So, you want to start your own MC club……

It's been brought to my attention there are people trying to start their own clubs after reading this web site. I guess the several times it's referenced wasn't simple enough for some people.  So, i'll put it simply........

If you decide to start your own club, MC or otherwise, you MUST contact the local Lead MC Club and discuss it with them.  Period.  There is a few, VERY FEW, places that do not requires this, but the only way is to contact them.

It is generally seen as poor taste to decide to start your own club.  Basically, it tells them that you are trying to avoid paying your dues and avoid the learning of what they mean by respect, because there are already enough clubs in existence where you could be taught and bond with an existing brotherhood.  Everyone hears about the big clubs.  Few outside the lifestyle realize there are hundreds of smaller MCs across the country that are not 1% or even support clubs. I would recommend getting to know those in your area first.  Who knows, you might fit right in with one of them instead of trying to start your own.

Besides the fact that there does need to be some controls on who's running around sporting backpatches and calling themselves an MC, the established clubs know what the situation is with other clubs and former clubs.  If you think the procedures are bad now, immagine if the government controlled clubs. Scary.

Lets say for instance you created a backpatch.  It happens to look a lot like a another club's that has caused a lot of problems in the past.  You are wearing that into an are where other clubs mistake it for the troublemaking club and ........... I think you can see where that is going.........

Maybe the colors you use are representative of a rival club that your local has problems with. The colors used as well as the patch itself has meaning.

Maybe the name you choose is the name of a another club from the past that disbanded with honors or disbanded due to causing too many problems for the MC community. 

The MC community, despite the actions of some, does not want any more problems that may reflect on them that others may cause.  To do this, they keep some controls on who flys colors and wants to be sure they understand the different protocols involved.

While the web site has a LOT of information, it's basic information and doesn't cover many things that do not need to be known by the general public.  Someone starting a new club will be schooled in these more in depth protocols.

As a former military, I learned they had a certain way of doing things that while in the beginning you may not have understood and thought it was stupid, as you progressed in your time in, these stupid things slowly came to make more and more sense.  Something as simple as keeping your pants tucked into your boots seemed a bit silly at first, but, later you found there actually was a good reason for it.  Wearing green socks instead of white can save your life when in combat.

It's the little things that going through the proper procedures can help prevent misunderstandings and can establish the reputation you will develop as a club.

Not to mention the fact that if you go through the proper procedures to get their blessing, you will have them on your side if there is any problems. 

Yes, the image of the Bad Ass biker is fading, but, it's still there.  There are movies in Hollywood made every year that still use bikers to represent the bad ass.  TV shows still portray the Biker as the Bad Asses. Stone Cold - the movie - really portrayed bikers in a bad light.  Nash Bridges the TV show had the wrestler - Stone Cold Steve Austin as a bounty hunter....... he rode a bike.  The bike was a Suzuki, but most people did realize that.  Even Yamaha has used the tough guy image of the biker in commercials.  So, while the bad ass image is fading, it's no where near gone.  MCs do not want people with that image to be flying colors and playing at being the bad ass.  This will not only bring heat down on the "club" that does it, but, brings heat down on all MC clubs.

As for the right to wear anything you want.  Wear a Cop uniform and see what happens.  Wear a military uniform with all the patches.  That's a no no.  Freedom of speech isn't so free.  Sure you can say anything you want, but, certain things can land you in jail.  Threaten the President and see what happens.  Tell someone you are going to kick their ass and you could wind up in court.  While you are there, wear a t-shirt that says Lawyers Suck and see what happens.  You have every right to wear that t-shirt, but is it a wise thing to do?

Reality of consequences of our actions sometimes overrides what we perceive as a right or privilege.

If you insist…………….

DO YOUR HOMEWORK FIRST!

1.     Where will the Club be based?

2.     What is the Dominant 1% Club in your area?

3.     Is there a COC or some type of "Motorcycle Rights" association in your area?

4.     Are there other non-1% clubs in your area?

5.     What kind of an MC do you want to start?
Traditional back patch MC club
A social club     

A riding club

A Service oriented club
6. Will you prospect the members? How long in general?

