I'm starting this thread as a Shameless plug for Irish Tourism North and South of the Border!

I departed home after work today and rode to the Dublin for another meeting on my way North to Hillsborough for the Autumn meeting. I'm staying here for the night, about half way and a nice place in a very historic location right on the doorstep of Newgrange UNESCO World heritage site in the beautiful Boyne Valley and owned by a client of mine.

So I'm nicely settled in with my panniers in my room, a free wi-fi to access my favorite forum and ..oh look! - it's Beer O Clock ....a cold Guinness. Now that's what I call civilised !



More pics and updates to follow after the run tomorrow.

Cheers

88

Deary me, I thought it was just us peasants who had to settle for Guinness out of a can.
Look forward to the rest of your trip, it's great to see other folks'country.
RT

Thinking the same thing RT. I was looking at the location and the beer and thinking that is something I must do one day. Drink a Guinness in Ireland. And then I see it is from a can!
That just saved me a trip to Ireland. I can get on of those cans win two minutes of home.

Rossco that will take you longer to dress up for the trip than to find the pub. just think if you start your bike then get dressed you will find that buy the time you arrive you will have repaid the battery the defecit it lost starting ya bike man, may I suggest ya turn left at alberqwerty (terrible keyboard pun there) sorry

yeah sure is rt .... just a spectacular land eh ?

these blokes in ireland have really got the ball rolling now ....will be good to see the comeraderie that we also have enjoyed on a few occasions

glad to see lots of "local meets" starting to happen

cant see a reason why there cant be more meets across the continents ...just a mater of get up and go ....yes ?

I was in a hotel in killarney with a buddy and our wives, it was my pals first visit to Ireland and as we finished our first pint of the black stuff the barman came over with 2 more saying to my pal, i overheard you say it was your first pint in Ireland so you better have one on the house to be sure you like it...... hospitality you cannot beat it the bitter wernt bad either.

Lou

A bit of a pictorial log of the day out...

Frosty start for run to Hillsbourough...



Meeting at Chimes...Trapper, GmcQ,Comberjohn,88KE,92KK&SGMayhew. (in no particular order)

Poor Bjorn met with a mishap, more on that from others but best wishes to him.



Brekkie !



Comfort Stop!



On up the coast....Beautiful scenery & world class biking roads. (Scotish coast in the far distance!)



Comfort Stop 2 before heading up over a rollercoaster track on Torr head...



Lunch Stop Ballycastle Harbour....the old K's attracting a lot of attention...

Trapper had to Bail out for the 250km run home (Iron Butt award )



on to the Giants causeway..





Misty blue hills of scotland in the distance again ......



A last look at the Mourne's early this morning....



Arrived home lunchtime today having coverd 893kms in just over 36hrs away from home.

Epic!

88KE

wow ....verry nice scenes 88

good turn out by the guys

im guessing there is more too ...but you had to be there for the experience

well done to you all ...

Fabulous day, good food, good company, great roads and fantastic weather, what more could you want! Roll on next trip.

Gerard

Finally got my snaps uploaded.

Think a great day out was had by all, although it was very unfortunate for Björn. Could have been a lot worse though.
I thought that we were going to have to order lunch in Hillsborough as we sat jawing for so long after our breakfast.
The weather was perfect and not too much traffic on the roads. Olaf seemed to have a bit of fun on the road to our meet up point but the best was yet to come.

By the way, Olaf. Thanks for those two wheaten bannocks that you baked with your own fair hands. I thought we would never eat them but one is gone already!
And I'm listening to that CD as I'm typing this. Great guess on my musical tastes.

There was a bit of talk about the next run and I'm looking forward to it already.
Next time its the north's turn, what about County Down and the Mournes or the lakes around Enniskillen and/or Donegal?
Lets keep the momentum going for next Spring.

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Olaf and Kyle. That's Alan (Trapper) in the background.

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'What did he say? I can't hear anything.' Will and Steven.

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Parked up for a pee at Drain's Bay. Has a certain ring to it hasn't it?

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Lunch stop in Ballycastle.

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Belly's filled, some more than others. Time for the off again.

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Whadiya mean K bikers are to tight to pay for the bus?

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That's new forum member, Gerard, in the middle.

