Why is it that authorities see tattoos, motorcycle and a 3 peice patch and automatically assume we are criminals? I was pulled over twice today for "noise violations in a residential neighborhood." When my Soft-tail Springer is completely stock and therefore legal. HMMM......  Well i guess somethings will never change and profiling is one of these things.... Not a 1%er, but they are not excluded from this. 

Well you will just get used to it, it happens all over the world.

Its funny how some groups will scream holey crap about profiling and it seem to happen to us all the time. Every time I get pulled over I ask just why he even ran my tags and have been told "I run every one on a bike" If I was black and told "I run every black person" there would law suits flying.

agree it sucks but...it's nothing like it was in the 70's and 80"s. Maybe our grand kids will not be bothered.

I don't mean this as sarcasim at all, seriouslly, but if you dress like a duck and it's duck season... I know that "ideally" it's not right, but welcome to the world I guess. There are several non-1% 3 peice clubs out there, but we can't expect jonny-law to always know the difference. best thing you can do is be polite and proffessional and represent you're club well when they stop you. Maybe the boys in blue will figure it out. If you scowl and act indignant, it just confirms their suspicion. just my two cents.

On another note, I commend your tenacity to be in a non-1% 3 peice club. It's no mans land. The world lumps you in with all the 1%ers, and the 1%ers just want to take your patch cuz you're not with them. But you're doing your thing anyway. Right on!

All i can add is to be polite and keep your registration and insurance card handy so that your on your way in a short amount of time. Remeber their just fishing and if you swallow the bait they always win, IE their the ones with the guns!

I guess I feel priveledged. I have only been pulled over once, and the cop did it because a bunji had come loose and was sparkin on the road.He was afraid for my safety. In Florida you have to have a special liscence to ride a bike. I have a friend that has been riding since 08 without one.The $200 school was more than he wanted to pay.

Talked to a LEO one day on the subject of what he looks for on a biker to justify pulling you over. First on his list was a loud exhaust, second on his list was the bike itself, he said that Harley Ultra Classic and Honda GW were hardly ever pull over for the fact that in his eyes if you had that much invested in your ride the chances of you doing anything to illegal were not enough to warrant a pull over, third was the clothes, jacket and patches, in his eyes the three piece patch was like a warning light that you were up to no good. This he said had been passed down from several fellow LEO who all thought the same way. If is a shame that the MC have been targeted like this, but like it has been said in other threads, if you dress the part then be prepared for the what happens next. I now have ditched almost all my black leather for brown, and I even have noticed a difference in the way people treat you with just a color change. I am sorry it is just the stereotype they we who ride have to deal with, as if we didn’t have enough to worry about.
turtleman

We can thank those wonderfull folks in Hollywood for all the attention.They used bikers as the bad guys in too many movies to count,so I really think its a mindset goin back to the 60's..as usual its a few bad eggs that give the rest of us a black eye !!! umm ..now where did I put those brass knuckles?!? ; )

Five outlaws wounded at Sturgis (Custer State Park).
One Outlaw shot. Two Sons of Silence members stabbed.
Red River run...Mongol stabbed to death. Two HA shot to death.
Certainly these aren't the result of a 60's mindset. It is what it is and it ain't a fantasy.

Peace

Hi Jimmyacorn

I agree with you in that respect,yet I am refering to the general mindset of the public as it involves any biker.After being treated like dirt by my fellow citizens in public establishments all cause I rode up on a motorcycle,not wearing any sort of patches or looking like a tough guy,I pondered why all the resentment?? Searching back thru my mind I recall a lot of stereotyping done in HWood with respects to all sorts of different groups of people,as hardened criminals.For example being Italian doesnt mean your in the mafia or know someone that is,or cause you ride a motorcycle n belong to a club means your a drug dealer & killer,its part of the media picture painted in folks minds.Its not fantasy to percieve how the media has enflamed the topic with irational fears about people who ride motorcycles,99% of us are very law abiding citizens if we were half as bad as pictured we would be in congress & the white house

Stay Safe n Enjoy the Ride !

