Starting a MC
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 7,476
Likes: 5
From: Republic of Texas
There are so many clubs out there now. I sometimes have to look up a patch to see who that was. How long they have been around and if this is just a new chapter in new territory. My favorite is always the no club lone wolf center patch. A redundant statement of the obvious that could have been made with just not wearing a patch. Those who know and those who don't.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 4,212
Likes: 1,776
From: USA
My buddies and I started a MC club last year. here is the steps I took
A.
1. Have enough guys that are committed to the Club idea.
2. Create a Charter, google it you can get an idea what to include
3.Designed our patch.
B.
1. I went to the local clubs ( I am friends with most of them) and ran my idea by them. Informed them of my intentions and future plans for Club.
2. Showed the Clubs my patch. It is important that your colors (literally speaking) are not close to their colors and your patch does not look like theirs. Example if you design a red & white patch with skulls or wings on it you may be in trouble. Also your bottom rocker cannot be the same as another club (usually)
C.
The biggest Club in my area came back with the suggestion
-Start your Club
-Make your patch one piece- The reason for this is (in our area) a 3 piece patch signifies you are a full MC club with clubhouse, facilities for visiting club members to stay, and are associated with the big clubs)
-Put the MC as part of your one piece patch
D.
Once you are established, have a clubhouse, and are participating in the MC community you can consider a full 3 piece patch
REMEMBER- Do not take this lightly, you are not playing a game
Also- You are going to get jumped on by the posters that tell you F the clubs and their rules, or they can't tell you what to do.
Bottom Line is- IF you want to Start a Club do it, just make sure you do it right.
If you want PM me with your email and I will send you a pic of my colors as an example of a one piece patch that can easily become a 3 piece.
Good luck
A.
1. Have enough guys that are committed to the Club idea.
2. Create a Charter, google it you can get an idea what to include
3.Designed our patch.
B.
1. I went to the local clubs ( I am friends with most of them) and ran my idea by them. Informed them of my intentions and future plans for Club.
2. Showed the Clubs my patch. It is important that your colors (literally speaking) are not close to their colors and your patch does not look like theirs. Example if you design a red & white patch with skulls or wings on it you may be in trouble. Also your bottom rocker cannot be the same as another club (usually)
C.
The biggest Club in my area came back with the suggestion
-Start your Club
-Make your patch one piece- The reason for this is (in our area) a 3 piece patch signifies you are a full MC club with clubhouse, facilities for visiting club members to stay, and are associated with the big clubs)
-Put the MC as part of your one piece patch
D.
Once you are established, have a clubhouse, and are participating in the MC community you can consider a full 3 piece patch
REMEMBER- Do not take this lightly, you are not playing a game
Also- You are going to get jumped on by the posters that tell you F the clubs and their rules, or they can't tell you what to do.
Bottom Line is- IF you want to Start a Club do it, just make sure you do it right.
If you want PM me with your email and I will send you a pic of my colors as an example of a one piece patch that can easily become a 3 piece.
Good luck
Great stuff, if he lived in Canada. Parts of C,D are not directly tied to 3pp in most US regions. MCs do not have to have a club house, no longer is the MC placed on the single piece in my area. Just saying, like others, location is key. He needs direction from the locals, not an international forum.
Road Captain
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 525
Likes: 0
From: Fort Worth, TX
I've been riding Harley's off and on for the past 10 years and recently my brother in law and I have decided that we would like to start our own MC. We're not 1%'s we don't try to be bad *** law breakers but we do love to ride and we love the idea of starting a MC that does charity events and promotes motorcycles. We came up with our logo and want to make our vests and jackets a 3PP. Our colors are not going to be similar to any of the local or notorious MCs but I'm worried we might catch some flack from some of the 1% outlaw clubs out there. Any words of advice would be greatly appreciated.
Kowan, those bars could quite possibly be the sweetest thing I've seen on a Rocker before. So if we have a 3PP does that basically mean we are "outlaws" looking for trouble? We both just really like the look of the 3PP but I personally don't want to get my chops busted for no reason.
I guess I just dont understand the need to start a MC? Throw on a 1 piece riding club patch and enjoy riding with your friends without worrying about anything, if you really have to have a patch to set you apart from the rest. Being in a MC is a commitment, a lifestyle and something patch holders take very serious. You want to wear a 3PP because you really like the look of the 3PP? That statement alone would be enough to beg you to start a riding club, we have enough pretenders already.
All this forum needs.....another Dan Connor, Dmoore99 or pccoder. Damn it. I dont think any patch holder read the OPs thread and felt threatened. I'm just really tired of every RUB, poser, weekend warrior or Men of Mayhem wannabe that buys a bike automatically thinking they have to be in an MC so they can be just like Jax on SOA or think they can buy their way into our world.
As I said in another thread, youre definition of respect and mine are totally different. I dont need, want, crave, require or desire your definition of the word respect. If has a different meaning to those that have earned the right to wear our patches and fly our colors a meaning youll never understand, so dont fool yourself into thinking I need your version of respect.
