Because of all that commotion many restaurants within hours of each other up and down the highways are banning colors ( vests with organization) on back and some are banning bikers all together. This absolutely infuriates me!!! Why you ask? I am a biker. I've been a biker since as long as I can remember. My whole family are bikers. Matter of fact I bought my Harley from my dad when he got sick . He was a biker. I have been a member of CMA ( Christian Motorcycles Association ) for 12 years. CMA is a motorcycle club. There are numerous groups and clubs of people who ride but are not in a biker gang.
Here is some biker terminology so you can be in the know:
As I briefly mentioned above a leather or denim vest with the patch of your group is called Colors or a Cut. Its called a Cut because it started where the sleeves off a denim jacket or leather jacket were cut off to be the vest for all their patches. There are a lot of rules with having colors. Even in the CMA. You treat it with respect and never drop it on the ground or throw it around, etc. With the hardcore biker gangs, you have to earn that patch and its called being Patched in.
Road name is when you see a patch on the front of your colors with a nickname. I have a road name but quite going by it a few years ago. Now I use my own name. Biker gangs stay true to using road names.
You will most often see a patch on a biker gangs vest or jacket that says 1%. Hells Angels, Bandidos, Mongols, etc are mostly all considered one percenters. They are the bike gangs and the percent that would be up to no good.
When you see someone riding by you and their handle bars are high up and their arms are stretched past their shoulders- those are called Ape hangers. Because... think about it.
A bigger bike with lots of bells and whistles like a Honda Goldwing are called Touring bikes. They are built for comfort and lots of miles.
Weekend warriors are those ( like me) who typically don't ride everyday but primarily ride on weekends. Dr's, Lawyers, Corporate trainers and general managers can be seen wearing jeans and their colors or their tshirt and doo-rags riding all over on weekends.
Bikers are mostly good people yall! I serve and volunteer countless places in the biker community with the CMA. There are tons of food drives, toy drives, fundraisers, etc that bikers sponsor and support for charities , communities, friends and family. There are some bad biker gangs. Its true. We ride knowing that we can encounter them any day of the week. Just be realistic and don't act stupid. Its not TV, its real life.
Please don't look down on someone who rides a motorcycle. They have a right to live life and enjoy a hobby like the rest. Please look out for them to on the roads. Cars can hurt pretty bad if they don't pay attention. People texting is so scary and that's way scarier than a biker gang!
