Motorcycle Superstitions

Bikers like any other facet of society, have their superstitions. I'd thought I talk about some of them.

Blessing of the Bikes

Now that Easter is just around the corner, and Spring is just about here, we'll start hearing more about "Blessing of the Bikes". It's fast growing into one of the biggest biker superstitions.

A Blessing of the Bikes is actually religious, and if you're religious it's not hard to understand why you'd want to do it. But there are many non-religious people, who for some reason, make a point to get their motorcycles blessed. And that's when it becomes superstition.

I remember attending a poker run in my local area called, "Bikers for Education" or the "BFE Ride". It's held in the Spring, and starts from a Catholic school. A priest comes out and douses each of the motorcycles with holy water. I can remember hearing some people say, "Oh yes! my bike has some water on it!".

In theory, the water is supposed to summon the power of God to protect you and your motorcycle from bad luck. I don't think the blessing worked, because when it came to time to announce the winners of the raffle, all I had was bad luck.

Ride Bells

The little iron bell that hangs from a biker's motorcycle is supposed to ward off evil spirits. As the story suggests, these demons exist on all roadways, and when a motorcycle passes by, they grab on to it and begin chipping away at your good luck until finally you have a crash.

The tingling of the bell is said to irritate these demons and prevent them from hitching a ride on your motorcycle.

BTW, the bell only has its power when someone else buys it for you, otherwise it doesn't work at all. Some vendors argue that it actually has half-power if you buy your own, but this is just marketing baloney to get people to buy two.

Green Motorcycles

Supposedly, a green painted motorcycle is bad luck. The legend has it that the Harleys used in World War II were often sitting duck targets, and many military riders got their butts blasted off them. And since they were painted Army green, it eventually translated into modern folklore.

This one might actually be true. I know a guy who had a green Road Glide, and dropped it several times, one time injuring his leg. Then he got the bike repainted, with a different shade of green, and wiped out on it again. From what I could recall, when his bike still had the factory black, he never crashed it.

A Dead Man's Motorcycle

There's a saying that riding a motorcycle that belonged to someone who is now dead is bad luck.

It's not necessarily that that person was killed on the motorcycle, just that he's now dead. Supposedly, his spirit is still riding that motorcycle along the great highway in the sky, and if he sees you riding his bike in the physical world, he'll knock you off of it.

You don't even want to use parts from that bike.

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Why Do Men Join Motorcycle Clubs?

Why do men join motorcycle clubs?

There are many reasons why, and I'll explore them below.

But first, it also depends on the club itself. Guys don't just join a club for the sake of joining a club, but because that club offers a specific purpose. Each have different perogatives, philosophies. And of course, the people in the club have their own personalities, and that makes each club and/or chapter unique.

There are many motorcycle clubs founded with the purpose of brotherhood. Some of these clubs are more like "support groups", particularly on staying clean and sober, or recovering from alcoholism. Think of them like an Alcoholic Anonymous group, but for bikers.

Quite a few are military based. There are some that are solely for active military, mostly as a way create unity among a group of soldiers and sailors. There are many more for veterans, and these clubs exist to provide charitable support for veterans causes.

There are also faith-based clubs. Some of them are motorcycle clubs for Christians, and there are also some for Jews. But there are also "motorcycle ministries" (MM), which are not so much clubs, but actual churches that get together and ride, and then have service.

There are clubs centered around professions, like policemen, firemen, and iron workers. Some clubs are auxiliaries of local labor union chapters. Some guys are interested in joining these clubs because they can mingle with like-minded folks.

Some clubs are actually corporations, or enterprises, that own bars, restaurants, and other licensed businesses. Some sell guns, prostitutes, and drugs. Their goal is to make money.

Other clubs are just interested in partying, be it drinking all night, swinging, or whatever floats their boat.

What that in mind, guys join motorcycle clubs mostly because the club offers something that they're wanting. Be it a sense of brotherhood, a sense of family, partying, or spiritual healing. If you're wondering why your husband or boyfriend wants to join a motorcycle club, take a look at the club.

