I used to work for a guy who was pretty straight laced and laid back. Filthy rich, for sure. But he was the clean cut, country-club sort of guy who always dressed well. Funny thing is, I never would have known the guy rode a Harley had he not told me one day. He just didn't look the part.
You see, where I live is not a hot bed for the scruffy-looking, rough riders of Southern California. It's too cold most of the time. So the majority of bikers around here are middle-class workers and business men who ride on weekends during the summer. Even so, that's not an excuse to look like a weenie on two wheels. If you're gonna own a Harley, you need to drive it like you man it and look like you drive it.
What you need, at bare minimum, is a leather vest with a loud embroidered patch. That's the difference between the look of a Hog and that of a wannabe. Harley riders wear leather and patches. Lots of patches. Wannabes throw on a wind breaker and a cheap pair of fake leather gloves and think they look the part.
I know, most of you bikers in my area aren't part of a biker club, and wearing colors when you don't belong to a club is dangerous. But you can get a big old American Hawgs patch that tells the world you really love your ride. There's also all kinds of American eagle patches, skull patches, flags, and just about anything else. The point is, you need something, anything to get started tricking out that lather vest.
What...you don't own leathers? How can that be? I thought leathers were a requirement to ride a Harley!
So the first thing you need to do is buy a vest or a jacket. They aren't all that expensive, so just go get yourself one. Then find the biggest, baddest patch to sew on the back. It needs to say something about who you are. Be it a Vet, a proud Italian biker, a Christian or Jewish biker, or whatever. Sew that patch on before you even think about letting your Harley out of the garage.
Once you get that first one on your vest you can ride with at least some measure of dignity. But don't stop with a single back patch. You need to hit the front with an American flag; maybe something smaller on both the right and left breast. Throw a couple of patches on the shoulders and now you're looking like a real HOG.
Listen, all I'm saying is that there are certain expectations when we do certain things. We expect a football player to be wearing his team's uniform, right? We expect cops to look like cops, politicians to wear expensive tailored suits, and lady Gaga to blow everyone's mind. So if you're gonna ride a Harley, people need to look at you and think Hog. That starts with your leathers and patches.
Back Patches for when your on your Hog
