How To Start A Motorcycle Club? | You Should Know [2022]

To start a motorcycle club is a terrific way to meet individuals who share your passion for riding and spend days having fun and adventure together.

Unfortunately, starting a club from the ground up when you have no prior experience is not easy. The process isn’t simple, from finding like-minded riders who share your beliefs and enthusiasm to devising an effective plan and executing it effectively.

Not to mention that most existing motorcycle clubs do not usually welcome new groups with open arms.

The goal of putting this book together is to walk you through the full process of starting your own motorcycle club from the ground up, including how to operate it, common traps to avoid, and more.

The following article will guide you through the steps to starting a motorcycle club.

Should You Start A Motorcycle Club?

If the concept appeals to you, there are several factors to consider before forming a club. It is definitely feasible to start your own motorcycle club, but you will need to conduct research and follow the necessary measures.

Before deciding to create your own club, look into what possibilities are available in your region. If you want to escape the usual “biker” connotation, not all motorcycle groups have it. If they ride in separate circles or have a specific specialization, many MCs may accept “riding clubs,” often known as RCs.

The Purpose and Types of a Motorcycle Club

The American Motorcyclist Association, or AMA, is the largest motorcycle club in the United States. Under its umbrella, there are hundreds of thousands of active members and well over 1,000 chartered groups. They were created in 1924 and had a white-only membership for the first several decades.

Many people consider one percenter motorcycle clubs, often known as outlaw clubs, to be the counterculture group of motorcyclists. These organizations arose partly in response to the AMA’s antiquated beginnings.

Outlaw clubs do not all have links to criminal activity in general today, but several have been identified as being linked with crime families, gangs, and drug trafficking. The prevalent vibe of these clubs is one of defiance against authority. Many MCs, on the other hand, have their own hierarchy of power and, unfortunately, engage in unlawful behavior.

Other subgroups, such as the Harley Owners Group and the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America, gather together because they share a passion for their particular brand of motorcycle. For people who are uncomfortable with the two categories above or prefer a more specialized niche to ride with, other demographics depending on gender, religion, and sexual orientation exist.

Biker clubs are formed for the purpose of providing a sense of brotherhood and a common interest in their demographic or kind of motorbike. Check to check whether one that matches your interests already exists before starting your own. If you wish to create one for another purpose, think about if it will be disrespectful to other clubs in your region, or whether it makes sense for both to coexist peacefully.

The 9 Most Important Steps To Start A Motorcycle Club:

Step 1: Figure out what kind of motorcycle club you want to start.

First and foremost, you must determine why you want to start a motorcycle club. This will assist you in determining the sort of club you want to start.

Having stated that the motorcycle clubs may be divided into two categories:

Riding club: a group of friends or acquaintances who like talking about, working on, and riding motorcycles. Members normally meet together on a regular basis to chat and ride their bikes. Most riding clubs are made up of owners of the same motorcycle brand, however, this is not always the case—for example, Honda Goldwing riders’ clubs, BMW riders’ clubs, and so on. Church members, police enforcement personnel, military veterans, and others could form a riding club.
Motorcycle club: A motorcycle club, abbreviated as MC, is not the same as a riding club. To identify themselves, members of an MC commonly wear vests. On the back of these vests are three-piece patches. The MC’s name is on the top piece, the club’s emblem is in the middle, and the club’s locality/state/city name is on the bottom rocker.
Overall, forming a riding club will be a lot easier because you won’t have to worry about branding the club, establishing a hierarchy, and so on.

Unlike an MC, where you must keep all of these factors in mind.

You’ll also need to contact the most powerful MC in your region and advise them of your plans if you’re an MC. If you have a compelling rationale for creating a club, they’ll give you the green light and walk you through the process.

We recommend that you follow their counsel if they don’t want you to create the club.

Step 2: Establishing a Brand (Club name and logo)

After you’ve chosen what kind of club you want to start, the following step is to come up with a distinctive name and logo.

