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Surrounded by MC Clubs when solo

34K views 189 replies 47 participants last post by  Paul49 
#1 ·
Okay guys, I'm going to come off as a total dweeb here (not the first time...). Anyway, I ride southern Arizona, New Mexico, Texas mostly. Usually always solo. I've noticed that I'll be scooting along humming Elton John or something in my head then I'll look in the mirror and see a squadron of like 20-50 bikes coming up fast. About half of the group will pass, then they slow down and fall in at my speed. These are MC club guys, HA's, DD's, Vagos, etc. They kind of check me out without staring, I just fall in the formation and keep going where I was going. After a while, the tune in my head changes to "Born to be Wild," and I grin to myself, one of the pack, barking with da big dogs at last. This will continue until they turn off someplace. Sometimes the last guy will give me the two finger wave. What's the deal with this?
 
#26 ·
Not a chance of that. I spent most of a year as a prospect for a well known club. The official club position towards civilians on production bikes is that you don't exist. There can be exceptions to this rule though. I was at a gas station on my dad's '39 Knucklehead, and became an instant celebrity to a group of about 20 HA. But this was because of the novelty of the bike, and no other reason. There was no reason mention my former affiliation, which would have led uncomfortable questions about my opinions of club bylaws.

Not my type, has all the wrong parts. But, if you scored that I salute you.
A chick on a bike is somewhat of a novelty, with potential entertainment value. You exist, but are certainly not considered an equal.
 
#5 ·
Just take it as normal biker camaraderie as mick says. Since they're not all passing you and cutting you off, and they're falling in both ahead and behind you, sounds like they're "accepting you" being there. Sounds like they're riding responsibly. Give 'em a salute back.
 
#7 ·
Must differentiate between motorcycle gangs and motorcycle clubs.. not the same.

Every year I go with a bunch of friends that are part of a motorcycle club on a ride to Key West, or Bikeweek/Biketoberfest... there is no illegal anything with them. They ride all over the USA and are a very nice group that just want to enjoy their time on two wheels.
 
#17 ·
It does? Damn I guess Trumpet should have vetted it's customers closer since I had the HD 1st.... I would have happily filled out a form prior to buying to see if I "Qualify" to be an owner (weird when I pulled out the $8300 cash they couldn't be happier to give me a free T Shirt (which I politely declined as it said Triumph all over it)


Heres a riddle 'Why do Triumph owners talk about HD owners and Bikes so much?" ( I don't know the answer to this perhaps you can help me out because you guys talk about them more than you actually ride from what it looks like.)
 
#15 ·
I always find conversations about the MC's interesting. Deep down inside is the image of what I WANT the MC's to be about and I find some twisted attraction to that. As an Army veteran, the best I can describe it is as if the MC were a platoon of soldiers who develop that camaraderie. Unfortunately I don't think reality would meet my expectations.

I stood at the Outlaws booth at an Easyriders show several years ago for a good hour. They never did give me a membership application. Bummer. I did buy a book, though.

I have actually had a similar experience with one of the black MC's in this area. Both times I was on my Rocket. Found them very respectful and fun to ride with. I was sure these guys were nothing like the hardcore outlaw MC's. Then a few months later they were involved in a shoot out.
 
#18 · (Edited)
I find myself in the same company of 3 of the major Clubs living in Southern CA quite often, never had any problem with any of them, actually the opposite as the leader of the local Mongols saved one of my bikes from falling when my GF at the time decided to sit on it and act a fool while out one night. They also like to come up and ask me about my bikes from time to time and most of them have been on MC's their whole lives and are very knowledgeable. On the road they are very courteous when sharing the same highway or canyons and will ride along with you etc.. I had the HA Vegas chapter give me one of their Sin City hats a bunch of years ago while I was in Vegas, never did wear it out and about because that would attract the wrong kind of attention from the other clubs.

The local Motorcycle Club RR (Something Riders) are a pain in the ass, they are not a Biker Club (No rocker patches or colors,etc...) they are just a mishmash of guys on sportbikes (and not nice ones but old Hondas etc... ) that will come up on you and pass on curves and split through traffic at incredible speeds etc... They suck
 
#20 ·
I don't ever ride with groups. I want to though! But I do enjoy being solo. I have a very spontaneous riding style. Sometimes I'll see a cool-looking road and i'll just turn down it to see what I find. Usually, it ends up being something awesome, like a collection of old pickups, or a rundown abandoned farmhouse or something.

I love being in total control of where I go and when I stop.

But, I have also been in a similar situation, where a group of guys will ride past, or I'll come upon them as I ride. I also tend to just hang with the pack for a minute and appreciate the noise and insanity. Then we part ways. Sometimes it'll be a group of guys on big harley touring bikes and I probably look hilarious. This little bonneville cafe racer-looking-thing screaming down the road with them.
 
