Author Topic: Motorcycle Rental/tour business  (Read 3033 times)

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Rocking-M

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Motorcycle Rental/tour business
« on: November 03, 2009, 04:43:21 PM »
Okay, the saga with Sam's bike got me thinking. Perhaps a motorcycle rental/tour business for European riders to
come over and experience the Appalachian mountains/Southern States. I'm sort of adamant on not crossing the Mason
Dixon line again. (someone else can do this up north ;))
 Anyway, I've contacted my insurance agent and the underwriter is suppose to get back to him on
what it would run for say, 4 bikes to start. This could tie in with my Chateau le Shack for rental for those who
would like to stay in the area and tour day trips from here. So now, the really hard question I'm going to ask y'all
is were can I get the money to undertake this idea with. Yes, we're playing the loto.  ;D

Offline andy750

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Re: Motorcycle Rental/tour business
« Reply #1 on: November 03, 2009, 04:46:22 PM »
Great idea and good luck to you! Let us know how it turns out.

cheers
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Rocking-M

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Re: Motorcycle Rental/tour business
« Reply #2 on: November 03, 2009, 04:54:13 PM »
Thanks Andy, btw, I just noticed, I'm an old timer now. How'd that happen.  ;D ;D

Offline vanillagorilla

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Re: Motorcycle Rental/tour business
« Reply #3 on: November 03, 2009, 04:58:53 PM »
i was actually working on something similar when I was out in AZ. Unfortunately the money man ended up being a crook. He didnt get me, but he has gotten a whole bunch of other people. Anyways, if you got any questions, I have had to answer many of them myself. I will even offer my biz name. Open Road Arizona was my name... How bout... Open Road Appalachia? Hope it goes well. Still cant think of a much better job. Maybe... Stuntman in a porno... ;D
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Offline Sam Green Racing

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Re: Motorcycle Rental/tour business
« Reply #4 on: November 03, 2009, 05:15:48 PM »
Thanks Andy, btw, I just noticed, I'm an old timer now. How'd that happen.  ;D ;D

You passed 2,500 posts old man. :D :D :D  and like the idea. ;)

Sam. ;)
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Offline BobbyR

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Re: Motorcycle Rental/tour business
« Reply #5 on: November 03, 2009, 05:30:10 PM »
Intriguing, let us know what the Insurance guy says. BTW I believe the Mason Dixon line passes through NJ.
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Offline Sam Green Racing

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Re: Motorcycle Rental/tour business
« Reply #6 on: November 03, 2009, 05:58:46 PM »
My washing line passes through me garden. ::)

Sam. ;)
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Offline 333

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Re: Motorcycle Rental/tour business
« Reply #7 on: November 03, 2009, 06:13:04 PM »
Lines occur across my forehead thinking about this.  So I looked it up.
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Offline seaweb11

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Re: Motorcycle Rental/tour business
« Reply #8 on: November 03, 2009, 06:37:29 PM »
Does this company not already supply such a service in your area?
 http://www.eagleriderdc.com/

Not that there can't be more than a few companies in the same market.

Offline BobbyR

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Re: Motorcycle Rental/tour business
« Reply #9 on: November 03, 2009, 07:17:38 PM »
Lines occur across my forehead thinking about this.  So I looked it up.
As you can see if the cheap Bastids paid the bridge toll it would have gone through NJ.  ;D 
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Offline 74cb750

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Re: Motorcycle Rental/tour business
« Reply #10 on: November 03, 2009, 07:56:02 PM »
What motorcycles are you planning on renting out?
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Offline Spanner 1

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Re: Motorcycle Rental/tour business
« Reply #11 on: November 03, 2009, 08:30:06 PM »
Ya don't want to rent bikes IMO, ya want to sell organised rides with a route, escorted with hotels booked etc.....much better for Euro riders
My neighbor just came back from escorting 18 Brits on rented bikes on a ride from Chicago to Santa Monica, all of route 66, 14 days and a blast for all who went.....Southern version would be great...North Georgia Mtns. etc, wow !!
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Offline seaweb11

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Re: Motorcycle Rental/tour business
« Reply #12 on: November 03, 2009, 10:12:22 PM »
Ya don't want to rent bikes IMO, ya want to sell organised rides with a route, escorted with hotels booked etc.....much better for Euro riders
My neighbor just came back from escorting 18 Brits on rented bikes on a ride from Chicago to Santa Monica, all of route 66, 14 days and a blast for all who went.....Southern version would be great...North Georgia Mtns. etc, wow !!