You should name your motorcycle club after anything that relates to its philosophy, mission, or image. Most clubs have names that include their hometown, city or county, area, and so on. This helps to express their origins or distinguishes them from other clubs with similar names.

We also encourage you to avoid names that are suggestive, insulting, or aggressive. This can not only harm your club’s reputation, but it can also draw the attention of legal enforcement.

You’ll also need to create a logo to represent what your new club stands for as part of the branding process. You can make it yourself if you have some graphic design abilities. Otherwise, you might want to consider hiring an expert to design a high-quality logo for you. Keep in mind that you’ll be stamping this emblem on everything your club produces, including shirts, newsletters, riding gear, business cards, and more.

Step #3: Create a clear purpose statement for your organization.

Coming up with a clear mission statement for your group is another important step to consider when starting a club.

This will assist you in defining the goals of your new club and how it differs from the existing clubs in your region. Furthermore, it might aid in the formation of your club’s vision.

Fortunately, writing a thorough purpose statement does not need any unique abilities.

If you’re having trouble coming up with a message, consider reducing it to a single essential phrase or term, such as brotherhood, recreation, or community service.

Step #4: It’s time to start looking for recruits.

You should now start looking for new members to join your club. And there are numerous approaches to take…

• To begin, take a glance at yourself. You may have motorcycle-riding friends and family members who would like to be a part of a larger community. Prioritizing friends and family is a smart option because you already know them and won’t have to go through the vetting process to see if they’ll fit in your club.
• Another method for attracting new members is to extend an open invitation to other riders. Create pages for your group on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to share the newest news and announcements. Using local message boards to spread the news can also assist.
• Consider including it in fliers and distributing them to places frequented by bikers, such as rest stops, racetracks, motorcycle dealers, repair shops, and pubs.

Quick Tip: Have registration paperwork ready for those cyclists interested in joining your new groups. Allow them to fill in all pertinent information, such as their age, residence, employment, and the sort of bike they possess, among other things.

You may also wish to specify any other prerequisites for membership in your group, such as the lack of a criminal background, religious affiliation, and so on. By going over these forms, you’ll be able to quickly choose who you should let in and who you shouldn’t.

Quick Tip 2: Make sure that all of your recruits have reached the legal age to ride a motorbike on public roads in your state.

Step #5: Name your club’s officials.

Do you want a formal framework for your new club?

If this is the case, you might consider creating a hierarchy.

Assigning various roles to members of your new club based on their distinct talents and skillsets should be simple now that you have them.

The following are the most prevalent officials in a motorcycle club:

• Mr. President (you)
• President’s Vice President
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• The road captain is in charge of guiding the group on runs.
• Enforcer: guarantees that the club’s bylaws are followed by all members.

An emergency repair specialist, a medic, and a chaplain (or the Wise One) who handles all of your club’s spiritual requirements are all officials you should consider having in your club. He’s also in charge of conducting funerals, weddings, and other similar ceremonies at the club.

Step #6: Form a non-profit organization out of your clubs.

It’s time to think about registering your new club in your state now that practically everything is in place.

We strongly advise you to submit an application for non-profit status.

You’ll only need to fill out some paperwork, submit your club’s purpose, mission statement, and a list of your major committee members and their titles, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.

You’ll be eligible for liability insurance, sales tax exemption, and solicitation permits, among other legal perks, if your application is approved as a non-profit company.

Step #7: Getting your new club off the ground

Finally, your new club is up and running—properly it’s registered, you’ve recruited all of the necessary members and officials, and you’ve arranged a meeting location and regular meeting hours.

It’s completely operational!

So, where do we go from here?

It’s time to start participating in other activities, such as community building, which is something that many MCs undertake.

Consider holding fundraisers to collect money for a variety of philanthropic activities, such as exhibition races, donation-based raffles, food and gift drives, and more.

Such gatherings might help you strengthen your ties with your community and perhaps improve your public image.

You might also approach local companies and ask them to sponsor your events or provide services such as catering and entertainment.