History of Motorcycle Culture and Lifestyle

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Riding a motorcycle is so simple and easy to do, and it can still very easily become someone’s fulfilling lifestyle. Across the world, there are millions of motorcycle lovers and people who are into the motorcycling culture, and that’s exactly what we are here to talk about today.

A motorcycle is more than just a transportation machine. To some people, it’s a symbol of freedom and living your life the way you want to live it. Bikers are often very friendly and heart-warming people, although the media doesn’t always portray them like this.

If you are eager to learn some more about motorcycling culture and the lifestyle of bikers, feel free to keep on reading until the end. Let’s take a look.

Where it all began

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Many people think that the biker culture is something that appeared in the past couple of years, but that’s not true. The origins of this lifestyle are known for existing even during the world war two period. Numerous veterans of the war were trying to form a group of people where they will find appreciation and respect, and they started forming the so-called “biker gangs”, although they weren’t anything close to a gang.

The movie called “The Wild One” is one of the first movies where we see a group of bikers doing bad things, such as terrorizing a village, and this is probably the same period where these people started being portrayed as outlaws and villains.

In the 1950s, there was a huge spike of popularity when it comes to biker gangs and the motorcycle culture, with the rise of one of the most popular clubs called Hells Angels. This club was created even a bit earlier, but things weren’t official until late 1962.

Throughout the years, we’ve seen hundreds of different motorcycle clubs, and all of them with different rules, policies, and goals. We cannot speak for all of them together, but setting aside what the media often has to say about these people, it’s quite easy to realize that they’re not any sorts of villains.

Motorcycle clubs

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For a motorcycle club to be official, the members need to have a clubhouse, a place where they can all gather up and discuss the further goals of the club, how to deal with certain issues, upcoming missions, and many different things.

Usually, clubs don’t have a leader, but instead, everyone has an equal right to give their opinion for a certain change or a decision that the group has to make in the future. Now, these rules differ from one club to another, but in general, that’s how things go down.

What are the prospects?

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When someone is a completely new member of a larger motorcycle club, they are called a prospect. This means that they cannot be a member of the board which brings the decisions, and they usually have to do the “dirty work” to prove themselves as a worthy member. Now, we know that this sounds like the mafia, but it’s not.

By dirty work, we often mean purchasing food, drinks and taking care of other similar things. They are not slaves, they are prospects who need to prove to others that they are capable of handling things, because everyone has to work equally for a motorcycle club to become successful.

Clothing and Lifestyle

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Probably one of the best clothing styles in the style of bikers. Their leather jackets and cuts make up for such a badass look, but the thing is, not everyone can wear them. There is an unwritten rule that you cannot wear aleather jackets cut if you are not a member of a certain MC, and although this doesn’t mean that someone will harm you if you do, it’s just not the right thing to do it.

The cuts, patches and the ranks in a club are earned by completing certain tasks, so you cannot just write on your jacket that you are a leader of the Hell’s Angels, because that probably won’t end up well for you.

However, anything else that bikers wear can be worn by even the most casual motorcycle enthusiast, including cuts and leather jackets with no names on them, so if you are interested in getting some for yourself, feel free to click here.

How do I become a member?

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To become a member of a motorcycle club you have to speak with the board, and you will probably be asked a few questions such as your living location, age, why do you want to join and how you can help the club become a better place. It’s nothing complicated or scary to join an MC, but you will have to prove yourself as a person who likes to work together with others to complete a certain mission.

There are tons of clubs who focus on doing good deeds, such as rescuing animals or donating to charity, so not only that they’re not bad people, but they also turn out to be better than those who portray them as evil. Once again, different MC’s have different rules and goals, so we cannot speak about all of them in general.

How to recognize a biker?

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The most iconic piece of clothing that bikers wear is the cut, and on it, you will often find the name of the club that they’re a member of, and below it their rank. If they are a prospect, it’ll say Prospect, and so on.

In general, if a biker is a lone wolf and not a member of any MC, you cannot really recognize them by the patches, but they’ll still probably wear a leather jacket and black Kevlar pants, and you’ll probably hear the engine of the bike from afar, so don’t worry about spotting one in public.

What’s the culture like these days?

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Since everything is becoming a lot more liberal and modernized, motorcycle enthusiasts have more rights than ever, although the law strictly keeps regulating what they can and cannot do. Sometimes there are enormous motorcycling parades where tons of MC’s join up for a huge riding session, so in general, bikers are doing pretty well these days.

Motorcycle Tours

A review of motorcycle culture would not be complete without a mention of ‘motorcycle touring’.  Motorcycle tours have boomed in the last decade and the reasons are clear. With the advancements in mobile data and GPS navigation, it is easier than ever to navigate a foreign country by bike and enjoy its scenery, culture, and open roads, without fear of getting lost on the way. Specialist companies have emerged offering guided motorcycle tours around the world, they take the pain out of the planning and make the tour a real holiday as you don’t have to worry about the logistics, just the bike, and the road.  You can usually select your preferred choice of motorcycle from a shortlist of options which gives you the chance to really experience a new type of motorbike.  Alternatively, some of the specialist motorcycle tour companies like magellanmotorcycletours.co.uk offer a ‘self-guided’ option whereby there is no ‘physical guide’ but they provide you with the GPS routes, travel itinerary, and bike hire. There’s never been a better time to go motorcycle touring.