Racing on the Streets
It’s our version of Mecca. No other race in the U.S., or even the world, quite matches the experience of seeing the TT in person. Not only is the race action great, but the atmosphere is incredible. It’s you and 100,000 of your best motorcycling friends from around the world, all gathered to celebrate the love of fast motorcycles.
Isle of Man TT Grid Girls… Lovely!
This was the 100th year of the Isle of Man TT races. Except for a few war years, motorcycles have been racing on the island every year since 1907. Back then the roads were rough and unpaved. An Indian won the premier race that year, with an average speed of just 47 mph – a far cry from what’s possible today.
2007 saw a new lap record set. John McGuiness averaged just over 130 mph during the Senior TT on the last day of racing, on a Honda CBR1000RR. Wow!!! Unfortunately there was an accident during the race, leaving one rider and two spectators dead. The island can be a deadly place. The yearly death toll averages more than 2 riders per year.
The TT features several days of racing, with various classes including sidecars. The Superbike-spec 1000s can hit over 200 miles per hour on some sections of the track. The 600s and sidecars are a bit slower, but no less thrilling.
Car Racing at Speed
Locals and visitors watch the races from almost everywhere. Yards, driveways, house windows, schoolyards, gas stations, pubs……. anywhere along the 37 ½ mile course is fair game. It’s sobering to see the various hard surfaces – light posts, walls, gas pumps, houses – along the course that have been covered with hay bales and padding in an attempt to soften the blow for a rider traveling at over 100 mph.
Locals and visitors watch the races from almost everywhere.
When the races are over it’s time to head to the Promenade. The “Prom” is the main street along the bay where the nightly festivities happen. This year you could see a number of stunt shows and contests, as well as dozens of ancient race bikes being started up and ridden by racing legends. Where else can you see and hear a 1938 DKW supercharged 2-stroke race bike being ridden? And there were two of those things!! The sound was amazing, almost as nasty as the shriek from the exhaust of a 1960’s vintage Honda 250 six cylinder racer.
Quite a few racing legends were in attendance this year. Giacomo Agostini, Phil Read, and Kevin Schwantz were there, and there was a somewhat odd appearance by Michelle Duff, formerly Mike Duff. Duff was an accomplished Grand Prix and TT racer from the 1960s who later became a transgender. The announcer called her “Mike…er I mean Michelle” a couple of times. I think the audience was equally confused.
Bikes at the Isle of Man
Here in the states we certainly have a huge variety of bikes, in every shape, flavor and color. We have the choppers of course, and chromed out sportbikes with extended swingarms, repli-racers, vintage bikes, etc. And for a completely new take on the meaning of “custom bikes”, look around at the TT.
No trip to the Isle of Man TT races is complete without checking out the German streetfighters. Streetfighters are not exclusive to the Germans, but the Germans do seem to take their bikes to the greatest extremes. Check out the photos, and look at the detail of these bikes. You’ll see turbos, nitrous, bikes with no seat pads, and some with polished aluminum seats. Like your ‘fighter chromed? With flashy paint? Polished aluminum bodywork? Take your choice. Want your bike’s ass end sticking up sky high? How about a 4 into 4 exhaust, with underseat outlets going thru the bodywork? Nothing is too bizarre for the Streetfighter crowd. Function be damned, these are way bitchin’ bikes.
One bike in particular caught our attention. The “General Lee” appeared to be an early 80’s Suzuki, completely done up in full Dukes of Hazard paint scheme. This General Lee probably couldn’t jump very well, but I’ll bet it kicks ass at the dragstrip. The bike’s owner obviously spent a lot of time with the General. Among other things, it has a turbocharger, custom wheels with rim mounted brake discs in front, and an adjustable length swingarm to keep things stable at the strip. Even if you’re not a fan of the 70’s TV show, you have to give props to the guy who built this bike.
Want more weirdness? How about a bobbed Honda Valkyrie, with 6 intake stacks, and 6 into 6 exhausts with the ends pointed up as if to shoot at incoming aircraft? Then there was the Ford V-6 powered rat-trike looking like it came from a post-apocalyptic world, complete with mice, rats and bats.
Sidecar rigs abound at the Isle of Man. A blue Gold Wing had what appeared to be a small car attached to its side. In reality it was a 2 person sidecar with 2 wheels, front and rear, the front wheel being steered with the Gold Wing’s. And though I hate the idea of ruining the handling on a great naked sportbike, there was a gorgeous Aprilia Tuono (the Racing version no less) attached to an equally beautiful carbon fiber sidecar.
The entire atmosphere surrounding the TT races is amazing. With the Isle of Man’s location pretty far north, daylight stays around until 11 pm in the summer. It’s amusing to be at the Bushy’s tent (the local brew) after 10 pm, in full daylight, watching stunters and chatting with an international crowd of mad bikers.
Considering the danger involved with 200 mph bikes in close proximity to rock walls, it’s anyone’s guess how long the Isle of Man races will continue. For years there’s been talk of shutting it down. But as a substantial part of the island’s economy revolves around the annual TT races, the locals are doing everything in their power to keep this party going.
One more time–The Girls of The Isle Of Man.
