The first motorcycle race was held on 28 May 1907 over 10 laps of the Short Course of 27,870 yards (15.84 mi; 25.48 km) and was for road-legal touring motor-cycles with exhaust silencers, saddles, pedals and mud-guards.
[2] The Highways (Light Locomotive) Act 1904 gave permission in the Isle of Man for the 52.15-mile (83.93 km) Highlands Course for the 1904 Gordon Bennett Trial.
For the 1905 Gordon Bennett Car event it was decided to run a trial for motorcycles the day after for a team to represent Great Britain in the International Motor Cycle Cup Races.
During a conversation on the train journey home between the Secretary of the Auto-Cycle Club, Freddie Straight, brothers Charlie Collier and Harry Collier of Matchless Motor Cycles and the Marquis de Mouzilly St. Mars lead to a suggestion for a race the following year for road touring motorcycles based on the car races held in the Isle of Man on closed public roads.
The overall lead fell away as Rem Fowler suffered a number of problems with drive belts and spark plugs and on lap 7 crashed at nearly 60 mph (97 km/h) due to a burst tyre at the "Devil's Elbow" on the Kirk Michael to Peel section of the course.
However, Harry Bowen riding a BAT twin-cylinder motor-cycle increased the lap record to an average speed of 53.15 mph (85.54 km/h), later crashing-out on the wooden banking at Ballacraine.