Chapter 1: Let’s Ride with a Couple of Motorcycle Clubs of Second Life-Lanai Jarrico Reporting…

Second Life is a fusion of cultures all sharing one grid. That is what makes this virtual world so unique. Within those cultures are subcultures which operate under the radar and avoid exposure from media. The SL Enquirer was recently approached by someone from within the (MC) motorcycle clubs who voiced an opinion about shedding some light on their culture. He asked to remain anonymous but was able to provide some very useful information as to where I can find the ones in charge of various chapters.

I know that there are some who avoid media like we are out to get them but I was able to cross those lines and find out more about what Motorcycle clubs do and what good they bring to the Second Life community.

If you are unfamiliar with Motorcycle clubs in Second Life, there are over 100 chapters making it one of the largest subculture in the virtual world.

For those that have heard of this subculture, there are some misconceptions I would like to clear up with anyone who thinks the MCs of Second Life are a bunch of violent and insensitive virtual criminals riding around the grid causing havoc. Those misconceptions are wrong. I’m not saying things don’t go down between rivals, but usually that is between them and kept out of the public eye.

 In fact they are just like a family and when issues arise, they get handled in their own way. They protect their own with honor and respect. The positives override the negatives and for the most part MCs are a group of like-minded individuals who spend time with each other,  get involved with charitable causes and invite non members to take part in their various activities and rides.

 I had the pleasure of meeting the presidents and vice president of  two MC chapters.  They were welcoming and polite. I enjoyed the time I spent with them. These MCs are a great group of people who share some things in common. Riding and contributing to the Second Life community.

Let’s meet a couple of them

Big Quil and Lanai 

Interview with Biq Quil, President of the Hells Angels Wales Chapter

Lanai: Who are the leaders of Hells Angels Wales Chapter?

Big Quil: I am the President of our organization and our vice president is a man named Austin WarDark (dajuggalo.azalee)

Lanai: When was your chapter founded and what is your creed that all members must abide by?

Big Quil: Our chapter was originally founded in Secondlife in 2009 under the chapter bottom rocker Berdoo, that was later changed in 2010 to HAMC Sin City Crew , some complicated Occurrences later then made us change our bottom rocker once more and that is where  we have stayed , HELLS ANGELS MC WALES SECONDLIFE CHAPTER. Our “Creed” Is the simplest of rules , Brotherhood “ I am my brothers keeper” be loyal and willing to do anything for the patch on your back or a brother wearing it. Honor & Respect

Lanai: I know honor and respect are two main components in the Motorcycle club of Second Life. What happens to members who break this creed?

Big Quil: You see alot of people will say that people get hacked and Greifed and sims get crashed , whoever tells you this is lying The HA Motorcycle Club in SL do not Take part in any Activities that Break The rules set Forth in the TOS. The member would be stripped of his patch and all affiliations to the Club would be cut, And he would never be able to be a member again.

Lanai: How many MC members do you currently have?

Big Quil: I Do not wish to disclose that information on my Chapter , but What i can say is we have multiple chapters consisting of members from all over the world , ranging from Scotland To Germany to The United States of America.

Lanai: No problem. I respect that. It sounds like you have a strong membership.

 Every MC has their own dress code, patches, Jackets and custom bikes. What is required in your organization?

Big Quil: You are Required to hang around for a period of 4-5 days to get to know us at that point you will be given a Denim Vest with a flash bar saying hang around on the front, if we like you you will become a Prospect and be given a bottom rocker to put on the back of your Vest stating the area in which we reside “WALES” and a flash bar on the front stating your rank as a prospect, IF you eventually patch in, You will become a Fully Patched Hells Angels Member Which is when your prospect Flash bar will be replaced with a flash saying Hells angels , and you gain your top rocker and the Sacred Death Head Patch in the middle, at this point you can progress to an officer but bear the same rights as ANY fully patched member of the MC

Hells Angels Patch Collection

Lanai: Who is the creator of your apparel and bikes?

Big Quil: 187 Custom Motorcycles

Lanai: How often does your MC go on rides? What other types of activities do you offer your members?

