Three members of a notorious motorcycle club have been jailed for a combined 20 years for killing a rival ‘Hells Angels’ grandad who ‘wore wrong colours on their patch’.
David Crawford was knocked off his bike, dragged hundreds of metres under a van and then left for dead by the side of the road.
It’s arseholes like this that people see and notice when they think about motorcycles. It’s why the term ‘Hell’s Angels’ gets used indiscriminately to refer to motorcyclists and that royally pisses me off. I am nothing like these scumbags and I detest everything they represent and stand for. They give motorcycle riders a bad name.
Every so often I get a student who is a prospect for a patch club and without fail they have a piss-poor attitude to learning because they already think they know it all, and the president of their club knows it all as well and they would rather listen to him than to those of us qualified to teach. They have an atrocious attitude towards other road users, whom they regard with contempt – referring to them as ‘cagers’ – yet have no self awareness and fail to recognise that the problems they encounter are due to their own poor roadcraft skills. One of these failed his test not so long ago because he cut across another road user who took avoiding action, and promptly blamed that driver for being there and therefore costing him his test. He should have thanked that van driver profusely for not killing him. Yes, I know, this is not unique to patch clubs, but it’s a fairly typical reaction from my experience of these people. My heart sinks when I have to teach one of them.
Patch clubs are hierarchical in the extreme. One of the joys of riding motorcycles is the sense of individual freedom they give, so I really don’t understand why others will want to voluntarily be bound by a rule dominated structure such as exists in these so-called clubs. Their obsession with their stupid regalia and patches, as we see in this extreme example, merely shows up their intellectual and emotional immaturity.
Did I say that I don’t like patch clubs?
I would could, LR.
“a rule dominated structure such as exists in these so-called clubs. Their obsession with their stupid regalia and patches . . . merely shows up their intellectual and emotional immaturity.”
1930s Germany, anyone?
I thought this stupid stuff was history.
First some clarity.
A “patch” – a bit of territory or a badge?
Why do bikers not all stick together and support each other. They are vulnerable enough as it is, what with blind car drivers, pedestrians, etc..
I am an elderly car driver and I have encountered nothing but courtesy from bikers. And the, almost imperceptable, polite finger of foot raise when I let them know that I know they are there, single left signal, keep left, and let them overtake. A pleasure. Just envy that I am not in their place.
But then this is Scotland. And I can dream.
What you are talking about are the regular riders, not the patch twats.
I don’t think this has anything to do with motorcyclists per se; this is an exhibition of tribalism which some (mostly men it seems) people are hard wired into.
Football is the obvious example; I’ve never understood why some blokes get passionate to the point of inflicting physical damage on otherwise like-minded fans of the game just because they cheer on the other side. It’s illogical and can only be explained by ingrained tribe mentality – they need this to feel like a real man. Pathetic in my opinion but then I’m only human too so who knows?
It’s unfortunate they’ve infected your passion LR, though unsurprising for the potential to show off with a powerful machine between the legs. Interesting how sports like cricket and rugby have remained largely free of these idiots, perhaps the rules are beyond their very basic comprehension?
It takes pathetic to a whole new level, which is part of why I despise them.
I remember seeing a motor cycle gang riding along the old A38 road just outside Worcester.They were spread right across all three lanes and the usual Sunday traffic was scattering out of their way.Then along came a large articulated truck which was not going to give way.There were assorted motor bikes everywhere as they scrambled to get clear.One of the funniest real life scenes I have ever watched.
Paltry sentences….
Indeed. And the convictions should have been for murder.