Did a bit of reading online about a bike rental trip in Greece.
They had the fully escorted tours or another  scenario .......Bike, Road map, GPS, with hotels booked at the end of every day including dinner with your seat partner or other riders you are traveling with. Would give you the stop when you feel like it program ;D The CDN dollar against the Euro made it a dream......

Offline Head

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Re: Motorcycle Rental/tour business
« Reply #13 on: November 03, 2009, 11:19:33 PM »
I would talk to a lawyer then with a insurance person to protect  yourself and belongings from liability issues.   Head
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Rocking-M

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Re: Motorcycle Rental/tour business
« Reply #14 on: November 04, 2009, 03:17:44 AM »
Does this company not already supply such a service in your area?
 http://www.eagleriderdc.com/

Not that there can't be more than a few companies in the same market.

probably do but who the hell wants to go to Washington, DC.
DC is 6 hours of interstate from me.
Do you know what hell a rider has to go through just to get out or DC?
Once you head east of Fredericksburg VA you've left civilization. ;)
I think people would enjoy it a
whole lot more if they came out to the real country for tour.

The Southern Tour would be my plan. Might make it a Battlefields tour with a Southern
Tour guide not hampered with political correctness it might even be interesting.
Not only are mountains nice but all the Spanish moss down near the coast makes
for beautiful rides. Tallahassee Florida comes to  mind, Charleston SC, ect...
« Last Edit: November 04, 2009, 03:23:00 AM by Rocking-M »

Offline demon78

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Re: Motorcycle Rental/tour business
« Reply #15 on: November 04, 2009, 03:53:33 AM »
Go RM, sounds like good idea if you can work out infra structure details like coin, reliability, liability and promotion.
Used to get "Classic Bike Guide" and saw several articles as well as companies doing same thing, interesting. Luck.
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Offline azuredesign

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Re: Motorcycle Rental/tour business
« Reply #16 on: November 04, 2009, 04:37:48 AM »
How much do you think it would cost to capitalize your venture? Would you buy used or new bikes, who would service them?
What other expenditures would there be? How would folks get from the airport to where they'd pick up the bikes? What other factors are there in setting this up?

Offline BobbyR

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Re: Motorcycle Rental/tour business
« Reply #17 on: November 04, 2009, 05:39:49 AM »
Does this company not already supply such a service in your area?
 http://www.eagleriderdc.com/

Not that there can't be more than a few companies in the same market.

probably do but who the hell wants to go to Washington, DC.
DC is 6 hours of interstate from me.
Do you know what hell a rider has to go through just to get out or DC?
Once you head east of Fredericksburg VA you've left civilization. ;)
I think people would enjoy it a
whole lot more if they came out to the real country for tour.

The Southern Tour would be my plan. Might make it a Battlefields tour with a Southern
Tour guide not hampered with political correctness it might even be interesting.
Not only are mountains nice but all the Spanish moss down near the coast makes
for beautiful rides. Tallahassee Florida comes to  mind, Charleston SC, ect...
Now that is a good tour idea. Give them a flavor of the old South, nice flavorful food, small towns, a bit of Corn Whiskey with or without a label ;D, maybe a nice Saturday nite at a short track with boiled peanuts and beer. Hey, I am freakin Yankee from NY, how do I know all this.  ???
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Offline chips1953

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Re: Motorcycle Rental/tour business
« Reply #18 on: November 04, 2009, 05:45:09 AM »
Sounds good to me...
I'm going to follow this thread as I'm already interested in doing a trip to the US.
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Offline Tretnine

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Re: Motorcycle Rental/tour business
« Reply #19 on: November 04, 2009, 05:47:44 AM »
Hey there, Rocking-M - This seems like a pretty neat idea and it sounds like you could have a whole lot of options for people who would want to come out to Virginia. (I'm in Charlottesville.) You could offer different tours at different price points. If you're going to run the parkway/skyline you could do camping/hiking tours, hotel/tourist tours and hard riding distance tours. I think a battlefield specific tour would be a pretty niche market, there are lots of other places to take a motorcycle trip in the world - the alps, New Zealand, Mexico - if you want to make a trip that will make money, you need to design a trip that will pull people in. There is a lot to see and a lot of places to ride in the area.