#23 ·
The only problem I've ever had from MC members was when I came over the top of an overpass over I-26. I wasn't even at the speed limit (only going 45mph) because one can't see the traffic coming off the off ramp on non cloverleafs like this one. Anyhoo, a Chas. SC group known as the Th****r G****s were entering the road I was on as a group. One of their guys was sitting there as a traffic controller I suppose. There was no way to stop in such a short distance. I had to ride the center line to miss him and ended up in their pack. When we got to a stop sign several of them gave me the "What the f*** do you think you're doing" look. I lifted my visor and told them they had better be glad I wasn't one of the numerous log trucks or dump trucks using the road (it's the main access to where the new Volvo plant is being built). If I had been there would have been dead bikers all over. Not one of them could see they were in the wrong thinking traffic should yield to them the right of way. Most of the time MC members pass me by or I pass them without incident. Courtesy waves are always exchanged, however,
 
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#37 ·
Yeah, different parts of the country here it's more prevalent. Anywhere warm usually and it's Harley-palooza most of the time. I'll see strings of anywhere from 5 to 50 bikes, maybe more, hard to count, sometimes. The MC clubs are turf oriented, so unless there is an event of some type, you'll primarily see riders from whatever club claims that geographic region. They also claim certain pubs, etc., and my understanding is that you need to not park in "their," parking area. Don't know firsthand on that tho as I don't go to bars....
 
#32 ·
I'm a big fan of hitting the breakdown lane when someone catches me and let them go. A surprising number of cars do the same for me.

It's hard for a group to get a pass in without breaking up the group. Some club up in Canada riding more above the speed limit than I wanted to caught me last summer, I hit the breakdown lane and got a steady stream of thankful salutes as they roared by. Enough to put a smile on my face.

Their chase vehicles later cut me off and about forced me off the road. They got a different sort of salute from me :(
 
#33 ·
If you ever find yourself in close proximity to these gang members, at a stop somewhere, and you think they may be staring at you and you're thinking you may be in trouble, just look them in the eye and compliment one of their bikes while at the same time showing you have a little knowledge of the make or model. It will totally turn their attitude around and you'll be good to go after that.
 
#43 ·
Not particularly common down here but when it happens they usually just swoop through like a wave & then disappear just as quickly. Fact is they ride well over the speed limit because they can get away with it. I'll speed a bit but my license is valuable & I don't want to lose it. Anyhows - the MC clubs aren't interested in me & visa versa. The sound of a pack of HDs is pretty nice though.
 
#45 ·
Communication breakdown on my part.
Law enforcement classifies some "clubs" as outlaw biker gangs. This classification did not come from contributing to society in a positive way as a whole. It came from breaking the laws most of us don't.
The gangs mentioned in the OP are classified as outlaw biker gangs by the law enforcement community....this is what I am referring to.
The Hells Angles can call themselves a "club" to water down the fact they are a gang all they want. The bloods street gang can call themselves sons of the Pope if they want, it won't change who they are, an outlaw "gang".
I can certinally agree to disagree to the negative connotation the word "gang" has vs "club". I've never thought positive thoughts when discussing gangs.
 
#51 ·
Communication breakdown on my part.
Law enforcement classifies some "clubs" as outlaw biker gangs. This classification did not come from contributing to society in a positive way as a whole. It came from breaking the laws most of us don't.
The gangs mentioned in the OP are classified as outlaw biker gangs by the law enforcement community....this is what I am referring to.
No worries. The term "Outlaw," refers to those types of clubs being formed originally outside of the AMA, but you are right that it may actually describe many of the members. My brother had some colorful tales of his "adventures," as a member of an MC... none of them are appropriate for anyone under 18 to hear. As the saying goes, "live by the sword, die by the sword..."
 
#47 ·
People loved Al Capone in Chicago because he scattered a tiny fraction of his illegally gained millions to the poor. The history of the outlaw clubs and their activities are not washed away by a once a year fundraiser.
 
#54 · (Edited)
Worth mentioning again: I was fortunate enough to live near Danbury, CT, for a decade or so when the Marcus Dairy scene was happening (I moved away in late '99 and it continued for a while and is now unfortunately gone). Most Sunday mornings (and I mean morning…by before noon most people had left) I'd ride either my '71 Honda CL450 Scrambler (mint…sweet bike) or my '82 Gold Wing Standard (also rare due to its "Standard" design with no bags, windscreen, or fairings) up there and eat a greasy egg sandwich and hang in the parking lot of an otherwise unremarkable diner…hundreds of bikers and bikes from all over the place with pretty much every sort of ride imaginable just milling around, and seriously the nicest crowd of just bike freaks…I never experienced a second of weird ego tension in a crowd ranging from Hells Angels to hot girls on sport bikes…I miss that scene and am simply glad I got to be part of it, and appreciate all the conversations from people who thought my bikes were interesting and vise versa. Once in a while they'd have a bike "show" with thousands of people, but the regular crowd was more manageable…a great thing.
 
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