2. Look at joining an established club with similar interests as you and your buddies.
3. Look at joining an established club with similar interests as you and your buddies.
If you are too lazy to thoroughly investigate the best 3 options then as a last resort
look at joining an established club with similar interests as you and your buddies.
In my area it has become the MC community that evaluates those new applicants. With approx 80 clubs in my small COC region there are over a thousand patches on the roads some are 100 mi out from center. I've zero knowledge of how or who to approach in UT. That Rcvsmc site is somewhat old in terms of what's current. It also does not emphasize regional differences and comes across heavy if you dont follow protocols. My Brother and I submitted material and quotes to GL (principle website owner) back in 2004 that are still on the site but no longer applicable. The process in Texas is different in Ca or FL so do not let some guy in NY/GA/TN tell you what works in UT. Again local clubs can give you the best learning opportunity, provided you are truly serious.
If I had to do this all over again then COIR is the starting point. *edit - this guy in UT This group works along side the USDefenders, a grass roots "motorcycle rights" unit of the Confederation of Clubs. Independents who work with COIR get tremendous respect because they actually prove daily/weekly/monthly they are interested in understanding and supporting the club concept. Some stay indy, some move into clubs they like, some start new clubs, some realize the patch is full time and drift away with a soft lesson learned.
In the past 5/6 years my region has easily seen a doubling of new patches. Almost ALL new clubs in my area fold within 3 yrs due to a lack of spirit, direction, leadership, experience, commitment, et al. They wrongly assumed wearing a patch was a 3 hours a week pub runnin', or attending some club benefit.
Look for existing clubs and befriend them. You may ultimately decide to form your own but at min you will learn a lot.
3. Look at joining an established club with similar interests as you and your buddies.
If you are too lazy to thoroughly investigate the best 3 options then as a last resort
look at joining an established club with similar interests as you and your buddies.
In my area it has become the MC community that evaluates those new applicants. With approx 80 clubs in my small COC region there are over a thousand patches on the roads some are 100 mi out from center. I've zero knowledge of how or who to approach in UT. That Rcvsmc site is somewhat old in terms of what's current. It also does not emphasize regional differences and comes across heavy if you dont follow protocols. My Brother and I submitted material and quotes to GL (principle website owner) back in 2004 that are still on the site but no longer applicable. The process in Texas is different in Ca or FL so do not let some guy in NY/GA/TN tell you what works in UT. Again local clubs can give you the best learning opportunity, provided you are truly serious.
If I had to do this all over again then COIR is the starting point. *edit - this guy in UT This group works along side the USDefenders, a grass roots "motorcycle rights" unit of the Confederation of Clubs. Independents who work with COIR get tremendous respect because they actually prove daily/weekly/monthly they are interested in understanding and supporting the club concept. Some stay indy, some move into clubs they like, some start new clubs, some realize the patch is full time and drift away with a soft lesson learned.
In the past 5/6 years my region has easily seen a doubling of new patches. Almost ALL new clubs in my area fold within 3 yrs due to a lack of spirit, direction, leadership, experience, commitment, et al. They wrongly assumed wearing a patch was a 3 hours a week pub runnin', or attending some club benefit.
Look for existing clubs and befriend them. You may ultimately decide to form your own but at min you will learn a lot.
Mi3ninos always has a more diplomatic and level headed way to reply than I do. Great advice.
Road Master
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 1,077
Likes: 2
From: Orlando
So by your logic, everyone who started or founded an MC is a poser that didn't earn the right to wear a 3PP. People such as Otto Friedli (HA), or Donald Chambers (Bandidios) should be put on the same level as people who pretend to be military vets. If you belong to one, why don't you stand up in the next meeting and move that the founders be stripped of all association to the club. Cause since they started it they did not earn the right to wear it.
r.
r.
Last edited by JohnFlorida; Jan 12, 2012 at 11:48 AM.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 6,373
Likes: 5
From: Central Texas
By putting on their patch and their willingness to defend it they earned the right. If the OP had said that he was willing to do what ever it took to fly his colors then I would have wished him luck. The Op wanted to know if it would cause problems and in my opinion it just might. My comparision to vets was that you cant reap the benefits if you're not willing to pay the price. Best advice - talk to the locals and find out if they mind. Why not have fun and fly under the radar
Tourer
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 495
Likes: 0
From: Bedford Nova Scotia Canada
Great stuff, if he lived in Canada. Parts of C,D are not directly tied to 3pp in most US regions. MCs do not have to have a club house, no longer is the MC placed on the single piece in my area. Just saying, like others, location is key. He needs direction from the locals, not an international forum.
As a rule a one piece patch here is called a GROUP ie Veterans Group, HOG Group.
There is a few MC's with one piece patch but they are clubs that will probably go three patch eventually. It's almost like the whole club being Prospects to the MC Community.
