23rd of August 2009, Barry went to the Brackley Festival of Motorcycling, it was a lovely sunny Sunday and a great ride through the countryside, it is apparently the second time that this event has been held, it was quite well supported, there must have been at least 1500 + bikes there, it was quite a small event, but most new events are quite small but it should be bigger next year, there was a stunt show which was very good, a few trade stands, autograph signing of motorbike racing celebrities and vintage motorbike section, I will look forward to going next year. (Author Barry)

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Devon Road Trip

Kevin and Barry went for four days to Dorset and Devon at the end of July / August 2009, we left on Wednesday and the journey started dry but about 1/3 of the way into the trip it started raining and it did not stop until about an hour after we arrived at out destination, Kevin looked liked he had a shower with his clothes on,

Thursday was a much better day and we started off with breakfast in Exeter and then it was off across Dartmoor and down to Plymouth, where Kevin bought some new motorbike boots, and then on towards Paignton with a stop at Slapton Sands to see the Sherman Tank memorial, and then across on the Dartmouth lower Ferry to arrive at Paignton Bike night, the queue for this ferry was quite long, probably would take about an hour to get on to the ferry, so we filtered to the front of the queue and got on the very next ferry, we had some dinner at Paington and joined the bikes at Paington bike night, we had a look round the bikes at the sea front, we left Paignton at about 20-30 hrs to arrive home at about 22-00 hrs,

Friday it was off in the other direction, with a stop off in Bridport for breakfast and a short stop off at West Bay which is a popular stop for bikers, there was a couple of bikers there for a mid week day, but Sunday is supposed to be the most popular day, we then went on to Weymouth via the coast road for a cup of tea and a walk along the front and a look at the boats in the marina, then it was off to see the village of Tyneham, which is a village taken over during WW2 and has been deserted since that time, you can only get to the village when there is no live firing or manoeuvres on the tank range, the village is only open for about 139 days a year, then it was on to Swanage and then across on the Studland chain ferry to Poole, the queue for this ferry was about a 1 mile long, so it was more filtering to get to the font of that queue, according to one biker on the ferry that we chatted to he said that it would take 3 hours to get onto the ferry from the end of the que, then we had dinner just outside Poole, and then on home,

Saturday it was time to make our way home, the weather was not good, but is seem to dry up a bit by lunch time so we set off, we had only been going for no more than 30 mins when it started to rain again, and it rained for most of the way, so it was yet another wet ride home, but we still enjoyed the holiday. (Author Barry)

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Paul, Barry and Paul's mate Paul went to the London Bike Safe June 2009 at the Met Police Peel center Hendon, it was a very good day, there was a lot of stalls and a quite a few motorcycle manufactures there, there was a stunt show, but unfortunately one of the stunt riders got injured and got taken away by ambulance, we don't think he was too badly injured, we saw the police training on the skid pan doing a mock car chase, and the emergency services were doing a demonstration of what happens at a road crash, with the police, fire and ambulance services cutting people out of a couple of cars, there was bike safe ride out done by the police if you wanted to book it, we did not bother with the bike safe ride out, but it is well worth doing, we will defiantly want to do the show again next year. (Author Barry)

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Paul and Barry went on Sunday in May 2009 to the BMF GEMS show in Kent, it was a lovely sunny day, we had breakfast at Morrison's in Rochester on the way down, there was not a lot at the show, we had more or less seen it all in about an hour, credit crunch I suppose, we were talking to a young lady on a trade stand, and she said that there was supposed to be a lot more stands at the show, but they put down a deposit, and then did not show up, it was a shame, but I suppose that how it is in this economic climate. (Author Barry)

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The Alexandra Palace Motorcycle Show was back at the end of February 2009 which is very good news as we missed this show and it did not seem the same without the show at the beginning of the year, and we are glad that it is back, and we went on Saturday 28th, it was not the show that it used to be, but it was the first time it has been back at Ally Pally for two years and we still enjoyed it, and next year the stunt show will be in the ice rink again, so we will be looking forward to it again next year. (Author Barry)

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Kevin & Barry went out on Sunday 12/10/08 to the Silver Ball cafe on the A10 just south of Royston in Hertfordshire for breakfast, and we were both surprised at the amount of motorcycles that there were there, it was more trying to find a place to park, we have seen less bikes at the Ace cafe, it was a lovely sunny day and we both had a good breakfast and great ride through the Hertfordshire country side. (Author Barry)

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Ireland Road Trip

On Friday 29th August 2008 Paul Kevin and Barry left for our Ireland road trip, we set off at 06-30 for Holyhead to catch the ferry, we took the A5 all the way, the weather was very good and we did not get any rain, but we did have some drizzle in the evening when we got to Dublin.

On the Saturday we went to see the Irish cross Ireland fun run, it passes close to where we were staying, the run had a police escort of cars and motorbikes, and there must have been well in excess of 500 bikes on the run, but the police seem to be in a bit of a hurry and it seemed to us more of a fun race than a fun run, and although we could keep up with them it was more having to keep up than enjoying the ride, probably best you do the run on a sports bike then you will probably get more out out of it than we did, but at least the money goes to a good cause.

Sunday we went to the Wicklow mountains, we had a lovely sunny day so it was a very good days ride.

And on the Monday we had a look round Dublin which was the only day in Ireland that we rode in rain, but it did not last and dried up in the afternoon.

Tuesday we again left at 06-30 to get the 08-45 ferry from Dublin, the traffic in Dublin is worse than in London at that time in the morning, or might just be the roads are just narrower but if we were in a car we never would have made the ferry in time, even on the bikes we only got there 15 minutes before the ferry left, it rained going back through Wales but it was dry but the time we got into England, and the rest of the ride home was dry.

(Author Barry)

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In August 2008 Kevin & I went on the London Unity bike ride, our local start point was High Beech in Epping Forest, had a nice chat with the bikers there, we then left at 11-30 am, and traveled to Excel, there must have been about 1000 bikes there of all shapes and sizes and after having met and talk to some more bikers we all set off at about 13-30 and in parts it must have been the fastest I have traveled through London with the police holding up the traffic, the only thing with a bike rally through London is the general public have a tendency to get the hump with being held up, we went through the Blackwall tunnel and back across Tower Bridge stopping in Horse Guards Avenue, we must have been there for about 15 mins, then we all set off but Kevin and I left the rally at that point and returned home, we both had a good day but not sure if London if the best place to hold a bike rally/run, but the money raised goes to children in need & the motorcycle blood couriers, see the You Tube link below and at 1 minute and 10 seconds you see us cross Tower Bridge London.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=8WJWm4pXJzU

(Author Barry)

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We have had our 4th ‘Essex Air Ambulance RIDE-OUT’. We met at the motion lotion premises near the ‘Stow’, at 8.45 ish, weather was foggy, and we rode like only we can to our destination (Dunton’s Ford Technical Park).
We stopped for lunch, afternoon tea and meet with fellow bikers, (though not of our chapter) before returning to base. We met Jody Marsh, and although having a ‘mood-on’ was still attractive.
Good fun and a cracking day was had by those that attended.
Regards Barry & Kevin.

16.9.2006 (Author Kevin)

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