Biker Patches: Decoding the Codes
 | If you have no idea what a biker patch is for, and think that it is just some patch to add detail to a biker, it is actually more than that - it actually serves as something to differentiate different clubs. Aside from denoting the affiliation of a biker, these patches can also be used to express one's motto, beliefs, philosophies or achievements. |
The One, Two and Three Piece Patch
The one-piece patch denotes that the rider belongs to a certain motorcycle association. Two-piece patches mean that the rider belongs to a motorcycle club. As for outlaw motorcycle clubs or gangs, they use the three-piece leather patches.
The design of the patch may vary according to the club, but the basic parts of a patch are two rockers found at the top and bottom (crescent shaped rockers mostly), and the emblem of the club located at the center. There are times that you will see the letters M.C. beside the emblem or the rocker to note that is a Motorcycle Club.
Usual Patch Designs
The most common one is the 1% patch, this is usually worn by outlaw motorcycle gangs to denote that there are only 1% of US bikers that do not abide by the law. An Ace of Spades means that the biker will fight for something he believes in, even if it kills him. Flag patches are used to show where a biker is from or where he was born.
There are also patches to show the rank of a biker in his club; there are specific patches for important individuals of the club such as the president, the vice-president and other members of the club's authority.
Other Types of Patches
You will see that there are a lot of patches that have wings in them, but the wings are not meant to mean only one thing, mostly it means sexual acts or crimes.
Meaning of Other Patches
If you see a number 13, this usually refers to the thirteenth letter of the alphabet: the letter M. It can mean a lot of things like marijuana, motorcycle or methamphetamine, sometimes it can be also be something different that only the members of the club know of.
A skull with crossbones (like the one you see in pirate ships) may mean that the biker has gotten into previous fights and may have killed someone.
Since Native Americans are more commonly known as Indians, 9er is used to denote that the biker has Indian blood since the ninth letter of the alphabet is letter I.
Outlaw or no outlaw, motorcycle patches are always treated with respect and honor whatever their meaning may be.
