The Bikers of BACA

[HunterICX]

Usually when I put on the television to watch the Dutch news and the word ''Biker gang'' is dropped it's mostly because they're involved in Criminal activity in the Netherlands like shooting/fighting it out with another rival gang, blackmailing, money laundering etc.

Now in the US they have biker gangs that stand for a good cause, I knew about the cool lot that stand behind your Veterans but I didn't knew BACA - Bikers Against Child Abuse who stand with and protect children who have been abused :yeah: Awesome guys

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpgXOIkLnBA

[Jimbuna]

Restored a little bit more of my faith in humanity :sunny:

[Commander Wallace]

Usually when I put on the television to watch the Dutch news and the word ''Biker gang'' is dropped it's mostly because they're involved in Criminal activity in the Netherlands like shooting/fighting it out with another rival gang, blackmailing, money laundring etc.

Now in the US they have biker gangs that stand for a good cause, I knew about the cool lot that stand behind your Veterans but I didn't knew BACA - Bikers Against Child Abuse who stand with and protect children who have been abused :yeah: Awesome guys

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpgXOIkLnBA


There are also a large number of " Biker Groups " often times made up of former military personnel that not only visit Veteran hospitals but volunteer at those same hospitals. In addition to BACA, a number of Biker groups hold " Poker Runs " to financially help the families of very sick children who are receiving medical treatment.

A number of groups have also been involved with the " Make-A-Wish foundation which helps fund " last requests " of terminally Ill Children as well as making donations to the Humane Society which provides funding to animal shelters and adoption events for shelter animals. I'm sure some of these groups have been involved with other worthy causes that I'm not aware of as well.

Hopefully, the stigma of wearing functional biker leather and riding a motorcycle are a thing of the past as I know of a number of them that are doctors, police officers, lawyers and other professionals. :yeah:

[August]

Hopefully, the stigma of wearing functional biker leather and riding a motorcycle are a thing of the past as I know of a number of them that are doctors, police officers, lawyers and other professionals. :yeah:

Yeah with price tags upwards of $20-30K a lot of Harleys one almost needs a doctors salary to afford them.

[Commander Wallace]

Yeah with price tags upwards of $20-30K a lot of Harleys one almost needs a doctors salary to afford them.


One can get a nice dresser unit, new, for about 18K and a decent ,used Harley like a sportster or low rider can be had in the 5-10k range, well within the average persons budget.

Most groups don't have a prerequisite that the motorcycle be a Harley, therefore, a decent, used motorcycle in the 750cc to 1100 CC range of Japanese manufacture can be purchased in the 2-4 K and above price range. A number of these motorcycles have an excellent reputation and are very reliable as well. At this engine size, they can cruise the interstates at highway speeds comfortably.

I would have mentioned the vintage Triumph Tiger or Trident but these excellent motorcycles are relatively scarce and pricey as of late and newer versions are not as comfortable on long rides. They are more like sport bikes today.

[Betonov]

Slovene biker gangs are a mixed breed it seems.
They do charity, blood drives, awareness of certain problem etc. and they also like to stab eachother in public.

But lets be fair, they limit their violence on rival gang groups, you're never threatened while in the vicinity of them.

[Rockin Robbins]

Well, in the US bikers have evolved. During bike week in Daytona during the 1970's yes the bikers were wild. They would fight each other (considerately when lethal weapons were involved usually at remote locations), race down Atlantic Avenue over 100 mph at 3 am, ambush and shoot each other, the usual stereotype biker stuff.

But even then more than 3/4 of bikers were great people. I ran a drive-in restaurant on the beachside at that time and we always let bikers park their trailers on our property. Harleys weren't reliable enough to ride 500 miles to get here then and watching their owners push them was a spectator sport for us Yamaha fans.

But they've gotten older and evolved into the greatest group that vacations in the area. I'll take the biker crowd above the spring breakers, NASCAR fans, Hot Rod show goers, RV camper rallies, or anyone else. They are friendlier, more considerate of the locals, spend more money per capita, better drivers than everyone else who comes to Daytona Beach.

