The Bike Specialists: Full Chat Dean Harrison

Episode 2 of The Bike Specialists: Full Chat is here — this time with five-time Isle of Man TT winner, Dean Harrison.

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Welcome to our latest episode of the bike specialists full chat. And today in the showroom we have Dean Harrison, fivetimes TT champion. And here he is today. Pleasure to have you with us. Thank you very much. No, thanks for the invite down here today. It’s been for me it’s like a kid in a sweet shop morning because there’s so many lovely bikes floating around this place. It’s unbelievable. So brilliant. I must say if uh you’re into bikes and this is your thing, I would definitely recommend coming down have a cup of tea with the lads and uh checking out not just bikes but also the few cars I’ve got floating here as well to be honest. I will say this as well. Your knowledge on bikes I’m shocked it’s really really good even the really old stuff as well. Is there a reason for that? Is your family or Yeah. Well, my dad’s been into bikes and he’s got quite a few classic bikes I’d say but just I’m a I am a bike enthusiast or petrol head. What’s the right thing to say? I’m not quite sure, but there’s every area of biking here. And if there if if you come here and there’s not a bike you like, you’re not into bikes. That’s right. Definitely. Well, I have a series of questions for you. Yep. And I’m going to start off with the first one. I’m guessing a lot of people would want to know these questions. So, let’s start off with uh what do you do to prepare before a big race? Uh the biggest preparation I do now before the big race is obviously helmet, levers, boots, everything’s all in order, but it’s food. Food, right? Uh there’s the re recently in my sort of racing career, let’s say, when when I were a bit younger, you sort of never really paid much attention to putting the correct fuel in. But it’s like a car or bike. You put bad fuel in, it’ll run bad. And it’s the same with yourself. So I’ve become so, you know, focused now on re eating the right things and having the right fuel before starting the race and getting on the bike. I just think it helps for the stamina of riding the bike, especially somewhere like the TT where you’re racing for nearly 2 hours at a time, six laps, and all you get is a 45se secondond pit stop for a bit of maybe an energy gel and and a little bit of water. So, you’ve just got to make sure you’re fueled right, ready to go, right? Uh what do you do to unwind after a big race? Uh do you know what? I spend a bit of family time now. So, I’ve got two two little kids. So now it’s just about getting out, get out of the way and try and you know yourself, you’ve been the even the classic TT paddic. It’s it’s a very similar feel to the TT paddock or even a British superbike paddic. It’s it’s nice to just try and get out of the way a little bit and just try and have a bit of normality in your life and it sort of has you gives you a little bit of a mental reset. Uh because I feel you focus so hard on some things and the saying goes, no, you can’t see the wood for the trees. Sometimes you have to remove remove yourself a little bit from the situation, rethink it, and then just reintroduce yourself back in. Yeah. No. Super. Uh, and what’s your favorite bike of all time? Now, be careful you you answer this correctly cuz uh we might hopefully we should have it in stock. No, no, we do to be fair. Honestly, my favorite bike of all time is the Honda NR750. And beautiful. The first I noticed straight away when I walked down there that it just stood out to me. And like I says to you earlier on, I says as a child I used to go everywhere and I had a model of an NR750 and everywhere I used to go, whether it racing with me dad or I used to take this little red model with me and do you know what the most annoying thing is? I don’t actually have it today. I really I wish I wish I had it. I the real version instead. Yeah. Yeah. Cost me a few quid. I just don’t tell him. We’ll wheel it in the van on the way home. But no, honestly, that to me is just a childhood icon. It’s an incredible bike. Exactly. And and one of these effects. It’s a similar sort of thing. But again, this is another one. It’s and and this stems back to as a kid I used to watch down Bra Hill, right? And if obviously if any anyone’s been at the TT you’ll be a like yourself you’ll appreciate this because when you stand at Braille or Saint Indian’s Crossroads and you hear a V4 coming out of Governor’s Bridge and the resonation that the resonance of the engine going down the hill and it