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Found this poor old man wandering about in a daze.

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And finally, the tourist Giants Causeway shot. Roll on the next Irish Eccentrics Run 2013(?)

Raw unedited footage from the dashcam ....(Lots of wind noise - reduce your volume!)

This is the very steep and narrow road over Torr Head. I had Kyle riding pillion to give Olaf a break so I was taking it quite easy on this mini rollercoaster. The camera seemed to have woked it's way a bit to the left but you still get a flavour of the road.

Have a look at the width of the lane and overgrown hedgerow at 3:10 and steep decending switchbacks at 4.20





88

Well done everybody, seems to have been an epic trip in excellent weather.

Brilliant day John in all respects. Many many thanks.

Nice bit of video 88KE that really captured the fun of the run. First I knew of the fairy lights on the back of the bike though. Must have got the wires crossed!

sgmayhew wrote:Brilliant day John in all respects. Many many thanks.

Nice bit of video 88KE that really captured the fun of the run. First I knew of the fairy lights on the back of the bike though. Must have got the wires crossed!

Purely down to the way video pick up the leds Stephen ...DO NOT ADJUST YOUR SET.....They burn rock steady to the human eye :cyclops:

That was some little goat track! I have other footage from the run along the coast on the little MD80 helmet cam but the exposure is not right. That coast road from Drains bay would give a better impression of the more general roads. I'll try to edit it up a bit and see what comes out.

88

88KE wrote:

Purely down to the way video pick up the leds Stephen ...DO NOT ADJUST YOUR SET.....They burn rock steady to the human eye

88

Phew! That's a relief. I can better spend the time cleaning

Great photos and video people. All those places..we must have an international meet!

Really gutted I missed that one!! Good to see/hear you had fun!

Excellent stuff guys.
88KE in the video, when do you leave the driveway on the farm and actually ride on a road? Even the pedestrian had to move over to let you pass.

Looks like some might fine country.
rossco

All I can say is what an epic outing. I arrived back in Cork Sunday night at 11.15pm.....880 miles up since leaving Friday morning.

It was ....stunning.....no words are enough.

An amazing group. A special thanks to ComberJohn and his wife for the fantastic hospitality on both Friday and Saturday night, tea, supper and all and for what was a really well chosen route of about 190 miles.

Not to forget the leisurely lunch on the seafront at Ballycastle. Or the very pleasant gentleman biker of a very certain age with a blue bike who pointed me in the direction of the next stop at the Giants Causeway when we became separated. Shortly after leaving I was treated to this roar from behind and a blue flash streaking past screaming through the upper gears, from a man of an age when one would expect to be wearing slippers and smoking a pipe. It sounded like he was smoking a Micron.

And also a wonderful campsite at Tollymore Forest Park.....on John's recommendations...

A little secret. There is an extremely nice run from John's house to Hillsborough, I had the pleasure of meeting John beside his house and travelling with him. Lets just say we arrived for breakfast smiling inside. And also back at the campsite after the run.....

Sunday morning brought a few hundred bikes over too, for a run. However the Titanic Experience beckoned and won. So, of course I had the pleasure again of John's route to Hillsborough!!!!!

I know we have nice runs down south as one might say but I don't believe we could match the fantastic hospitality and the routes we had on Saturday.

What is most definite is the need to travel north more often.

Not to forget Bjorn who is now back in Cork a bit worse for wear. We wish you a speedy recovery. And to Luke who also came up but didnt manage to make contact to find us.

This will have the makings of a Cork chapter.

Thanks to everyone. And to John for the suggestion we go way up north, for the route and the scouting trips [bet you enjoyed those!!] and to Will [88KE] for the video footage and to all for the photos.

A very very memorable trip indeed.

Olaf 92KK

Thanks for posting 88, Comberjohn and all. Enjoying the photos.
The scenery may be a bit different from place to place, but the themes and K camaraderie on these rides seems pretty universal.
Best wishes to Bjorn.

Cheers,

There's no denying they make a fine presence where ever they, The K1 sure stands out against the stable of rt's

It's always really enjoyable to see these posts. Great pics and nice bikes! Thanks.
Sean.

