50s, 60s and early 70s for me.

Loads more variety of machines taking part from the many manuacturers in the 50cc, 125cc, 250cc, 350cc, 500cc, Sidecar and Production Races. Singles, twins and multis, competing against each other on the on the mountain circuit. They all had their unique sound from the screaming 2-stokes, to the thumping singles and the howling multis, and could be usually identified before they came into view.

What we have today is basically the big four manufacturers, entering basically the same machines, and all basically looking and sounding the same.

I did enjoy it in 1989/90 when the John Player Rotary Nortons made their mark on the island by breaking up the monopoly of the big four ridden by Trevor Nation, Robert Dunlop and Steve Cull. To me it was like a breath of fresh air, and of course the epic battle that followed later on between Hizzy on the Norton and Foggy on the Yamaha.