resonates of all the houses honestly it’s just awesome. You’ll never ever forget it and that’s just what sticks in my head. Even listening to you now I’ve just got hairs on back of an egg standing. Exactly. I get exactly what you mean. Amazing. Uh so what do you do? What’s your hobbies? What do you do when you’re not riding? Uh, I ride other bikes. I’ll be honest. I I don’t outside of uh road racing or BSB, I don’t really have any other hobbies apart from being jawro bike, a bit cycling, do a bit of running, but I wouldn’t say it’s a hobby cuz I’ll be honest, I’m not a massive fan of running. I do it for the fitness side of things. I always say I’m too big to run. That’s my That’s a good excuse. Yeah. Too flat for Yeah. No, I must admit that’s it’s not my favorite thing, but this just bikes in general. Whether it’s classic bikes or whether it’s endor bikes, not a massive fan of motors, anything on two wheels really. Yeah, I do. I’m a massive car guy. I love cars. I like cars and engineering and things like that. So, how did you get into motorcycle racing? Being with my dad obviously my dad raced the TT on a side car all his life. We’d went to Scarbor races and some short circuit and things like that. And from me as a kid, obviously went everywhere with me dad watching the side cars, right? And um I love side cars. I have raced a side car myself. I’ve passened a sidecar. I’ve driven a side car. Yeah. I would like to do the TT on one drive. Yeah. But I’m going to wait till I get a little bit older for that. That’s so like maybe I’ll morph into that as I get older. Uh but no, and as a kid I just always wanted to race a bike just for me and a bike and I’m in control of what’s going on and just And I suppose the next question is is there another motorsport you’d like to get into? Have you ever thought about maybe racing cars or goat carting or Yeah, I I I would, you know, I’d love to have a go at a car race. Doing a car race I think would be a really, but I’m not sure what I once tested right a Radical SR8 which has got an IB booster V8 engine in it. Unbelievable bit. Yes, I tested that Donut and Park and and that were impressive. The GeForce it creates things like that. It’s like people play on these simulators and I think yeah, it’s fantastic, but there’s nothing like the real thing. Correct. Especially on a motorcycle. So, I’ve been very fortunate over the years to drive fast cars and that’s my family background cars as well. But nothing has ever given me the buzz of riding a bike fast. It’s just the ultimate. I feel a lot of people said they still feel safe in a car. I feel safer going fast in a bike than I do in a car. Got you. Which is the opposite to most people. And I think it’s cuz I just feel at home on on me two wheels. So, what’s your best experience is obviously going to be quite an easy one for you this. What’s your best experience in motorsport? Uh, obviously winning the TT for me, this year probably a special one for me to do the the double at the man, but winning my first TT was special because as as a kid you like you see when you grow up around summer and you almost dream of doing what they’re doing and then what’s quite surreal in life is when you achieve the ultimate of wanting to achieve that and then you do it. You almost sit there and think you have to pinch yourself to think, have I actually done that? Yeah. or amazing. That must be some serious B. Yeah, exactly. Mind-blowing. Yeah. Uh and your worst uh crashing obviously Grand Prix crash report one of the worst for me. I’ve got pins, screws, and things in you and you you do it knocks you as you go down the line, but racing a bike, it’s something you’ve got to accept that at some point you’re going to crash. Don’t get me wrong, you don’t want to to get that good usually do. Yeah. You’re pushing the limits at times. Yeah, exactly. That’s it. Do you have any racing superstitions? Believe it or not, no, I don’t. Like John drops a penny down his levers. People do things. I’m not very superstition on anything like that. For example, I don’t have any superstition start numbers and things like the only thing I do do, I have to put my left boot on first. Right. I don’t know why. I just put my left boot on first and I have to put right glove on. That’s because my finger I have to Yeah, I have to thumb that one in. Um, how how how are you finding the uh living in the aisle of man now? Relaxing. So, you’ve gone from Bradford to the island of man. Yeah, going from Braf to Isle of Manan obviously come out to contrasting environments and things like that. But honestly, the way of life on the Isle