Rain and gale force winds for Northern Ireland for next 24 hours.
Were we lucky with the weather on Saturday or what!

absolutely marvelous images guys ...thanks for the additions john ...and without knowing the details , commiserations for bjorn ....hoping all is well

thanks from "way down under in our big brown land "

hopeing that you have plans for when the warm(er) weather returns

those goat tracks are verry similar to some of the hills around here will ...especially up the tourist route of 'queen mary falls" ..atop the hills.... except theres no centre line ...and surprise cows on the road around most corners ....grin

some big travelling distances were acheived to which i extend my hand in salutations ...fantastic work guys

you wonder why we enjoy a drink or two after a run ?

Not to forget Bjorn who is now back in Cork a bit worse for wear. We wish you a speedy recovery. And to Luke who also came up but didnt manage to make contact to find us.

Thanks to everyone. And to John for the suggestion we go way up north, for the route and the scouting trips [bet you enjoyed those!!] and to Will [88KE] for the video footage and to all for the photos.

A very very memorable trip indeed.

Olaf 92KK[/quote]

I would just like to echo all the words of praise for John and his superb expertise in planning routes, pit stops and friendly eateries, not to mention his incredible influence on meteorological matters; well done and thank you. Sincerely hope Bjorn is recovering from his ordeal
and on a quick road to recovery. I was very impressed in Will's video that I managed to track down a set on Ebay
Finished up with 870 kms in 30 hours, which is not a patch on the stamina of our more southerly pilots.

Trapper

Thanks for sharing the photos and the stories.

Nothing more to do now, except organise the next!

Seeds of the next run are well sown......seriously good fun too. A new post in due course.

Olaf 92KK

blakey wrote:....Nothing more to do now, except organise the next!

Did you hear THAT guys, Blakey is organising our next trip !!

What's that you say Blakey??? ..." 8u**€r off". Must be an Aussie phrase, I'll try google translate .

88

Blakey needs to come over here and see how its done....I wonder should we tell him the route included a very old distillery....Bushmills....A very important inclusion on the route. But in fact no beer or alcohol taken anywhere on the route.

92KK

Right, that looked like a bloody good time on some fine roads and terrific views with some well-kept K bikes. I for one am up for a flight and a sample of the roads and the famous hospitality. Count me in on any further plans for a friendly trans-Atlantic/cross-Pacific challenge. I see we'll need our Aerostich suits and extra woolies if we're to be comfy even when the sun comes out. Last time I was in Ol' Blighty (12 years ago, never made it across the short rough sea) I enjoyed some Guinness in blue called extra cold. Can that be got in Éire still too?

Beaut photos, good storytelling and commentary. Cheers to the next K meeting wherever it may be.

Hi lads,


sorry for missing this one - definitely up for the next one if not too soon. Won't be a long post as i only have use of half a hand

Bike is nearly perfect and i hope to be the same in a couple of weeks - nothing as durable as a german steed and a german rider

Stunning pictures, wish i had been there...

good one guys.

What is this "thing" flying on the windsheild?

CF

Thats the process of collecting and making beeswax polish for shining up the K bikes for the next run.

The challenge for the organiser is to their meteorological forecasting abilities or their influence upon such matters as organising the appropriate amount of sunshine. For this run ComberJohn had sunshine organised from Friday morning to Sunday evening....it is Monday evening now and still sunny in the deep south.

92KK

92KK K100LT 193214 wrote:Thats the process of collecting and making beeswax polish for shining up the K bikes for the next run.

92KK

Yes we were using k75cster's centrifugal technique for kitten tears to extract the beeswax on the bends

@ Olaf - did you bring a bottle of sunshine back with you - I havn't seen it since the journey home.



Good to hear from you Bjorn!

Ah yes, the sunshine. The sunshine.

Yes its down here right now shining over Bjorn....and ripening my tomatoes.

Now for one...our friends in Australia have a closer connection with this run than they might think. A rose grower among them called Sam McGredy....they emigrated to Australia in the 1970s...from Northern Ireland......from Portadown, not far from ComberJohns area...A good connection dont you think. My Grandad a long time back also grew roses and was friendly with an older Sam McGredy so we always had roses. He was very saddened when they left.

