White Heather Rally

A one off rally, held by Sutherland MCC, in 1980 at a site near the youth hostel at Bonar Bridge.

The badge was made by a club member and is an aluminium casting, which was then sprayed blue and polished on site.

She broke its tail light on the way up, but did an excellent repair job on it with a red condom!

 

The rally was the usual, in a farmer's field with a control tent offering tea and coffee. Food and beer was supplied by the pub just down the road.

I went up to this rally on a Honda 750K2 that I had bought with a view to replacing my Honda 500/4 which was getting past its best. However, I eventually rebuilt the 500/4 and sold the 750! I needed a winter bike really but the 850G Suzuki I had for best then was actually better in bad weather due to the shaft drive. When I put a sidecar on the Suzi, my winter transport was sorted!

We had a large turn out for this one from the Dean Valley MCC and we managed to win the Club award. Phil Johnson was up there on his Ducati 860. It got there but had to be recovered as it would only run on one cylinder (Italian electronics and water are a bad mix!) Richard (King Dick) was up on his 750 Bonneville, with Ali (his then girlfriend) on her CB175 Honda. She broke its tail light on the way up, but did an excellent repair job on it with a red condom! Richard's Bonnie went through a really reliable stage when he was following Ali to rallies on her 175. However it went back to normal when she got herself a 400/4.

I rode home following Len and Marita Tempest on their Gold Wing outfit, but he had fitted a four into one exhaust to it and I had to keep well back as the noise was deafening; not what you expect from a Wing!

- Ted Trett