Rider Guides
15 original guides on how motorcycle clubs work, written for riders who are looking for one. Read them before you contact a club from the directory.
How to Join a Club
What to expect when you approach a motorcycle club, from the first ride to prospecting, dues, bylaws, and the questions to ask before you commit.
8 min readTypes of Clubs
The difference between a motorcycle club and a riding club, what veteran, women's, brand, ministry, off-road, and rights organizations do, and what the 1% patch means.
7 min readClub Etiquette and Patches
How to read a cut, what not to do around club members, how to behave at a clubhouse or club event, and the rules of riding in a pack.
7 min readHow Clubs Work
The internal mechanics of a motorcycle club: officer roles, chapters and national boards, meetings, voting, dues, and the bylaws that hold it together.
6 min readMC vs. Riding Club
A side-by-side comparison of traditional motorcycle clubs and riding clubs on commitment, cost, patches, politics, family involvement, and how easy it is to leave.
7 min readProspecting
The stages of joining a traditional motorcycle club, what prospects are asked to do, what they are not allowed to do, and how the final vote works.
8 min readStarting a Club
The practical steps to found a club: deciding what kind, writing bylaws, choosing a name and patch without stepping on an existing club, incorporating, insurance, and growing membership.
7 min readRallies and Events
The major American motorcycle rallies month by month, what each one is like, how clubs participate, and how to plan a first rally trip.
7 min readGroup Riding Safety
How well-run clubs keep a pack safe: the briefing, the roles, staggered formation, following distance, intersections, passing, fuel stops, and what to do when something goes wrong.
7 min readVeteran Clubs
The major veteran and military motorcycle organizations, their eligibility rules, what they do, and how to find a chapter near you.
6 min readWomen's Clubs
National women's riding organizations, women-only MCs, mixed clubs with strong women's membership, and how to find the right fit as a woman who rides.
6 min readCharity Rides and Poker Runs
How a poker run is scored, what to expect as a rider, how clubs organize and insure events, and how to tell a well-run fundraiser from a bad one.
8 min readGreat Motorcycle Roads
The roads clubs plan their seasons around, grouped by region, with what makes each one worth the trip and when to ride it.
6 min readClub Glossary
Plain definitions of the words used in and around motorcycle clubs, from cut and colors to church, run, sweep, nomad, and COC.
6 min readVerifying a Club
A short research routine for checking that a club still exists, is what it says it is, and is one you want to contact, using public records and a little observation.
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