Some bikers love their riding jacket and all the patches they've added to it. It's been through a lot with them, and it represents a lot of the fun times they've had over the years. But others like to change up their patches and overall biker look every now and then. These riders want to add and remove patches from their jacket regularly so they don't have to buy new jackets all the time. However, there are some issues with doing that.
The first is that it means you'll have to sew all of your patches on since you can't remove a patch that's been ironed on. The adhesive on the back melts onto the jacket material, and if you try to take it off, you're likely to damage the jacket. If you wear a leather jacket, it's not really an issue since patches can't be ironed on to leather (it damages the material).
Removing sewn on patches requires a small pair of scissors or knife. You have to very carefully cut the stitching between the patch and the jacket. Once you've done that, you can remove the patch and sew another one in its place. You can even reuse the old patch somewhere else.
Changing your jacket's theme doesn't always mean removing all the patches, of course. Some, like a state rocker patch or an US flag patch, can go with many themes. You might also want to keep patches that indicate what biker club you're a part of or what office you hold within that club.
When changing up your patches, remember that there may be some small holes or other signs of where old patches used to be. This really depends on the material your jacket or vest is made out of. You may need to put patches down over these small holes to cover them.