If you think that a motorcycle club can be called a garage room where bearded, beefy men gather, talking about their “iron horses” while drinking beer, then this is not quite the right idea. A biker club is, first of all, a community of people who think and act in the same direction, adhere to similar life values and selflessly love motorcycles.
The history of the development of motorcycle communities
The first in the history of the motorcycle community that arose in the States in the late 40s. The 20th century were nothing but organized crime groups on motorcycles. Often the sign of the motorcycle club served as a cover for their illegal activities.
These communities consisted of retired soldiers of the Second World War, who did not find a use in civilian life. American motorcycle gangs became famous for their audacity, courage and contempt for the law. In the future, bikers have transformed their values into more acceptable ones, such as an adamant desire for freedom and disagreement in the form of protest with existing social dogmas.
On the territory of our homeland, the status of motorcyclists and their position in society was radically different from the United States. “Rockers” (the original name, before the appearance of the word “biker”) did not engage in crime, behaved relatively law-abidingly, apart from banal petty hooliganism, for example, they could ride with the breeze, deafening the pedestrians with the growl of the engine, or turn on the music at full volume in a quiet bedroom area. They lived, hung out and had fun, without bothering to develop rules and principles. The Rockers met solely for the purpose of having a good time.
Therefore, our first motorcycle club appeared quite late by global standards – only in 1989. It is even possible that the Night Wolves arose simply because one person – the Surgeon – wanted to organize a party around him, decided to show his will and leadership qualities. Otherwise, the unorganized “rocker” fun would have continued on the Moscow streets.
Say what you like, but the surgeon got down to business thoroughly. Now “Night Wolves” are indisputable leaders in terms of the number of participants and branches in the CIS, but not in terms of authority. Some bikers are unhappy that the Night Wolves have stained themselves with ties to the state.
As for the motorcycle clubs of the CIS in general, they are created on the basis of 2 principles:
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Ownership of a specific bike brand. An example is the motorcycle community of BMW or Harley – Davidson motorcycle owners .
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Territorial. In this case, there is an association of fellow countrymen bikers living within the same city.
Symbols of bikers
Without biker patches on the back, there can be no proper motorcycle community. Stripes are the pride of a biker, a material proof of his belonging to a motorcycle club. You can even say that in some way the stripes have a sacred role. For example, one should not allow anyone to dare to encroach on stripes, speak disrespectfully about them, and, even more so, try to rip them off. The latter must be decisively suppressed, otherwise the biker is considered “embroidered” and is obliged to leave the motorcycle club immediately. The patch highlights:
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Top rocker. The traditional place for the name of the motorcycle community.
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The central part where the emblem is placed.
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The lower rocker is a place to place the name of the city or area of deployment.
In the States, the requirements for the bottom rocker are very strict. Other motorcycle groups are not entitled, except for the most authoritative club in the city, to prescribe the name of the city in the lower rocker. In the CIS, bikers are very liberal about this requirement and do not bother about which of them is cooler in their city.
The second role of patches is to demonstrate at what hierarchical level in the biker group their owner is located. Precisely in order to secure a certain rank in the hierarchy, some motorcycle communities do not give beginners the entire patch, but do it gradually, as the beginner moves to a new level.
How can a newbie join a motorcycle club?
Motorcycle communities are not similar to each other, they have differences in terms of the formalization of the rules, the management regime, the number of members, and the purpose of their activities. Therefore, the actions that need to be performed to join them cannot be the same.
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Motorcycle club type |
Steps to join |
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Criminal motorcycle communities, some legal clubs with a large number of members |
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Motorcycle clubs of local importance, small communities |
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What will happen to motorcycle clubs in 2023?
In Russia, the owners of imported bikes will have a hard time. Blocked supply channels for spare parts and emerging shortages do not add enthusiasm. Along with the shortage came the rise in the cost of motorcycles. I believe that in this situation, if everything remains as it is and does not change for the better, it will be as follows:
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Gray channels of supply through third countries and tenth hands will be worked out. It is clear that the pockets of bikers will empty slightly due to the emergence of more links in the supply chain, each of which wants a share of the margin, and the accompanying increase in price tags.
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The lack of motorcycle goods will be made up in Russia itself by a simple criminal method: theft and dismantling of foreign motorcycles at illegal services.
As a result, Russian motorcycle clubs may partially or completely curtail their activities and wait for better times. Or the motoseason will take place in a very truncated form.
In Ukraine, the opposite picture takes place, but the conclusions are similar to those given for Russia. There are difficulties with gasoline and problems with money due to the destruction of the economy. At the same time, motorcycle products are available, and overlays with their deliveries are not yet expected. It is unlikely that motorcycle clubs in the course of hostilities will implement the planned program for 2023.