Big Quil: We do a lot of activities in SL , and show up at a lot of charity Events to show our support for example , The Recent Toys For Tots Expo 2014 . We also ride on a regular basis. In fact, weekly.

Lanai: In Second Life, just as in the real world, problems and situations can erupt between MCs leading to violence. In SL, MC wars happen too. How does your organization handle these types of matters?

Big Quil: We Handle it with the utmost care and try to resolve the situation to not erupt into conflict as I stated before, a lot of people think that MC’s in SL Resort to violence, sim crashing , griefing , account hacking and so on, These are all common misconceptions The HELLS ANGELS MC In SL are a Motorcycle Club filled with MotorCycle Lovers and Fueled by their love of brotherhood and for motorcycles

Killbot, Lanai and Big Quil

Lanai: On a lighter note, which other MCs do you get along most with?

Big Quil: BASTARDS & BITCHES MC, FREE RIDERS MC, THE PYTHONS  Along with other HAMC Chapters , Like HELLS ANGELS MC SCOTLAND AND HELLS ANGELS MC TEXAS

Lanai: Is your organization involved in charitable activities in Second Life? If so, which do you contribute to?

Big Quil: Toys for Tots without fail every single chapter of the club in SL are supporters of the charity and contribute every year .

Lanai: I find that to be very admirable of your MC.

To join your chapter, what type of credentials must one have?

Big Quil: You must be over the age of 18 , at least 1 Year old in SL and have no Previous Connections to any other Club other than The HELLS ANGELS MC

Lanai: Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers about your MC organization?

Big Quil: MY Final Comment goes as follows, A lot of people have common misconceptions about us , we are not scary , and terrifying , we are genuine people that share the common ideals of Brotherhood and Honor, Respect and Loyalty On a higher Level , if you have any intrest in being part of that brotherhood , my advice is contact your Local Chapter of the HELLS ANGELS MC SECONDLIFE.

Lanai: Well said Big Quil. You are right many have misconceptions about MCs of Second Life. I appreciate that you have shed some light on your organization and the positive things it contributes to Second Life.

Nico Shillings and Della Anton

Interview with Neco Shillings Vice President of Seventh Legion

Lanai: Hi Nico, Who are the leaders of your Seventh Legion?

Neco: Grid Domination (Mother Chapter),  Della Anton (Keg Mixemup) – President and I am Vice President. In the USA Chapter Kessryll Stormcrow is President . DJDave Voom is Vice President.

When was your MC chapter founded and what is your creed that all members must abide by?

Neco: We were founded in August 2009.

The Legion's Creed

When my brother is down,

I will lift him up.

When my brother is lost,

I will hold the torch.

When my brother need to speak,

I will be the ear to hear him.

When my brother needs guidance,

I will be the voice to advise him.

When my brother is endanger,

I will be the shield to protect him.

When my brother attacks,

I will be the weapon at his side.

For;

I am the keeper of my brother,

I am the steel of his armor and his sword,

I am the cornerstone of the house,

I am the thread of the patch,

I am Legion and,

We are many,

We are one.

Lanai: Thank you for sharing your creed. It is powerful.  I know honor and respect are two main components in the Motorcycle clubs of Second Life. What happens to members who break this creed?

Neco: It is investigated then, that member is brought before the membership, as with all club matters we act as one. They are given a chance to explain their actions. A vote is then taken and may range from a simple fine to removal from the MC. In extreme cases their name may be "chiseled off the wall" banished so to speak, and existence in the club removed.

Lanai:  That sounds like a fair trial. How many MC members do you currently have?

Neco: Sometimes these questions are best left unanswered. We do not discuss member details with outsiders, but we have more than enough.

Lanai: Fair enough. Every MC has a dress code,. What is required in your organization?

Neco: Vest and patches are earned and provided by the MC. As for dress code, human form is required, as well as being male.  We are an all male MC. Not to be disrespectful to females, but  we strive to be as close to RL Motorcycle Clubs and possible.

 Lanai: That’s OK there is an all ladies MC in SL too. So, Who is the creator of your apparel and bikes?

Neco: Our patches, and vests are made in house. We are self sustained and do not rely on outside help. Most of our members build high quality bikes, such as One Way Custom Choppers, Venom Custom Choppers, SK CC, and CDC.