of Man for me, I think it’s made me a better rider. Yeah, since going there now, I’m so much more relaxed. I’m putting more effort into my training and it’s definitely showed on my results. Yeah, I personally I love the man myself. So, I completely get why you’ve moved over there. Beautiful beaches, nice lifestyle, great restaurants, nice people. Honestly, it’s just and and the biking, you know, they all welcome it. I can remember I’ll never forget this. I’ve gone to a fuel station and this is for the main TT and I’ve come out I got a Repzel blade at the time and I’ve gone gone over to the bike and this uh old lady she must have been 85 says come on then let’s hear it. Yeah. And I’m starting up and reving I’m thinking what am I doing here? Yeah. It’s just so different. No people obviously I feel the TT as an event is absolutely mind-blowing and the people over there some of them I feel take it a little bit for granted. They almost don’t appreciate what they have on the doorstep because I’ve traveled the world going to Macau in China and you race and they go all these events and going to the aisle of man is just nothing like it. Completely agree with you and the and I feel so safe over there as well. That’s the big thing for me. Yeah. Is Yeah. People say to me it’s like England used to be 60 years ago, you know, living on the island. It is like going back in time a little bit, but in a good way. Yeah. Oh, exactly. Yeah. Uh, how does it feel to be the first rider to win the Supertock for Honda since 2014? Do you know what? I didn’t even know. I’ll be I bit not ignorant, but I didn’t actually realize they hadn’t won for so long. It’s been over 10 years since they’ve won any TT. So, no. Do you know what it the effort that Honda put in as a team is absolutely mind-blowing. And seeing the team so thrilled with me winning honestly was just like for me was the icing on the cake. It made me feel better even though I was so happy about winning anyway because without them I wouldn’t be able to do what I do because it’s not I know, don’t get me wrong, I’m the only one riding the bike on the day, but if it wasn’t for them putting all the effort in the background and making the bike what it is for me to race, I wouldn’t be able to achieve the ultimate goal. It’s amazing factory rider as well. I mean, they’re so awesome. Exactly. Honestly, like real and I’m a massive Honda fan, so I completely get it. It’s amazing. As a kid, I remember looking up to all the Honda riders I’ve gone through the years and again when I got the opportunity to go ride at Honda, I had to take it with two hands and take it and grab the bull by the horns as they say and just try and make the most of it. Definitely done that. Exactly. Were you a bit gutted about the senior race? Yeah, I obviously we all want to go race bikes and we all wanted to race, but I’ll be honest with you, I stood by the decision that the organizers made and I did do the sighting lap. The wind were were bad. You’re going up the mountain mile and you lent over going in a straight line. So, I do think they made the right decision and I think that the TT with it being as dangerous as it is and we all know that. We respect the dangers, you’ve got to live to fight another day and I think that’s what we’ve all done and we’ll go back next year and have another go. Yeah. How does the new Fireb blade compared to uh the ZX10 you were riding? Uh, honestly, I I can’t say the Kawasaki is a bad motorcycle. I I do I do massive credit to Kawasaki because it what a fantastic bike. I won the senior TT senior TT in it. I won also Grand Prix on it. with podium various place and I won the super sport TT in 2018 on the ZX6. So as a bike yes it is fantastic but Honda have just moved it on that little bit bringing the new bike out and the Fireblade’s got its stronger points. It’s definitely a faster motorcycle. It handles really well and just you know yourself when somebody brings a new bike on it just moves the benchmark on. Of course it does. And then somebody moves the benchmark on and at the minute I just feel like Honda is the benchmark. That’s why obviously we could go at the TT this year and we’re fighting and we’re winning two super stock races because we all know the SuperStock TT is the closest you can get to a road bike which is mad that I mean the lap time you got on a super stock. This is what I’m saying. So proving that you can go there do 1356 and it with the fastest lap of the Fortnite proves how good the Fireblade is as a road bike. Amazing. Absolutely. There’s a lot of speculation about with the modern bikes and their power. What