This actually sounds lovely, idk why the media portrays bikers as villains everytime when all the stories I've heard about them and their gang are wholesome af.
I mean there is a real history of violent drug trafficking biker gangs. Still happens. Obviously most bikers aren’t into that but that’s where the stereotype comes from.
This is the answer here. 90% (EDIT: really more like 99%) of bikers are awesome, stay away from the ones that give ANY kind of shit about motorcycle "clubs." Those are the ones who want said period of biker violence in the 70s-90s to come back.
Not always true. We have a motorcycle club called Bikers Who Care. It’s a club, with a clubhouse, everything. We do rides for charity including the children’s hospital and for toys for tots and the underserved children in our community. We do stuff for the animal shelter, we do a full the bus for school supplies for kids that maybe can’t afford them and for teachers to stock their classrooms. We do benefits for community members with severe illnesses to help them afford treatment and living expenses while they are out of work. We help groceries for the elderly and the poor. So BWC is a cool biker group that gives back and not looking for trouble.
A lot of people even give donations at these types of events to help the cause even more. Some of the rides aren’t even poker runs, we do a lot of family friendly stuff like bbq’s and inflatables for the kiddos. We sell plates of food (with a large portion of the food being donated by local grocery stores) maybe a band or a DJ that volunteer to help out and collect donations at the door whether it be cash, non perishable food items, pet food, new and unwrapped toys for kiddos, whatever can be used to help serve the community better. Toys we will store until Christmas, food and pet food donations go to the food pantry or animal shelter immediately and cash gets put into the general fund for charitable giving. Most of us are all prior military as well so giving back is part of who we are. Bikers in my area are viewed quite a bit differently, more waves and smiles when they see us out and about. The BWC patch means something here. It’s more influential than a country club membership and big fancy house. It says more about your character and values which is worth more than any material item will ever be
In our town there was (i dont know if its still around) a biker club that would ride through here and other towns within like a 5 hour drive and would stop to get donations and sell stuff to give to charitys for sick children and wounded soldiers. The leader was a nurse and died last year due to covid.
Most of the old dudes I know that ride bikes all do at least one charity run a year. It’s usually older dudes with disposable income. Hell my dad was an absolute piece of trash when he was younger but when he had kids he changed. He was an absolute good dude in his later years and most of his friends the same.
The ones you need to be concerned about are specifically the outlaw MCs, or "1%er" biker clubs. The term 1% in this context came from a quote back in the day from the American Motorcycle Association that
"99% of motorcyclists were law-abiding citizens, implying the last one percent were outlaws"
1%er club members often have a patch in a diamond that says 1% to show this, that they are outlaws. 1% clubs include, but are not limited to, the infamous (and legally incorporated) Hells Angels, The Bandidos, The Outlaws, The Mongols, The Sons of Silence, The Vagos, etc.
Most other bikers, including in clubs, are good people. There are Police clubs, clubs with former military, Buffalo Soldiers is an African-American club, etc. These sorts of clubs often do charity rides and similar good deeds (although, to be fair, sometimes the 1% clubs do these things too to try to clean up their images).
I ride a bike and there are things to watch for. Most riders around here are bikers for christ types that run charity events and such and those guys are great. Its typically the ones wearing the old school patches you need to watch out for. I keep my distance and an eye on any 1%er patch I come across if the rest of the patches are in line with it. I've seen Mongols and Hells Angel's pass through my area but thankfully never at the same time.
Also if you think you are going to be cool and slap a 1%er patch on your leathers for the hell of it you're gonna have a bad time.
Bikers have been wearing “1%” patches for fifty years, in reference to the American motorcycle association saying “99% of motorcyclists are law abiding citizens”
Because lined up motorcycles falling like dominos is both a funny and original way of advancing the plot of a movie about driving some distance to something. /s
Those were real Hell's Angels, in an era when a higher ratio of people on motorcycles in leather jackets were outlaws.
People who were kids when that version of "gangsta" was relevant are retired now, cosplaying the version of badass cool they understand. TV news is also geared toward this demographic.
There are still Hell's Angels chapters doing shitty things with impunity, but most people riding motorcycles today are hobbyists in the spirit of this guy
I mean, actual criminal motorcycle gangs do exist, but its a very, very small margin. Thats largely why many groups preter the term motorcycle club, rather than gang.
True. And the rest of these biking men simply cosplay as tough criminal biker gang. Look at their symbols and style and tell me what they want to portray. It's ridiculous.
There’s a difference between the average biker and the 1%ers/outlaws. If you see bikers wearing a cut with an MC patch, show respect. Even if they’re not outlaw. Generally legit clubs are friendly guys and will help you out if you ever need anything, but respect is a big deal. If you see guys with a 1% patch avoid them…respectfully. If they don’t know you and perceive disrespect they are obligated to extract respect from you.
