Now I know what a bottom rocker is

One thing to have come out of the Waco shootout: I have learned something about biker culture. This quote on cnn.com caught my eye: "The Bandidos are the biggest motorcycle gang in Texas, and they don't allow other motorcycle gangs to enter that state. They will allow other motorcycles clubs to exist, but they're not allowed to wear that state bottom rocker."

Okay, I thought, what is a bottom rocker? Wikipedia, of course, had the answer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colors_(motorcycling)

Now I know motorcycle cubs have three-piece back patches: club name, club logo, bottom rocker stating their turf. Then there's the little MC patch.

Riding clubs have a one-piece patch containing the same info, minus the MC: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=166448923456821&id=163423760426004

You'd think that living near Daytona I would already know this, but it wasn't on the test.

See, autocrossers aren't the only ones with rules.

I thought bikers had rocking chairs installed on the lower of the two porches on their houses.

David S. Wallens wrote: See, autocrossers aren't the only ones with rules.

I'll just skip the Harley and all of the pirate gear...

It cracks me up when some biker declares he's tired of society and all its rules, he's gonna drop out etc only to move into a different society with its own set of rules which are, in many ways, harsher than the ones in 'regular' society. Oh, well; can't fix stupid. The really sad part (to me): two girls I went to high school with are biker chicks now. (Well, they are OLD biker chicks now.) Whatever floats their boats, I guess.

In reply to bgkast:

I'll keep the Harley but don't and won't own any pirate gear.

I am concerned about being stopped and searched just because I'm riding a Harley though, this happened about a half hour drive away from me and I've been getting some very strange looks the last couple days. I don't think I'll be going up to Waco any time soon.

In reply to Nick_Comstock:

That's the killer; what the outlaw bikers do rubs off on the rest of the law abiding citizens. They are proud of it, they show it with those '1%' patches and the non-riding public doesn't know any better. My own grandmother used to ask me why I wanted to be associated with that type of person.

This man is working on an R-2800's bottom rocker. Just not in Texas.

Now that you know about the bottom rocker, google the "Filthy Few" patch.

I once saw a guy in colours at a local bar with the FF patch and another that said "For a dime, I'll cover you in lime."

I'm sure they're just a bunch of cuddly, misunderstood gentlemen though.

My FIL is ex-Hell's Angels(by his own accounts) from the 1960's. He certainly has some stories, and I'm sure he's not telling most of them...

I'm curious though, how do you tell these outlaw clubs from the ones consisting of doctors, lawyers, etc? I know some of them do the matching jackets & patches, and quite honestly I have no desire to get close enough to figure out which is which.

petegossett wrote: My FIL is ex-Hell's Angels(by his own accounts) from the 1960's. He certainly has some stories, and I'm sure he's not telling most of them... I'm curious though, how do you tell these outlaw clubs from the ones consisting of doctors, lawyers, etc? I know some of them do the matching jackets & patches, and quite honestly I have no desire to get close enough to figure out which is which.

I'm sure if you get close enough you could smell the difference.

David S. Wallens wrote: See, autocrossers aren't the only ones with rules.

So is a giant SCCA vs NASA rumble only a matter of time?

In reply to HappyAndy:

petegossett wrote: My FIL is ex-Hell's Angels(by his own accounts) from the 1960's. He certainly has some stories, and I'm sure he's not telling most of them... I'm curious though, how do you tell these outlaw clubs from the ones consisting of doctors, lawyers, etc? I know some of them do the matching jackets & patches, and quite honestly I have no desire to get close enough to figure out which is which.

If they have a three piece patch, you are going to want to stay away from them. As Dave said, a top part, a bottom rocker and a middle part, typically with "MC" in a smaller block patch off to the lower right-ish part of the middle patch. They may also have "1%" on their vest/jacket somewhere. The not-outlaw clubs won't have a 3 part patch. Any club that has a three part patch has to pay "taxes" to whoever the major outlaw club in the area is. In Texas, that's the Bandits. In the PRC, that would be the Angels. The lesser clubs typically "feed" the major clubs, membership wise. They also have to give the main club a cut of the, uh, less than legal activities.

Incidentally, know where the "1%" came from? The AMA (not the insurance company masquerading as a doctor organization, the motorcycle one) had a president, I think, that said something to the effect of "there are only 1% of the bikers that give the rest a bad name." I believe that was in the 60's or early 70's. The ones giving bikers a bad name took pride in that 1% remark, and a new saying/patch industry was born.

I've been reading on the Waco incident, and near as I can tell, what happened is that the Cossacks and the Banditos have been having a minor feud going on. One side cut up the other's guys, the others beat up the first side's guy and stole his bike, etc. The Cossacks may have been refusing to pay taxes to the Bandits. The Cossacks may have been trying to affiliate themselves with the Angels (a very big no-no in Texas.) They were having a regional meeting at this semi-tittie bar clip joint, I mean family restaurant establishment, and a fight between the two sides broke out over something. What isn't real clear. Parking spot? One ran over the other's foot? It may or may not have started in the bathroom. Turned into a major brawl, old tymie style, and spilled outside. Guns came out (hey, let's pass laws making shooting people illegal, or make it illegal for felons to carry guns. That will fix them.) Meanwhile, the PoPo had >20 cops outside, including the SWAT team with snipers, etc., just waiting to shoot someone because "the word" was out that there might be trouble at that breastaurant that day. The PoPo saw the guns, which may (probably were) being used to shoot the other club members, and the PoPo decided that one of the guns looked like it was pointed toward the PoPo and they opened up. All still real fuzzy there, and will likely always be fuzzy if the autopsy reports are not released. How many were killed by a high power rifle bullet versus a handgun bullet? I bet the 9 killed had a large percentage killed by rifle fire. Anyway, lots of shooting and then the PoPo arrested everyone.

So, near as I can tell and based on what is available today, that's what happened.

Wow, my guess wasn't even close

The best, of course, belongs to Chuck Billy:

Probably a bad idea right?

You're from Detroit, a little violence shouldn't be a problem.

Gearheadotaku wrote: Probably a bad idea right?

Add a skull or two and you're golden.

In reply to Dr. Hess:

Interesting, I'd been told by the local PoPo that "1%er" meant they'd killed someone. Is that just kind of implied with the patch or was the guy who told me completely clueless?

No, he was clueless. Look for a teardrop tattoo on their face. That can generally mean they killed someone.

Nick_Comstock wrote: In reply to bgkast: I'll keep the Harley but don't and won't own any pirate gear.

You must be a 0.001 percenter.

In reply to Dr. Hess:

that's if it's hollow, if it's filled in it means a member of their gang or family was killed

apparently James Hinchcliffe is painfully aware of what a rocker is too.

"Hinchcliffe is listed in stable condition and recovering after undergoing surgery on his upper left thigh, as well as to stop massive bleeding incurred from the crash. The surgery took place at Indiana University Methodist Hospital. The AP report went on to say that the car’s right front rocker pierced Hinchcliffe’s left leg. The AP reported that information came from two unnamed sources, as IndyCar and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports have not yet released details on the extent of Hinchcliffe’s injuries."

http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com/2015/05/18/7-pm-et-update-james-hinchcliffe-condition-crash-cause/

Dr. Hess wrote: trouble at that breastaurant

LOL, - added to vocabulary.