Patches hold a great history and you might be surprised knowing that these are not just for decoration purposes. It all started when the world was dealing with the deadliest wars in history. And luckily nothing could stop it from migrating from one decade to another. Hence, today we can see patch makers setting the bars so high that none can reach that level.
However, the past embroidered patches still managed to stay on the top. Do you know that initially these patches were used to cover holes in clothes? After that, this embroidered piece of cloth got introduced in the Army. And then they started using them to rank Armed forces and soldiers. It wasn’t too soon when the whole idea of patches took the streets by storm and now everyone got up with an initiative to use patches for a purpose.
History of Motorcycle Patches
Just like a traditional patch have its history, the history of bikers’ patches aren’t much different than that. Motorcycle patches originated from the American Motorcycle Association, back in 1920. After the club was founded, people started gathering at AMA from all-around the places to get membership of it.
California Riot – 1947
Fast forward to the riot of 1947 in California, which btw, can be fabricated according to AMA. But inside the riot, reportedly various bikers lost control and caused turmoil. But shortly after the incident, Association released a statement in which the majority of the members were declared lawful citizens, and only 1% of them were outlaws.
All-white American Association
From 1920 to 1950, this club remained an all-white American Association which was quite a racist thing. And the term outlaw was used to refer to clubs that allow non-whites into the bikers’ community. However, after 1950, they modified the policy and now African-Americans were allowed to join the club as well.
Usually, clubs have unique bespoke patch hat features the name and origin of their club. But if we talk about clubs that are considered to be outlawed, well, they have 3 patches. You either earn the patch or win it. But you can’t purchase any of them.
Interesting Facts about Motorcycle Patches
When we first heard the term, it did not make sense. We thought, how you can stick a patch to your motorcycle. And that’s when we have got to use our 100% of the brain. Jk, you can’t use your brain to the fullest. Or perhaps, you can but that’s not the debate here. The debate is about motorcycle patches and we can assure you one thing, these patches do not go on your bike. Quite silly of us to think that.
You have to earn it!
Anyhow, you are not supposed to use motorcycle patches directly on your bike. Instead, these patches are used to represent certain biker’s clubs. And rather than putting these on the tank of your bike, you stick or stitch them to the jacket you wear during the ride. Now if you think that you can purchase these custom motorcycle patches then let us correct you. When you are a member of any rider’s club, you don’t purchase patches. You have to earn them. You may ask, how you can earn a patch. Well, just like it takes time to get the complete membership of a club — you are also required to put effort and energy to get the patch! The reason why these patches can only be earned and not bought is that there are so many factors impacting a single patch.
What type of Motorcycle Patch you should have?
While selecting a patch you need to keep your club values aligned with the design and shape you choose for it. And for that, you should know about all the types of these patches that are manufactured.
Round
So the first one on the list is this typical round patch that can make any standard leather jacket stand out in a crowd. And you are most likely to see it on various biker jackets because this is the common one. The good thing about round patches is that they seem authentic because almost every rider’s club has one of these.
Triangular
As we have said earlier, traditional patches have already set the bars high and only a few designs can reach that level. And triangular motorcycle patch is one of them. This modern-day patch is everything you need because its unique design can complement any jacket you would wear.
Rectangular
However, rectangular-shaped patches have been worn by rappers for quite a long time now. But since change is the only constant in universe, hence, the idea of rectangular patches for rappers has also changed. Now bikers can also wear them. Besides, this is far different than the classic round patch.
American flag
Moving on to the traditional USA flag patch and if you want your rider’s club to give patriotic vibes then this one is for you. These quality embroidered patches have striped patterns and stars on them. The great thing about these patches is that you can have them in both vintage and modern flag designs.
Vintage
This can be the best pick if you want to keep connected to the vintage vibe of patches. Back in the day, they use beads and sequin to manufacture these patches. Vintage patches give your jackets a whole lot different look. And to experience that, you may have to wear these patches.
Script motorcycle patches
Then comes script motorcycle patches. As the name suggests, script patches not only include designs but also words. You can digitize anything on these patches, and we’d suggest using your club’s tagline or motto on this type of patch.
Skull
Another interesting design for your club can be skull-shaped. But only if you are a fan of Halloween or skulls, to be more precise. Otherwise, you are still free to choose whatever matches your club’s value. Skull-shaped patches are widely used by different biker clubs. These patches have a gothic and edgy look so they can create a pretty intense impression
Conclusion
We hope that this ultimate guide to motorcycle patches can help you to figure out which type of patch would be perfect for your club. And if you don’t have a club, you can still use these patches casually since the club requires you to earn patches but we won’t.
