Going Outlaw: From Minors to Majors

By: Stormy Weather OMC
Club Name With held upon request

In baseball, before most players’ can play in the big leagues, they must first go through what’s called the minor leagues. Essentially the minors are a place for young talented players’ to develop their skills and get used to playing at a higher level.  The MC world is like this in a lot of ways.  Before a person goes full on Outlaw they usually spend some time in a family club, riding club, mom and pop whatever you would like to call it.  Most outlaw bikers have been in previous minor league clubs until one day they decide enough is enough and go full on Majors.

For anyone who thinks this blog will dive deep into the inner workings of the Outlaw lifestyle and procedures for entry into an OMC, you can stop reading now and kick fucking rocks. This isn't an expose into our life.  What this blog is going to do is give you a straight fast ball with no splitter or curve and if you have the skills, you can try to connect and see where it gets you.

Right now, there is someone reading this blog thinking of moving from the mom and pop club level    (the Minors) and into the “Major Leagues”…The big bad OMC!  And to that person I say congrats. You finally grew a pair and now you wanna do something about it. But what would bring someone to this point? There are many reasons why a person would want to make the move up but I will only discuss the two most common.  First being they are currently in a “Sucka MC”.  Now let me take a moment to elaborate on the Sucka MC.  A Sucka MC is a club …not a motorcycle club because for one, they don’t all own motorcycles, but a club that does not know, follow or practice motorcycle club traditions and protocols.   They cannot answer simple questions like who blessed off your club, what type of club are you, what is the purpose of your club, so on and so forth. I’m not saying that these clubs are made up of certain individuals who can eventually can become major leaguers (outlaws) but collectively as a whole they’re just sucka’s. For example you have a team like the Boston Red Sox who have some really good players but collectively, they’re whack and their record shows that they're suckas. I’m sure there are certain players thinkin’, “I need to go to the Yankees.”  

My decision to go to the "Yankees" was a simple one not because I thought the outlaw lifestyle would be simple but because the depravity I saw in the circuit made it simple. Like most, I was involved in a club and my disgust with them was so overwhelming I decided that there was no logical reason I'd ever put my ass in position to experience something that bad again. I am a biker. I was born a biker and you join a club thinking you're about to be around other bikers. Maybe it was me making an ass of myself assuming they'd take the club and the life as seriously as me so in that regard I'll say, "my bad." I didn't understand why club members just got together on weekends, if that, but Monday through Friday wasn't an option. I didn't understand why the priority of the club at meetings was figuring out what the next party was going to be instead of the next (or in some cases the first) long ride. I didn't understand why certain people had bikes but others didn't. I didn't understand why people were allowed to trail their bikes to bike events. I didn't understand why the promise to uphold the bylaws of the club was seen as something you could opt in and out of to your pleasure. You see where I'm going with all this? I understand MC. I didn't understand jack shit about what they were doing and what made it worse, when I tried to move them in that direction I was called, "the hardliner" or I was repeatedly told, "I take this too seriously."

I take this too seriously?

It was then I started to understand that for them it was a recreational thing sorta like seasonal swimming. I"m not a seasonal biker. New York Yankee fan's don't think they're gong to the playoffs every year; they EXPECT to win the World Series every year. The playoffs are a formality. I wanted to feel like I was winning the World Series every time I rode with my brothers. I wanted to know that the men I was riding with took everything as seriously as I did from the way we looked, to what we wore to how we rode. I wanted to be with men who just didn't honor and respect the rules and traditions of an MC, but they lived by them. I wanted to be in the major leagues.

I'm not saying that if you're not an OMC you're not a real MC but let's not debate something: the OMC is the major leagues. It is the top of the biker food chain. Traditional clubs who follow and respect the rules and protocol and culture are Triple AAA (for those who don't know, that means you're good enough one day to be Majors and you're damn close but you're NOT the majors). In the majors you have everyone watching you and the expectations are higher and there are consequences for failure. There might be consequences in the minors but like in the majors, the consequences are major, good and bad and nothing else compares to those.

The second most common reason people decide to move up and I can personally identify with is, they have outgrown their club. There comes a time when a person has ran their course in a club and they want more, they want bigger, they want badder. You've tried to push your club to the highest point and they can't go any further for whatever reason. Because so many people are too scared to approach a Dominant they listen to the rumors and refuse to take that step. You're frustrated because the bike, the MC and the road have been your life at this point but for the members in your club it's just some pastime shit.   Please understand on the other side of the tracks it’s about riding your iron, being in a brotherhood, respecting the code and practicing it.  No one cares about the fish fry’s, car washes, bake sales, raffles and lastly yet another $30 ticket party. If you feel like you’ve out grown the mom and pop lifestyle and you want something more serious, there is nothing wrong with that. Truth be told, many have done the exact same before you.

So what does all this mean?