Interesting thread though, I just wanted to make the point to original post, KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GETTING IN TO.
On another point, don't take advise from the people who post "you don't have to follow their rules, do what you want, etc etc.
Whether you or anyone else here agrees or disagrees with Club rules or Club mentality is not the point and never was. The point is THEY DO
Last edited by BlueNoser; Jan 12, 2012 at 01:48 PM.
Road Warrior
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,426
Likes: 24
From: Melbourne, Florida
What if they do want to "be like Jax"? Does that threaten you? Does it threaten your way of life? Where exactly is "our world"? Get over yourself.
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Tourer
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 336
Likes: 0
From: PNW
So you like drinking beer. You like it so much you went out and got a home brew kit. You think you brew some pretty good beer and want to start selling it to distributors and local establishments and make a little money on the side. Nothing big. You create a label and your own box for the bottles and you start kegging as well.
You don't want to deal with the hassle of filtering your water to USDA and FDA standards becuase all that equipment is expensive as hell, and you really don't think you need to be licensed or pay excise taxes because it's a free country and you're just having fun, so you skip all of that for now. You don't think you need a Brewery Application or get your labeling or advertising approved - it's just a cool picture you designed and put on your bottles, not a big deal. You're just selling your beer to your buddies. Who does it hurt?
If you think the FDA, USDA, or the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is going to let you get away with that for long, you're an idiot.
iMav and pccoder are giving you bad information.
There's a way to do it so you never run the risk of getting hassled by anyone that's a member of your CoC and very little risk of getting hassled by anyone anywhere else. All you have to do is show a little respect for the tradition and the people that came before you and follow the process. Then you can make all the beer you want.
You don't want to deal with the hassle of filtering your water to USDA and FDA standards becuase all that equipment is expensive as hell, and you really don't think you need to be licensed or pay excise taxes because it's a free country and you're just having fun, so you skip all of that for now. You don't think you need a Brewery Application or get your labeling or advertising approved - it's just a cool picture you designed and put on your bottles, not a big deal. You're just selling your beer to your buddies. Who does it hurt?
If you think the FDA, USDA, or the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is going to let you get away with that for long, you're an idiot.
iMav and pccoder are giving you bad information.
There's a way to do it so you never run the risk of getting hassled by anyone that's a member of your CoC and very little risk of getting hassled by anyone anywhere else. All you have to do is show a little respect for the tradition and the people that came before you and follow the process. Then you can make all the beer you want.
Last edited by Vikingur; Jan 12, 2012 at 04:06 PM.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 10,366
Likes: 406
From: Connecticut
The COC is a joke around here. It is run/contolled by one of the two large 1% clubs, so to be a member, you're automatically a supporter of the club.
It's to the point that the Veteran Clubs are being shut down by cops for being apart of the COC, because it is controlled by the 1% club in the area, so strategically, that club is expanding ranks under the guise of a "third" party.
My 2 cents...
It's to the point that the Veteran Clubs are being shut down by cops for being apart of the COC, because it is controlled by the 1% club in the area, so strategically, that club is expanding ranks under the guise of a "third" party.
My 2 cents...
So you like drinking beer. You like it so much you went out and got a home brew kit. You think you brew some pretty good beer and want to start selling it to distributors and local establishments and make a little money on the side. Nothing big. You create a label and your own box for the bottles and you start kegging as well.
You don't want to deal with the hassle of filtering your water to USDA and FDA standards becuase all that equipment is expensive as hell, and you really don't think you need to be licensed or pay excise taxes because it's a free country and you're just having fun, so you skip all of that for now. You don't think you need a Brewery Application or get your labeling or advertising approved - it's just a cool picture you designed and put on your bottles, not a big deal. You're just selling your beer to your buddies. Who does it hurt?
If you think the FDA, USDA, or the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is going to let you get away with that for long, you're an idiot.
iMav and pccoder are giving you bad information.
There's a way to do it so you never run the risk of getting hassled by anyone that's a member of your CoC and very little risk of getting hassled by anyone anywhere else. All you have to do is show a little respect for the tradition and the people that came before you and follow the process. Then you can make all the beer you want.
You don't want to deal with the hassle of filtering your water to USDA and FDA standards becuase all that equipment is expensive as hell, and you really don't think you need to be licensed or pay excise taxes because it's a free country and you're just having fun, so you skip all of that for now. You don't think you need a Brewery Application or get your labeling or advertising approved - it's just a cool picture you designed and put on your bottles, not a big deal. You're just selling your beer to your buddies. Who does it hurt?
If you think the FDA, USDA, or the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is going to let you get away with that for long, you're an idiot.
iMav and pccoder are giving you bad information.
There's a way to do it so you never run the risk of getting hassled by anyone that's a member of your CoC and very little risk of getting hassled by anyone anywhere else. All you have to do is show a little respect for the tradition and the people that came before you and follow the process. Then you can make all the beer you want.