Pre-TT Classic Races 2026

I received confirmation yesterday that my entry for this year’s pre-TT races has been accepted.
I’m hoping it will be third time lucky with my previously leaky 840 SF. I’ve also managed to obtain a dispensation to ride my ex-3X/Baines Racing Zane 750 in the Junior Superbikes, which should give me a far better chance of qualifying than my 650 road bike did. I just hope it doesn’t rain like it has for the last couple of years.

Good news Andy !

PRE-TT CLASSIC 2026

Not quite the outcome I had hoped for back in March.
A total non-starter for the Junior Superbike race, mostly as the result of an allegedly 'lost in transit' new rear tyre for the Formula and a replacement arriving too late to safely finish preparing for qualifying. Even if I had been ready I may well have had my work cut out to qualify as the leading riders were on lap record pace, whilst I would have been attempting to familiarize myself to riding the course on a 'new' bike.
However, I had been fairly confident that if the 840 ran well then I had a good chance of putting in a decent lap time and getting myself into the race. Unfortunately it didn't quite work out as planned as a constant issue of not being able to change up as and when needed, a series of waved yellow flags that seemed to afflict just me at the wrong place on every lap, plus the three top qualifiers putting in incredibly quick lap times meant I just missed out on qualifying for the race. Although, very disappointed to miss out on a race again, I can't say I would have been too comfortable trying to ride the bike knowing I had a gear shift issue, which could put me and other riders in unnecessary danger; and after all there is always an other opportunity to try again.
However, in saying that, I must admit the cost/reward factor over the last three years has not been anywhere near rewarding enough and therefore, it is far from certain I will bother next year.

Andy, false neutrals or sticking in the same gear. Q has a couple of great mods I am keen to try with improving gear changes.

That's a total bummer, Andy. Sounds like simple adjustment in the selector mech, but could also be that old chesnut of the spring fouling the travel of the arm.

That's a bugger Andy.

Rather like racing home because you’re on a promise, only to find your in-laws car in the driveway

When I took the bike to Jurby in April for a shakedown test I had a couple of missed changes but nothing to greatly concern me.
On Friday evening I was finding it difficult to easily get my boot, which was a different one to that I had used at Jurby but more or less the same shape, under the lever to make the up shift and was fluffing shifts. Therefore, I adjusted the linkage a bit to raise the lever position.
I only got as far as the straight after the first corner that I started to experience the issue when I tried two or three times to shift from second to third. I almost ran into the kerb (not a recommended manoeuvre) looking down at the side of the bike to see if I was hitting an obstruction, which of course it wasn’t. I was already thinking I might have to pull in at Ballabeg hairpin but decided to keep trying and eventually got it to shift so carried on a bit further. The shift from first to second wasn’t too bad, using the clutch, so I started using it to go from second to third, and it helped a bit, but still remained hit and miss. Third to fourth and fourth to fifth wasn’t as bad, but the loss of drive out of the corners, whilst I was faffing about trying to get a gear, was costing the time. I then started thinking if I get this wrong in the wrong place it’s potentially going to hurt - and possibly a lot, and that’s not a place to be on a notoriously dangerous road circuit.
My Viking chums are due over later in the year so I will get them to have a play at Jurby and find out whether it’s just my hamfisted attempts at riding a right side gear change or something wrong with the adjustment or mechanism.

My first time riding my brand new 250 Husky had me discovering my boot, Tech 7 Alpine Star, wouldn't fit under the gear lever, a simple fix of moving it up a couple of spline teeth, not fun with 25 other riders on bikes waiting and watching me do it. I hate holding up the fun.

With rearsets, you can't just shift the lever a notch or two, Vince. It alters the angle of the two levers connected to the adjustable rod. It's very important that they both sit at right angles to the rod, otherwise the angles can make a short throw in one direction and a longer throw in the other. Hard to explain, but if you see a setup it's pretty obvious.

2nd to 3rd seems to be the shift that creates the most grief, Andy. I've had endless trouble with it on the SFQ - and have managed to get it right (twice!). Quite puzzling - had it sorted, then it went awry again after removing and replacing the main selector cover for a new gasket, even though I always use the same technique to position the cover 'just so'. Doesn't help that the entire shift mech is from various donor bikes.

Yep, but no links on the Husky. I get that square concept on linkages, my Pantah required a radical change from below to above, which required a cut and welded change to achieve, to get clearance and if the angles are not square, you can get a link to flip over all by itself mid-change. My 3c link rod was too long. And fixing that again wasn't easy. It needed its internal thread depth increased, so a Lathe owner I know drilled it deeper, but for some odd reason, it appeared Case Hardened and burned out a couple of bits. Nothing is ever simple.

