Talk to me about the TT

[mangocrazy]

I last visited the Isle of Man TT races back in 1994, but am being nudged by Mrs Mango into going again. At first I thought she was just humouring me, but the nudges keep coming so I may need to start doing something. I'm sure all manner of things have changed in my (nearly) 30 year absence, but I'm sure there are also the constants - the rip-off Steam Packet prices and the need to book 3 or 4 years in advance just to secure a place to sleep.

I'm not planning on going for the TT 'proper', I'm not entirely sure I could tolerate the madness, but I'm looking at the Classic TT as that seems to have the vintage of bikes that I'm most interested in. I also won't be staying in Douglas - it'll be Ramsey for me as there are far more amenable viewing locations within a short walk.

Are there any other crossings than those run by the Steam Racket? How many days does the Classic TT cover - is it the same length as the TT (i.e.2 weeks) or shorter? Any hints, tips or suggestions? I'm all ears.

[Mr Moofo]

Personally I would say don’t bother with the Manx GP until they sort out the issues with the TT, the IOM government and the tourist board.
I was there last year and it was a bit of a waste of time.
Nice weather other than one day, mind

[mangocrazy]

Personally I would say don’t bother with the Manx GP until they sort out the issues with the TT, the IOM government and the tourist board.
I was there last year and it was a bit of a waste of time.
Nice weather other than one day, mind

What issues are these? And how did they affect your enjoyment of the races? I'm fully expecting the weather to be dire if/when I visit, so will be going in a van, with bike in the back.

[Noggin]

I've got friends that go every year for the Manx/Classic. I love it too - less manic than the TT and FULL of seriously classic/vintage bikes. Awesome!

[Dickyboy]

Was at the Manx GP last year too, changing the program at late notice was a ball ache but not a deal breaker for us & we camped so accommodation wasn't a problem either - they have some camping pods Glenlough campsite as well now. Been talk of going again in 2024 with a van & some vintage bikes if we can.

[mangocrazy]

Was at the Manx GP last year too, changing the program at late notice was a ball ache but not a deal breaker for us & we camped so accommodation wasn't a problem either - they have some camping pods Glenlough campsite as well now. Been talk of going again in 2024 with a van & some vintage bikes if we can.

On my very first TT visit in 1970 we camped on the Glen Lough site. The weather was flawless for the whole 2 weeks, so some serious beginner's luck...

[Bustaspoke]

I first went to the Classic TT/Manx GP meet in 2017, I've been every year since apart from the Covid lockdowns.
I think I've been to 4 or 5 TT's,but I much prefer the Classic TT week.There's no way I would take a motorbike to the TT,it's full of Power Ranger's / Track day Gods with more ego than talent & the mountain gets shut far to often.
You invariably get a few of them at the Classic TT,but far fewer.
I like the Classic TT because it's a lot more chilled & I find the bike's far more interesting,not just the race bike's,I really enjoy the Classic Superbikes,but also the road bikes up at Peel.If you like motorcycles there's far more variety of bikes & bike enthusiasts at the Classic TT.
Here's a very small selection of the bikes that you see there,obviously if you're not really into bikes it's a bit boring,but if you like seeing & hearing bikes from all era's it's a great few days.
In the Paddock


At Jurby,first time I'd seen a Britten in 'real life' & there were two of them out there



Typical car park scene



Lots of Kawasaki W650 Scramblers on the island



Peel is always good for old bike spotting





And back in the paddock



The last time I saw Team Bike's RC30 race was at the 1992 Bol D'or



I could fill the page up with images of bikes & people from the Classic TT,just trying to show the variety of bikes that you get there.
It's not for everyone,but for someone like me it's one of the highlight's of the year

[Dickyboy]

Was at the Manx GP last year too, changing the program at late notice was a ball ache but not a deal breaker for us & we camped so accommodation wasn't a problem either - they have some camping pods Glenlough campsite as well now. Been talk of going again in 2024 with a van & some vintage bikes if we can.

On my very first TT visit in 1970 we camped on the Glen Lough site. The weather was flawless for the whole 2 weeks, so some serious beginner's luck...

Tell me about it, at my first TT in 2012 we camped, on the last night we slept in other people's abandoned tents so we didn't have to struggle packing up our wet camping gear in the morning before our ferry was due

[Bustaspoke]

Was at the Manx GP last year too, changing the program at late notice was a ball ache but not a deal breaker for us & we camped so accommodation wasn't a problem either - they have some camping pods Glenlough campsite as well now. Been talk of going again in 2024 with a van & some vintage bikes if we can.

On my very first TT visit in 1970 we camped on the Glen Lough site. The weather was flawless for the whole 2 weeks, so some serious beginner's luck...

I always camp at Glenlough,most yesrs I meet the same people.

[Mr Moofo]

Was at the Manx GP last year too, changing the program at late notice was a ball ache but not a deal breaker for us & we camped so accommodation wasn't a problem either - they have some camping pods Glenlough campsite as well now. Been talk of going again in 2024 with a van & some vintage bikes if we can.

The issues for me were that the program was changed arbitrarily - and people hade been holding onto ferry and accommodation bookings for 2-3 years! I was on a ferry coming home on the Monday - with a load of very pissed off Manx GPs fans who had seen a few races - but the uo take was much lower than the previous time I had been. There was no Jurby Festival / Jumble or what ever it is called, There was a Douglas sprint but under published and attended by very few.
There was little in the way of the side show events - through there was the Peel bike show. Oddly Peel seemed to have the most stuff going on!.
No Italian bike meet/ Ducati meet/ Triumph meet etc.
Compared to my previous visit it was little low of people, racing, entertainment, etc.

Tanking around the mountain is a wonderful experience, mind ...

