HMCQ Run
HMCCQ Combined Areas Breakfast Run
The first HMCCQ event for each New Year is the Combined Areas Breakfast Run and I always look forward to the ride. After navigating the dangers of family gatherings, too much food and drink and no serious riding over the Christmas New Year period, it’s great to dust off the bike and catch-up will all the other club members. The event has also become popular with the general public who come along to see the array of historic bikes on display. Members come from as far as Dalby, Kingaroy, Sunshine and Gold Coast to the Red Cedar Picnic Area, Mt Glorious. It is a great spot to gather with a large open paddock surrounded by trees and having toilets and picnic shelters. Again a few dedicated Club members came early to secure the facilities and setup the barbie, urn etc. Barry Deeth had booked an overnight stay at the Somerset Dam camping area so the veteran and vintage owners could ride to the venue over terrain more suited to their power and braking systems. There were at least 20 veterans and vintage bikes on display which was fantastic. The other areas organised small riding groups from their location. The main advantage of this type of event is that you can stay as long as you like and spend time talking looking over the bikes, whereas on most other runs you spend riding and don’t get a chance to meet new people nor converse or do some serious study of the motorcycles. The weather was perfect and the grass was beautifully mown this year; the work of some dedicated members who bought out their mowers especially for the event. There were easily 300 bikes or so that made the journey and none were disappointing. Graham Bull had his 1915 748cc AJS, Model D, fall back to 1 cylinder and it was discovered that a pick-up had dislodged from the magneto. Given the difficulty to refit the pick-up properly he and his ride buddy referred to the Aussie roadside repair handbook. A tree branch of an appropriate shape, diameter, length and elasticity was plucked from the roadside. One end was placed on the pick-up and then woven between the engine and frame and locked in position. Perfect insulation and heat resistance, still in place on arrival and looking good for the journey home. A bevy of other concourse quality bikes was present as well as many with their original paint and well used patina. Well done to the worker bees of the combined areas for mowing, organising and catering for a truly wonderful event.