A Brief
History of Motorcycle Patches
“The best alarm clock is sunshine on chrome.” Patches, or colors, as they’re more commonly known, are traditionally worn on biker cutoffs and identify bikers by their club affiliation and location.
As motorcycling has become more popular in recent years, so have patches and motorcycle related gear. Patches identifying with specific brands, such as HarleyDavidson are popular. Artex Group provides custom patches, including Harley patches.
Patches derived from “bestdressed” contests held by motorcycle clubs in the 1940s. Some of the rowdier clubs differentiated themselves from other clubs by cutting club patches into three pieces. • The top rocker consisted of the club’s name. • The center of the patch had the club’s crest. • The bottom identified the biker or his club’s home city.
“Young riders pick a destination and go... Old riders pick a direction and go.”
“Everyone crashes. Some get back on. Some don't. Some can't.” A few pointers on patches: • One-piece patches typically represent families or social clubs. • Two-piece patches can have a variety of meanings. • Three-piece patches are typically used to identify a traditional motorcycle club.
Patches can often also denote rank in a biker club. Probationary members, called prospects, may have patches identifying this status, while full members of the club will have other patches. The practice of using patches to denote rank will vary from club to club.
“You start the game with a full pot o' luck and an empty pot o' experience... The object is to fill the pot of experience before you empty the pot of luck.�
Patch Etiquette 101 Never touch a biker’s patches without permission. Many bikers worked hard to earn these patches from their clubs. Never ask to wear a biker’s kutte, or cut-off.
Always ask permission before photographing a biker in his colors.
“We are a group of complete individuals, and I mean individuals. Everyone of us has a different reason for being who we are. The only thing we agree on is our love for the club. That, and our love for motorcycles.”
Harley-Davidson patches are very popular among the biking public. One of the most respected names in biking, Harley-Davidson has a century-old reputation for producing dependable, reliable and just dead sexy motorcycles. The brand has become synonymous with the romanticized biker lifestyle, and Harley patches help biking enthusiasts show their love for this iconic brand.
“God didn't create metal so that man could make paper clips!�
“Maintenance is as much art as it is science.” Why Custom Patches? • Get the design you want • Differentiate your club from other clubs • Create a stock of patches for your club • Establish an identity for your club
How Custom Patches Are Made Artex creates patches by taking the art you or our art department has created and digitizing the work. Once that’s done, the image is transmitted to our embroidery machines that follow a thorough plan by our digitizers to create your patch using high quality thread and materials. When that’s done, the work is laminated, detailed and inspected.
About Artex Group Artex Group manufactures custom patches and apparel for a variety of clients, including law enforcement and emergency responders, youth organizations, motorcycle clubs and more. Our talented artists can produce just about any image for use on custom apparel or patches, and we have the latest technology to make quality goods. To learn more, visit http://www.artexgroup.net/ or call 866.845.1042.