Creating the Los Angeles Section

After being a member of the 59 Club for many years, I along with friends from L.A. who are also members noticed a disparity that we felt needed to be addressed; there was no unified 59 Club representation in Southern California for members to belong to. So began the yearlong email inquiries to London on how to go about creating a new section and could we have their authorization and blessing to do so. After many, many months of communication we were finally given the green light to move forward. We first went about creating a Facebook page for current members and supporters, but more importantly we wanted to get tacit approval from the hundreds of Rockers in England who needed to know we were doing this with the strictest adherance to British 59 Club customs and traditions. This was not going to be a ripoff of the name or a mockery of 50 years of British motorcyle culture, we wanted to do it right, so we got a nod of approval from a large number of Rockers new and old from London. And here we are now, over a year into this process with new members, a gathering site for California members who have been club members for a long time, and a new website to respectfully promote the original 1950s/1960s British motorcycle subculture.

Having spent time in England and Europe, and being a biker for the better half of my adult life, as well as being a Rocker for over a decade, I dedicate this website to my brother and sister Rockers in England, Australia, Europe and the very few of us that exist here in the States. I’m proud to be a Rocker and a member of the 59 Club of England. I want to thank some very important people in the Rocker community for all their support over the last year and a half; Larry Fletcher of 59 Club – Chicago Section, Shadow from 59 Club – Australian Section, and good friends Chevy, Rob, Will and Heather from England and her husband Max from 59 Club – Italian Section. So ride with the wind at your back and the sun on your face, we’ll be riding up the North Circular to the Ace Cafe, in spirit at least.

Cheers mates,
A.

About the California Section

Posted by admin on June 25, 2012
Posted in: Creating the Los Angeles Section.

The California arm of the 59 Club carries on the original club ideology and passion for cafe racers and vintage motorcycles like BSA, Norton, Triumph, AJS, Matchless, Royal Enfield, Ducati, Moto Guzzi, BMW, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha and Kawasaki.  Our members come from all walks of life; blue-collar and white-collar, male and female.  Most members are in their 30s or 40s who’ve been riding for a long time, some are educated professionals, and some have families, most of us ride on the weekends, some of us ride every day.  Overall the club has a very diverse mix of people and backgrounds, but we all have one thing in common, riding vintage or classic British, European or Japanese bikes and café racers.

As an officially recognized section with card-carrying members all over Southern California we keep true to club traditions; therefore we have no club officers, no politics, very few rules, and we have zero tolerance for personal drama, racist or sexist attitudes, drug use or criminal activity. You don’t have to be a Greaser or love Rockabilly to join our section, but you do have to own, ride and maintain a bike that reflects our club history and traditions, you have to understand our club philosophy, and hopefully feel a kinship with what we represent.  We also support other clubs with similar passions.

Overall we want to keep our club and our sections focused on meeting up at out-of-the-way locales, fun rides, camaraderie and sharing a few rounds of beers with your mates.  We ride as a group, and often with other Southern California-based clubs.  We attend music & bike events, weekenders, and basically enjoy the biker lifestyle as the original Ton-Up boys and Rockers did in 1950s and 1960s Great Britain.  And where ‘cracking the ton’ was a customary rite of passage in England, it is too a rite of initiation for the California branch of the legendary 59 Club, among other traditions such as jukebox ‘record racing’ between pubs and diners.

With 59 Club Sections in the Los Angeles, San Diego, Bakersfield, Monterey Bay, and Orange County areas, there are always major bike events to attend, and there are numerous like-minded bike clubs to ride with.  We attend several annual rides in San Diego, Orange County, Kern County, and Los Angeles; the annual Hansen Dam ride here in L.A., the annual Venice rides, and numerous other bike events around Southern California.  As a club we try to enjoy all that Southern California has to offer by way of winding mountain roads in the east, beautiful coastal rides north, far away cafes and restaurants, long freeway excursions away from traffic and city congestion,… or sometimes we just ride down to the local pub for a pint or two.  Come join us, all are welcome.  Cheers mates

Chief Administrator,

California Section ~ 59 Club of England

November, 2011.