Biker patches are used to indicate affiliation with a motorcycle club. They are usually worn on the back of a vest. As well as signifying club membership, riders also use the design and color of the patch to say something about themselves.
patch designs
There are no specific rules on how these patches are designed. Often, however, a one-piece patch means motorcycle associations, while a two-piece patch means the rider is a member of a motorcycle club.
The three-piece design is known as the Outlaw Motorcycle Club patch. Outlaw motorcycle clubs are motorcycle groups that are not officially recognized by the American Motorcycle Association.
The three piece biker patches have crescent shapes above and below the club logo. These crescent shapes are known as seesaws. However, not all bikers wearing three-piece patches belong to outlaw motorcycle clubs, which sometimes leads to confusion.
Patches 1% and #13
The 1% patch is worn by outlaw motorcyclists in reference to a statement by the American Motorcycle Association that 99% of American motorcyclists comply with the law. This refers to the belief that outlaw bikers are criminals.
In response to the 1% patch, some bikers wear 99% patches to express their membership in an officially recognized club.
Patches #13 represent the letter M, the thirteenth letter of the alphabet. The M stands for marijuana, which means the rider takes or sells drugs.
Other types of biker patches
The 9 or 9er patch means the rider has Indian blood. The letter “I” is the ninth letter of the alphabet, hence the number. The ace of spades means that the biker will fight for his right to death; a flag patch may refer to the family lineage or the country the bike came from.
MC or MCC stands for motorcycle club, while the president’s patch is worn by the rider holding that position in a club. There are also commemorative patches. These patches have messages like “in memory of…” The rider can wear them anywhere, not just on the back of the vest.
More biker patches and their meanings
Wing patches can mean different things, but more often than not they represent the biker’s achievements within the club. In some cases the wings and their colors could refer to criminal or sexual acts. A motorcyclist wearing a skull and crossbones patch says he has cheated death or killed someone.
Other patches denote your position in the club, such as vice president, secretary, or sergeant-at-arms. Some patches are made up of road names. The patch with the name of the road is the nickname that a higher authority of the club gives to the cyclist.
The Men of Mayhem patch is awarded to riders who have performed violent acts for the club. The same meaning is attached to the ITCOB (“I took care of business”) patch.
Biker patches are primarily used to establish a biker association. But as the information above makes clear, these patches can and often do reveal much more than that.
