The Biker Protocol Show – Everything You Need to Know About Motorcycle Culture [Interview]

For some, motorcycles are simply a practical means of transportation. But for decades, they have meant much more to millions of people around the world who are united in motorcycle clubs. Today, on hoperoute.net, we will talk to the creators of the Biker Protocol channel, two bikers from Las Vegas – Picasso, past President of Eagle Riders MC, & Hollywood from Black Patch MC – and ask them about the realities of the motorcycle world.

Hi guys! While preparing questions for our conversation, I quickly realized that many of our readers could find answers to their questions by watching your videos on the Biker Protocol channel (link to the channel – https://www.youtube.com/@BikerProtocol). So, to all curious minds out there, we highly recommend heading over to YouTube and subscribing to your channel.

Where did the idea for creating this kind of content come from? Have you often witnessed situations where a lack of knowledge led to tension on the road or at motorcycle events? Did this inspire you to educate less experienced riders about motorcycle club culture?

Picasso: For years I have subscribed to and watched a lot of Youtube videos on biker culture but something always lacked in most of them. Either it was the poor video quality or advice that I didn’t think was very helpful to most people either who were new to club culture or wanted to learn more about it. I was thinking of launching my own channel about this and then realized that to do it the way I wanted to was going to require some help. As a photographer and videographer, I wanted to do this with the highest of quality so I sat on the idea for a while.

As I started to consider producing such a channel more and more, I had an idea that perhaps it might be more interesting to do it with someone from a different club to add some different perspectives on all this that I do, which might make for more interesting videos. Then it hit me! HOLLYWOOD! He and I had known each other for years and we always love doing things with his club, Black Patch MC. In fact, we’ve even been on a few reality shows together, so I pitched the idea to him and a month later we recorded our first video and it’s been awesome ever since. As we both work in the same field, we share a lot in common outside the motorcycle club world and so our commitment to making our videos of much higher quality is something we are also, equally passionate about.

Hollywood: I’ve tried to be a traditionalist and stick to my morals and support the culture through my time in the MC world. I’m generally the guy who sits Prospects down and explains the meanings behind what we do, why it’s important and tries to give a good framework for their future life in this culture. A lot of the culture and protocol has been lost or ignored, I have seen it end bad for lack of knowledge.

Youtube in a serious sense always felt fake to me. The biker channels out there all just seem like they’re out for views and money. Picasso came to me with the idea to make it a chance to educate those that don’t know. That piqued my interest in a way that felt genuine and in a way that felt like we could keep some of this alive, maybe help others out. Myself being in the film world for almost two decades, it just fit naturally.

One of the missions of our platform is to spread the passion for motorcycles among young people. How did your motorcycle journey begin? How has this passion influenced your life? Has it changed you in any way? Would you recommend motorcycling to everyone, or is it a passion meant for a select few?

Picasso: Well, it’s definitely not for everyone, that’s for sure. I started riding motorcycles at a young age (without my parents knowing because they were very over-protective of me growing up). Growing up in Las Vegas in the 70s and 80s meant lots of access to desert, so dirtbike riding out here was pretty common among my friends, so I learned through them. I eventually got out of riding and a few decades later, the bug hit me and I bought my first cruiser…a Yamaha V-Star. I loved that bike, and eventually traded up and up and up over many years, owning a variety of sport bikes, cruisers, touring bikes, and currently my Harly Road Glide.

That said, there is no question that there is a high level of risk involved in riding motorcycles. Having been in two bad motorcycle accidents myself, I know quite well the risks, but I love riding in spite of that. Because of that, I don’t always recommend riding to everyone. I always laugh at the people who buy a motorcycle only to let it sit in the garage for most of the year. Some people think they have a passion for riding but don’t, and that’s fine if you just want the occasional thrill of riding once in a while, but for those of us who get it in our blood, we can’t imagine a world where we aren’t on two wheels most of the time.

Once I had gotten into a bad accident on my Honda CBR. I had broken three ribs and my left shoulder blade in two places. My arm was in a sling and I was relegated to sleeping in a recliner for six weeks. All during that time, friends and family members kept asking me, “So, do you think you’ll be riding motorcycles anymore after this?” It was a valid question, and for some people that would have put an end to their motorcycle riding. For me though, I couldn’t wait to get back on the bike. I was even wrenching an fixing the bike just days after the accident, knowing I wouldn’t be able to ride it for weeks. It’s either in your blood or it’s not.

Hollywood: I didn’t grow up around motorcycles, in all honesty I had more interest in classic cars in my younger years. Sometime ago, I was in between living circumstances and found a room to rent on Craigslist. The owner was a big biker and part of a club. I would watch him leave on his rides, I helped film some of the charities they ran and even photographed a funeral of one of their members. My eyes were opened up wide. Through his connections I was introduced to the world of Motorcycle Clubs and that’s what hooked me. It wasn’t just the sound of the bikes roaring down the road but the fun times and comradery that grabbed my attention. I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself. I ended up getting my endorsement and renting my first bike to ride to his wedding. The isle was lined with motorcycles, a perfect birth into this world.