92KK

I really enjoy the camraderie of this site. More than the bikes, it seems to be a certain quality of character that we have in common that I haven't observed on other sites. It was good to see Irish countryside, thank you.

Some have alluded to Bjorn's 'circumstances' and he even says he's down to half a hand, yet has anyone actually told the story?

club_c wrote:I really enjoy the camraderie of this site. More than the bikes, it seems to be a certain quality of character that we have in common that I haven't observed on other sites. It was good to see Irish countryside, thank you.

Some have alluded to Bjorn's 'circumstances' and he even says he's down to half a hand, yet has anyone actually told the story?

I think everyone is leaving that to his perogative Club_c but as I understand it the half-a-hand is only temporary and will heal.

88

Bjorn

That sounds like an invitation to tell the story of last Friday night....

Olaf 92KK

When creating this forum, this is exactly what I was envisioning: A place to meet new people with the same passion (and the same twisted sense of humor).
After this Irish meeting, I can say that the goal is reached and we are all part of the 'global village'. (This was the theory of the Internet when it started in the mid 80s.)

I am just troubled by the color of the cellular phones in Ireland. I was expecting them to be green, but in fact they are blue. Maybe I am colorblind. (Blakey, this is not the country you want to live in the only red thing is the camera )




Thanks to all for sharing your experience with us. Your ride seems to have been well planned and I am sure that a lot of effort was put toward the success of this first meeting.

CF

Blue cellphones? K Bike remotes.

I jest, the photo was taken at the Giants Causeway. Audio tour guides....Ding!!

92KK

Thanks for all the messages and help offered, guys.
Just to make the long story short, that night i was just heading towards the b&b i was about to stay at. 2 miles before reaching the badly wanted bed, came into a sheltered area of a bendy road and experienced a sudden temp drop - my visor steamed up in an instant (even the temp gauge in the police squad car was showing 3°c) and had a skid straight into the hedge, followed by the bike which landed right on the top of me. Resulted in a broken shoulder, collar bone and scapular, complete right side is out of order, left is mildly damaged with cuts and abrasions.
Most embarrassing thing is that I was just a few paces away from a lovely trip...

Next thing is to get ramps for my trailer, collect the trailer from Mayo and collecvt the bike from Antrim. Not a pleasure trip but necessary, all i need is to bring a friend with me who can connect the trailer and load / unload tzhe bike (luckily she's rideable so will go up on the ramp herself). Driving the car is no problem as she's automatic. Hope to be back on 2 wheels in about 6-8 weeks.

hope you heal quickly mate
take it easy

Tony

Hi Bjorn. I have a folding aluminum bike ramp that I use to get my K in and out of my workshop. About 18".
It's designed to load bikes onto trailers and can take 300kg.
If you let me know when you are planning on coming up, I can help to load it.
Is the bike still at the same place and is it ok there? I can ride it to my place if it helps.

Aaaarrggh, that's not good news mate.
Hope you heal well and as always, even a small get off could be a lot worse.
How bad is the bike?
Sean.

If the bike is driving, I can pick it up and ride it down to you. Only cost you the fuel and a train ticket home.
I know its not a K but I'm not proud!
I'm not offended if you aren't keen on the idea though.

Glad you all managed to enjoy the day even though I wasn't there. Amazing. I think I shall have to organise a run for a date that I can attend. Sorry I missed this one.

Thanks John, bringing her down to me would be mo9re than helpful but no need - i shall have to go to Mayo for my trailer anyhow so i can merge the 2 trips together. The bike is mechanically OK but needs new o/s mirror to be fully road compliant and safe (the other bits are only cosmetic). She's in Greg's shed at Arley House, dry and safe.
Still i greatly appreciate your offer for the ramps and help me with the loading - even though i don't know how to unload her then if usin your ramps unless you sell them to me

i check some details and will contact you to arrage something. (sorry for bad spelling but hand is still quite sore).

according to the doctor, no riding for at leas t8 weeks

I have a fairly good idea of how you are feeling. Get well soon and sounds as if the bike came out better than you.

Great read and photos, guys - and your bikes look immaculate too! Only to be expected, of course.

I must say, I don't know what made me salivate the most - the locations or that breakfast plate lol!

Sorry to hear about your off, Bjorn. Hope you heal properly and quickly.