7. What does it take to get approval to become a member?
8. Harleys only club or accept all brands.
9. How many members would you have if you started up a club tomorrow?  (Need to have 4,5,6 potential members at the very least.)

10. How well do you know the people that are going to start this with you.  Brotherhood isn't just a word, it's TOTAL dedication to each other, not just when it's convenient.

If you're seriously thinking of starting a M.C. or other type club centered around motorcycles, then do an on-line search and check out all the serious clubs’ websites(if they show it). In general, I would recommend you do some research and find out who is the top dog club in your neck of the woods. You can find out easy enough by asking at the motorcycle shops, biker friendly bars, etc. Are there any other non-1% clubs in your neighborhood and if so who are they and what type of club are they. You may consider hanging around several to see if there is a fit.  If you find one you like, you could approach them and find out what requirements are to join their club.

When you find the local dominant, MAKE SURE you read up on them if you can.  If the have a web site, read the "About Us", "Our History", "Our Brotherhood", and any "Mission Statement" they may have. Then read and check out everything else on those sites too. That should give you somewhat of an idea of what's involved and, at the very least, the same things that they'll expect from the other clubs wanting an OK in their area. 

*******PLEASE NOTE******

Also, with that said, different clubs may have some differences in the way they work too and what they'll want from any new start-ups.

Then there are all types of "other" clubs, but not counting the area's dominant(1%) club or their support clubs, most of the others seen around are these six: Mom & Pop social MCs, RC's(Riding Clubs), Military Clubs, Fireman Clubs, Cop Clubs, or Bikers' Rights Organizations that ride.

The dominant MC's(1% Clubs) and their Support Clubs normally work on a "need-to-know" basis. If you really want to find out a lot more about a certain club, joining them is the only way. You'll need to become (if invited in) a Hang-around first for a period of time and then, if OK'ed, go to the second stage, a Prospect for another amount of time, for the club. If you pass 100%, only then would you become an equal, a full-patched member.

So, let's start with RC's: Some MC's have no problem with RC's(Riding Clubs). That may be because they both ride in very different circles and live by different codes. There are other clubs that look down at RC's and others that see them only as weekend warriors or wannabes.  But they tolerate them as long as they stay out of the MC's biz, as long as the RC's members don't start putting on the "macho act", or trying to mimic the real MC's. Then there's also a few clubs that see a place for RC's, that hopefully, the RC will join an area MRO's(Motorcycle Rights Organizations), and help our cause by helping to vote out the politicians that deny our biker rights, etc, etc.

The Military, Firefighter and Cop Clubs:  Most of the oldest MC's have some kind of military background which got them to start their clubs, but we also have the MC's that proudly boast their military background and military membership, right in their club name. Some allow only members from a particular branch of the military, while a few also allow non-military supporters to join. Although they're also into biker rights, their main objective is to focus on military rights and POW/MIA issues. The Firefighter Clubs are made up of their brother Firefighters, so their main objectives are going to be Firefighter related issues and the same goes for the Cop Clubs, with a LEO(Law Enforcement Officers) membership.

Biker Rights or Freedom Fighter Clubs/Orgs (Organizations):

They may be either a MC (dominant club OK'ed their use of the MC patch, usually) or an Organization(if not OK'ed). But with that said, some Bikers Rights Organizations only want to be known as an "Organization" that rides, and not a MC, so as not to take anything away from their objective of what they do. And that would be, to do everything in their power to aid, support, and further all the brotherhood, freedoms, and rights of all riders, whether they be hardcore bikers, or just the occasional motorcyclist. That would include making websites and newsletters for "calls to action", email and letter writing campaigns to all riders, and to the politicians and legislators when needed, putting on runs or riding in and showing support for motorcycle causes, motivating our riding masses, speaking out against injustice and bad laws, and speaking out and/or voting in favor of our best interests. And that's just to name a few of the things they do, passionately, for EVERY motorcyclist.

And of course, there may also be other MC's and non-MC's whose Clubs have their own agendas, but I'm not going to get into them, that's their biz (and usually only on a “need-to-know" basis).

BTW, 1% Clubs normally only will hang with their own circles and supporters.