I do encourage everyone to give motorcycling a chance. However, the MC world is for a select personality and you have to be willing to be dedicated and passionate, otherwise it won’t work.

Motorcycle clubs – for many non-bikers, this is an unfamiliar and sometimes intimidating world. On the other hand, some motorcyclists struggle to understand how freedom and independence (so often associated with riding) can be combined with brotherhood and the structured rules of motorcycle clubs. How does this actually work in reality? What exactly is motorcycle club culture?

Hollywood: There was a time that motorcycle clubs were free of rules and many got along together. Motorcycling was one’s life and you would trade things just for a tank of gas. As time went on, society evolved and the MC Culture changed as well. Like any organization, people saw that power could be welded and egos took over. With this the media took a grasp on the idea and here we are, clubs as looked at as gangs and the general public is afraid MCs are going to shoot up the place.

Brotherhood and freedom wrapped with rules can be a pipe dream, however some clubs do it, you just won’t see those clubs in the news. It works in reality when you have a tight group that isn’t full of pride. Freedom and brotherhood are not for prideful people.

Our readers are definitely curious about what daily life looks like for a biker and how motorcycle clubs operate. Could you introduce your clubs and briefly describe their activities? For example – outside of work and family life, what does a club’s monthly schedule look like? Are there motorcycle rallies, events, parties, club meetings, charity rides?

Let’s start with Eagle Riders MC, because I had the pleasure of attending your „Cigar Night” event, and it was a fantastic gathering!

Picasso: That’s a bit of a complicated question. We like to stay really busy, but we have to constantly balance personal life, work life, and club life, and within club life we have to balance our own events, events of other clubs, community activities, etc. We generally plan our calendar out three months or so in advance, and all of the events and rides we go to or host ourselves go on our website (www.eagleridersmclv.com). The club also has private events, that are not open to the public, which are not listed there. We always have a staple of events we do regularly from our monthly poker nights we host at our clubhouse to our annual pig roast and poker run. From there, we generally have a hierarchy of things we like to participate in ranging from our own rides to events from other clubs who support us to poker runs and rides of other clubs we are lightly affiliated with. When things overlap, we toss ideas around as to what we want to do but generally, we like to stick to our calendar and we talk about it every Club meeting (or “Church”).

And How about Black Patch MC?

Hollywood: Black Patch started as a group of Stagehands that rode together. The entertainment business is not a nine to five, generally a weekend and night job and so that followed us in the MC world. A general month might be filled with dirt roads to a bonfire on a mountain or camping two states over. We have a phrase, “Let’s do some biker sh*t”. It’s cliche but it means let’s jump on the bike and ride, find something new and make it our own. A lot of our activities happen at nights and on the weekdays because that’s the hours we usually have free time.

As spring hits we enjoy several charity events and we do have our regular monthly club and community meetings. I will say the Eagle Riders Pig Roast is a good one.

From the outside, the biker lifestyle is often associated with rock & roll, rebellion, and loud parties. But on the other hand, motorcycle clubs are also known for their strong commitment to charity work and community service. Rides for sick children, fundraisers for veterans, support for local families in need – these are things we see clubs organizing all the time. Why does giving back matter so much to bikers? What drives this sense of responsibility toward the community? Is it something deeply rooted in the culture of motorcycle clubs, or does it come from personal experiences?

How do you balance these two worlds – the wild freedom of the road and the disciplined dedication to helping others?

Hollywood: That’s a hard one. I would have to check my facts but I’m pretty sure the MC Culture was never founded on charity work, it became something as people realized the power of large groups and the change that can be made. I could be contradicting myself here but I feel maybe the charity came early on but on a smaller and more personal scale not associated with money. Everyone should know that a helmet on the ground behind a bike means a biker is in distress. Respect could be another word for charity early on. If a biker was stranded, another bike might stop and help, offer a bottle of water or just company while they waited for their brothers. Maybe a brother was hard on cash or needed a place to stay, Bunk a Biker comes to mind, that’s the charity I think of when it comes to the MC Culture.

I will say this, I have met some of the nicest and charitable people ever in the motorcycle world. Maybe it’s the ability to just jump on the bike and ride, the sense of that freedom that makes a biker feel they need to give back for what they have. Maybe it’s just as simple as spreading the freedom to those that don’t have it, even if it’s something small that helps that person in times of need.

Picasso: I think there is a lot of truth to what Hollywood is saying. My thoughts on the matter though are that a lot of charity events started within the biker community as a way of showing that we’re all not a bunch of outlaws that just want to cause chaos and mayhem in our communities. So a way of proving this was to start adopting charities we can help as a way of giving back.