If your involved in motorcycles and the people that ride them and your of a mature age, as i am, you may at some point have come into contact with the small minority of the group that have taken a different approach to life and made one of lives choices and opted out of the mainstream.

Having brushed sides with some of these guys and girls, some years ago, nearly thirty, i have an appreciation and respect for these folk and at times wondered about the possibility of joining such a club.

Most ordinary folk, mainstream, have no idea what it means to be a member of what is classed as the 1 % group, there are motorcycle clubs, MCC and they are many and varied, you join a club, pay a subscription, membership and your in, nothing wrong with that, all like minded folk with a interest in bikes.

Then you have the other side of the coin, a group of individuals that have chosen not to play ball, they have decided to take a shot at life from a different angle. Here you have the MCs, these are a totally different breed, not to be confused with your average club. There is in place a structured level of leadership within most clubs that dates back to just after the second world war. If you think there are rules and regulations at work, or every day life, then think on, these people adhere to a set of values that would make most of us crumble, a level of camaraderie that demands the highest devotion.

Joining a MC has to be earned, you don't just buy a badge and stitch it to your jacket, you may have to work for months, or years to reach member status, your patch/ badge is a three part affair as a rule, club name is the top part, the rocker, the centre is club colours, the bottom rocker will name the territory. A prospect, newcomer, will not carry the top rocker, club name, until they are fully patched up.

The importance and value of these patches should not be understated, they are a sacred heart, something to die for if necessary. Most folk would just look and pay little attention to these badges stitched onto the back of leather or denim cut off, motorcycle club patches to some folk, the 1 %, mean the world, respect ! should be shown for the clubs and the members of them as I have done in the past.