Bikers: A Basic Guide And Overview Of Bikers, Clubs, and Culture

Starting Out: "Lonewolf"

As a "Lonewolf" so to speak you are officially unaffiliated with any type of motorcycle enthusiast clubs however this means you're able to socialize with most clubs you'll come across so Riding solo has its benefits but to help you out here's a few tips to fill the role better.

(Apparel)
Some appearance changes you're gonna want to look the part is a good pair of jeans boots and a leather or denim jacket or vest should suffice the rest is up to you. Next you're gonna have to pick your style of motorcycle.


(Transportation)
Now as a biker the main thing you're focusing on is your bike so choosing your style is a good place to start. There's different variations of bikes you'll have at your disposal is Sports, Choppers, Cruisers, Trikes, Scramblers, and Touring.

So you're interested in joining a MC. Well there's a few things you're gonna need to know before you go approaching a club.

1. Research  

Doing a little research on the club you're looking to join could be very beneficial to seeing if that club is the right fit for you. See what their rules & regulations are. Every club is different so look at their Rockstar Games Social Club page on there page you'll find the clubs members and potentially they may have a informative website about them.

2. Making Connections

Make connections with the clubs members and just hang out with them for awhile get to know them to see if you mesh well with that clubs members this is really important a MC is built off the backs of its members so to figure out if you'd find your home with that club it's simple get to know that club. If they take a liking to you they may ask you to be a "Prospect" or "Probate"

3. Prospecting for a MC

At this point the club has taken an interest in you and think you have potential to become a member of they're family. Now all clubs are different in terms of their prospects or probates but what you need to know is that in all cases a prospecting period is used to show how bad you want to gain membership and what you're willing to do for your brothers or sisters.

Are you new to the world of bikers? Intimidated by 1%er MC's? Well there's nothing wrong with joining a Riding Club or "RC" it's a good place to start off to get used to the motorcycle world. RC members don't have the pressure that goes along with an MC and can join in on club dealings at their own speed. Not much is mandatory other than riding and obeying club laws. A Riding Club emblem can be a one piece or two piece patch with RC side patch on it. A RC can likely have a Hangaround period and a Prospecting period.

Motorcycling Organizations are split into two groupings 1%er and 99%er knowing the difference is crucial in deciding on which type of motorcycle organization you want to associate with.

1%ers

The term 1%er comes from what's known as the Hollister Riot which occurred in Hollister California from July 4th to July 6th of 1947 during a motorcycle rally. The "AMA" American Motorcyclist Association was questioned by the press at the time about the riot and the AMA responded with "99% of motorcyclists are law abiding citizens and the remaining one percent were outlaws."


99%ers

While one percenters attract a lot of attention for the activities they commit there is much more motorcycle clubs and bikers that rather call themselves 99 percenters the counter part to 1 percenters. 99%er MCs include police, military, and firefighter clubs. Pre 2005 99%er MCs in the state of California could not wear what's known as a 3 piece patch which consists of a top banner signifying the clubs name, a bottom banner signifying the clubs location, and a club logo in the middle. The two major MC's in California the Hells Angels MC and Mongols MC.

Typically in Europe before a club decides to become an MC they will claim MotorCycle Club or Motorcycle Group both are always non outlaw and are very similar to the wests RC's slightly less commitment than LEMC or MC's but that's not to say these clubs are just weekend riders. Usually with these clubs they will require a person looking to gain membership to Hangaround and prospect.

Law Enforcement Motorcycle Clubs the antithesis of 1%ers are MC's that are entirely made up of law enforcement agents or just law abiding citizens. Their goal is to extinguish outlaw MC's and support their communities. They appear identical to traditional MC with a 3 piece patch typically but they replace the "MC" patch with "LEMC" to inform the public of their stance on the law. Riders in these clubs are just as committed to the biker lifestyle as OMC's just on the opposite side of the law.

So you've seen some bikers with patches on their backs but there's all different kinds? Wanna know the differences? Here you go.


[3 Piece Patches]

3 piece patches is a more modern form of biker patches a 3 piece includes what's known as a "top rocker" a banner indicating the name of the club, a "bottom rocker" a banner on the bottom of the vest or jacket usually showing where the club is located. For examples of 3 piece patches, please check out Hells Angels MC, Mongols MC, Outlaws MC, Gypsy Jokers MC, Bandidos MC, Red Devils MC, and many others.


[2 Piece Patches]

There's multiple variations to a two piece patch. One being a circular main patch with the clubs name and insignia and a bottom rocker again indicating the location. Good examples of these kind of patches are the Sons of Silence MC, and Vagos MC. The other form of a 2 piece is a top rocker and centre piece insignia ie: Pagans MC. The last and most common form of a 2 piece patch is a top rocker, and center piece, but without a bottom rocker, much like The Originals MC.


[1 Piece Patches]

Like 2 or 3 piece patches, there are many variations of 1 Piece pathes. 1 piece patches consist of 1 large back patch that normally has the club name, center piece, possibly a locale, and anything else the club believes they need in theit 1 piece patch. Some examples of the variations of 1 piece patches are; Galloping Goose MC, Satan's Choice MC, and Old Skool Riders MC.

Coming Soon