Motorcycle Clubs : A review for Anaheim, Orange County and beyond

Last week I wrote a couple of pages about motorcycle clubs, and the joys and perils thereof. Today I'll take a look at a few of the local Orange County clubs. There is something for everyone here, whether you are an Asian gangsta, a free-wheelin' woman or a two-wheeled Christian and everything in-between. There are clubs that cater to specific manufacturers of motorcycle and to specific riding styles too.

 

Lets start with OC Spirit Riders. This group is a chapter of the larger Women On Wheels organisation, who's mission is to unite all women motorcycle enthusiasts for recreation, education, mutual support, and to promote a positive image of motorcycling. They dedicate a good portion of their website to attracting new riders into the fold with an emphasis on learning and training. Membership to Women On Wheels costs $30 annually and that gets you the bi-monthly WOW magazine and some other perks. The Los Angeles sister chapter Iron Angeles appears to be more active currently than OC Spirit riders does, so you may have better luck riding with them.

 

A free alternative for female riders is GirlClutch who I have written about previously. This club is far more informal and less organised than the National WOW organisation but they do arrange to ride regularly.

 

If you are a Honda Goldwing owner you might like to check out the Orange county chapter of the GWRRA (Gold Wing Road Riders of America). Part of the largest worldwide single-brand owners club, membership to GWRRA will cost you $45 a year (non-GoldWing owners can join for $50) and for that you get the Wing World magazine, the Gold Book directory, roadside assistance and more. They meet the first Sunday of the month at 8am at Hometown Buffet in Santa Ana and have various rides scheduled from several locations in OC to venues far and wide. They also organise the annual Rally In The Valley ride to Las Vegas that is now in it's 14th year. The groups demographic is obviously on the mature side, and as you might imagine they are very well organised and highly structured. If you don't mind the rules and regulations of a large organisation the benefits could be well worthwhile.

 

Another one-make club is the equally well structured South Coast BMW Riders Club. They are a BMW Motorcycle Owners of America Chartered club and are an AMA chartered club as well. Membership costs $30 a year and a $15 sign up fee for name tag and processing. This should give you an idea of the Tuetonic-level of organisation and rigidity. They too have an annual regional rally, the 3 day Big Bear BMW Rally, for members to convene and have fun together. 

 

Ducati owners can join the Orange County Ducati Club (OCDC) who meet in Huntington Beach once a month alongside Italian bikes of all denominations. 

 

If your flavour of cruiser is all-American there is the SoCal Cruisers meetup. With over 400 members, an abundance of bike nights around OC and regular rides planned there is a cruise waiting to happen for you. Much more informal, and also free, compared to the GoldWing or BMW clubs, this could be a good way to get out and meet new riders without committing yourself.

 

Another big-twin cruiser-focused group is OC Cruizers. With chapters across the South West this club restricts membership to 60 members per chapter to keep group rides controllable. I like the idea of keeping numbers manageable too, to avoid the group dynamics you might find in very large clubs. Of course the down side of this is you have to apply to join the club via a form on there website. There is little information besides promoting a politics-free family atmosphere with a focus on safe, long-distance riding.

 

SoCal Asian Riders invites members from all races and riders of types of bikes. Their almost 400 members are largely of Asian ethnicity, as the club name would suggest, and they have a number of bike nights and rides planned throughout the area. The club is based in LA but has a large number of OC members with rides arranged south of the orange curtain semi-regularly.

 

If your style is more aggressive sportbike canyon carving there are plenty of options too. Crotch Rocket Riders are serious sport riders that welcome riders of all skill levels. They have weekly and monthly rides, weekly bike nights and host technical clinics. The club is based in LA, but again they meet and ride in Orange County with regularity.

 

WeRide is a group based in Huntington Beach with 200+ members that meet once a month at Centerfield Sports Bar & Grill in HB, and have rides planned almost every weekend. Group rides take the members on a variety of machinery to locations far and wide across the SoCal region and variety is good so you are never treading the same tarmac. There is an optional $20 donation/dues to cover website expenses, incentives and prizes.

 

If you like your social activities to take place online as much is in public, two forums popular with Orange County motorcyclists are OCMoto and SoCal Riders Forum (an OCMoto offspring). Both are heavily populated by younger sportbike riders and as such some of the behaviour can err on the juvenile. The two clubs do plan and organise many group rides, both official club rides and unofficial member-hosted rides. OCMoto members also promote many bike night meetups across OC. Membership is free, but the forums are monitored and administered, so not entirely without rules. While OCMoto promotes safety and responsibility, many of it's members are relatively young and inexperienced, so the monthly 60+ rider Newbie Ride can be hair-raising. SoCal Riders is made up of more experienced and mature riders and the rides and forum discussions mostly reflect this.

 

Finally, if you are a rider of faith, then finding fellowship among other Christian riders is possible with OC Bikers For Christ, SoCal Free Riders and Calvary Riders. OC Bikers For Christ is the Orange County Chapter of the International BFC organization. This club is led by Pastor Tom, and they seem to be a well organised bunch of big-twin cruiser riders. They meet once a month in Yorba Linda. Dues are by donation only and the sale of club patches and paraphernalia. SoCal Free Riders is run out of the EVFree Church in Fullerton, and they ride once a month, often long distances to destinations across the south west. They ask for a voluntary $5 donation to join, and are much less formal than the other two.

 

Orange County Calvary Riders are the local chapter of the Christian Motorcyclists Association and as such are the most tightly organised of the Christian motorcycle clubs in OC. They meet on the second Saturday of the month at 8am at the Cowgirls Cafe Too in Santa Ana and have rides planned throughout the year. There are a number of national rally's and events organised by the CMA. There are no membership dues, but to join it is required to buy training materials ($22) and join one of several ministries. As with all the Christian motorcycle clubs, the only rules the club dictates are those spelled out in the Bible.