Its in the works, for me and my son, first week in June. My brother and two of my nephews are planning on making it too

'Case anyone is out of the loop; for a motorcyclist going to the Isle of Man TT races is like a pilgrimage and a lifelong dream.

'Spect I might even haul my bicycle to England while I'm at it and revisit my childhood haunts, and maybe even mosey around England, Scotland, Ireland, Normandy and Wales for a bit. The same 2,000 miles I did last summer will cover all those places, easily.

Tough world; can't go this summer 'cause I gotta chaperone some kids around the Tropics

Now, all of this TT stuff ain't actually happened yet and life can always get in the way, but in the meantime.... Dang! Life is sweet sometimes.

Birdwatcher

Sounds like a great adventure

You will enjoy it. A very good friend of mine and serious motorcycle enthusiast goes every few years.

Birdy! That will be great fun!!! Good on you!! Wifey and I miss the UK. We have several good friends in Scotland.

There is nothing on the planet that compares to the TT.

That is exactly the way I feel too











....skylarks and meadow pipits..... with the sublime wail of motorcycle engines echoing off of stone walls somewhere in the background

Back in the late 80's, I sent some time at the old RAF camp at Jurby Head on the IOM, and I can say you can keep the sh1t hole place, TT or no TT!

Over the years I've been asked to go over to watch the TT a fewtimes, but the memory of my previous time on the island is still too raw! lol

Be sure to try the local scallops, known as "Manx Queenies."

BTDT, and there ain't nothing on the planet compares to the IOM TT

First off, it seems important to know that four racers out of probably ~200 competitors died this year over a two week period.hey do everything they can to keep it as safe as they can short of shutting it down, but people do get killed pretty reg'lar in this event.

https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2016/06/13/2016-isle-of-man-tt-recap-winners-fatalities/

And for those that missed my prior posts over the last year, this video gives the gist...



When you are there, on the island, the IOM TT is more than a series of motorcycle races, its a social event; an island in the Irish Sea 32 miles long and 13 miles wide, 86,000 people. Doesn't seem like a "biker" place at all, no "show us your tits", entirely different from Sturgis. Just a friedly community of 86,000 people for whom motorcycle racing is a part of their cultural tradition. The TT is 104 years old.

Got some pics with my new iphone, but plainly I ain't the photographer Leighton is.

The two week event runs last week in May/first week in June. Limiting factor in getting to the TT is getting on and off the island. You're already getting late booking the ferry or flight if you want to go next year. We flew into Heathrow Sunday 5th,took the three hour ferry from the little town of Heysham Tuesday afternoon. Had to leave on the 7am ferry Friday morning, the morning of the last day of racing. If we had missed that ferry we would have been on the island for about a week waiting for available space to open up, even tho we were foot passengers. That many people attend.

OK, random ferry pics. The attendees are overwhelmingly male, mostly over thirty, mostly British, mostly longtime motorcycle enthusiasts. Lots of tattoos, lots of guys who prob'ly have a story or two, but all in all about the most peaceable crowd you'd ever want to meet. Motorcycle people sharing a common passion.

Waiting to get on the ferry....



The lounge on board....



The view from deck of the Irish Sea, knocking off species I got gannet, kittiwake, razorbill and manx shearwater.....



Windmills, the Irish Sea is full of 'em....



From a distance, the first sign of Man are the cumulus clouds, clouds that form over land....




Then as you get closer the island emerges from the mist...




Birdwatcher

Thank you for posting this Birdwatcher!

sure have been a lot of deaths on the circuit this year.

Lucky chit. Just watching it makes me wet my pants.

That would be the town of Douglas, largest on the island, and the place where the ferries dock and the airplanes land.



Warmest temperature on record is 85F, in July I think a few years back. Like the rest of the British Isles only more so; figure 70 - 50 in the summer and 50-30 in the winter, a lot of rain, mostly intermittent. First week of the TT is for practice and dialing-in the bikes, second week is racing every other day, every other day to allow for rain days.

Weather was great this time around, but even so persistent mist at the higher elevations of the 37 mile course delayed the start of the races (scheduled for 10:30am??) about 90 minutes the day we were watching.