And lately I'm seeing a lot of Germans, Austrians and British bikers visiting. I hosted a couple dozen Quebec bikers (many of whom didn't even speak English) at my storage business for a week and we had a great time. I think the character of American bikers will migrate to Europe and replace the outlaw nature. They don't need to be bad to be good!

[August]

One can get a nice dresser unit, new, for about 18K and a decent ,used Harley like a sportster or low rider can be had in the 5-10k range, well within the average persons budget.

10k let alone 18 is not within the budget of most the the (real) bikers that I know but as you said that's certainly doable for doctors and lawyers that like to play biker on the weekends :)

[fireftr18]

I have a lot of fire dept friends who are in these biker groups. It seems a lot of them are in multiple groups or all of them.

[Commander Wallace]

Slovene biker gangs are a mixed breed it seems.
They do charity, blood drives, awareness of certain problem etc. and they also like to stab eachother in public.

But lets be fair, they limit their violence on rival gang groups, you're never threatened while in the vicinity of them.


Isn't stabbing people in public and blood drives part of the same thing ? :D

all jokes aside, people are people which probably has little to do with riding bikes. People who ride bikes like riding with others and if they can raise money for a good cause from their activities, so much the better. If they just want to ride for the fun of it, that's good too.


10k let alone 18 is not within the budget of most the the (real) bikers that I know but as you said that's certainly doable for doctors and lawyers that like to play biker on the weekends :)

You may be right but as I said, good quality Japanese Motorcycles can be bought for 2-4 K. If you know a little bit about them and can do some repairs yourself, you can buy them for a few hundred dollars.

[Schroeder]

Nice.:sunny:

[Sailor Steve]

Japanese Motorcycles can be bought for 2-4 K. If you know a little bit about them and can do some repairs yourself, you can buy them for a few hundred dollars.
I ain't ridin' no rice-grinder! I'll stick with my Honda! :O:

[Commander Wallace]

I ain't ridin' no rice-grinder! I'll stick with my Honda! :O:


So, now it's Honda's now. Well, there goes the neighborhood. :O:

As fireftr said, these groups are involved in a lot of worthy events and it should come as no surprise that people like firefighters who risk their lives on a daily basis would be involved in their respective community's and go the extra mile. Rockin Robbins had alluded to the fact that in years past, people who rode bikes were much maligned. Hopefully, people are more open minded and not judgmental. Other then cars not wanting to share the road, I've haven't noticed anything in the way of problems, including at places of businesses like restaurants .

[August]

Slovene biker gangs are a mixed breed it seems.
They do charity, blood drives, awareness of certain problem etc. and they also like to stab eachother in public.

But lets be fair, they limit their violence on rival gang groups, you're never threatened while in the vicinity of them.

That's pretty much how Al Capone's gang operated as well.

[Sailor Steve]

So, now it's Honda's now. Well, there goes the neighborhood. :O:
Actually I was put in mind of a very old car ad, in which someone says "I don't want a foreign car! I want another VolksWagen!"

As to many bikers riding for good causes, I agree. I've even seen a group of Christian bikers, wearing tradition biker cuttes with crosses on them. It's a diverse world we live in.

[Betonov]

That's pretty much how Al Capone's gang operated as well.

Al Capone's gang managed to kill someone.

[Schroeder]

Rockin Robbins had alluded to the fact that in years past, people who rode bikes were much maligned. Hopefully, people are more open minded and not judgmental.
I think the problem as those criminal biker gangs that just cause trouble. May it be the Hells Angles who (at least over here) are more of a criminal organization and are known for drug trafficking, money laundering, extortion, forced prostitution, gun law breaches and so on. Then there are more just some bikers who ride as if they owned the streets with complete disregard to traffic laws or the safety of others and even whole groups doing that (often on stolen bikes).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kooC3DTFne8

Those are the problems and the reason why bikers will never have a positive image anywhere.:/\\!!

[Commander Wallace]

I think the problem as those criminal biker gangs that just cause trouble. May it be the Hells Angles who (at least over here) are more of a criminal organization and are known for drug trafficking, money laundering, extortion, forced prostitution, gun law breaches and so on. Then there are more just some bikers who ride as if they owned the streets with complete disregard to traffic laws or the safety of others and even whole groups doing that (often on stolen bikes).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kooC3DTFne8

Those are the problems and the reason why bikers will never have a positive image anywhere.:/\\!!

