It is one of those things you have to sit & think about how to word it in case it is taken the wrong way.

Now before I start I must point out that this is my own ideas

The question has come up on every forum I have ever been a member off & as I have been around clubs all my life I normally get to answer it. What is the question ?

What is the difference between MCC MC MRC ect. Or what’s in a name.

Ok here is the answer according to Womble sorry if it is long winded but that is the way my mind works.

Before I answer the question you must first ask your self if you was looking to join a club what would you expect to get out of being a member & what would you be prepared to put back into that club in return.

MCC - MotorCycle Club

These sort of clubs are great for a laid back sort of attitude to things in general.

Normally started off by a couple of mates riding together then saying hey why not form a club.

These clubs can range in size from 3 members up to several hundred members.

Most MCC’s wear a small badge or patch somewhere on the front of their cut offs or jackets.

Rules & how much you can bend them vary from club to club.

I have been a member of a few MCC’s over the years & have had a good time but found that in the end they was not for me because it was a bunch off mates no one was really going to put their selves out to help another member unless they was going to get something out of it themselves. (Not all club members are like this I must add).

MCC’s get treated differently to other bigger clubs mainly because they are what they are a loosely banded bunch of mates.

The bigger clubs ( not all of them ) tend to look down at MCC’s the way you look down at the kid on the 50cc trying to keep up with the Z1.

There are some great MCC’s out there that I have partied with & have had some great times with.

So if you are looking for a club that you can turn up to meetings when you feel like it run along to the odd rally every now & then with them with out having to give to much off yourself or your time then a MCC is the sort of club for you.

Have you got the idea so far?

MRC - Motorcycle Rally Club

These are very much the same as MCC’s but are formed more just to get together for the rallies than anything else.

There are other names that I can not think off right now that are basically a MCC

All these clubs are what is known as FRONT PATCH CLUBS for the simple reason that they all wear their club patch badge or insignia on the front off the cut off.

There is another slant to this. Which is the side patch club.

A club wearing a side patch could be doing so for a couple off reasons.

1 - The patch is too bloody big to be worn on the front don’t laugh I know of a club that wears their patch on the side because it is too big to be worn on the front breast like most clubs.

2 - The club could want to become a back patch club but for local political reasons they could not put the patch on the back.

These clubs are still MCC’s but they tend to be a bit more strict on their membership & the following of rules.

So if you want to join a club but don’t fancy that laid back do what ever when ever idea, in other words you want to be able to show willing as long as all other members are doing the same then this is where you should apply, though these clubs are not as numerous as your average MCC there are a lot of them about.

I am going to jump a bit now hopefully the reason why will become clear as you read on.

MC - Motorcycle Club

These sort of clubs are not for the light hearted. Entry is not easy or cheap.

To join a proper MC be prepared to give up anything & everything to get that membership.

Everything takes second place family work mates none of these matter the club is first & foremost.

With this in mind perhaps you can understand why a MC member is so sure of himself.

MC clubs these days seem to have dropped a lot of the attitude they used to have towards other clubs. Around the UK now you will find pow wows or coalitions of clubs with the MC’s sitting in on these. We have one in Essex that has 12 clubs sitting on it out off the 12 there are 5 back patch clubs. This would never have happened 10 years ago.

You may remember the club wars from the 60’s & 70’s these was the "patch" fighting over turf & just about anything else really.

This is still going on but you don’t hear about it so much now.

There are really only 2 factions fighting now & they are both pulling smaller clubs towards them, not to boost their numbers for a big fight as they would not ask for help. It is more you are with us or you are with them.

MC clubs demand your loyalty & if it is not given then you are out.

As easy way to save yourself any grief. If they are wearing a patch on their backs DON’T UPSET THEM.

You don’t have to avoid them either they are just bikers after all just don’t show them disrespect.

To sum up.

If you have no family or friends or are prepared to put everything on the line for a patch then this is for you.

If you are not ready for that then just have a beer with them if ( unlikely ) they offer you membership very politely decline.

Now as I said earlier I jumped a bit this is the bit I jumped.

In between the Laid back MCC MRC & the full blown MC are the brotherhood clubs.

There are 2 sorts of these

The side patch brotherhood

These are the same more or less as the side patch MCC

The back patch brotherhood

The back patch brotherhood are not quite a MC but can be very close

Membership is not taken lightly

To become a full member can take up to 2 years.

They do not expect as much from you as a MC but there is a lot of commitment involved.

The word brotherhood is just what it says the members are brothers the club becomes your family & as with a proper family when asked for help or assistance be prepared to give it.

I was a member of a brotherhood club for almost 14 years. ( the club disbanded in 2006 )The club was a  back patch brotherhood. We work hard to get our colours & we have to work hard to keep them.

By this I mean if we are asked to do something we do it.

The club does not take the piss by asking you to do things you would not do for your family again it is a brotherhood.

The easy way to think about it is a ladder

I MEAN NO DISRESPECT TO ANY CLUB BY THIS IT IS THE WAY IT IS.

We have a ladder

On the bottom rung you have MCC’s MRC’s both side & front patch

Next rung you have the clubs like the Brotherhood clubs

At the top you have the MC’s

Like it or not that is the way it is.

I hope this clears a few things up if I can help in any way feel free to contact me womblerocks@gmail.com

Respect to all

Womble