Riding a Grom at the IoM TT
Riding a Honda Grom at the IoM TT
So this year I decided that it was time to strike off one of the main topics on my bucket list. I got my act together after many years of saying I would do it and took myself to the Isle of Man. For those who don’t know, the IOM is a small island located in the Irish Sea about 4 hours from Liverpool, Dublin and Belfast and stages the oldest, biggest and most dangerous motorcycle road racing event in the world - the IOM Tourist Trophy.
The TT is a must do event for any Biker and fan of motorcycle road racing. The TT has been held every year since 1907 except during the World Wars when people were a little more preoccupied with freedom than road racing.
To fully experience the event and to get around the Island in style we took a pair of Honda MSX 125cc "Groms," more about this great little bike later.
The following is not a comprehensive report on visiting the TT it's just my observations as a first time visitor carrying a camera and riding my Grom. Having gone through the process of booking travel and accommodation it's not as bad as you might think. Top tip number one is plan early and commit to going. There are loads of sites out there to help you decide where to go and where to stay. I would recommend the IOM Facebook pages like Isle of Man TT 2020 🇮🇲 LOVE TT where you will get some good advice from people who have been before.
One important thing to consider before setting off to the TT is to ensure that you have adequate travel insurance. The IOM hospitals will treat you in an emergency but as the IOM is not in the European Union and sort of not in the UK, they don’t have the reciprocal medical agreements in place that you would expect in the rest of the UK and Europe, and your E111 will not be accepted.
My next tip is check out your phone provider's terms and conditions, as the IOM is not in the EU roaming charges can be extremely expensive for some. You can get sim cards on arrival which work out much cheaper.
The next step when deciding that you are going to the IoM is how are you going to get there. I'm not talking about taking the ferry I'm talking your personal transport. Car, bike or van, all three have their good and bad points for getting to and getting around the TT. You can also go on the ferry as a foot passenger or take a plane.
Arriving on foot makes it a little difficult to get round the island but there are good public transport links and a great electric tram service, which is an experience all on its own.
So if you are visiting the TT what is the best option for transport? Well there are pros and cons with all the options. The most important thing to consider is how are you going to get all your gear to the Island, where you are going to stay and how you are going to get round the 37 and 3/4 mile circuit.
There are basically four options for staying on the Island.
Hotel, expensive but you don’t need to take much kit with you, ideal if you are on a bike. Costs upwards of £100 a day if you can get a room, most will be booked the year before.
Bed and Breakfast the same as a Hotel but cheaper and again difficult to book as a lot of TT fans will book on arrival for the following year.
Home stay, like BnB but staying in someone's house. This can be as cheep as £25 a night for basic accommodation, going into hotel costs for a top end room with en-suite bathroom. Two great things about home stay is the local knowledge about the TT that you can glean from your hosts, and drying facilities. If the weather is bad this is a good option.
Camping, cheap, from £10 a night. The down side is you will need to take a lot of camping equipment. It can be done on a bike but if the weather is inclement it's not much fun. Most campsites have laundry and drying facilities as well as good showers these days and power at extra cost. On the upside, due to the nature of camping you are going to meet people, so it can be more fun than being isolated in a hotel and if the weather is good, a great laugh.
The second step in getting to the IOM is booking your ferry, easy you might think, but no, no it's not. To get to the IOM TT you will need to traverse the Irish Sea. By ferry or passenger jet you will need to be booking the year before such is the popularity of the TT races. You can still get a ferry now.
We checked as we left the island a few weeks ago, but you will have to stay for well over two weeks if you want to take a van as all the best dates have now gone. Cars and bikes still had reasonable availability but you need to be quick off the mark (next year start to look during March 2020 for TT 2021) to get the best dates. However, the ferry company do release places in the new year that have been given up by travellers that now can't make the trip, so look out for them.
You can do short trips to the TT as a foot passenger, some just come for the day but if the weather is against you it could be an expensive trip for nothing. However, you could sort yourself a hire car and get out on the track which will be fun!
A few of our friends came over on bikes for four days and didn’t see any racing due to bad weather. They didn’t seem bothered and were happy riding the TT course and enjoying the entertainment that is on in the evenings. Pop up bars, fun fairs, top class comedians and night clubs, open until the early hours, will keep you entertained when the racing is not taking place.