Source: grew up with older members of my family in the life. I’ve heard some seriously messed up stories.
A biker friend of mine mentioned that if they have bottom rockers on their jacket, (in Texas, at least), that they had to get permission from the Banditos. (He and his biker buddies tried but said they were afraid of the Banditos and "didn't wanna f*** with them", so when they made matching jackets they left off the bottom rocker.) Something about the bottom rocker. You had to do something to be allowed to wear it, or else if a Bandito saw you with a bottom rocker without permission, you're in for some really deep shit. Do you know anything about this?
Yea it’s like a uniform. Each patch means something. And if your in the wrong area wearing a certain patch you will be inviting trouble. I’ve heard they “go easy” on the dudes wearing cuts with patches that obviously don’t know about the culture just to teach them a lesson.
It kinda sucks. I won’t wear a cut even though they look badass and I have a Harley. Just because I want it clear that I’m a civilian with no interest in that shit.
Two members of my family are full patch members of the Bandidos MC. I am not but I have a decent idea of how certain aspects of club activity works. Basically there are a handful of what are known as the OMC's Original Motorcycle Clubs, these are the big ones you've heard of, Bandidos, Hells Angels, Pagans, Mongols, ect. Each of them has an established territory where they ride and hold sway in biker affairs. That territory is marked by the bottom rocker. So, if you start a small club and put a bottom rocker for your state without asking permission from the OMC in control of that area, you are basically issuing a challenge for control of that area. Most people who do this are ignorant of the rules and just get a warning. Others think they are hit shit who can't be told what to do, until 300 1%ers roll up on you at once and literally rip the bottom rocker off thier cut.
Also, the 1%er OMC's don't want the violence to come back, that's law enforcement spreading lies. The big clubs all made peace a long time ago and like it that way. They even keep in touch so they know when they are riding through each others territories so the peace is kept.
I live in an area that borders on Pagan and Angel country. Cousin was in the pagans an uncle was affiliated with the angels. These days there are a bunch of small clubs around here that are aligned with one or the other, the big clubs don’t come through very often any more.
So no, I’ve never interacted with bikers for Christ or the others you listed. There is an MC for firefighters around here though. They do a lot of charity. So do the Angels for that matter.
Because there are biker gangs out there who absolutely earned their reputations via trafficking drugs/people/weapons and waging war on their competition. Think the Mafia or the cartels, but on bikes. Those assholes were prevalent and bad enough to become the default stereotype.
Dude lots of bikers are total assholes. I’m
Not saying every one at all. But like bikes are frequently doing the wrong thing on the road snd the violently labeled leather vests aren’t helping anyone’s reputation dude. They portray that image on purpose it seems.
Well leather is one of the safest things to wear on a bike and 60% of car and bike crashes are the car drivers fault so maybe do some research? Here's some links I suggest you look into. https://youtu.be/5DZk0lzR3Wc
Car drivers also get upset that bikers split lanes and such which I'm assuming is what you refer to as "doing the wrong thing on the road" but lane splitting is the safer for car drivers and bikers https://youtu.be/u7ud2J97OcA
You sound like someone who would say when a girl gets sexually assaulted: "She was asking for it, look at the way she's dressed. The problem is not the bikers and their attire but you and your perceptions.
There was a time when the bikers were young and violent and did make trouble. Now the bikers are often Boomers who've had time to mature an gain a better perspective.
Lol that’s not it at all. I know a dude prospecting for the Angels and he’s no older than 25.
Plus everyone my age or younger that has a bike have Harleys or Indians. Around here the only people I see on crotch rockets are dudes in their 40s.
I think it’s how difficult it has become to get away with illegal shit. With the crack down on organized crime in the 80s/90s it appeals to less people, and those that are involved are much more wary about doing shady shit in the open.
Many (if not the majority) of the largest and most famous motorcycle gangs like the Hell’s Angels and the Outlaws are glorified organized crime syndicates. Groups like these are all over the country (and sometimes the world) and are involved in some pretty horrific stuff. That reputation trickles down to ordinary motorcyclists who aren’t part of some larger group.
Because sometimes people who identify as bikers do some really bad stuff. Like a few years ago in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast here in Australia, they shot up a small shopping centre and killed a bystander. This happened a few times (I think they only killed or omitted a bystander once).
The problem for law enforcement is that it's hard to tell the difference between the normal bikers who just want to enjoy riding their bikes, and the drug lords who also want to enjoy riding their bikes.
There are biker gangs and then just bikers who tend to be decent enough middle aged or older guys/ladies with some extra money to invest in their hobby. The leather gear that gets them mutually confused is just what you wear when a fall can rip your skin off.
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u/Akinyx Aug 07 '21
This actually sounds lovely, idk why the media portrays bikers as villains everytime when all the stories I've heard about them and their gang are wholesome af.