It will be our first time on the bike this year and i was wondering if there is anything i might not have thought about which i need to take.

We're managing with 2 rucksacks and 2 x panniers so its going to be a tight squeeze (wife aint happy at all)

Do you guys remove your panniers (mine are soft and easily detachable) whilst on the ferry? they will only have clothes in so no valuables so i suppose they should be fine.

Presume everything is there to strap bike to barriers etc..anything i should take to protect bike, make life easier?

Thanks in advance

I always left throwovers on, it's a 'protective barrier'!
there's already a thread about measures to take on the ferry here -
http://www.ttwebsite.com/forums/showthre...ight=ferry

Strap one of the rucksacks to the tank and the other across the panniers behind the pillion. Passengers wearing rucksacks is a bad move in my opinion. It raises the CoG, the passenger will get more uncomfortable/numb bum, and the possibility of injury rises in a crash as the road grabs the bag and causes them to roll.
If space is tight bin one of the rucksacks and buy some cheap clothes/toiletries etc when you get over there.

I leave my soft panniers on the bike, and tank my magnetic tank bag upstairs with me.
All my clothes go in the panniers, valuables in the tank bag.
As the Captain says, the panniers act like a protective barrier.
And by the way, if its your first time on the boat,
DO NOT START YOUR ENGINE UNTIL THE PERSON IN FRONT OF YOU IS READY TO MOVE!!

(28-05-2015, 12:36 PM)c iom tt Wrote: DO NOT START YOUR ENGINE UNTIL THE PERSON IN FRONT OF YOU IS READY TO MOVE!!

Oh if only everyone would follow that advice!

cheers guys, link to other thread is good, especially about something to protect from the straps.

i'll also try strapping her rucksack to the tank, if it makes the trip any easy for the wife its all good.

(28-05-2015, 12:57 PM)BcakWeleher Wrote:

(28-05-2015, 12:36 PM)c iom tt Wrote: DO NOT START YOUR ENGINE UNTIL THE PERSON IN FRONT OF YOU IS READY TO MOVE!!

Oh if only everyone would follow that advice!

Sound advice that!!

When we used to ride to the Island (now have a campervan) we used to post a suitcase to the hotel & post it back again to save carrying all our gear on our bikes - it wasn't particularly expensive, made the ride to the ferry enjoyable and kept my lady happy!

(28-05-2015, 04:51 PM)Nasher Wrote: When we used to ride to the Island (now have a campervan) we used to post a suitcase to the hotel & post it back again to save carrying all our gear on our bikes - it wasn't particularly expensive, made the ride to the ferry enjoyable and kept my lady happy!

The Isle Of Man Post Office use to offer a pick up and delivery service to send and recive your clothes/parcels from home to wherever you were staying that was not very expensive.
I am not sure if that service is still avaible?

i did check out the luggage delivery services but the main issue was having to be in ALL day for when they arrive. I really dont want to sit in the house during TT week waiting on the arrival.

We'll manage i suppose, getting stupidly giddy now as its only a week to go!

(28-05-2015, 12:57 PM)BcakWeleher Wrote:

(28-05-2015, 12:36 PM)c iom tt Wrote: DO NOT START YOUR ENGINE UNTIL THE PERSON IN FRONT OF YOU IS READY TO MOVE!!

Oh if only everyone would follow that advice!

It was my first visit last year, and thought I'd missed a rule about sitting there revving your engine waiting for the doors to open...

(28-05-2015, 12:36 PM)c iom tt Wrote: DO NOT START YOUR ENGINE UNTIL THE PERSON IN FRONT OF YOU IS READY TO MOVE!!

Remember what it was like when there were more Two Strokes !

(30-05-2015, 02:33 PM)veefour Wrote:

(28-05-2015, 12:36 PM)c iom tt Wrote: DO NOT START YOUR ENGINE UNTIL THE PERSON IN FRONT OF YOU IS READY TO MOVE!!

Remember what it was like when there were more Two Strokes !

The great smell of Castrol R !!!!!

(30-05-2015, 11:43 AM)civ Wrote: It was my first visit last year, and thought I'd missed a rule about sitting there revving your engine waiting for the doors to open...  

and slightly off topic some people who insist on speeding into the ferry ,saw a guy in 84/85 on honda 900 f come down the slope at heysham at a rate of knots in very wet conditions hit deck just as entered think manx viking ,made impressive scrape along deck on bike on his side.

ahhh there is always one show off hey!

All went very nicely, though our crossing was in v high winds, delayed for 3 hours and then some serious waves and people throwing up. All fun and games and the bike survived.

gutted already that we arent going next year but hey a year off and it will be even more exciting in 2017