You’ve had it with your current club so what happens next?  Well, first and foremost you would need to drop your current club.  Remember, when leaving an MC, you have to leave in “Good Standing”.  This means dues/debts paid up and all property returned.  This includes all things that have the clubs logo on it: vests, t-shirts, socks, thongs whatever also to include all club documents and records.  If it has the clubs logo on it, which should be trademarked, it must go back. I even go so far to say give the riding name you were given back.  People tend to have a hard time with that but if you want to settle the debate go back to your by-laws. If the club is put together correctly then the by-laws should state what the protocol is for vest surrender and other merchandise deemed property of that club.

Next, get you an American made motorcycle. Do I really need to explain this? There’s been some debate about this but I want to lay it down now to make sure afterwards there’s no question. You cannot be an outlaw on anything but an American motorcycle. The go-to brand of course is Harley Davidson but certain clubs will make amendments for Indian’s, Victory and even Triumph though that’s becoming more and more unlikely as OMC’s are starting to crack down within their own ranks. The simple or not so simple reason for this is because Harley Davidson symbolizes not just a brand but a lifestyle. It’s a lifestyle that is rebellious, loud, in your face; in other words, American. You cannot be that on a Japanese bike. Hang on…let me rephrase to emphasize my point: YOU CANNOT BE IN A TRUE OUTLAW CLUB ON ANYTHING BUT AN AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE. Certain OMC’s have race divisions but even within that dynamic there are codes that separate the Harley riders and the Jap burners. Some call it divisions but if you look closely it is class division. Why? (and you see how this comes back full circle?-) YOU MUST OWN AN AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE.

No, okay moving on.  Before you make any decisions on where to go next do your homework! Remember this is a lifelong commitment. If you do your homework your first outlaw club should be your last stop. That’s not to make it sound dreadful or something dark or oblique but it’s the last stop as in it’s oblivion. That means it’s forever. You make a commitment to an outlaw club and it automatically becomes one of the top three most important things in your life along with your family and your job. Your MC is right up there and your family needs to understand that and support you and your job. Let’s just say a lot of those sick and personal days will be spent on the road or recovering at home from those long ass road trips and club business ’cause Outlaws do their business.

This isn’t the mom and pop world, you can’t be hopping around!

This blog is not a 101 to helping anyone make a decision to go outlaw. It may not even scrape the top of the cake but what it does do is begin the thought process or ends it. Remember some key points as well in thinking about going outlaw:

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Not all outlaw clubs are the same. You need to do your homework as much as you can before signing up with whatever club you go with. Some outlaw clubs live off their reputation and are okay with that. Some ride more than others. Some thug all day long. Make sure you know what you want in your outlaw club and make sure it lines up with the outlaw in you first.

·         Don’t believe the hype. Stop watching Gangland and A&E Outlaw biker episodes. Half of it ain’t true and the other half is bullshit the outlaws told the producers to make sure they never know the truth. Get out there and meet the people you want to call your brothers one day. You may find you may not want them in your family at all.

·         Talk to your significant other at length so she knows what you’re about to do ‘cause the biggest detriment to an outlaw isn’t the Po-Po, it’s the wife ‘cause her lack of support, her nagging and overall insecurities and need to compete with the club and your bike instead of trying to be a part of it can either drive an outlaw to do bad things or whup her ass.

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Oh by the way in case you were wondering and some of you were, women have never, will never, can never be outlaws. Let me make this as clear as possible. If you don't have a penis you cannot be an outlaw biker. We don't care how great a woman rides, how many dudes she's knocked out or shot; if you weren't born with a penis you cannot and will never be an Outlaw. Period. 

I did mention the American motorcycle, right?

so, now that we've got the basics covered I'm going the help make the decision for you if you're thinking about it: Don't do it! You ain't ready. Do you know what it's like to go to your boss and say you need two weeks off at work because you're going to do a mandatory ride with your brothers for 5,000 miles? How 'bout going home to your "other" boss and telling your wife that you're about to leave home for a week 'cause you're going riding with your brothers? Are you ready to ignore that feeling in your stomach that says don't walk into that bar because there's gonna be trouble but you gotta go because your colors don't forgive and they don't forget? Are you prepared for law enforcement to take pictures of you while you're just riding your motorcycle? Are you ready to be exposed to the primal aspects of life in general? Are you prepared to deal with men and women being equally attracted and repelled by you simply because of your rags?

Trust me, you ain't ready. 

But if for some reason you think you are. I wish you nothing but the best and good luck 'cause, honestly, you're gonna need it.  All clubs are different; don’t be in a rush, find the one that fits you.  Like the great Forest Gump once said “That’s all I have to say about that”.    

Oh yeah…stay Sucka Free, sucka’s!

Stormy Weather belongs to a 1% diamond club with chapters across the United States. His riding name has been changed and the name of his club with held as is the common practice with all contributions made by outlaw bikers to Sucka Free MC.