View from the boat pulling into the dock, the grandstand/start-finish line for the race course would be way back in the trees uphill of the waterfront maybe 75% over to the right of this photo...



Long line of motorcycles disembarking from the ferry, crowd of bikes to their right waiting to board for the trip back. I have no idea how many motorcycles arrive during the races, but they were all over the island, everywhere. A sprinkling of Harleys, but mostly Euro and Japanese brands, LOTS of classics.

The view from the sidewalk outside the front of the terminal....



Time was around 6:30pm, four hours of daylight remaining. At this point we weren't feeling too swift, we had no reservations, came in cold. Of the campgrounds around the course, the closest was St George's Football (Soccer) Club, which pitch is turned over for camping during the TT.

Our first goal was that one on account of it was the only one within a long walk (45 min) of the ferry. My worry was that if taxis weren't around or were too usurious like 5:30am Friday morning, we needed to be within walking distance. As it turns out, neither concern was merited.

We were on the tail end of the crowd getting off the boat and all the taxis were gone, but about 25 minutes later this gentleman showed up, our first introduction to the Manx



He could easily have gouged us, it ain't like we had many options, instead for both of us with our backpacks it was eight pounds, about $12. Friendly and informative as all get out, allayed our fears immediately, brung us to St George's and I believe surreptitiously gave the nod so we could get in.

Its an island, a small town really, everybody knows everybody. The guy who runs this campground during the races is also the Chief of Police. To put that in context, the crime rate on Man is spectacularly low, so much so the five police vehicles on hand are all civilian vehicles with metal magnetic decals attached. None have a cage to transport suspects, for that there's an SUV with a cage separating the luggage area.

Neither do they feel an obligation to pack the campground, preferring to preserve the pitch and have it quiet after hours. Hot showers and real flush toilets laid on, food wagon selling good food right there.



I wish I were more inclined to take photos of people. The guy running the food wagon was a sergeant in the IOM Constabulary (Police). Seen Braveheart? Take Gibson's big red-hairy buddy with the axe, shave his head and make him really, really pleasant and ya got an image of the guy. Him and his pretty blond co-worker/girlfriend from Poland.

The British Isles is full of attractive women from Poland. They come for the jobs and have a reputation as hard workers disinclined to accept the dole (food stamps/welfare etc.).

Anyhoo, the parking lot at St George's, motorcycle parking only, of course....




Gotta go watch England vs. Wales in the European Cup, hosted in France this year. Seems like there's been a resurgence this year in British football hooliganism.

More to the point the "Ultras" from Russia have been making headlines. Years ago England pioneered the "firms", that is organizations of football (soccer) fans that go to games specifically to brawl and riot.

Turns out this year the Russians have upped the ante. IME yer average Brit football hooligan looks about like what he is; a skinny working class lout with an attitude, especially when he takes his shirt off. The Russians all got prison tats and muscles, and allegedly all came equipped with brass knuckles and a plan. More than anything else they are supposed to hate Americans, and next to them the Brits.

Gotten to be hazardous wearing England team colors in France so they say, and naturally some among the British crowd are more'n willing to thump back.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...h-louts-and-russian-ultras-among-dozens/

I don't climb on the bicycle until next week, might still be awhile before I can get back online tho.

Birdwatcher

Never been a motorcycle guy but it's on my bucket list.


https://youtu.be/fcSnu-zyUl4

$2,500 return for everything from San Antonio gets your feet on the island.

$15 a night to camp, and that's during TT week. Cheap food, WONDERFUL beer, great conversation.

I expect this place is closer than you think, it was for me, shoulda done this years ago.

FRIENDLY people, no crime to speak of as we in the US understand the term, the IOM rocks and then some. Pretty too, I got some pics to post when I get time.

Birdwatcher

I have been watching that race for years. It has to be the most incredible motorized racing event that a man can enter.

I seriously don't think anything can compare.

+1 110% crazy. I get it, we rode dirt bikes way too fast for many years. Nothing to the extent these guys are doing but pushing the edge of control is exciting and addictive.

It's possibly the prettiest thing ever done with internal combustion.

Michael Dunlop laid down the fastest lap ever this year.

Here's what it looks like from the bike... Just amazes me a human can do this.

