Bikin' and Brotherhood: My Journey

Good book, funny and lots of stories from the old days

An honest view into the life of an outlaw biker.

Excellent story of a changed biker. Probably 1 in 50,000. i was brought to this book looking for info about ‘T’ a street drug available during my HS years in the 70s. I never consumed any ‘T’, but knew some who had. I had heard stories of ‘bad trips’ from ‘T’, much like trips from LSD. That was enough for me to decide to never touch it. Another reason I never touched it was because I was never sure exactly what it was. For all other street drugs available that I knew about, the chemical name was readily available to look up & research. I never could find any literature defining & describing ‘T’ insofar as its chemical properties. Nor was I taught anything about it in college or pharmacy school. After HS, I never heard the term ‘T’ referenced again. It seemed to drop from the American lexicon, or perhaps it was only a LOCAL term for some OTHER chemical, angel dust or ketamine? I was perplexed for years & wondered if my memory was playing tricks on me.This book confirmed for me that my memory is intact & the terminology wasn’t just local. But there is little info about it on the internet to this day, at least as far as I can find. I don’t know if it is still sold on the streets, just that I never hear of it. Someone in HS told me at the time that they thought it was powdered THC, but I never could confirm this for sure. When I mentioned it to anyone, pharmacologist, layman, or whomever, I only got a confused look, & possibly asked, “The hell are you talking about? Hash maybe?” My answer was no, hash was different & looked different, even though hash IS concentrated THC. This caused me to question, why would both be sold on the street if they were the same thing, other than one being used like cocaine & the other being smoked like marijuana? Possibly because some prefer one route of administration over the other? This book didn’t answer those questions, but it DID confirm to me that my memory of a street drug called ‘T’ was correct, & it was part of the very interesting story that this book conveys.I suppose the only thing left hanging from the story is that someone possibly needs to pray for Wayne Hicks, (if he is still among the living), & other bikers like him, that they will experience a profound life change as well before it’s too late for changes.

Hearing the unmistakable roar of a Harley almost always makes me turn my head to check it out,, (and the rider, too). Harley's are powerful and sexy, similar to muscle cars from the 70's. Having been born in 1954 I easily related to the decades discussed. And it's sad to learn how the original purpose of being 1 percenters got lost through the years. From chapters focusing on bikin' and brotherhood then, to making money by illegal means, which has become big business. Gun running doesn't bother me, however, I find running drugs and human trafficking absolutely disgusting and those profiting from same vile and morally bankrupt, to say the least. I completely understand the concept of wanting to feel the exhilarating awesome feeling of riding a motorcycle as opposed to driving a cage! Although, the all too frequent use of cage drivers using cell phones and not paying attention to the road is truly alarming. Every time my husband goes riding I pray he gets home safe.I enjoyed reading this book and learned a lot from it. The photos were an added bonus. I'll be looking at the other books written by DCS, and probably buy another one, or two. Buy this book!P.S. Heartfelt thanks to DCS for serving our Country as an Army Paratrooper. Great pic! I respect veterans, especially those who served in Vietnam, because I remember how badly treated they were treated upon returning home--even by older veterans. It was awful and inexcusable.

To the author: Thank you for writing this book. It was a blessing to read.

Dave Spurgeon was an outlaw biker- a member of the 1%'ers. This book is his memoirs of life in a motorcycle club, from his casual riding days to club officer to ex-member.=== The Good Stuff ===* Spurgeon is an excellent writer. The book lists no co-writing credit, so I have to assume that Spurgeon wrote the book himself. He does an excellent job. The book is easily readable, doesn't repeat itself, and covers quite a bit of ground. I read the book in one day.* The author is reasonably honest with his readers. He doesn't dwell on the negative connotations of an outlaw biker group, but he doesn't sugar-coat things either. Along the way he gives an accurate portrait of his emotions and motivations. While he repeats the official "no fear" line, he does let his apprehensions and fears sneak through the narrative.* It is always interesting to hear of the life of "outlaw" members of society, and realize that they have the same issues as the rest of us. Motorcycle clubs evidently have office politics, poor managers and untrustworthy colleagues, just like any other business entity.* The ending to the book is amazing. It is not often that I get surprised or caught off-guard by an ending, but I truly didn't see it coming.=== The Not-So-Good Stuff ===* Spurgeon is somewhat careful about what parts of the life of a motorcycle club member he exposes us to. Criminal and violent acts are downplayed in the book, while experiences riding long distances and "sightseeing" are emphasized. It comes across as a bit over-idealized.=== Summary ===* I am not a motorcycle rider, and not particularly interested in motorcycle clubs or gangs in general. However this book is a marvelous account of one man's time in motorcycle club lifestyle. I would recommend the book to anyone with even a psssing interest in the subject. The last couple chapters are worth the price of the book.

Excellent read, not all pretty to read by gave me a good Idea of what life with the outlaws must be like both good and bad points. Also eliminated a or of false ideas I held. Having been Interested in bikes since I was 14 and spending a year with shells angels I was expecting some bull shit it never came. Read it I'm sure 99% of you will love it makes me wish I could meet Dave spurgeon and shake his hand.

A real insight into the connection these guy's have with each other. It tells us the respact and loyalty shown by members of the 'Bikin' fraternity to each other. It also goes down the road of telling us some of the darker side of this 'brotherhood' and how they make their money running drugs and/or guns. Still worth reading.......

Great read, full of interesting insights into the outlaw lifestyle, plus a good dollop of bike related content as oppose to just violence, drugs and alcohol as so many of the books in this genre tend to focus on. Slightly let down by the ending in my opinion but not enough to detract from the overall readability of this title.

Stick to your beliefs like glue. From a fellow hard living brother across the pond, who also found salvation. GOD BLESS YOU. PETER

Excellent read griping really enjoyed well worth a read if your into biking and clubs it is a true story