Stags 'n' Slags Rally

Stags N Slags Rally held just off the A5 north of Weston Park Staffordshire by the Hednesford Motor Cycle Club.

The International Classic Bike Show at Stafford is a strange place to get an invite to a rally but that's how it happened. I've been going there for more years than I care to mention and it's a strange thing how you can be there for three days and miss things. There is just so much going on. I knew that a couple of my friends were showing bikes there on the Hendesford club stand and on previous years we'd not met. So this year I made the effort to hunt them down and, during the conversation, the talk turned to the old days at rallies and the club was holding the Stags n Slags rally the next weekend. "You'll just have to come now" said my old mate Phillip Hogg.

Well I've got a couple of bikes in the garage stripped down that I'm working on, one of which must be running for the Burton Parade next weekend, so I'm a little pushed for time and I'll have to charge the battery on the RS100. The day was hectic with shopping and all the other things that need to be done. The weather was red hot strong sunlight. Yes, let's go, even if it's only for a couple of hours. So around 17.00 I set off with the kit bag strapped on the seat. I had been a running around like a mad thing and I was in a sweat. It took me 25 minutes to find the ignition keys but at last I was away.

The short journey was great apart from the mile of loose gravel just outside Codsall Wood. By 17.35 I arrived to be greeted by Brian Jarvis on the control. We talked about old times and old mates for a good half hour. Then I had a walk around the site. Damn, I had forgotten my camera. There was an old twin port Panther outfit, a couple of nice Triumphs, a really radical bright green Panther solo with JAP front end and home made frame, a couple of BM's but the rest of the machines there were straight out of the pages of "Back Street Heroes", trikes, street fighters and grot bikes and so were the riders. Acres of black leather, bandanas, tattoos, pony tails etc. There were 4-5 stalls selling clothes, biker trinkets and the type of tat that these people like, a huge hamburger trailer and a very large beer tent. Also evident were a large number of cars. Several of the tents were very large and people seemed to be having their own seperate functions, their own music , barb-a-cue and tins of beer.

I was eventually spotted by someone who knew me, just by the beer tent. The guy was well out of it and within the next few minutes I was offered a j and e's which were both declined. I soon spotted my old mate Phil arriving and made my excuse to leave.

Phil parked up his emaculate K1 Honda 750 and we took another slow walk around the field talking and finished up at the beer tent for a couple of shandies as we had both deceided not to camp. The sun was going down and it was turning cold. A sharp breeze had started to blow and the first of the 2 bands had started to play (I now understood why people were at their own tents). I picked up a couple of flyers for the Tees Tornados rally and the Antelope rally. I might try those again.

- Les Hobbs

 

Moonshiners MCC links - Stags and Slags 2004 and 2005 Lone Wolf says Flash, bang, wallop - Lightning a go-go