A biker bar is a bar that is frequented by bikers (motorcycle riders). Some are owned or managed by people who are friendly toward bikers. [1] Some bars and restaurants advertise that they are "biker friendly" to attract more bikers and motorcycle (bike) enthusiasts. [1] Biker bars are patronized by people from all walks of life, including bikers, non-bikers, and motorcycle club adherents, including outlaw motorcycle clubs. [2]
Biker bars provide a place for people to congregate, socialize, network, eat, drink and celebrate. [2] At times, biker bars may have many motorcycles parked in front of them, [2] [3] such as during a motorcycle rally. This provides an opportunity for bikers to socialize, compare their motorcycles, mechanical customizations and modifications, and to discuss aspects of motorcycles and motorcycling.
Many biker bars have rules on whether they allow patrons to wear "colors", many biker bars do not allow "colors" as these are used to define one's position and/or alliance to one club over another. The "No Colors" club rules have become more popular over the years as a way to reduce tension between rival club members and potential security issues.
Motorcycle clubs may assign a club member to remain outside of a bar to guard their motorcycles from vandalism [2] or theft while the rest of the group congregates inside. Members of outlaw motorcycle clubs have been known to patronize biker bars. [4] [5] Some motorcycle clubs, including outlaw motorcycle clubs, adopt public biker bars as their club bar; as a bar that club members regularly frequent. [2] [6] This can provide opportunities for motorcycle clubs to meet potential prospects, or recruits, for their clubs. [2] [6] Motorcycle clubs may cordon off an area of a bar as reserved for their members and those that they choose to socialize with, such as other select bikers, single females and friends. [2] This may also occur to provide club members with a vantage point to observe activity occurring in a bar and to spot potential threats. [2] Club biker bars also provide a space for members to meet and discuss club matters, and as a means to unify the group through socialization and camaraderie. [2] Sometimes arrangements are made between motorcycle clubs and bar managers or owners regarding the utilization of a bar in relation to the regular presence of club members. [2]
Motorcycle club members have also performed bouncer services at times in biker bars. [2] This can occur for several reasons, such as to protect their members or to prevent various conflicts from occurring or escalating. Sometimes club members work in unison with bouncer staff in bars, [2] and sometimes club members are paid employees as part-time bouncers. [2] Additionally, club members sometimes receive preferential service by bar staff, such as not having to wait in lines to get inside of a crowded bar while non-club members wait outside in a queue. [2]
Sturgis is a city in Meade County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 7,020 as of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Meade County and is named after Samuel D. Sturgis, a Union general during the Civil War.
A bar, also known as a saloon, a tavern or tippling house, or sometimes as a pub or club, is a retail business establishment that serves alcoholic beverages, such as beer, wine, liquor, cocktails, and other beverages such as mineral water and soft drinks. Bars often also sell snack foods, such as crisps or peanuts, for consumption on their premises. Some types of bars, such as pubs, may also serve food from a restaurant menu. The term "bar" refers to the countertop where drinks are prepared and served, and by extension to the overall premises.
A motorcycle club is a group of individuals whose primary interest and activities involve motorcycles. A motorcycle group can range as clubbed groups of different bikes or bikers who own same model of vehicle like the Harley Owners Group.
The Hollister riot, also known as the Hollister Invasion, was an event that occurred at the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA)-sanctioned Gypsy Tour motorcycle rally in Hollister, California, from July 3 to 6, 1947.
An outlaw motorcycle club, known colloquially as a biker gang or motorcycle gang, is a motorcycle subculture generally centered on the use of cruiser motorcycles, particularly Harley-Davidsons and choppers, and a set of ideals that purport to celebrate freedom, nonconformity to mainstream culture, and loyalty to the biker group.
The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is a motorcycle rally held annually in Sturgis, South Dakota, and the surrounding Black Hills region of the United States. It began in 1938 by a group of Indian Motorcycle riders and was originally held for stunts and races. Since then, the rally has become a pluralistic endeavor that consists of events put on by many different groups. Attendance has historically been around 500,000 people, reaching a high of over 700,000 in 2015. The event takes place over 10 days and generates around $800 million in annual revenue.
