Isle of Man TT day
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MCL 2019 Round-Up
Isle of Man TT day – Sunday 24th November
On Sunday 24th November, visitors had the chance to meet all the riders they know and admire at this year’s dedicated Isle of Man TT Day, which was always going to be one of the most popular events at Motorcycle Live 2019. The day featured live interviews, chances to get up and close and personal with the actual TT trophies, and to enjoy onboard lap commentaries from Milky Quayle. The day had a huge amount for fans of the iconic event to do and see, whether they were there to grab a selfie, collect autographs, or to try and win tickets to next year's 2020 Isle of Man TT races.
This year has been a big year for Honda and its connection with the legendary Isle of Man TT races. Honda first entered the races with its RC142 as far back as 1959, which means this year is the manufacturer's 60th anniversary year of TT competition. In that first year, Honda arrived on the Isle of Man with 5 riders – four Japanese and one American. The manufacturer also brought five 125cc racing bikes, four further bikes for training, and plenty of spares and tools to set up a fully self-sufficient workshop at the event, which was a very professional approach for back then.
When it comes to bike manufacturers and the Isle of Man TT, Honda is top of the pile. When it was the first Japanese manufacturer to launch a serious assault on the legendary TT, Honda was certainly viewed with more than a little scepticism when it turned up at the event all those years ago.
By 1961 Honda started winning, with the legendary Mike Hailwood helping the company to victorious in the 125cc and 250cc categories that year. Honda soon became synonymous with often having the best riders of the day, and the company's long association with Joey Dunlop certainly didn’t hurt the win count throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Joey won 26 races in total, including three hat-tricks in 1985, 1988 and 2000.
Honda continued to compete at the highest level in the TT in 2019 with impressive performances from Connor Cummins and Michael Rutter, and Rutter also gave us a glimpse of the future by riding the all-electric Mugen to victory in the TT Zero format.
The 2020 season will see Honda UK taking on responsibility for road racing, where it will compete in the North West 200 and the legendary Isle of Man TT. The team's riders are Glenn Irwin in the Superbike class, Davey Todd will be riding in Superstock 1000, while Tom Neave will be taking up the reigns in Superstock for BSB.
A great deal of effort is going to be put in by Honda in order to get the riders and the bike ready over the winter period, and it really will be quite a talking point for fans and the media having two brothers riding together in the BSB team. An all-new 2020 Fireblade is now arriving in the shape of the CBR1000RR-R and the race-ready CBR1000RR-R SP. This is an entirely new Fireblade from the ground-up, with a new chassis, a new, more powerful engine, enhanced aerodynamics borrowed from the MotoGP bike, and improved suspension and electronics.
Motorcycle Live is the UK’s biggest motorcycle show, and it's something of a central meeting point for anyone with even this slightest interest in motorbikes. It doesn’t matter if you're young or old, a complete newcomer or an experienced old-timer, it's a show that really does have something for everyone and Honda has something for everyone.
The show kicked things off on Saturday 16th November this year, and it ran for a full nine days right up until Sunday 24th November. Regardless of which day or days you attended, there was plenty from Honda for you to check out.
All the very latest Honda bikes were there to check out, including the new Fireblade, Africa Twin and CMX500 bikes at the show this year. Honda at Motorcycle Live 2019 was about much more than just looking though, which is why there were plenty of interactive features too. For a start, the rolling road on the stand offered attendees the opportunity to get on the new Africa Twin and Africa Twin DCT in a completely safe environment, allowing visitors the chance to experience a little of what it's like to ride the Africa Twin and Africa Twin DCT and to familiarise themselves with the controls.
There was plenty for those wanting a more interactive experience too though, which is where the folks from our Experience Team at the Test Ride Zone came in. There visitors could actually ride some of the latest Honda bikes with all the appropriate safety gear provided for them to use. The Honda bikes available try out during the nine days included the Africa Twin Adventure Sports DCT, Africa Twin Adventure Sports Manual, CB1000R, CBR650R+, GL1800B – Goldwing, CB650R, GL1800D – Goldwing Tour and the very latest CB500X.
There was also a chance to have a go at a bit of adventure riding on the various Honda Africa Twin models at the Experience Adventure, where a bike skills course was designed and constructed to introduce riders to adventure riding for the first time.
Whether you’re an existing Gold Wing owner or you're thinking of becoming a Gold Wing owner in the future, our dedicated Gold Wing Lounge was a must-visit part of this year's show. This is where we created an area entirely dedicated to what is now a brand within a brand, and our expert team were there to talk about all things Gold Wing to current owners, and those who were fancying themselves as prospective owners in the future.
If you're interested in taking your riding and skills beyond the road, no less than three Honda Experience Centres were represented on the Honda stand to explain what they are all about, what they have to offer, who they are aimed at, and of course, to take bookings.
The Ron Haslam Race School was on-hand to show how anyone could go there to ride on an international race circuit, and how they provided opportunities for riders of all types, ages and experience levels to improve their track skills.
The other two Experience Centres represented on the Honda stand were the Dave Thorpe Off-Road and Honda Adventure Centres, which take riders of all levels off-road to experience and hone their Motocross and adventure riding skills.
Whether you're into custom bikes, off-road bikes, track bikes, touring bikes, classic bikes of the past or the very latest new models from Honda, all of that and more was there for you at Motorcycle Live this year.
Thank you to everyone who visited us at MCL 2019. Happy riding, we look forward to seeing you next year.
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