TT 2014

The TT has come and gone for another year. It was just me this year from this side, so that was a bit different. It's nice to do this stuff by yourself every now and again, but 2 weeks is a bit much, even for me.

Next year will be different again, because possibly the gf is coming along on the bike, one I'm building at the minute even. More on that later.

Got my hands on a new (to me) bike 3 days before I set off to the Island, so it was a bit of a gamble. Either way, right bike/ right time, right price, I had to have it.

Packed and ready

Calais

Liverpool Docks, 500 miles later

Straight to bed. Landed in Douglas 5ish in the morning after a straight run from home. Made my way up to Peel where I would be staying with friends who live there. Without them, this who TT-thing I have would be A LOT harder to manage.

Next days practice from Appledene

Took the pushbike out the next day to go searcing for new viewingspots. Did about 20 miles on the bike, all offroad. Learned that I need to work on my fitness.

Also managed to find the illusive skatepark I had been searching for that last 2 years. Didn't bring my board this time, will be packed next year.

Went to see this film in the evening. If you're into racing or bikes in general; GO SEE IT!

Also went to see the Human League, coolest 80's revival thing in a good while. No pics though, to dark, and not very relevant, is it?

Awesome food

Awesome shows

Awesome cat

You'll find some oddball and rare bikes on the Island during the TT. I'd only seen a few RE5's before, let alone 2 at the same time.

The Norton, very nice from a few feet away, bit manky up close. Note the lack of underbracing on the swingarm.

More racing

Some friends and cool bikes at the Ramsey Sprint

Electric bikeracing. It's hard to get your head around the lack of noise, but the speed more than makes up for it. 117mph average? No problem

Kool Kat for sale

More racing

The beautiful Paton, my favorite bike of the meeting

And the Norton, with underbrace this time. We later learned that Cameron Donald had a lot of trouble setting the bike up, mostly because of lack of stiffness in the swingarm and the rear side of the frame. A friend of our host had spent the entire fortnight welding bits to the bike to get it to not tie itself in knots under power, ending in cutting up a paddockstand and welding it onto the swingarm. Mind you, this is a proper Spondon-swingarm and are widely used in dragracing and circuitracing across the globe, it just shows how different the TT course is to all of them.

ARE Classic bike collection. Biggest private collection on the Island. All bikes are running, insured and MOT-ed. They can be run at any given time, all of them.

And this is where we left it; a rainy sunday at the top of the Mountain, the new Joey-mural looking down on us.

Mannanans cloak rolling in fast, it went very misty in seconds, like it does in a place where they name their weather.

Ferry into IJmuiden

And back home. Picked up some bikebits on the way

It was one for the books, as they all are, really. Average weather (read; rain everyday, but not lots) and good racing, Sadly a few racers lives where lost, but they and we as spectators all know and understand that it comes with the territory. However, quite a few fatalities among the non-races as well. A lot of people go out to this place thinking they can do what the races can do; they can't, ever. A lot of these boys put themselves and other people in danger, completely oblivious of their own maximum riding-abilities, Shame really, because it puts down an otherwise brilliant event in a breathtaking place. My ferry for next year is allready bookes, can't wait.

Next up; Biker Classics at Spa this weekend.