NO LIMIT.
Now fellow TT and Road Racing enthusiasts, assuming the Topic Title has attracted your attention. What does NO LIMIT mean to you?.

Speed Limits?,
How far your prepared to push yourselves?,
How big an engine will fit in your Bike? (with modifications of course).

Or could it mean the Picture starring George Formby?.

In this case I am referring to the above famous Picture.
You must have all seen it, me at least 10 times.

Seeing how old this picture is and you would maybe class it as a comedy,
just what is it that we all enjoy so much about it that, for some of us makes us feel our TT racing week/fortnight is not complete without a trip to the flicks (cinema) to see it again for the umpteenth time?.
Granted its about the TT but seriously what is that magical ingredient that
makes is so enjoyable.

Your thoughts, ideas, comments would be welcome.
I know this Topic is probably an unusual one, but here we are still in Winter with the clock ticking away towards June, so come on folks tell us, what is that Magic.

Despite it being made some 30 years before I first went to the TT there were still plenty of things in the film that were still going on when I made my first visit in 1964. Bikes being craned on & off the old tall stacked steamers - I first went on the old Lady of Mann which was decomissioned in the early '70s.

Every building on the sea front was a hotel and the huge crowds. And the sun always shone

I've lost count of how many times I've watched this film. But I reckon not as many times as Ian!!!! Every time I see something different, especially if you scan the background.

sticky Wrote:Despite it being made some 30 years before I first went to the TT there were still plenty of things in the film that were still going on when I made my first visit in 1964. Bikes being craned on & off the old tall stacked steamers - I first went on the old Lady of Mann which was decomissioned in the early '70s.

Every building on the sea front was a hotel and the huge crowds. And the sun always shone

You may well have something here sticky, is it just older supporters like me (who started supporting just as the Duke come on the scene) who find this so enjoyable?.
What you describe in your post is how I remember it too, I think my first sail was on the Viking (had a list) with bikes and one or two cars being craned on. I think the Victoria was still sailing as well.
As I have never raced I suppose the film gave me what I perceived as a riders eye view and I suppose still does to a certain extent.
And of course it does give an indication of the atmosphere and beauty of the Island.

I wonder if you younger guys/gals see it differently?.

No Limit IS the TT and should be used as promotional material, except they'll have to cut out the argee-bargee during the racing when riders have awesome crashes.

It is a pity that todays TT is not totally represented by this film (yes I have seen it well over 100 times and can actually sing the songs therein to my own ukele), it can never be as it was then, "Health and Safety" would not allow people to fight on Douglas Head !! Nor would people be allowed to ride two up in a clearly unsafe tricycle !!

However, No Limit gives out a feel-good feeling and it is time it was digitally coloured and shown everywhere. I thought it could stand a remahe but after seeing remakes of "Get Carter" and others, there's nowt like an original.

I met Florrie Desmond not long before she died and I had such a wonderful chat with her about No Limit....she rememembered it clearly and she seemed to love the Island as well.

When I go to M/C meetings to extol the TT, I take No Limit, but spend time following its showing to bring it all up to date positively.

Yes Folks it is a great film, get your copy now from DUKE

Ian huntly Wrote:No Limit IS the TT and should be used as promotional material, except they'll have to cut out the argee-bargee during the racing when riders have awesome crashes.

It is a pity that today's TT is not totally represented by this film (yes I have seen it well over 100 times and can actually sing the songs therein to my own ukulele), it can never be as it was then, "Health and Safety" would not allow people to fight on Douglas Head !! Nor would people be allowed to ride two up in a clearly unsafe tricycle !!

However, No Limit gives out a feel-good feeling and it is time it was digitally coloured and shown everywhere. I thought it could stand a remake but after seeing remakes of "Get Carter" and others, there's nowt like an original.



I met Florrie Desmond not long before she died and I had such a wonderful chat with her about No Limit....she remembered it clearly and she seemed to love the Island as well.

When I go to M/C meetings to extol the TT, I take No Limit, but spend time following its showing to bring it all up to date positively.

