I have to admit ignorance to the meaning of the Maltese Cross so I looked it up.
This is very interesting - if you've never read it

Come from Wikpedia


The Maltese cross is identified as the symbol of an order of Christian warriors known as the Knights Hospitaller or Knights of Malta. The cross is eight-pointed and has the shape of four "V" shaped arms joined together at their bases, so that each arm has two points. Its design is based on crosses used since the First Crusade. The eight points are said to symbolise the chivalric virtues:
[ul][*]Loyalty[*]Piety[*]Frankness[*]Bravery[*]Glory and honour[*]Contempt of death[*]Helpfulness towards the poor and the sick[*]Respect for the church [/ul]
The Maltese cross remains the symbol of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and other Orders of St John. In recent centuries it has come to be adopted as the insignia of numerous orders of chivalry, and appears on the coat-of-arms of the Mecklenburg-Strelitz district. In Australia the Maltese Cross is part of the state emblem of Queensland.
In the United Kingdom, the Maltese Cross is the symbol used by Rifle Regiments, and has been incorporated into the badges of virtually all rifle units, including the amalgam, The Royal Green Jackets. The first postmark employed for the cancellation of the then new postage stamps in the 1840s was the shape of a Maltese cross and named accordingly. The Maltese cross also forms the basis for the design of the Order of the Bath. The Maltese cross is also the symbol of Neath Rugby Football Club in Neath, Wales.
In Sweden a Maltese Cross formes the basic form for all Royal Orders, such as Order of Seraphim and the Order of the Sword.
The Maltese cross flower (Lychnis chalcedonica) is so named because its petals are similarly shaped, though its points are more rounded into "heart"-like shapes. The Geneva drive, a device that translates a continuous rotation into an intermittent rotary motion, is also sometimes called a "Maltese cross mechanism" after the shape of its main gear.
It is considered as one of the National symbols of Malta and used to be depicted on the two mils coin of the island prior to the removal of that denomination from circulation. It will be shown on the back of the one and two Euro coins which Malta is expected to introduce in January 2008. [

 

The one you see most motorcycle riders using is the Iron Cross I believe... There are several websites that point out the difference between the two.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Cross

 

[sm=popcorn.gif]

 

The Maltese cross would have even more significance today except that the fierce fighting Christian monk-knights who based in Malta fortheir crusades in N. Africa, became so powerful that the church schemed and was successful in wiping them out. Their are great books on them and that not well known episode.

My son just returned from Malta, in February, from a duty posting there with the U.S. Embassy. It's quite a place, but awful for bikes.

 

This topic has been posted before
https://www.hdforums.com/fb.asp?m=775811

 

I only commented because when I got accepted to the CFD I researched the meaning behind the cross.

 

I'm just saying it was posted before.Alot of guys didn't realize the difference between the Maltese Cross & the Iron Cross.
Hey don't go postal on me

 

Old Glory Cross!



[IMG]local://upfiles/8070/16541EEFE14849B8A3B44E17FE913C2D.jpg[/IMG]

 

Damn, going by that other thread, I would be judged a racist **** Skinhead.

I have 6 iron crosses, a winged skull and a skin head.

Judge not, least ye be judged. I think that's how it goes.

If someone wants to label me or categorize me then that's their issue and they need to deal with it not me.

I like what I like, I don't need a reason.

 

Symbolsare easilymisconstrued. The best example of this is probably the Swastika, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastica. It was originally a Hindu religeous symbol, but now thanks to Hitler it is a symbol of racism.