I agree there are criminal organizations such as some biker gangs and those who have no regard for established laws. The bikes themselves however are just a mode of transportation though. August had mentioned Al Capone who engaged in money laundering and other criminal activities and he didn't ride a motorcycle.

Criminals engage in criminal activities regardless of whether they use a car or motorcycle. Maybe criminal organizations use motorcycles because it's easier to get away on a bike after committing a crime. The incidents you describe go a long way toward conveying a negative image of those who ride bikes and they do happen.

Riding a motorcycle or wearing leather apparel however shouldn't define an individual as a person though. People being people however will tend to judge a book by it's cover though, i.e wearing a leather jacket or riding a bike.


There is always going to good and bad, including people. People like you, Steve, fireftr, Hunter ICX and others tend to agree as do I and the thread started by hunter goes a long way toward portraying the positive side.

[Betonov]

The biggest morons here are not the gang bikers, but solo racers, lone wolves on their manymorethanmycar horsepower ''race'' bikes.
Non urban roads have a speed limit of 90km/h and these morons go at it at 200km/h. You drive to an intersection, look left, look right, all clear, by the time your car gets halfway across the intersection a ''racer'' closes the distance from where he was still invisible to you in a few seconds, is not able to stop and plows trough your car and you, killing both in the process.
A bike traveling at half his speed would still be able to spot the car and slow down to avoid collision. And after the 25th accident in what's only May you got moto club members crying about how us, the car motorists, are cutting them off at any chance we get :/\\!!

[Sailor Steve]

On the other hand there are far too many drivers who don't even notice a semi, much less a bike. The car is the ideal place for reading the morning paper, putting on makeup, chatting on the phone and so much more. :sunny:

[Betonov]

Valid when a biker gets cut off while riding at reasonable speeds.

[August]

Riding leathers don't have to be black but they nearly always are. That's because the Bad Boy Biker image is a big part of motor cycling's appeal. But there is a vast difference between the investment banker who rides his new Harley dresser on the weekend and what many would call a "real biker".

[fireftr18]

The biggest morons here are not the gang bikers, but solo racers, lone wolves on their manymorethanmycar horsepower ''race'' bikes.
Non urban roads have a speed limit of 90km/h and these morons go at it at 200km/h. You drive to an intersection, look left, look right, all clear, by the time your car gets halfway across the intersection a ''racer'' closes the distance from where he was still invisible to you in a few seconds, is not able to stop and plows trough your car and you, killing both in the process.
A bike traveling at half his speed would still be able to spot the car and slow down to avoid collision. And after the 25th accident in what's only May you got moto club members crying about how us, the car motorists, are cutting them off at any chance we get :/\\!!

In my experience with motorcycle wrecks, I have gone to many more where the motorcycle rider lost control than collision with other vehicles. They were all the same story. A "race" bike being driven way too fast for the road by someone that doesn't know what he's doing.

[Jimbuna]

In my experience with motorcycle wrecks, I have gone to many more where the motorcycle rider lost control than collision with other vehicles. They were all the same story. A "race" bike being driven way too fast for the road by someone that doesn't know what he's doing.

Yeah, attended more than my fair share of those in the past also :yep:

[Rockin Robbins]

In Daytona Beach, the world capital of bikers, with the only world-wide rival being Sturgis, South Dakota, the vast majority of motorcycle accidents here are caused by inconsiderate automobile drivers. We don't see enough solo racers here for Bike Week and Biketoberfest to have a decent chance to see even one during the event.

Our tens of thousands of bikers ride safe, usually below the speed limit (to the great annoyance of the little old ladies who live here:D). They have fun at their events and treat the residents with respect. If you break down on the road in your car, chances are it will be a biker who stops to help you.

Bikers here have a GREAT reputation and are sought after to attend our events.

Now, the wannabe racers are seen on non-biker event days, tearing up the roadways in total disregard for common sense and self-preservation. Bikers can't stand those people, and it has nothing to do with the brand of bike they ride.