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SF’s bikers, no longer bad boys, now just want to keep the culture alive

Veterans and young guns compared bikes and swapped stories at a San Francisco Motorcycle Club party in the Mission.

A smiling man with long hair stands holding a bottle, wearing a denim vest and blue jeans. Behind him, an orange motorcycle is mounted on a wall with pictures.
AJ Murphy, 24, started riding motorcycles at age 5 and counts himself as a second-generation member of the San Francisco Motorcycle Club. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard

In a wood-paneled clubhouse in the Mission, dozens of bikers gathered to rage for the San Francisco Motorcycle Club’s 120th birthday. 

Club member Robert Gonzalez served beer after beer from behind the “fountain” in the back at the Friday-night celebration, while couples danced to live music, members checked out one another’s bikes, and grizzled graybeards reminisced about the old days.

The room swelled with club members, their children, grandchildren, and friends from sister clubs like the Pasadena Motorcycle Club and the San Jose Dons, who were in town for a weekend of festivities. All these groups are old, but SFMC is the the second-oldest American Motorcycle Association club, behind only the Yonkers Motorcycle Club, which formed in 1903.

A group of people gathers outside "Ed Arroyo Auto Body," with numerous motorcycles lined up along the street. The scene is illuminated by warm streetlights.
Members admire the motorcycles outside the SFMC building in the Mission. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard
A person wearing a "San Jose Dons Motorcycle Club" vest stands by a food table at a dimly lit gathering, with vintage motorcycles displayed on the walls.
A San Jose Dons MC member rolls up to the taco bar. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard

The weekend included a kickoff party, followed by a ride through wine country and up to Middletown. 

But Thursday — meeting day — was strictly business. President Barry Hobbes, 48, called the room to attention. 

“This will be a short meeting,” he began. 

“Motion to adjourn!” a member from the back shouted to laughs. 

Bikers in flannels, denim vests, and leather jackets emblazoned with club colors filtered into the main hall from the “fountain.” (“We don’t call it a bar, because you’re not paying for drinks,” Hobbes explained. “We’re paying for your drinks. You’re making a donation.”) 

The clubhouse was decorated with American Motorcycle Association pendants from 1938 to 1956, framed photos of races, and a pool table with a black leather cover.

A man poses with his motorcycle.
SFMC prospect Skyler Forge leans on his Ducati 1260s outside the San Francisco Motorcycle Club HQ. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard

Skyler Forge, a prospect for the club who lives in San Francisco’s Ingleside neighborhood, circled the room selling raffle tickets. Forge is halfway through the three-month prospectorship required to join the club, which means he has so far spent six weeks changing the oil in members’ bikes, picking up food, and learning how to take care of the clubhouse.

“The club is about service,” Forge said outside the building on Folsom and 18th. 

As he spoke, an ailing minivan clunked and rasped past the entrance. “People think bikes are loud — listen to that thing,” he said.

Hobbes, who took over as president this year after 11 years as a member, said he aims to change the model of prospectorship, which tends to be a bit like hazing. He said SFMC is an accepting club — its members ride all kinds of bikes — and he strives to preserve the culture of equality and mutual respect. His jacket sports a patch that says “JAM” — “just a member.”

Kalle Hoffman, a member since 2006 and onetime president, has seen Bay Area motorcycle culture change over the decades.

“Motorcyclists are an aging demographic,” Hoffman said, arms crossed. “The part of the community that I stepped into is aging with me.” 

That part of the community was strongly represented at the meeting, with white hair tumbling down over mechanic shirt collars. 

The new guard, Hoffman said, is more interested in meet-ups advertised on social media than in traditional clubs. He compared the club model to dating and the new model to hooking up. 

Asked about the dirt bike gangs that tear through city streets, Hoffman said they’re fine by him. SFMC welcomes all riders.

AJ Murphy, 24, grew up in the club. His father, Clay, is a member, and AJ started riding at 5 in the streets of the Sunset. A year later, he started racing, and at 16 he got his license. By the time he joined the club as an official member at age 18, he was already family.

“These people watched me grow up,” Murphy said.

Now, Murphy owns a dirt bike. His dual-sport is street legal, unlike some of the bikes on the road, he said, but he doesn’t have anything against the dirt-bike crews that rile up so many residents. Dirt bikes, he said, can be cheaper than other motorcycles and have fewer breakable parts, making them more accessible.

“It’s all about being on two wheels,” he said.

Hobbes agreed but said the two cultures were distinct.

“The stunters and ‘12 o’clock boys’ — no helmets, no safety gear, no plates — is a very different culture from us,” he said, adding that the club falls back on California law when its own regulations and standard meeting rules don’t apply. There have been burnouts in the clubhouse, sure, but SFMC members aren’t criminals.

A family photo in the San Francisco Motorcycle Club.
Bob and Jack Young, center, joined their extended family to celebrate the club's 120th anniversary. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard

Tucker Perry started riding in 1999 at age 24.

“I had a car I really liked, and I moved to the Tender Nob,” he said. “I didn’t want to watch it get beat to shit, so I sold it and bought a bike.” 

He quickly fell in love with riding. Unlike in a car, he said, “you’re in the environment you’re traveling through.”

Dave “Papa Chili” Schiller joined SFMC in 1980. “If you wanna know me, go to the wall,” he said, pointing to a plaque: the Century Award. The club honored Schiller with the plaque 20 years ago, at its centennial celebration, for outstanding service.

When Schiller joined, the club was a little rougher — members mingled with the Hell’s Angels and sometimes got into trouble. Schiller said his best friend, Rebel, was assassinated in 1991.

“Executed. Shot in the head,” Schiller said. He wouldn’t say why. 

Now, though, things have changed. The club is family-friendly. And the core values of friendship, honesty, and mutual aid persevere.

“We’re in the best position we could be in today,” Schiller said, chewing on his false teeth. “Now I just have to watch it run smooth.”

Two older gentlemen converse in a doorway.
Dave "Papa Chili" Schiller, left, chops it up with fellow club member TC Pollard. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard
A woman poses in front of a graffiti-covered wall.
Vanimal, a Pasadena Motorcycle Club member, stopped by the SFMC's Friday-night celebration. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard
A worn leather jacket with a fur collar displays various colorful pins, including a bottle labeled "Scotch Ness" and other travel-themed designs.
SFMC prospect Skyler Forge displays his collection of pins. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard
A sepia-toned group photo from August 3, 1952, showing dozens of people at the "Hap Jones 19th Annual Party" in Agua Caliente, with a finger pointing at it.
Loren Jones, 74, points to himself in an old photo on the clubhouse wall. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard

Max Harrison-Caldwell can be reached at maxhc@sfstandard.com