Most guys join motorcycle clubs because the club offers reputation. If a club has a well-established reputation, be it good or bad, that reputation will rub off on them when they wear the club's colors. In that sense, guys join these clubs because they seek "legitimacy", or, they want to be the "real deal" in the eyes of others.

Larger clubs rely on an organizational structure to keep everything in order. A lot of guys thrive on this. They want to join these kinds of clubs because they need a sense of "structure and order" in their lives. They want to contribute to a larger goal, and they want their place in the framework.

Some guys are just lost, and many motorcycle clubs offer them "family". They give them a place in the structure, and tell him that he's now part of their family, and that they'll back him up no matter what.

There are also guys in their middle ages that have become bored with their lives. They might have wives and kids, but their kids are grown up, and romance is no longer that big burning flame that it once was. Instead of cheating of their wives, they find that a motorcycle club gives them something to look forward to.

Keep in mind that there are also "riding clubs", as opposed to "motorcycle clubs". The riding club is centered around riding motorcycles. Motorcycle clubs usually have a greater goal or perogative than just riding bikes. The riding club offers no other purpose than to go out riding with some folks, grab some lunch, have a beer, and call it a day.

What makes things confusing between riding clubs and motorcycle clubs, is that some motorcycle clubs are actually riding clubs if you look at them closely. There are also clubs that call themselves "riding club" when in fact they're trying to be a motorcycle club. They do this because the Confederation of Clubs in their state has made it difficult for new motorcycle clubs to exist.

If you hubby says he's joining a club, you might want to ask him if its a riding club or a motorcycle club.

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Wife Doesn't Want Me to Buy a Motorcycle

I heard it from several guys who spotted me with my motorcycle in a parking lot, and walked up to me to take a look...

"I'd love to get a motorcycle, but my wife doesn't want me to get one".

I mentioned one such story on Biker News Online a couple of years ago (link).

Last weekend, after my buddies and I finished up a long day of riding the local twisties, we enjoyed some beer at a bar in town, and talked about the guys we knew who rarely ride their bikes.

I said, "There's a reason why us guys can spend our weekends riding, it's because our wives don't tie us down, they understand our need to ride, and support us 100%".

Another guy said, "Yes, but some of us guys have wives that always want to ride with us."

True, my wife often wants to go also, but not because she enjoys the thrill of riding, but because she likes the social aspects of being with people. I don't mind taking her most times, but sometimes I'm in the mood to hit the twisties hard, and I don't want the extra weight.

Probably one of the best things you can do to break the ice on your wife's unwillingness to let you ride a motorcycle, is to take her to a Harley dealership. Go to one that's busy with customers.

Don't tell her that you're taking her to a dealership. Instead, stop there on your way to a restaurant, and then ask her to get out and go inside with you. She'll probably be upset.

But take her to the women's clothing area, and pick out something for her, and ask her to try it on. Tell her that you think this will make her look "cute". If she actually puts it on, tell her "Oh yeah honey, that's doing it for me."

Then ask her to sit on one of the bikes (steer her to one you're actually wanting). Then say, "You look really hot!". She'll notice the other women there, dressed up in Harley garb, looking like cute biker hotties.

Eventually a salesman will wander over to ask you if he can help with anything. Tell him, "Well, I've been thinking about buying a motorcycle". Your wife will probably open her mouth wide, and say, "Oh no you're not Harold!".

Harley salesmen are used to this kind of thing. They deal with stubborn wives all the time, and know the right things to say. They'll help you with her.

Some wives don't mind their husbands riding a motorcycle, it's just that they want to be a part of their outings. Tell her that you want to take some road trips with her, or spend a weekend somewhere. As long as you can get that new Harley home, the work is done.

If all else fails, just buy the motorcycle without her knowledge, and bring it home. Once it's home, there's nothing she can do about it. Just don't put her name on the title so that she can't sell it from behind your back.

By all means, make it up to her by offering a vacation to Hawaii, or remodel the kitchen. Give her something she's always wanted, to lessen the impact.

Don't make any promises to her, however. Don't say something like, "I promise to mow the lawn every weekend", or "I'll fix patio like you wanted". Because in reality, what you really want to do on your weekends is ride.

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