As a reminder how unforgiving this circuit is, 16 times race winner, including two today, Alan Oversby died this afternoon in the 400 race as a result of an incident approaching Ballakeighan corner. RIP Alan.

Farikng hell, Andy! That's horrendous! Has the IoM killed more people than Everest?

piranha-bro2 said:

Farikng hell, Andy! That's horrendous! Has the IoM killed more people than Everest?

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Not good that we had another fatality but I think Everest death toll is around 350 (with 200 still not recovered) whilst the TT course is about 250. Add a few more for the Billown Circuit/Jurby South & Jurby Circuit and it's still probably less than Everest.
Disappointed as I am at not having got a race this year I'm far happier that I didn't become another statistic.....

Horrible to have a fatality, for everyone there as well as family and close friends. I think we have had more heart attacks in the depot than crash fatalities in classic racing here, a result of the age of the riders you could say.
You have to get that bloody gear change set up Andy, bullshit to be hamstrung by it yet again. I always adjust the "cam" so it changes evenly up and down between 3 and 4, which has always seen the others right. If 3 to 4 cannot work I look at having to modify something. Make sure the pedal pivot is well greased too. There is also a reason why the SFC had the heel part on the pedal.

I had on-and-off issues from when I first bought my 3c 30 years ago. The very early left change crossover was flogged out to baggary from the 10 years it had on it, an insane number of random false nutrals, pretty death-defying braking into a 35kph bend only to end up in angle gear more often than not. Got a way better action for both brake and gear change, pulling that out and going back to a right gear change. I recently discovered a broken case cover section from a tipover a couple of years ago, not my long-term issue. I bought a second-hand cover and decided to replace the C-shaped bit of the selector while I was in there with more second-hand bits, which resulted in a much easier and more positive gear change. Not sure, but I think it came from a later 3CL. No idea why it's more positive, but I am happy with the result.

I endorse Vince's comments about getting the gear linkage (if you have one) as good as it can be, whether it's a right side rearset or a left side crossover linkage. I reckon that's as important as sorting the selector mechanism inside the right hand the cover plate.

When I bought my Jota, it came with rearsets incorporating the left shift crossover linkage. It was pretty crap as it had heaps of looseness in pretty much every bearing and clevis. There was about 30mm of pedal travel just to take up the slack before it even started to move the selector shaft. The gearchange was awful with missed shifts and false neutrals. I dunno how the previous owner lived with it like that. Actually, I suppose he didn't because he sold the bike to me and bought a Honda.

I re-engineered the whole thing by making nylon bushings for the crossover shaft, a new bronze bush where the selector shaft passes through the cover plate, re-drilling and making oversize pins for clevis joints, replacing knackered Heim joints, aligning the lever arms so they were as close to 90° as possible (they were all over the place before) and welding up and re-making the "D" shaped hole in the lever arm on the selector shaft so it actually fitted tightly. I managed to eliminate all but about a millimetre of slop at the pedal. Gearchanges were much crisper and more positive. No more false neutrals or missed shifts.

I wasn't surprised to find the rear disk brake linkage in a similar state of chaos. The brake was pretty much ineffective. You could stand on the pedal and hardly get any braking. After a carrying out a similar rebuild as I did with gear shift, plus some re-jigging of lever arm lengths I can now lock the rear wheel with moderate pedal pressure.

The previous owner of my bike was a nice guy and he kept the bike clean and polished, but had no clue about anything mechanical. I'm the exact opposite. I don't care what the bike looks like (I don't think I've ever washed it) so it's a bit grubby looking, but mechanically it's a million times better than it was. I reckon if the previous owner rode the bike now, he wouldn't recognise it as the gutless heap of shit it was when he sold it to me.

Thanks for the observations and suggestions. Since the run out at Jurby in April I have been seriously thinking about fitting a heel/toe change like the one on my 100 sport, which I quite like. If anyone has a suitable lever, or knows where I can obtain one I will be pleased to hear from them.

And of course we couldn’t have had a much worse start to the main TT races, with a bike going into some spectators. Fortunately no fatalities, and all but two of the injured parties have now been discharged from hospital. Let’s hope that’s the accidents over for this year.

Andy J said:

I have been seriously thinking about fitting a heel/toe change. If anyone has a suitable lever, or knows where I can obtain one I will be pleased to hear from them.

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+1 on that.