Yes Folks it is a great film, get your copy now from DUKE

Thanks for your post IAN,
I agree with all you say but I could not have described it all as well as you have, we must have started spectating the TT about the same time.
So we probably share some of the same memories.

I can remember seeing NO LIMIT for the first time, and at that time dont remember it being funny at all, it was deadly serious stuff for me seeing all the racing etc. Then stepping out of the cinema and seeing the Island exactly as I had just seen it on the screen. Happy days indeed.

What does NO LIMIT mean to me?

I've been having difficulty answering this question because I can't recall when I became aware of the film. It seems to me it's always been a part of the TT and always there. Which I guesss is like the TT itself, it's always been there.

I grew up in Liverpool and from a young age our crowd always knew about bikes. Our early teenage years (70's) were consumed with talking about bikes, collecting brochures and stuff, oggling bikes in the area. I remember distinctly seeing my first MV, BSA Rocket 3, Kawasaki Z1 and everything in between. From our point of view, bikes equalled the TT and TT equalled the Isle of Man and No Limit. I was probably 15/16 when we made our first trip to the TT on the midnight boat and returned the following day. Probably on the same boat that carried George Formby in the film, it seemed so anyway.

If I hear the words No Limit I immediately think TT even if the phrase is used in a totally unrelated context. I don't believe No Limit has had a significant impact upon us as individuals, other than we know it and it's part in TT history, but the same crowd of us go to the TT each year even today, one of our party has been 27 years continuous I think. We're all fast approaching our 50's now but it doesn't matter a bit, we're still 16 at heart and despite the years we haven't changed that much. Therefore the TT has helped cement those friendships over nearly 4 decades and if you accept No Limit's part in the TT, then it has too just as every other iconic element that makes the TT special.

We'll be there again this year enjoying every minute of our holiday pretending we're 16 (16 stone is probably more accurate ) and do you know it won't seem any different from all those years ago. The same banter, the same grub, the same ale, the same long sunny days and I'm sure at some point one of us will chirp up and say;

"Turned out nice again"
Enjoy TT 08, alf.

First time I saw No Limit was on a big screen that rolled out from the ceiling in the Lido. It was the Thursday of practise week and early in the evening the place was very empty. Brilliant it was then and still is now.

I still try to pick out the hotels and B&Bs in the background.

Speaking of which does anyone remember the wall outside on of the sea front B&B that had the Disney characters drawn on it ? A RD500 used to always sit there in fact it never seemed to move all fortnight ?
I'm talking late 80s

Of interest in the early 60's used to enjoy a few pints in the Ballacraine.The then landlord,who latter became the landlord of the George Castletown relayed the story of how they removed the door/window which fronted the course and replaced it with a balsa wood mock up so George or his stunt man could crash through into the bar.
When George Formby was'nt playing his ukelely or messing around on motorbikes on the IoM him and his wife were messing around near me on the Norfolk Broads They had a house at Wroxham with river frontage where he moored his cruiser.

I stand to be corrected but in the film George does NOT crash in through the door of the Ballacraine.

I'm certain it's one of the many other crashers

:idea:

Good excuse to watch it on the weekend

You are probably right Stephen as I last see this film around 1962 so going from memory then.

We watch No Limit at every opportunity. Our eldest granddaughter has been watching it with us since she was about 8 and she's almost 16 now! She regards it as her most favourite film - not bad for a teenager. She got us to take photos of all the hotels on the front in Douglas and up at Douglas Head, and although the scenery has changed greatly she has them all in an album.

Cargo has been picked to star in the remake of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NAi6feAMOs

All time Fav http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8COCPyB-...re=related

Wasn't it No. 64 going in the pub? What made me laugh was the bloke running out of the door afterwards with his pint straight onto the course, and like a true Manxie, never spilled a drop...

Oh and by the way Cargo regularly uses it for his training video before the Manx which explains his lap times at the start of practice week.......

It was number 28 who crashed into the pub door

And for some strange reason all the punters in the bar run out ?

Anyway somebody in this thread sent me their address so they could have a spare copy of No Limit that I bought off E-Bay.
Can't remember/find out who it was ?

Are you still out there