Sounds like most tours like this have an option to buy somewhere in there, would you be about that? Also, if you need a stack of new bikes on the cheap you could always pick up a stack of the now defunct Buells, which should be going cheap... I love motorcycling in VA and it's a wonderful state for it. I'm interested to see where this goes. Actually, very interested.

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Offline Deceptibong

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Re: Motorcycle Rental/tour business
« Reply #20 on: November 04, 2009, 08:11:59 AM »
Anyone willing to rent out a 70s honda cb750 out in portland/seattle area?  I had this lady friend I wanted to go see.  We got to be really close riding around on my 72 honda 750 over the summer, but unfortunately I live in Neb.  Id like to rent one out while I visit up there for a week or so.  I think she would get a kick out of it.  Anyone intrested?
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Re: Motorcycle Rental/tour business
« Reply #21 on: November 04, 2009, 08:45:06 AM »
I'm planning a mini tour for Fall 2010. My old friend Dave and his Mrs. are coming over from England and we plan to ride Nth. Ga. Mtns. and end-up at the Barber Vintage Weekend.....so, I'm re-building the '78 750 ( motor's apart now ) to have a 3rd. bike in the stable......... anyone else wanna' go ?
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Offline chips1953

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Re: Motorcycle Rental/tour business
« Reply #22 on: November 04, 2009, 08:53:10 AM »
I'm planning a mini tour for Fall 2010. My old friend Dave and his Mrs. are coming over from England and we plan to ride Nth. Ga. Mtns. and end-up at the Barber Vintage Weekend.....so, I'm re-building the '78 750 ( motor's apart now ) to have a 3rd. bike in the stable......... anyone else wanna' go ?

Where are the Nth. Ga. Mtns. ?
I guess it's North Ga? Mountains.
I'll check with Google.
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Offline chips1953

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Re: Motorcycle Rental/tour business
« Reply #23 on: November 04, 2009, 08:55:51 AM »
I'm planning a mini tour for Fall 2010. My old friend Dave and his Mrs. are coming over from England and we plan to ride Nth. Ga. Mtns. and end-up at the Barber Vintage Weekend.....so, I'm re-building the '78 750 ( motor's apart now ) to have a 3rd. bike in the stable......... anyone else wanna' go ?

Where are the Nth. Ga. Mtns. ?
I guess it's North Ga? Mountains.
I'll check with Google.
OK got that, looks special.
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Offline JBMorse

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Re: Motorcycle Rental/tour business
« Reply #24 on: November 04, 2009, 09:46:37 AM »
Sounds like a great business idea.  I know there are companies that do this in other parts of the country.  What bikes would you have available?  I read an article in a motorcycle mag (can't remember which one) about a tour company in northern Spain that did the mountain roads.  They used Royal Enfields!  People enjoyed them on those roads and apparently they were cost effective. 
So maybe you'd want some kind of interesting bike that would be fun in the twisties.  I recommend a fleet of CB500s! 
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Re: Motorcycle Rental/tour business
« Reply #25 on: November 04, 2009, 11:25:24 AM »
Sounds like a great business idea.  I know there are companies that do this in other parts of the country.  What bikes would you have available?  I read an article in a motorcycle mag (can't remember which one) about a tour company in northern Spain that did the mountain roads.  They used Royal Enfields!  People enjoyed them on those roads and apparently they were cost effective. 
So maybe you'd want some kind of interesting bike that would be fun in the twisties.  I recommend a fleet of CB500s! 


550s would probably be better, since "all" the bugs are worked out. (clutch etc) Also, you should have a 'pack mule' van following behind the group. (storage for materials and spares.)
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Offline Operator

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Re: Motorcycle Rental/tour business
« Reply #26 on: November 04, 2009, 12:01:23 PM »
Have you considered bringing in a motorcycle dealership in on the deal?

