How to Join a Motorcycle Club: A Practical Guide for New Riders

Most riders who want to join a club make the same mistake. They pick a club by its name or its patch and then try to fit themselves to it. The better order is the reverse: decide what you want from riding with a group, learn how the different kinds of clubs operate, and then approach the ones that match. This guide walks through that process and the unwritten rules that apply along the way.

Start with what you want from a club

Clubs differ far more in their demands than in their logos. Some meet once a month and ride when the weather is good. Others expect attendance at weekly meetings, mandatory rides, fundraisers, and events several weekends a year. Before you contact anyone, answer four questions honestly.

• How many days a month can you ride and attend meetings without strain on work or family?
• Do you want long-distance touring, local weekend rides, off-road days, or track time?
• Does a cause matter to you, such as veteran support, charity rides, faith, or sobriety?
• Do you want a social riding group, or the structure and brotherhood of a traditional MC?

Know the kinds of clubs before you knock

A traditional motorcycle club (MC) has a formal membership process, officers, bylaws, and a patch that members earn over months or years. A riding club (RC) or brand owners group usually has open membership, annual dues, and few obligations beyond showing up. Veteran clubs, women's clubs, law enforcement clubs, ministries, and recovery clubs each add their own eligibility rules. Our guide to the types of motorcycle clubs explains the differences in detail. Read it first, because approaching an MC as if it were a riding club is the fastest way to be ignored.

Find clubs that are active near you

Use the state and city pages on this site to build a short list, then confirm each club is active. A website that has not changed in years, or a social media page with no posts this season, is a sign the chapter may have folded or merged. Local independent motorcycle shops, charity rides, bike nights, and American Motorcyclist Association events are the places where active clubs show up in public. Veteran riders can also ask at the local VFW or American Legion post, which often host chapter meetings.

Make first contact the right way

Go to a public event the club hosts or supports, such as a poker run, a toy drive, or a memorial ride. Introduce yourself to a member, say you are interested in learning about the club, and ask how they prefer people get to know them. Do not ask to join on the first meeting, do not wear another club's gear or any patch that could be read as a club affiliation, and do not touch anyone's vest. Ride your own motorcycle to the event. Most clubs expect members to own and ride a bike that fits the club's style, and some have a minimum engine size or a brand requirement.

If a club has a public email or contact form, a short message works too. State who you are, where you ride, what draws you to the club, and ask whether they have open rides or meetings a guest can attend.

Hang-around, prospect, patch

Traditional MCs use a staged process. As a hang-around you attend open events and rides by invitation so the club and you can learn about each other. If a member sponsors you, you become a prospect (some clubs say probate or probationary member). Prospecting can last from a few months to more than a year. Prospects attend everything, help with setup and cleanup, and prove reliability. At the end, full members vote. Riding clubs and brand groups skip most of this. You fill out a form, pay dues, and receive your membership materials.

The length and intensity of prospecting is one of the clearest signals of what membership will demand later. A club that wants a year of your weekends before you join will want them afterward too.

Questions to ask before you commit

• What are the annual dues, and what do they cover?
• How many meetings and rides per month are mandatory?
• Are there bike requirements for brand, engine size, or age?
• Does the club have written bylaws, and may a prospect read them?
• How are chapter funds handled, and who signs on the account?
• What is the policy on family members riding along or attending events?
• How does a member leave in good standing, and what happens to the patch?
• Does the club carry event insurance for the rides it organizes?

Warning signs

Walk away from any club that pressures you to decide quickly, will not explain where dues go, discourages questions about bylaws, or expects you to break the law to prove loyalty. Be careful with clubs whose members speak about rival clubs in terms of territory and confrontation. The overwhelming majority of clubs in this directory are charitable, social, or veteran organizations, and a legitimate club will respect a careful rider.

What it costs

Expect annual dues anywhere from under one hundred dollars for a riding club to several hundred for an MC with a clubhouse. Add the cost of a vest, patches, and the fuel and lodging for mandatory runs. Time is the larger cost. A realistic estimate for an active MC member is two to four commitments a month in riding season. Match that against the answers you gave in the first section before you accept a sponsor.