Anyway, I'm not an expert on all the various clubs out there, but I think it would be safe to say, that if you still want to start up an MC, you'll need a plan that your group can bring to the dominant club to show them what your group plans to be about. And since you now know a little about all the various types of MC's and Org's from the explanations above, your group should start with at least 5-6 members and hold meetings amongst yourselves to formulate what type of group you want to be. Then you'll also plan out your officers, your mission statement and what you'll all want to be about, your by-laws, rules, etc, etc. (DON'T RUSH ANY OF THIS, because once it's all done, this is what you'll be bringing with you to the first meeting with the dominant club).

Once your group believes they've covered everything and you're all set, then you'll have to make contact with the dominant’s closest chapter and ask to speak with one of their Officers. If your state has a COC (Coalition of Clubs or Confederation of Clubs) that means they'll be holding monthly or quarterly meetings there with other clubs and that's usually the best way to find their members. Don't interrupt any patchholder, but if he's not busy talking to someone, or he doesn't look like he's keeping an eye out for anything, you can politely ask him if he'll set up a meet date for your group.  I would not advise approaching the Pres or the SAA. 99.9% of the time, they will have other things on their minds than someone wanting to start a club on their turf. 

If OK'ed for a meet, don't be late. Everyone who's supposed to go with you had better show up, or you'll "lose face" before you've even gotten to speak.

Going up to a dominant club and announcing your intention to start up a motorcycle club and not have the right answers would be considered a show of disrespect or ignorance, neither of which would be tolerated.  No one said it's easy and it's not.

Bring all of your club's documents, patch design, name, etc., with you for either their approval or changes that they request. More than likely you are going to be asking to start a one patch (mom and pop) club.  They probably aren't going to go for anything more than that, as they expect everyone to start at the bottom, just like a hangaround in a club. Forget putting any thing firm together on a patch or deciding on any colors for now. The CoC and local dominant club will decide what is acceptable. Gotta pay the dues first.  Be aware that in some places, there is an agreement between the established clubs that enough MCs are already in the area that no new MC clubs will be formed.

Be honest: Answer all questions truthfully. Liars won't be tolerated and your club instantly loses any credibility that it might've had.

Come well prepared.  Since you should've already taken all the time needed to plan out everything, then you should already be able to answer any questions you're asked. Again, it goes to your group's credibility and whether you're actually ready to run the club right, or you're just seen as a bunch of fuck-ups in their eyes.

But if you do wind up in that situation, DON'T DARE LIE, it's better to explain that you don't have the answer for them at that moment, but that you will get the answer to them ASAP, AND THEN MAKE SURE THAT YOU DO IT!

Show them "RESPECT". It boils down to...they've earned their dues, with blood, sweat and tears, you haven't!

****PLEASE NOTE*****While a club may work out a compromise with you, it could very well be that your group will do the compromising. And if you're told to make any changes to your rules, patch design, etc., or even what you can or can't wear, then that's it, that's just what you'll have to do in order for your group to exist in the MC world.

It's also imperative that you and your group need to familiarize yourself with the information right here on the MC/RC Education Site so you won't make an innocent mistake that could turn into a sign of disrespect.

Also, if they just say "No" to everything about your group becoming a MC, then that's it, it's over.

At least you tried, but now you'll just have to make do, the very same way you had been doing. And the good thing is that you can still ride together and show your respects, you just won't be doing it as a declared MC, or wearing a patch.  No matter WHAT kind of club you decide on, in the advice here is solid for all kinds of clubs, MC or not.  All types of clubs should at the very least let the local clubs know who they are and what they are about.  By doing some kind of meeting, you can save potential future problems with the other clubs in the area.

Lastly, a patch is not a requirement to form and enjoy a brotherhood.  Not many people are cut out to be in the traditional MC lifestyle.  It's a lot of hard work and time on the road and away from family and friends. The club becomes your family and friends.  The club will be expected to support the other clubs in the area.  Often times it may conflict with something you may have planned.

And BTW, just in case you were wondering why I haven't stated any clubs above, by name, it's considered a sign of disrespect to throw a club's name, or one of it's member's names around. 

It’s a difficult journey that many just cannot manage. Those that make it, wouldn't live any other way.