Rolling Thunder and Biker Symbols: The Unwritten Code

Why do biker veterans dress the way they do?

I just went down to the National Mall to watch the 29th annual Rolling Thunder military veterans motorcycle ride. It’s intense: loud bikes, large men with leather vests that read “Semper Fi”, lots of tattoos, and — this year, at least — plenty of pro-Trump, “Make America Great Again” signs.

There are a lot of things to say about Rolling Thunder, and what it means for the idea of America, but that’s not what this post is about. (I’ll just say up front that I’ve always greatly respected veterans’ service to the country.) Instead, I’m interested in understanding more about the symbols and language that define the biker veteran identity. They’re really clear-cut, and immediately recognizable to a lot of Americans. But I realize now that they raise a lot of issues that I’d like to understand better.

So let’s start with what’s definitely part of the package. Leather vests, which are almost always black and are usually covered with patches, are number one. This seems pretty much mandatory if you want to self-identify as a biker veteran. From one point of view, this makes sense: it’s highly recognizable, doesn’t get in the way of riding, and you can display patches on the vest that show your service record, your local affiliation, and any other messages you want to send to the world (“Fuck off, we’re full” on a US map, for instance.)

But why are they always black? Couldn’t you wear a brown leather vest? Apparently no — not a single one of the literally hundreds (possibly thousands) of bikers I saw today wore brown. And why is it a vest — couldn’t you wear a black leather jacket (which is more practical for motorcycle safety)? Nope, that’s also against whatever unwritten code determines these things: bare arms are absolutely mandatory. (Admittedly, it was a pretty hot day in DC.)

Part of the reason for the vest thing is probably the sense of rebellion and toughness that’s at the core of the biker identity. Like NFL linebackers, showing your arms is a form of showing strength. And I wonder if it’s also supposed to reference Vietnam-era flak vests, which are so iconic?

But why are they always black? Couldn’t you wear a brown leather vest? Apparently no — not a single one of the literally hundreds (possibly thousands) of bikers I saw today wore brown.

Next, there’s the motorcycle itself. These are overwhelmingly Harley cruisers, which is understandable from a “Made in America” perspective, and also the fact that they’re slung more comfortably for road trips and large stomachs (I saw a lot of those today). I counted a scattering of Japanese bikes and one BMW, but they were far less common than Harley and Can-Am trikes, and about as common as Polaris Slingshots. There were zero dirt bikes or sport bikes.

Pants are pretty much always jeans and mostly Levis. That clearly works with the all-American image, but wouldn’t you also expect some (all-American) work pants like Carhartts or Dickies? For some reason it’s completely not okay to wear those, or cargo pants. Why not?

Then there’s the strange role, or lack thereof, of camo. Other than a small group of guys watching who had camo vests, I didn’t see a single stitch of it anywhere. Aren’t these all guys who wore camo as soldiers and marines — who have a greater moral right to wear it than anyone else? But it’s completely absent from the regalia, and doesn’t even make an appearance in bandanas or T-shirts. I kept being struck by the contrast with something like Duck Dynasty, where camo is almost required wearing for the guys on the show, most of whom would fit right in to Rolling Thunder if they dressed a little differently.

Next, jewelry. There were plenty of rings, metal buttons (my favorite were ones made out of Buffalo nickels), studded leather belts, and even studded vests. But absolutely everything was made of silver. Not a trace of gold jewelry anywhere. Why is that? Is gold forbidden by the biker code?

Hats are 100% baseball caps, with no exceptions. Riders weren’t wearing them — they wore helmets, bandanas, or went bare-headed — but they were very common on dismounted riders. No cowboy hats or anything else. Again, is this part of the unwritten uniform?

But absolutely everything was made of silver. Not a trace of gold jewelry anywhere. Why is that? Is gold forbidden by the biker code?

And speaking of cowboy hats, I was struck by how little overlap there is with the cowboy look. I had always vaguely associated bikers with a kind of “steel horse” image of the modern cowboy — after all, the vest definitely evokes a frontier gunslinger. But there was almost no actual cowboy symbolism on display. Other than the complete lack of cowboy hats, there were no cowboy boots anywhere, just work boots, combat boots, or some motorcycle boots. Not a single vest had frontier fringe. The closest thing was an occasional big (silver) belt buckle that looked vaguely western, but those were rare too. Why isn’t there more of a symbolic linkage with the cowboy image and look?

Facial hair: there was a lot of it. Not every rider had it, but many did, and it’s basically either a full beard, or a big mustache. No goatees, chin straps, soul patches, or anything else. Are those also off limits? I should mention here that while almost all the riders were male, I did see a few women riding (other than as passengers behind men) and other than facial hair, they followed pretty much every other part of the look.

Geico? Surprisingly, it’s the major sponsor of this year’s ride. I get the practical business interest connection, since bikers definitely need insurance, but it’s not exactly an All-American brand or an outlaw image.

The patches on the vests deserve an entire book to understand them, so I won’t say much here. But the most prominent themes were clearly honor, valor, memory, brotherhood, and America. The words “valor” and “honor” have very powerful roles, so much so that the Geico Armed Forces motorcycle that was on display near the food stands, attracting a lot of attention, had them emblazoned on the tank and cut into the seat guard.

(By the way: Geico? Surprisingly, it’s the major sponsor of this year’s ride. I get the practical business interest connection, since bikers definitely need insurance, but it’s not exactly an All-American brand or an outlaw image.)

Then there’s the issue of brands that you might think would want to be associated with this community, but aren’t. There’s no link with Coke, or McDonald’s, or Budweiser (which would admittedly be a little awkward). There’s no hint of the NFL, Walmart, Verizon, NASCAR, or Gibson. No tobacco companies or gun companies. No Mobil, Goodyear, or Castrol. No Rothco or McRae. Why not? Clearly some of those branding cross-overs would be strange fits, but none of them? Or do they exist, but I just haven’t seen them, since I’m not the target audience?

The roots of Rolling Thunder are pretty interesting, and did a lot to change the view of motorcycle riders in the US. I’m one of them — I’ve ridden Harleys and BMWs, although I don’t anymore, so I know a little about motorcycle culture. But the symbolism of Rolling Thunder still seems confusing to me.

Finally, I’ll stay out of politics for this post, but I do have to point out that the Trump connection is weird. Here’s a man who outright insulted POWs (“I like people who weren’t captured”) and said they weren’t heroes, who nevertheless is getting massive support from a group whose main mission is to honor veterans and recover MIAs. What the hell?