The helicopter is not keeping up with the bikes, on the long straights

I don't have a whole lot of race pics,and no movies, so I'll discuss the other stuff first.

That same evening, 7:30pm, the RAF showed up, the Red Arrows, and did the air show thing over the harbor....



St. George's is located along the home stretch,maybe 200 yards from the grandstand and the start/finish line. In the background of this pic you can see the "pits", the tents where the work areas of the competitor's crews are located. More about them later, one of the more remarkable things about this event is that the public is free to mingle with the mechanics and riders around their work areas between races.

Where we ate when it weren't on-site, maybe 15 to 20 minute walk...



...along the way.... still life, with motorcycle....



Fish, chips and sloppy peas,served "open" to eat right there, on the benches out front. 8 pounds AKA $12. Shoulda included a size reference, that's actually a lot of food



Nice thing about the UK this time of year; hours and hours of daylight. Same street maybe 10:20pm Greenwich Mean Time....




Birdwatcher

The pub on the corner.....





The local brew, I give it two thumbs up



A man and his dog.....



Birdwatcher

Color me jealous Birdwatcher; that's on my bucket list. Next time if you need someone to carry your bags and bring you beer, look me up.

Here's one for the owners of fat dogs everywhere...



A lot of retirees on the IOM, which is legally a self-governing crown dependency, a member of the Commonwealth, but NOT a member of the European Union. Not up to speed on the economic considerations, but the island is considered a major tax haven. They actually print their own money and coinage, similar in appearance to regular English and at the same exchange rate. A caveat tho, Manx merchants accept English money, the same is not true of Manx money in England, but banks both places exchange it no charge.

Manx was the southernmost part of the Norse/Celtic kingdom of the Western Isles, stretching down the west coast of Scotland from the Orkneys down through the Hebrides. I would say culturally they are most allied with the old Celtic nations, for example the Cops appear to be mostly of Scottish and Irish origin.

The native language is a form of Gaelic called Manx, tho the last native speaker was born in 1877 and died in 1974. Still, lots signs of various sortscome with Manx versions...





...and a quick reference to the dogs. The English still dote on their dogs, a thing which clearly extends to the IOM too. It used to be said of the English that they "beat their children and spoil their dogs". Overall they've gotten so very PC that I doubt the former is still true, but here's the way the Manx handle the dog crap issue



Birdwatcher

Very cool Birdy! Looks like a hell of a good time.

Watching that vid GG put up, kept waiting for a dog or sheep to step out in the road....

A splendid tradition in the UK are public footpaths across private land, a codified legalization of what had been practiced for centuries.

Thursday there was no racing, so I took the bus to Port Erin ("Port Aarin") to go look at birds on the footpath to the Sound of Man (end of a peninsula) looking towards the Calf of Man (an island off of the Sound).

Here ya go, Port Erin, a couple of pics for Roger.



The guy was far off using bait, dunno what sort or for what fish....






White rocks in the foreground are quartz or similar rock....





At the Sound there's a small cafe, like everywhere else during the TT jammed with motorcyclists. Grey seals hang out on the rocks of the Sound and the Calf,and I was far enough north that there was a breeding pair of eiders...



Set out to walk back on to Port Erin on the road but the old winding rural roads here run exceedingly narrow, two lanes in a space we would leave for just one. Even on foot I actually felt I was impeding traffic, so took the bus when one showed up.

Birdwatcher

have a pint of bitters for me, Mike!

And, if you run into Grant Moon , tell him I said 'hey'.

A constant source of amazement to me too. All it takes too would be one idiot among the hundreds of thousands lining the track to step out for whatever reason.

I will say where we were they had an orange-clad track watcher with a radio about every fifty yards, that and with all the thousands of interested spectators among whom concern for the safety of the riders runs high.

Race day, the view from our spot, bikes would appear from climbing a slope at the end of the road you can see and floor it towards the line on the last lap.



This is how close the campsite was. 'Nother plus of the TT, theft of one's stuff from a campsite left unattended is virtually unknown. Leave your stuff, go watch the races have a beer whatever, no worries.



Preparations for the race; the black pleather bikini top girls hurrying to the line....



Looking towards the finish line, everyone hurrying to wherever they wanted to be before the road closed at 10am.