Lanai: How often does your MC go on rides?

Neco: We schedule rides  periodically depending on events that month (other club rides, events ect.) However members can be found riding daily.

In Second Life, just as in the real world, problems and situations can erupt between MCs leading to violence. How does your organization handle these types of matters?

Neco: Dominate clubs have a vested interest in ensuring undue attention is not focused upon the biker world and they do not have "restrictions" on waiting until after the felony has been committed by some group of bozos to take action. MC members whose world is the biker culture end up answering for the behavior of all these fly by the night MC's that are always popping up in SL and they seldom feel the need to advertise how "bad" they are ... just my observation that those who "think" they are "bad" eventually encounter someone with a bigger fist, bigger knife, or bigger gun. The typical second life citizen does not give a damn "who" causes these problems, it was simply bikers with a patch. It causes undue oversight and great damage for the MC's that have worked hard for many years to create a good name so this is our push for grid domination its not to pick on smaller innocent clubs.

We're not the type to advertise what we do, or can do. Suffice it to say if we were to rez all the vests we have taken over the years, we would run out of prims. Many of our members wear campaign patches on their vests, and no two vests are the same.

Lanai: Reputation is everything so creating a good name is important. Which other MCs do you get along most with?

Neco: Satan's Gold MC Redemption (our sister club, an all female MC) ,Cobra's MC, Centurions Worldwide MC, Banshee MC

Lanai: Is your organization involved in charitable activities in Second Life?

Neco: Relay For Live, Toys for Tots, Wounded Warrior Project (Closed in SL). Autism Awareness B.A.C.A.(Bikers against child abuse), and in the past have helped those close to us in need. In the past we had a member in financial need, in just over 20 minutes the club raised $300 USD. In another case a member suffering sudden financial hardship became homeless and was taken in by another member till he got back on his feet. In 2012 we were part of a team that raised just over L$500,000 for Queensland flood relief. There are other events in which the club was presented certificates that now hang in our Club Houses.

We had a Toys for Tots Poker Run Dec 13 at 3PM all were welcome to come ride.

Lanai: Wow that’s impressive. I think it is great that your organization gets involved with these well known charities.

To join your chapter, what type of credentials must one have?

Neco: Be in human form; be male (in real life and SL); a sense of humor; good team skills; willingness to learn and teach; a set of balls, not afraid to step outside of the box, and a desire to be part of something bigger than themselves. We invite those we believe have potential.

Lanai: Being human seems to be a popular trait for membership qualifications lol. Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers about your MC organization?

Neco: A serious MC club commands respect for one reason. Those who are correctly informed recognize the deep level of personal commitment and self discipline that a man has to demonstrate and sustain in order to wear a patch. They realize that a club's "Colors" are closely guarded and the membership process is long and difficult. Other factors notwithstanding, they respect Patch holders for what they have accomplished by being able to earn and keep the patch they wear. This is respect born out of recognition of dedication and accomplishment. SLMC strives for respect for this reason. This is especially true as it pertains to those persons outside of the motorcycle community. This segment of society is by far the larger, and therefore represents a larger market for any fund raising activities that the group undertakes. It stands to reason that cultivating a relationship with these people is important, and to be perceived by them as "Biker Scum" would not be advantageous to the group. They will therefore conduct themselves as upstanding citizens in every way... "Good neighbors" so to speak. The goal is to be admired and respected by the general public of second life rather than feared. Seventh Legion Motorcycle Club, and all of its members and guests, will always conduct themselves publicly in a highly professional manner.

So pretty much give Respect get Respect.

Lanai: Neco, thank you for giving our readers an inside look at Seventh Legion.

Motorcycle Clubs of Second Life have hundreds of members, each of them contributing something to the SL community in their own way. I only interviewed 2 leaders which barely scratches the surface of just how many are involved across the grid. Both leaders shared some insight into what MCs are all about and I am thankful that they took the time to chat with me. I hope to interview more Motorcycle Clubs in the future.

Which Motorcycle Clubs would you like me to interview next? Leave a suggestion in the comment box below.