Biker Tattoos

When most people think of bikers they think of gang members with
menacing biker tattoos. The reality is that biker gangs only represent
1% of actual bikers. We have all heard of The Nomads and Gypsy Jokers
who represent the outlaw side of bikers. The ones you see whizzing past
you on the freeway most likely are biker enthusiasts. Having said that
the sound of fifty Harley Davidson bikes in your rear view mirror can
be daunting!

Bikers have long since being misaligned in the public
eye and are constantly on the receiving end of bad press. The ones you
hear about are the One Percenters as they are known by biker
enthusiasts. Their world is one of turf wars, conflict with police and
criminal activity including the manufacturing of speed and ice.

People join bikers gangs such as the outlaw motorcycle club for many
different reasons. One of the main things was the brotherhood or
comradeship. It’s similar to the army or anything like that, with
discipline and codes of honour. The main reason seems to be freedom –
the freedom of the biker lifestyle, and most of all, the freedom of the
open road. All bikers crave the same thing – the pure adrenaline rush
of two wheels at high speed.

The image is of freedom but the
reality is of harsh discipline from the club to enforce its rules.
Arthur Veno has spent 20 years studying and associating with the clubs.
According to his research, new recruits are from lower-working-class or
underclass backgrounds, looking for stability.

Those rules are things like you’re not to touch another member’s
wife or partner, no backing out on fights, if you see one person
fighting, it’s got to be everybody in. No use of heroin in particular
seems to be the rule. No missing ‘church’, which is their equivalent of
their meeting, which occurs every week.

Club rules vary, but most
have been adapted from those of the Hell’s Angels in the US. The clubs
themselves are generally not involved with criminal activities as such.
There is, however, no doubt that individual members within the clubs
are involved in criminal activities.

Everyone has their own perception or biker gangs whether or not that
it is the right perception. A lot of people have the wrong perceptions
of bikers not helped by the generally scary imagery favored by bikers
as tattoos. Generally the perception of bikers as being violent thugs
is one of misconception.

Biker tattoos usually depict the biker
gang the biker belongs to. Skull and dice tattoos are can often be seen
on bikers along with fantasy style and Norse tattoos depicting mythical
creatures. As mentioned earlier it is hard to tell the difference
between bikers who belong in gangs and those who are weekend
enthusiasts who are retired or work in the corporate world. Just be
careful when chatting to that burly dude at the bar next time…

source: http://www.tao-of-tattoos.com/biker-tattoos.html