You could use "demonstrator bikes" out of the shop that folks could rent for a few days, once they get a few thousand miles on them the dealer can still make money by selling the bikes off the showroom floor as "nearly new". In the meantime, they have made a profit off of the rentals that would make up for not selling new. Besides that, there is already a maintenance staff in place to keep the bikes in tip top shape.

Now that I have voiced this idea, I may look into it myself up here in the North

Just a thought
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Re: Motorcycle Rental/tour business
« Reply #27 on: November 04, 2009, 12:52:39 PM »
Have you considered bringing in a motorcycle dealership in on the deal?

You could use "demonstrator bikes" out of the shop that folks could rent for a few days, once they get a few thousand miles on them the dealer can still make money by selling the bikes off the showroom floor as "nearly new". In the meantime, they have made a profit off of the rentals that would make up for not selling new. Besides that, there is already a maintenance staff in place to keep the bikes in tip top shape.

Now that I have voiced this idea, I may look into it myself up here in the North

Just a thought

I think you'd be better off offering bikes for sale as part of the trip, you decide beforehand if you want to buy a bike, with an option to buy after. (You might be able to make money every time you sell a bike, also, since the dealer wouldn't have to do any work.) You're not going to get a nearly new price off of a rental bike. People beat the crap out of rentals. I do like the idea of having a dealership in on it though, Buying a bike at the onset could save you money on the price of the trip and you could have the bike shipped to your house at the end of the deal. Not so bad. I wonder what a dealership would want for renting out bikes, those you might need to buy.

There would be a lot of work that would go into pricing the cost of riding on a vintage bike, or any bike, though the money you make for rentals would be all yours, none would go to a dealer. You'd have to look at the cost of the maintenance schedule plus depreciation and insurance. Oil change every 2k miles or 2 months? Lots of oil and air filters, valve clearance adjustments, timing adjustments, sync-ing, leak issues. (lots of time invested) Depending on how many miles you really put on them you are going to have more frequent overhauls. There could actually be a premium for a vintage bike, but the cool factor would be unmistakable. Also, initial overhead would be lower. If you lose a bike, too, to an accident or 'old age' you'll have to work at getting a replacement. I think, though, that to do this type of an operation you'd need at least 2 guys unless you have some sort of shop in on it, like operator says. Help with the maintenance, coordination and legwork as well as (and I do think this is important) an additional person to carry gear in some sort of large(ish) vehicle behind. (Food, drinks, spares, luggage, injured people.)

I'm really getting into this idea. I think it would be a lot of fun to do. It'd be great to see it get off the ground.
« Last Edit: November 04, 2009, 12:58:16 PM by Tretnine »
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Re: Motorcycle Rental/tour business
« Reply #28 on: November 04, 2009, 01:24:31 PM »

All good points, questions, opinions, etc.... I've checked into doing a tour in Italy where hotels are arrange with meals on the route.
Same deal in Scotland. Now to the serious stuff.

How much do you think it would cost to capitalize your venture? Would you buy used or new bikes, who would service them?
What other expenditures would there be? How would folks get from the airport to where they'd pick up the bikes? What other factors are there in setting this up?

I've always been prone to jump in feet first and work out details later. But in this case Azure has offered the right approach (as have others, not leaving anyone out here since lots of you have the same observations). I like the idea of using well maintained vintage bikes. Particularly Honda's fours. So used bikes to start is the way I'd lean. Besides, a lot of the new bikes leave something to be desired. Service I do on my own myself, but for a fleet I'm not sure I'd want to do all the maintenance. I have a good friend that has a garage and a deal may be desirable there. Just depends on how big this gets. The chase Van should be employed and it can double as a Airport to start point pick up vehicle for riders. We're 50 miles from the Airport.

So, I'm going to have to sit down and figure what bikes I want to use, the cost for the bikes, the insurance, Chase vehicle cost,
I'm wanting on the insurance quote to start with since this may be bike dependent. It may be something to run by the local Honda dealer, a fleet of VFR's would be nice.  ;) It may be that medic should be in the chase vehicle on some of the tours, I have a motorcycle friend (Hank happened to be behind me when I hit the deer) who is retiring this month and may be enticed and brought on board.