Bikers For Christ, or BFC is a Christian ministry for motorcyclists founded in 1990 by Pastor Fred Zariczny, who also pastors Rushing Wind Ministries in Oceanside, California. BFC first operated under Calvary Chapel of Marysville, CA in the 1990s. Now it operates under the covering of: Rushing Wind Ministries in Southern California. Rushing Wind Ministries was founded in 2003 as a Biker Church in Oceanside, California by Pastor Z., and there are now over a dozen Rushing Wind affiliate churches in the Us and overseas. There are currently over a hundred BFC chapters with thousands of members worldwide. Paul Crouch Jr. with the Trinity Broadcasting Network has recognized BFC as one of the largest Christian motorcycle ministries in the world. In a 2010 radio interview with Christian metal radio program The Full Armor of God Broadcast, Pastor Z. talked about their worldwide ministry. As of April 2020 - Zariczny states that BFC currently has Chapters in 50 states and 24 countries including: Australia, all over Europe, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Lithuania, South Africa, and Sweden. BFC sponsors several motorcycle events to raise money for the handicapped, underprivileged and disabled. BFC also sponsors events to honor Vietnam Veterans where a 370-foot (110 m) mini replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall is displayed publicly. Pastor Fred is married to his wife Esther. They have seven children, thirteen grandchildren, and a great granddaughter. Pastor Z. is known for his tattoos after having the BFC membership patch logo tattooed on his back by Kim Saigh on LA Ink. Pastor Z. also plays Bass Guitar in the BFC Full Throttle Band - with his Band-Mate: Eric Turner on Lead Vocals & Lead Guitars, and multiple drummers. The Full Throttle Band has played at: Sturgis, Daytona, Hollister, Arizona Bike Week, and many Motorcycle Club parties. The band plays Classic Rock biker tunes and also quite a few Christian Originals written by Eric Turner, Darrell Mansfield, etc. Pastor Z. also takes pictures, and writes articles for the secular motorcycle magazine Quick Throttle.
Jesse James Dupree is an American musician, television personality, and businessman. He is the lead singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter in the rock band Jackyl, founded in 1991. As a solo performer, he released albums in 2000 and 2008 under the names of "Jesse James Dupree" and "Jesse James Dupree & Dixie Inc.", respectively.
Colors are the insignia, or "patches", worn by motorcycle club members on cut-off vests to identify membership of their club and territorial location. Club patches have been worn by many different groups since the 1960s. They are regarded by many to symbolize an elite amongst motorcyclists and the style has been widely copied by other subcultures and commercialized.
Full Throttle Saloon is an American reality television series that premiered on November 10, 2009, and originally aired on truTV. The series chronicles the daily operations of the bar for which it is named − the Full Throttle Saloon in Sturgis, South Dakota. The world's largest biker bar, it was located on 30 acres of land purchased in 1999 by Michael Ballard. The indoor/outdoor bar included several large stages, a burn-out pit, a tattoo parlor, zip lines, a wrestling ring, restaurants, dozens of stores, hundreds of cabins for rent, and parking for thousands of motorcycles. It was open from late March/early April until mid-November, and was busiest during the annual week-long Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Each year, the first full week of August marks the beginning of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, during which time, the Saloon could average 20,000 guests each night.
The Chosen Few Motorcycle Club are the first mixed race outlaw motorcycle club. Their first white member joined in 1960.
The Grim Reapers Motorcycle Club was an outlaw motorcycle club, founded in 1967 in Calgary, Alberta, that was active during the sixties and seventies, and grew to become a dominant club in the region during the eighties and nineties.
Nigel Dupree Band is an American southern rock band from Kennesaw, Georgia, started by Nigel Thomas Dupree, the son of Jackyl lead vocalist Jesse James Dupree. Having performed at events such as Full Throttle Saloon, Rocklahoma and Taste of Madison, the band has released two studio albums, Attraction and Up to No Good.
The Popeye Moto Club, also referred to as the Popeye(s) MC, and often shortened to simply The Popeyes was a French-Canadian outlaw motorcycle club and criminal organization based across the province of Quebec. At the group's peak, they were believed to be the largest club in Montreal and the second-largest outlaw motorcycle club in Canada, behind Satan's Choice. They were also the largest of the French-speaking clubs in the country.
The Kings Crew Motorcycle Club was an outlaw motorcycle club based in Western Canada and was founded in Calgary, Alberta in 1977. Where it would become one of the provinces most dominant clubs, participating in the Alberta Biker Conflict, until eventually joining the Hell's Angels in the late 1990s.
The Cossacks Motorcycle Club or Cossacks MC are an American outlaw motorcycle club. Said to be one of the largest outlaw biker groups in the state of Texas, they are best known for their conflicts with the rival Bandidos Motorcycle Club - most notably, the 2015 Waco shootout which left seven members of the group dead. They are said to be the second-largest biker club in the state of Texas.