Actually I miss "The Good Old Days" when riders were the bad guys & business people the good guys.
Try to watch popular entertainment & know that when a 50 something guy in a good suit enters the room he is the bad guy & there is no point in watching futher, tho one in awhile the liven it up by making a leggy 30 somehing female weaing a business suit & real hi heels the bad guy. - Why I mostly watch the History Channel

if we were half as bad as pictured we would be in congress & the white house  - Hope you don't mind if I borrow that

I see the other side of the coin more often. havent any of you been filling your tanks and some old guy walks over to chat how nice your bike is or that he used to ride when he was younger, or been getting lunch somewhere on a ride and a elderly couple stop and chat with you. I love that and it has happened more than a few times with my wife or while solo.

I always like to take a few minutes and chat with them, one, I like the stories and two it makes them more comfortable when they see were not just "bad guys on bikes"

How about riding the hwy and a kid in the car next to you is staring at you and smiling along with the parent.


The only time we have been pulled over was on cinco de mayo 6 years ago on hwy 126 in fillmore. We were doing the speed limit when a cady passed us doing about 15 over the speed limit, the chp lit us up and I was pissed. When he got to the back of the bike he had his hand on his gun and he stated that they were pulling people over to inform them that the police were out in force due to the holiday and to make sure you drive safely. He then said nice paint job. thats when my wife started to laugh in my ear, luckily for me the chp didnt hear her.

I do have aftermarket pipes but I drive to where they are not an attention getter. I wear full leathers when on long trips or when the weather permits. I also just started to wear a patch on my vest. So far so good no pull overs. do i look like a biker yes. do i act like those in the media, no.

Now I must say that I do get a charge when the ladies turn to look or a bunch of other bikers turn to see who's coming by, best of all is a bunch of foriegn visitors in a van are taken photos of you. can you imagine what they say to their friends back home about the real bad bikers they saw like on tv.

Stereotyping, bikers never do that. Oh wait. "Those damn dirty cagers". Ha Ha ha!

I'll take that case. P

Was out for a little putt in a small colleage town last week. Watched through my side views as a cop pulled up behind me ( while at a stop light) and ran my tags. I know he had to think that I stold that big old bike. Had another state tropper pull into a reast area and start asking me questions... I asked why he was so curious as to what my vaction plans where? He never answered. I think it is a bike thing... Iam not a member of any club, dont wear patches, and if you are seeing my tattoos when I am riding well I lost my clothes... So why pick on me??? Because they can and will!!! Is it fair... life is not! Motorcycle only check points yep that needs adress as that is profiling openlyprofiling.

my biking days go back to the early 70's. Usually when I was stopped back then it was well deserved. A lot of miles and changes since then and I have a new insight and approach when stopped now. I'm always very polite and respectful first. That sets the tone. When I open my wallet I make sure they see my retired military ID card. I'm back to my old appearance....long hair (what's left of it) and a thick goatee and moustache. If I did something wrong I admit to it. If not, I'll ask what's up? I have two vest. One has my military patch, etc, and a small club patch. The other vest is club colors. If the cop is a vet, (more often than not) we usually get around to military tales. By the time we finish our encounter sometimes I will hand over a business card which under my name reads "Anti-Terrorism, Security, & Intelligence Specialist"....now that really confounds them. I'll smile and say..."If you ever need anything, give a call! Be safe!" ....I usually get a pretty good laugh out of the encounter. (I do love F*&king with people when they think they have the upper hand.)

I'll tell you where you can ride and never get pulled over. Come to deep south Texas, the LEO are looking for groups of illegals or large drug loads and never bother bikers. I wear a 3 piece as do all my friends and no one I know or they know has ever been pulled over even when they should have been!

Gotta love Texas !

I don't wear a patch myself but I can say I have never been pulled over on my bike except for the time or two I deserved it for speeding. And both of those time the conversation with the officer was pretty good, no extra hassles or anything like that.