[Dodgy69]

Been twice I think and really enjoyed it, but then, it is a bike trip. Not quite sure on scheduling now, they changed it the other year. It's probably still a 2 weeker, practice/qualifying and race.

Half race week was classic, half Manx gp. I've always enjoyed the nothing days. Breakfast and chat, no rushing to holes in hedges. Have a ride to Cregneash cafe, sit on the grass seal watching or sharks, maybe. Port Erin is nice for fish and chips with a nice sea view. Peel is great, especially for an evening of food and booze

Jurby junk maybe, could be something going on at track. Laxey wheel and beach is nice. I usually avoid Douglas front but maybe OK for classic. There's museums about or just find some quiet roads off the beaten track.

Liverpool and Heysham is Steam packet, they've got you by the bollox, so if you want to go, you pay. Bike and rider probably around £300 now. They used to do 4 day return cheaper, not sure anymore.

You'll get plenty of classic bike gatherings, places like St John's Parliament building, Peel, Laxey front. Camping at St John's football club is very good. Clean and tidy, showers, toilets, cooked breakfast, evening bar and bus to Peel in the evening. The Tynwald pub up the road used to be ace, especially if Dicky was performing and Elvis, a local character, no longer with us would walk in. Last time I went pubs gone to shit.

[mangocrazy]

OK, so it's as I feared, the Steam Racket have a death grip on getting to the IoM by sea, and charge accordingly. It's definitely going to be the Manx/Classic that I attend, I don't think I could deal with the TT madness and dickheads any more. I don't need there to be a constant stream of events to attend; I quite like heading off into the interior and exploring some of the more off the beaten track areas. Having said that, with an Island as comparatively small as Mann, really off the beaten track areas don't exist.

The only blot on the horizon is that Mrs Mango's younger sister may be getting married in August.

In the Philippines....

[KungFooBob]

Something at the back of my mind says Joey? rented a fishing boat to get his bikes to the Island to avoid paying the Steampacket and it sank?

Please tell me I didn't dream it.

[Bustaspoke]

OK, so it's as I feared, the Steam Racket have a death grip on getting to the IoM by sea, and charge accordingly. It's definitely going to be the Manx/Classic that I attend, I don't think I could deal with the TT madness and dickheads any more. I don't need there to be a constant stream of events to attend; I quite like heading off into the interior and exploring some of the more off the beaten track areas. Having said that, with an Island as comparatively small as Mann, really off the beaten track areas don't exist.

The only blot on the horizon is that Mrs Mango's younger sister may be getting married in August.

In the Philippines....

If you just want to hoon around the island & see some racing there's always the Southern 100 races.I've never been,but I'm keeping an eye on the weather forecast & I might just nip over for a few days.I've still got to deal with the Steam Racket but it's approx £156 (3 day offer).

[Bustaspoke]

Something at the back of my mind says Joey? rented a fishing boat to get his bikes to the Island to avoid paying the Steampacket and it sank?

Please tell me I didn't dream it.

Yes that was in the mid 80's,the boat sank with all their race bikes on board.
They salvaged the bikes & raced
Do a Google search,there's some video's out there

[mangocrazy]

Something at the back of my mind says Joey? rented a fishing boat to get his bikes to the Island to avoid paying the Steampacket and it sank?

Please tell me I didn't dream it.

You didn't dream it. Joey used to regularly ferry his bikes to the IoM on fishing boats until one year the boat sank. They had to hose down the bikes for hours to get all the salt water off the magnesium parts, as salt water attacks magnesium with a vengeance...

[mangocrazy]

I remember in the late 80s I went over in a van with two motorbikes in the back and one of the Steam Packet employees was trying to tell me I should be paying for the bikes as well. He got told to do one in very short order. Ever since then I've held a grudge...

I also remember that Geoff Duke started up his own shipping company using a modern RORO vessel, and undercutting the Steam Racket. I think it lasted one year, possibly two, before an act of industrial sabotage completely disabled the vessel. It's like dealing with the Mafia.

[Noggin]

I quite like heading off into the interior and exploring some of the more off the beaten track areas. Having said that, with an Island as comparatively small as Mann, really off the beaten track areas don't exist.

Weirdly, I always found quite a lot of less beaten track. I think that 90% of people stick to the main areas, and so there's a lot of the island, south especially, that's relatively quiet (Haven't been for a few years though!! )

OK, so it's as I feared, the Steam Racket have a death grip on getting to the IoM by sea, and charge accordingly.

I do understand the complaints about the Steam Racket (especially trying to charge for bikes in a van!! WTAF!!) BUT - for me it's always been a balance. Yes, the ferry is expensive but ALL the racing is for free. And not only that, you get to ride the circuit as well. And all the other things

The flip side is riding to another place that needs a ferry (any euro bike race venue) - ferry + entrance = similar?? Possibly not, but equally that's for a max of three days!! The TT is a fortnight of free bikes, racing and fun (if you want it to be a fortnight).

So, whilst I think it does look expensive, I reckon it balances out. I mean, look at Every type of holiday company or anything to do with tourism over the kids school holidays. They don't keep their prices down as normal. So why should Steam Packet maintain a 'normal' price for the biggest event of the year (along with needing extra staff and other stuff to deal with the mad numbers of people using their ferries!!).


Guess it's just how you balance it out?

[Yorick]

When we were racing, our mates in York would make their proddy bikes just about road legal and chuck them all in a van and head over.
Thrash them around the island till they blew up or crash. Then back in the van home. They were lunatics. Larry Carter among them

[tricol]

I've just had a look for accommodation for next year, pretty much nothing left. I'm not camping. I hate camping at the best of times and it would completely ruin the experience for me.