"Please don't judge the 'motorcycle' community"

[Tailgate]

Some of you may have heard/seen the news concerning the recent Sparks, NV casino shootout:

CA Hells Angel boss dead in NV casino shootout - www.ktnv.com

Too bad the police chief talkiing in the video didn't refer to the "Harley" community instead of the "motorcycle" commuinity. Last time I checked, Hell's Angels, Vagos members, other M/C gang members don't ride around on sportbikes, sport-touring and various other non Harley street bikes.:shakehead:

To recap:
Harley community: Gang violence, obscene loud pipes, "biker" image
Sportbike community: reckless 100+MPH police urban evade death riders.

I know it's still not very accurate (grouping riders together), but still, at least there's some attempt to distinguish. :banghead:

 

[Jugro]

No reason to paint the "Harley community" into a corner.
It seems to me like he is trying to remove guilt from motorcyclists, so people do not go round blaming us for everything.
The reporter also repeatedly mention that it was HA and Vagos biker gangs in an attempt to make it clear that it is only certain groups of people we are talking about and not the community as a whole.

 

[ChevyFazer]

The term 1%ers comes to mind

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[benjbong]

deleteddeleted

 

[Dave.TX]

I click on the video and the first thing that plays is an ad for the gun show.

They're called OMG's (Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs) for a reason. I guess it doesn't help any that the TV show Sons of Anarchy shows a fictitious OMG and their lifestyle as having some sort of credibility in the real world. They're portrayed as a family who looks after each other and deals out their own justice while running illegal guns and whatnot.

The video clip is not demonizing motorcycle riders, just the gangs. If they came out and said MC riders as a whole are a bad seed they'd lose a LOT of business. Now, what the western states of CA, NV, AZ have to look forward to, is a "random" payback somewhere on who knows what time or place and innocent people may be in the crossfire.

After working the Republic Of Texas Biker Rally (ROT Rally) for 3 years here in Austin I'm done with that type of people, don't want to be in any way associated with that. A high majority ride Harley's but not all Harley riders are like that. The smaller Thunder Rally earlier this month was partially sponsored by the Bandido's. The Bandido's rule Texas. A guy trying to start up a Hell's Angels chapter (against HA's advice) was murdered in Austin a few years ago by a sniper as he walked out of a restaurant with his kids. The sniper was never found.

There are the Blue Knights, which are a fraternity of current and retired police officers. They do have the respect of some OMG clubs as a "don't touch" organization. Of course there's the Patriot Guard which no one would ever hold in contempt. There are good groups riding Harley's and other bikes out there.

Criminals are criminals no matter what they ride, drive or whatever. Sometimes it's difficult to differentiate OMG members with "wannabe's" but on close inspection it isn't hard to figure out.

It's usually ignorance on a subject that gets people riled up over something. Bikers sometimes tend to be grouped together but it seems "bikers" are usually associated as Harley riders and OMG members and the like. I'm sure some would give me a funny look if, while on my bike, I referred to myself as a biker (which I haven't).

We can't control what happens in Sparks, or Austin or any other place when bad people decide to do bad things like that. We can only hope we're not around when it happens and that someone with an education on the happenings speaks to the camera.

 

[ChaosCrayons]

These are gang members that ride motorcycles, the problem isn't with the motorcycles.. it is that they are gang members.

 

[ChevyFazer]

What yall are saying is exactly why they are called 1%ers. Because 99% of bikers are law abiding citizens however there is the 1% who choose to live their lives otherwise

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[lazerfazer]

i found this interesting when i first read it a few months ago....
Confessions of a Former Outlaw Biker

 

[Wh0M3]

I click on the video and the first thing that plays is an ad for the gun show.

I had to smile when that came up, especially when it's all about the shooting violence.

I like to watch SOA and have thought about taking part in a Motorcycle Gang or club, but a OMG is very different from a club or gang.

I've since reconsidered joining one because most want you to have a certain kind of bike, and I don't feel like going through some prospect hazing just to be part of a group. I feel that I'm part of a group here, and on a few other forums, we get together and ride and do other things.

I am part of the PGR, and have looked into the Legion Riders, so that's as close as I would want to come to a club or gang.

 

[Tailgate]

This has nothing to do with the motorcycle community at large. These are gang members who happen to ride motorcycles.

I don't think anybody would see you on your fz6 and assume you're a gang member

I mostly agree, I think you're making my point. It's the ones on Harleys associated with gang violence, even less (or practically never) the ones on sport/non Harley street bikes. During the Reno area "Streeet Vibrations" it most definitely is overwhelming "biker" or the HD crowd. They are a very large part of the motorcycle community "at large" during this 3-4 day long event. However, the pipes are so loud it's, for some people unfamiliar with motorcycles, near frightening. Of course, one can easily imagine how the word "vibrations" got coined into the event name. Sparks, NV police chief: maybe next time, say it for what it is: not the "motorcycle community" but the "Harley Davidson community" that should not all be judged because of these incidents (Harrah's Casinoin Laughlin, NV., Nugget Casino in Sparks, NV)

 

[abraxas]

Dead drug dealers, i'm a happy guy.

Nobody needs those scum, on or off bikes.

 

[cap'n]

Actually if we're stereotyping Harley riders just based on pure numbers, they're 52 year old middle managers in Duckheads and pennyloafers who play dress-up on sunny weekends. These days, anyway.

 

[McLovin]

This makes me laugh. Not the whole misconception about motorcycling, that part sucks. But the part with these Hells Angels or whatever. Grown up men, playing with motorcycles and guns and acting no more mature than a 12 year old. These are men my dads age, who ride on a loud harley and drink beer and talk about bull**** all day. You've got to have an amazingly dim vision in life to appreciate this parasitic life style. Just another side effect of too much resources imo.