Bikes, bikes and more bikes

Change those tyres Simon! You can push your luck just a little to far.

 

Talk about timing.
BBC News: One pint warning issued to drivers :" ... A sheriff has warned motorists that one drink can put them over the legal limit in Scotland after issuing driving bans ... "

Best not done in scenic Scotland

 

Good reason not to pump any more money into the Scottish economy then.

 

That's whisky off the menu then

 

Wouldn't go to Yorkshire either. From what I've heard, some Senior Police there will be looking for money to boost their economy soon...

 

I thought I'd revive Jenny's thread with this.....

https://l.messenger.com/l.php?u=htt...HgHEIAhk7JJhaU8q2qCIfsHZ0NnGBxOkqKMnHK5PK8S0g

 

Do you miss it at all Sheal ?

 

@Sheal thanks ever so much for posting that. Its probably the best film I've ever seen about the TT, and the views are expressed in a far better way than I ever could. Thanks for bringing back the memories, both good and bad.

 

Yes I do @Jenny namaste. Not the disruption to every day life but the bikes and the buzz yes. I've been here in the Highlands three years now and the sound of the occasional bike coming when I'm out and about still turns my head. It's in the blood, all my family are bikers. I'm back on the island at Christmas for the first time since leaving - I might even 'do' a lap while I'm there but on four not two wheels.

You're welcome @Sandy Ground. The lads tell it like it is, they know exactly what they're doing and risking. My son has hit speeds in excess of 100 mph on the mountain a few times in the past, he's said if you're scared you shouldn't be on a bike. That certainly applies to TT.

 

A race on the island starts weeks, if not months before and goes something like this....

As soon as the entry is confirmed by the ACU, passage is booked on one of the "Steam Racket" Companies boats. Then the buying for the race begins. Things you know you'll need, things you think you'll need, and things you hope you dont need. Then, everything about the bike, leathers etc gets prepared to perfection. Thats when the worrying begins. Is everything really as perfect as you think? So it gets checked. Over, and over, and over again.

Once on the island, the very first thing the wise rider does is make his way down to Fairy Bridge, and asks for the fairies protection. This is always accompanied by some coins for them.

Race day draws closer, and nerves get more and more noticeable. Reaching a pitch as the rider gets to the start. Then, as said in the video, the very second the start is made, they disappear. A "zone" is entered, a place where nothing exists outside of the bike, and the track. The rider has no feelings, emotions. Its a kind of neutral, noisy but strangely peaceful place that cant be imagined, only experienced. Sometimes, when the bike is in mid air, even the noise seems to disappear.

Then comes a pit stop. For those few seconds it takes to fill the tank, do other things, the "zone" is left, and all the emotions that werent present over the previous laps erupt all at once. Only to disappear when the clutch is let out upon leaving the pits.

The final lap is the worst! As the descent of the mountain begins, all kinds of imaginary noises seem to come from the bike. The closer to the finish, the worse they get! Only to disappear again as soon as the chequered flag is passed.

That, people, is a race on the Isle of Man. It doesnt matter if the race is won or lost. You've done it. You've survived a race on the toughest track in the world, and doing that gives an indescribable feeling...

 

thank you @Sandy Ground for that wonderful transcription from the inside,
respect,
Jenny namaste

 

A good post Sandy. You've written from experience and the feelings that every racer goes through. I've seen what goes on behind the scenes as well as on the circuit, and it's no mean feat getting everything to come together for both rider and bike until that tap on the shoulder happens. Then it happens all over again for the next race and the next.

 

A true little story about a TT rider in the 60's...he crashed twice, and still won the race by over two minutes....I'm not sure it was the same race, but he did win one with his twist grip held in place by the handkerchief of one of his pit crew… He is known as the greatest TT rider ever! Can anyone guess his name?

 

Anyone fancy a lap of the TT course onboard? I've taken the following directly from Isle of Man News so the write up that goes with the video can be read too.

WATCH this two-stroke Suzuki RG500 lap the Isle of Man… volume up!