Finally, after losing maybe two hours for the mists to clear up top, competitors lining up for the Monster Supersport race. What is not often realized is just how tightly choreographed the TT really is.

60+ entries released at 10 second intervals; 10 minutes if everything goes right. The leaders lap times for the 37 mile course run about 17 minutes, seven minutes or less to clear the track after the last guy rolls out.





So for the next hour or so there is a constant stream of bikes screaming by in ones, twos and threes. Hard to believe when you're watching that they are that long, time goes by so quick, but this Supersport race was four laps so it must have been.

They sell $10 earbud radios that you can follow the commentary, and you know when the leaders are approaching when you see the helicopter coming.

...and those would be actual concrete curbs and asphalt sidewalks on either side of the home stretch, gotta watch your line if you're riding...

Birdwatcher

I loved doing racing schools and track days, but the Isle... phug that!

Hey Birdy--

I just read that Guy Martin is skipping the TT this year to race his... mountain bike (!) on the Tour Divide from Banff to Antelope Wells, New Mexico.

Ya, there was a general relief that Guy Martin DIDN'T race this year. The general opinion is that he's the fastest guy that has never won the TT, and people don't want him to hurt himself trying.

Ain't no idle fear; Michael Dunlop who just set the TT course record this year is the son of the late Robert Dunlop, TT winner himself, who died racing in Northern Ireland. While on the course, Michael Dunlop passed the monument built in memory of his uncle Joey Dunlop, likewise a repeat TT winner, killed in a wreck while racing in Estonia. The son's attitude is so aggressive its even odds at best whether he lives to retire.

This year's other star was Ian Hutchinson, here seen passing us in a 500 yard 130mph celebration wheelie down the home stretch of his third victory....



Hutchinson is back after very nearly losing his leg from a prior wreck, the multi-year recovery from which involved him actually regrowing a length of bone 5mm at a time. Said leg is now so fragile he rides with the gear shifter on his bike moved to the other side and operates the rear brake off the handlebar with his thumb.



The other opinion at the races about Guy Martin is that he is purposefully taking time out to get away from the spotlight, a thing which he does not enjoy. When he says he was perfectly happy just being a truck mechanic in Lincolnshire (??) I believe him.

To hear Martin tell it himself his second passion was always bicycles, it woulda been nice to see him even as a spectator at the TT, but hey, more power to him

Birdwatcher

Holy Kshizzle!, on that youtube you posted Martin just did 700 off-road miles in four days

...and a description of the event....

http://tourdivide.org/caveat

Self-supported grand tour racing (ie. >2 weeks) along the GDMBR is like none other. Simply on scale, it's the hardest form of bike racing, period. To be competitive for the overall, one must ride ≥150 miles/day. There are no rest days. And if volume alone isn't taxing enough, one must also navigate, acquire resupply, clean/wrench the bike, find shelter each night, bathe when possible, and keep one's wits about it all. No entourages follow athletes.

No wonder Martin is as enormously popular over here as he is.

Birdwatcher

Not sure how interesting still of passing motorcycles are, but heres one to testify to the video opportunity I missed Here's Ian Hutchinson a moment earlier on that same victory wheelie...




I can only plead ignorance, I'm new to smart phones.

And now easily the most bizarre racing vehicles in the world... the sidecar, far removed from the original, with a guy hanging on to a steel bar on a platform in back....



On the straights like this the guy makes himself as small as possible in the slipstream, ducking his head down, of course on right turns he hangs way off the left side, head inches from the ground. Where they get these guys willing to do this I have no idea.



..and to show how truly bizarre these three-wheeled two man vehicles, here is one sans cowling between races....



Which brings up another point that makes the IOM totally unique; the free access to the pits between races, absolutely no security checks needed, huge crowds and nobody acts like a d$ck. I was free to walk right in and take that photo.

Didn't realize at the time but this one sponsored by BMW might well have been the Dunlop family area....




Otherwise, like I said, competitors, crew and the public mingle freely.

Gratuitous motorbike porn...

I read that after his last wreck he started taking stock of his life, and realized he's done nothing but the TT for the past 12 years, so he's taking time to do something different.

You HAD to show that Norton, didn't you...