do you think the ceiling for top average speed is achievable and who do you think will be the first to do it? Uh I don’t think there’s a ceiling. I just think as it’s like anything even car race the same. You’re constantly evolving and developing all the time. Uh and I just think it’ll keep getting a little bit faster. But what I think we do need is the weather. Yeah. For you to get the ultimate lap time, you need the rubber down on the track. You need like a good sort of week of good weather where you’re constantly evolving all the time. And also as well, you need to be in that nip and tuck fight. Yeah. Because like in the super stock race, the last lap wasn’t as quick as the first race, for example. But I had a 20 second lead. So there’s no need for me to to push the boundaries. You want to win the race almost as slowest possible pace for for safety reasons. There’s no need for me to be pushed on the last lap with a lead like that. So you need to be that nip and tuck race just to push that boundary. I feel a little bit. Uh how does it feel to have the support such an amazing team as Honda? Uh a bit surreal. again when I went there you’ve almost got especially of you being a factory rider as well which is incredible. Exactly. Being the factory team for me is just uh a dream come true almost. Uh and for for me to go and win for them this year was another lifelong sort of dream and people say goal ambition but it’s more I I s I dreamt of more than anything really and then to go and do it is just And how how did you celebrate after? I’m intrigued. Uh believe it or not I was quite sad and boring. Me and the Mrs. went to Mr. Hillas and we had a couple of bottles of Corona. Really? Yeah. It’s the TTV being so it’s quite difficult to go out places but no uh we’ll have to sort of organize a celebration at the end of the season. Have you had the opportunity to go and visit HQ in Japan? Uh not yet. No, I haven’t been to Japan yet. Uh hopefully the uh offer will arise. Practicing some Japanese just so you know your lingo when you’re over there just to shock them. I reckon their English is better than my Japanese. Supposed to be one of the hardest languages to learn to be fair. But yeah, exactly. I think me trying to learn that it’d be easier if I just cope with their their English. So, this is probably goes back to the original question why I asked you earlier after looking around our extensive collection. Which one would you want to take home? Uh, definitely for me, number one at the top of my list would be the NR750. And number two on the list, I sort of said, would be the Lever Jaw. Oh, right. I’m impressed. I quite like that one. I think it’s a cool bike. 1970s muscle bike. Actually, right handful. Yeah, they are good fun to ride. Uh, and how did you manage to get 134 miles an hour out of a of a stop bike, which is just crazy. Uh, honestly is just again it was the last lap in the fight for the win and you just got to think, right, I need to now is it’s time now or never. I need to now go because it’s it’s only me that can lose this race. Yeah. Do you know what I mean? It’s mine to lose almost. And then another question. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? That’s a good question. Uh in in what would be lovely to see in 17 years would be let’s say some more TT wins on the board. Not quite sure how many. Uh and still riding for the factory Honda team and uh doing the business. Brilliant. Absolutely. So, and just before we finish off as well, um motocross you’re not into I don’t dislike motocross. I quite like I do have a mocross bike and I do a little bit of it, but it’s probably not my go-to spot. I do love my injurro. I quite like doing a bit of extreme injury. I try and do that in through winter. That’s like my main training thing because for fitness honestly there’s nothing you can do that will push you close the limits of that honestly. Uh and not being I do go to the gym but I’m not a massive fan of the gym. So I try and look at other avenues to try and push myself to the limit. Sports as well would be living in man. Do you know I haven’t I do a bit of kayaking with the misses. Do a little I need to get myself a jet ski I think to try and do some wave surfing. Let’s say had some great fun. Well, I’d just like to say it’s been an absolute honor and a pleasure to have you down at the bike specialist. You’re a top guy, very, very wellliked person by the way. He’s got a lot of fans and to have you down here today is super special for us. Thank you very much. No, I’d like to say thank you as well for having me. Fantastic. You’re always welcome.