Bylaws create the solid foundation that will keep your motorcycle club together. If they are carefully written and strictly followed, they will ensure that your club will survive the many challenges it will face throughout the years and decades. If you look around forty years from now and your motorcycle club still exists, it is likely that the constitution you create today is largely responsible for the success of your club.

When you create your bylaws, you should keep in mind that this document will be the club’s great equalizer that will be the law that no club member can exceed, ignore or move against. There must be great consideration and thought in creating this document. Once written, the statutes will be the roadmap that will guide its members.

This series of articles will show you what your club constitution should contain and give you basic instructions on how to write them:

Bylaws must begin with a creation / amendment date prominently displayed at the top. This date will let all members know that they have the most up-to-date version at a quick glance.

There should be a table of contents to allow members to quickly find and access desired sections.

Article 1 should stipulate the start date of the motorcycle club. Along with the club’s date of birth, it will indicate what the name will be forever. You must provide the physical address and URL of the website, the URL of the Facebook page, email, phone number, and other contact information.

Article II

Section 1 The Club:

Section 1 of Article II should explain what the physical composition of the club should be. It will indicate how many members a club has (or an unlimited number of members) and which male and female members will be appointed (i.e. ownership vs. members). It will designate what percentage of the membership must own motorcycles (in Georgia, this is 80% of the club’s members) and how long the membership will last (that is, until the member dissolves their membership or violates the constitution).

Section 2 Membership:

Section 2 of Article II generally sets out what is required to be a member of your motorcycle club. You must indicate the requirements for regular or future membership (probation). It will state the minimum age of a member and what qualifications the member must have on their driver’s license before they can join. It will stipulate how a potential member will be designated (hanging around) as a potential customer and how the potential customer will become a regular member. It will also indicate the minimum age required to be a member.

Section 2a: Possible Membership:

Section 2 of Article II will detail the conduct of a Prospect during the prospecting period. It will specify the duties of the Lead sponsor and the duties of the Lead. It will list all the requirements of a prospect and specify what a prospect cannot be asked to do and what regular members cannot do to a prospect.

Section 3: Auxiliary Membership

Section 3a of Article II will discuss auxiliary membership or club property duties. It will state the age of auxiliary members and discuss the nature of their association with the club and what it will take for them to earn their colors.

Section 4: Initiation

Section 4 of Article II will establish what is required during the initiation of a new member by the club.

Section 4: Inactive Members

Section 4a of Article II will specify how inactive members will be treated and what will be considered a period of inactivity. It will detail how the MC will grant members a leave of absence, an emergency leave, or relieve a member’s responsibilities for special circumstances. It will also indicate the length of the leave periods.

Section 4b: Continuous Good Condition

Section 4b of Article II will specify what is required for a member to be up-to-date with the CM. Generally, if a member is in good standing, fulfills his obligations, and has completed a specified period of time; for example, they could be considered “in good standing”.

Section 5: Discrimination

Section 5 of Article II will contain the anti-discrimination clause of the motorcycle club if desired.

This article has been an examination of the general issues contained in Articles I and II of the well-written bylaws of motorcycle clubs. Join me in my next article as we delve into how to write motorcycle club bylaws.