There`s lots of different kinds of bikers. From the lone wolf who only answers to himself to the club member responsible to everyone his patch represents. Bikers, Harley guys especially, tend to look alike-beards, black T-shirts and vests. Yet they all do something in their appearance to make themselves unique, whether it`s a patch, a pin or some way of making their bike special. A code name may have a particular meaning, with a story behind it that means a lot to the person carrying it.
It seems that bikers tend to dress alike for this common bond. One guy may work 40 hours in a factory. Another may own his or her own business. But they look the same. Society sees the way they dress and immediately labels them as bad, trouble waiting to happen.
The scooter-tramp image and the banding together played a major role in the formation and popularity of clubs. Because people would ride together, it seemed they would become a target for the authorities to check up on and see what they were doing. The image formed, and a lot of people liked the image. B movies did a lot to perpetuate it.
In the last two or three years there has been a growth in the Sixties image of what a bike gang is. It may be their last hurrah, their last chance to blow off steam and make themselves noticed. Maybe it will last forever, but maybe it`s going to die.
There are a lot of really decent guys that are members of clubs. But a lot of them have insecurities about themselves, so that may be one reason they ride within a club. The club becomes the family. And it`s a real strong family to these guys. But after a while, the families fight among themselves and the clubs fight among themselves.
It seems that the power these clubs generate and the money they earn is in the way of drug trafficking. It`s big money, and when it comes to the clubs, as they grow, their territories overlap, creating conflict between the different clubs.
Part of the reason to ride with somebody was when the bikes were unreliable, if you were stuck on the side of the road by yourself it wasn`t very much fun. If you had a couple of your buddies with ya, you at least didn`t have to walk home or you had somebody to run and get parts or run and get a six pack while you were fixin` it. Guys would ride in large groups because they`d be a lot more noticeable on the street than one or two guys. . . .
Something that really killed club participation was that any of the guys that were halfway decent as far as had any kind of sense of responsibility quit ridin` with clubs because it turned out to be a front for prostitution, stealin` bikes and a lot of that. Guys that wanted to ride and didn`t want to have the cops harassin` them and gettin` jagged with all the time. They didn`t want anything to do with the clubs. It was only the guys that were drunks and couldn`t hold a job and stuff like that. . . .
The whole image of outlaw bikes changed after ”Easy Rider” and ”Hell`s Angels on Wheels” because stuff that was goin` on in California, people saw that in the movies. It was the way to be cool. That`s why Harley is doin` so well now. Because now it`s in to ride a Harley, and you can be cool. People will give respect to ya and stuff like that.
–Jeff, co-owner, Biker`s Choice, Glenview
Some bikers are simply motorcycle enthusiasts, traveling bikers that just want to ride for the sake of a vacation. . . . Some bikers just like to put on miles. They like to see things and go places. They are unique in that they don`t go for patches and being a clubber. They just like to get up and go and see things in a laid-back atmosphere. Club guys generally like to travel in packs.
There are bikers that run with clubs but are not members. They like to hang out with them, but either don`t want to have to go on every run that`s mandatory or just don`t want to wear any colors. Yet a lot of them say being in a club has its appealing side.
As one guy put it, bikers are the ”salt of the earth.” When you`re on the road, you`re thinking your own thoughts, regardless of who you are or whether or not you`re in a club. That`s why (an annual) gathering at Sturgis
(S.D.) is great. It brings all the different kinds of motorcycle enthusiasts together. They all have one common bond. The bike and the road. It doesn`t matter what kind of bike you ride. The brotherhood is the same. If all the bikers-the outlaw bikers and all the other people that ride-would come together and work out their problems, bikers would become a powerful entity.
If there is a brotherhood, maybe bikers should just cut the crap and discover that it isn`t just among the clubs or the kind of bike you ride, but among all the people that ride. When a club guy at Sturgis was once asked to introduce his friend he summed it all up by saying, ”That`s not my friend, that`s my brother.”
I love bikin`. I`ll never stop lovin` it. I`ve been bikin` for about 20 years. Ya just get on it and go to it. It`s a lot of fun. As long as you don`t get crackd up over it. I`ve always been drivin` `em. All my life. As soon as I`ve been able to crawl up on one, I`ve been diggin` `em. I hardly ever stay bikeless. I always got a bike. I ride in the ice, the snow, the sleet and the rain. It doesn`t matter to me, man. I hook up with different clubs here and there. Partners. Just runnin` around wolf packin`. Usually bar hoppin` and stuff like that. But I`d rather be the lone ranger.
–Pirate
Some women just really get into riding on the back seat, being able to look around and hang on to the guy driving. Being someone`s old lady can give you a feeling of power and the opportunity to navigate. To some, taking care of your old man-whether it`s your husband, boyfriend, or just a friend-that`s what being an old lady is all about. Some women would never dream of jumping on the back of a bike other than their old man`s. Others ride with a lot of different guys because they like to ride.
Most women that ride are their own person. Society has put the label on them as being a piece of property of the guy they ride with. They are in actuality people with feelings of their own and a say in what goes on.
The role of woman as victim still occurs, but for the most part, women and motorcycles and how they relate to each other holds great respect among those who love to ride.
I started riding in `67. There were very few women on bikes then. It`s just started to snowball. And men are accepting it more. I had a few times when it was not accepted. I`ve had some hassles with men that ride who do not think I belonged on the front, that I belonged on the back. But I think a lot of men today realize when you`re riding a bike it`s a lot more fun to ride a bike solo than it is to have somebody on the back. . . .
But it`s becoming more accepted. The men of the Nineties don`t seem so intimidated as back in the Sixties or early Seventies. Their egos don`t seem to be hurt as much when they see a woman can handle a Harley-Davidson as well as they can.
I was taught to ride by men and I rode mainly with men the first 20 years I was riding. Now I`ve got a lot of girlfriends who are riding. It`s growing rapidly. Anybody that is interested at all should take a motorcycle safety course. It`s the best way to learn how to ride. I wish they had had them when I was learning how to ride. Life is too short. Get out there and try it. If you like it, you`ve added something to your life. Besides, girls on bikes attract a lot of attention from men, and you can pick up guys, too. But that`s not why I do it.”
–Jo, editor, Harley Women magazine
Big Daddy and Cathy were married on the 13th of January in a rural courthouse at 9:30 in the morning. The wedding party met at Offie`s Tap for screwdrivers before departing for the ceremony. The bride and groom wore leather, and so did all the witnesses. Cathy`s knees were shaking under her leather miniskirt. Marlene was the matron of honor; she wanted her picture taken with the judge in case she ever found herself in traffic court.
After the ceremony the wedding party drove to the 2nd Chance Saloon for cocktails. Big Daddy had a bottle of cheap champagne that everyone guzzled. Marlene said she gave the marriage three weeks. The reception was the next day at the Country Junction, a country-western dance hall surrounded by farm fields. By 11 a.m. everyone was smashed. The bride said she made the potato salad and mostaccioli at 2 in the morning. Big Daddy and Cathy were wearing the same outfits they were wearing the day before. They both appeared exuberant and blissful.
Bikers from all of the surrounding areas were in attendance. When Big Daddy and Cathy cut the cake, Big Daddy took a piece and smeared it in his bride`s face. Cathy did the same to Big Daddy, who continued to smoke his Pall Mall through the cake on his face and hands.
One month later I ran into Marlene and Jack in their tavern. Marlene said, ”Did you hear?”
”Hear what?”
”Big Daddy and Cathy are getting an annulment.
”I told you three weeks, and I was right. Didn`t I say three weeks?”
But everyone agreed it was a great party.