 

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Re: Motorcycle Rental/tour business
« Reply #29 on: November 04, 2009, 04:11:51 PM »
Hwy 60 in North Georgia is excellent plus there is a good motorcycle campground about halfway (I think it is closing soon after many years however).  Also look into Cherohala Motorcycle Resort and Cherohala Skyway.  Of course, the Tail of the Dragon in Deal's Gap plus the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Lot's of luck to you - could be a dream come true.

Offline azuredesign

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Re: Motorcycle Rental/tour business
« Reply #30 on: November 04, 2009, 06:38:12 PM »
I've always been prone to jump in feet first and work out details later. But in this case Azure has offered the right approach (as have others, not leaving anyone out here since lots of you have the same observations). I like the idea of using well maintained vintage bikes. Particularly Honda's fours. So used bikes to start is the way I'd lean. Besides, a lot of the new bikes leave something to be desired. Service I do on my own myself, but for a fleet I'm not sure I'd want to do all the maintenance. I have a good friend that has a garage and a deal may be desirable there. Just depends on how big this gets. The chase Van should be employed and it can double as a Airport to start point pick up vehicle for riders. We're 50 miles from the Airport.

So, I'm going to have to sit down and figure what bikes I want to use, the cost for the bikes, the insurance, Chase vehicle cost,
I'm wanting on the insurance quote to start with since this may be bike dependent. It may be something to run by the local Honda dealer, a fleet of VFR's would be nice.  ;) It may be that medic should be in the chase vehicle on some of the tours, I have a motorcycle friend (Hank happened to be behind me when I hit the deer) who is retiring this month and may be enticed and brought on board.

[/quote]


All good points, questions, opinions, etc.... I've checked into doing a tour in Italy where hotels are arrange with meals on the route.
Same deal in Scotland. Now to the serious stuff.

How much do you think it would cost to capitalize your venture? Would you buy used or new bikes, who would service them?
What other expenditures would there be? How would folks get from the airport to where they'd pick up the bikes? What other factors are there in setting this up?

The reason I asked was that I have thought about doing the same thing in southwest France. I also think it's a good idea to get a ballpark estimate of overhead expenses initially so it's possible to figure what you'd have to charge to make a go of it.
My initial plan was to purchase used bikes one by one, and insure them in my name, or in a company name. I think the good things about this are that initially the groups will probably be small. This may not generate a lot of revenue, but leading tours for large groups takes some getting used to logistically anyway, and starting small is probably how it'll go. It's easier to buy bikes one at a time both for out of pocket expenses and because good deals don't come around every day. One thing to look at is quantity discounts for bikes. My last purchase here in the U.S. only cost me $11. per year more to insure because I have a half dozen bikes on the road. One other thing that I thought about was to lease used bikes from a local dealership or rent from an existing rental company. I do think it's a good idea to try and use bikes that have interchangable parts. For the most part, I think that means picking a model and using multiple units.

I'm not sure about the necessity of a sag wagon or chase vehicle. I think folks should be able to carry what they need, or if it's an upscale tour then a vehicle can transport luggage and what not from one hotel to the next. If I was to go with a chase car, I think I'd want it to be sort of utility vehicle with a trailer. Alternately, it might be possible to contract for the airport shuttle or for taking belongings from one place to another. 50 miles is kind of a schlep.

It might be a good idea to check out a company like Sport Ryder rentals (http://www.sportryderrentals.com/) or Arizona Sport bike rentals (http://www.azsportbikerentals.com/) to see how they manage things and what the standard is for non Harley rentals.
« Last Edit: November 04, 2009, 06:40:37 PM by azuredesign »

Offline bucky katt

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Re: Motorcycle Rental/tour business
« Reply #31 on: November 05, 2009, 01:09:26 AM »
i didnt see anyone else suggest this (i AM pretty wiped out so i might have missed it) isnt there some kind of small business loan that you can get through the government? this sounds like a fantastic idea! i wish i had the money to invest in it myself.
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