As we were camping for the TT you will now understand why my transportation of choice was a van and a Honda Grom. You can get three Honda MSX Groms into the back of a van and they are just right for the TT. Their top speed will keep you just within the speed limits of the island, which the local cops robustly enforced this year and as they are so tiny, can fit into a parking place that a normal bike will struggle with.
The Honda Grom and it's sister the Monkey Bike at first glance are basic learner bikes. So why did I see dozens of them hooning around the TT with and without out L plates? The Grom has grown into a cult bike of massive proportions and is loved by learners and experienced bikers alike. Head over to You Tube and look at some of the American movies of 500 people on Groms riding together - amazing.
So what makes the Grom so much fun? It's hard to define as it's not a cheap bike at £2800 new and they hold their price well second hand. For me they are loads of fun and my go to bike for ripping around town.
Being very easy to ride and very hard to crash they are a great laugh - me laughing and others laughing at me. I'm a big fella and the bike is tiny so I do look a sort! The thing is so light it's nearly impossible to drop. Hitting a wet manhole cover on a corner at the TT (I know, basic mistake) a quick dab of a foot down and I was back in control.
The main appeal to a lot of riders is the hooligan element of the bike. It is easy to wheelie and if / when you drop it it's inexpensive to put back on the road. A lot of these bikes will have high level rear foot rests for doing stand up wheelies and 12 bar stunt cages to protect the bike when you drop it.
The other appeal is the amount of modifications you can do. CBR 300cc engine drops into the frame with little modification and there are loads of big bore kits to be had. Add on the thousands of aftermarket parts and some of these tiny bikes will have had thousands of pounds spent on them.
We packed two of these bikes into a VW Van (standard transport for the track day biker) and headed for the TT. As the IoM is not large, 32 miles long and 14 miles wide you are not far from the action and the Grom handles the great biking roads the Island has to offer well. The max speed limit is 60 with most of it being 50 so the Grom is fine at these speeds. Where it's not fine is on the mountain part of the TT course where it is one way and no speed limit.
You can join the mountain at the Ramsey hairpin to do the whole of this section or take a splendid back road to the bungalow and do half of the mountain to the pub at Creg-ny-baa. If you are going to do the mountain on a Grom you will need clean underwear at the end. Join the track and stick to the left with your indicator going and I would recommend a fluro jacket.
The bikes will be going past you at over a 100 mph even if you are flat out and need to see you as you are a (relatively) slow moving vehicle. You can take all of the bends on the mountain flat out on a Grom, even sticking to the left side of the road, so it will be you and Peter Hickman, the fastest man round the TT course that have done the mountain flat out. Bragging rights in the bar I think.
The rest of the Island is great fun on a Grom, heading over to Peel and getting off the well worn TT routes you can be on your own for ages and take in the great scenery and good roads. During practice week there will be no racing until 6pm so you have all day to get some saddle time with your mates and explore the IoM.
There are loads of places to visit and I would recommend not taking the most direct route. Even if you get lost it's only 7 miles to the coast road from the centre of the Island. Just head east or west, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, and as the island is basically orientated North South you will be fine, so go explore.
The transport museum at Jurby is a must do for any petrol head. It's £12 to get in and you can spend a fair few hours there, and if like me like to take a picture or two, a fair bit longer. The museum has a great selection of bikes and some very interesting exhibits. There is no café in the museum but you can pop into the Guardroom Café which is close by. There are no problems with leaving and re-entering.
As you head towards the Museum at Jurby you will pass an airfield that is used for racing. It's worth having a quick look as the teams will take their bikes to the track to give them the once over before hitting the TT on practice and race days. You might be lucky. We weren't - slicks and a wet track don’t work. The day we picked it was raining with no racing and the museum is one of the few indoor activities you can do on the island in inclement weather.
Down on the south coast I would recommend a visit to Port Erin which has a great beach if the sun is out, and some great fish and chip shops for you to refuel after your ride. A little further along the coast is Castletown with, you guessed it, a castle and great harbour.
The island is so good for biking you could just go out with no plan and ride. I for one would do the TT course first, it's nearly 38 miles and won't take you long, and you will get your bearings for the rest of your stay. Just follow the orange and white corner markers and you will now have the bragging rights down the pub when you get home, having done the TT.
The TT is a must do for the automotive enthusiast and as I like to take a picture or two, a great location for my hobby job as an enthusiastic photographer. The Grom is a great bike for cutting round the island, don’t take my word for it, even one of the fastest road racers in the world John McGuinness rides a Grom.
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