Why are bikers and bike makers so obsessed with the Maltese Cross?

[DS1]

You can rarely find a chopper without one embedded somehow, what's the deal?

[Feanorcurufinwe]

1. Because the Falcon is so hard to find.

[LastTime2BeFree]

2. The Maltese Falcon I have of...

Ask my friends of Mister Cairo...

[Cleita]

3. Don't know, but

I just wanted to tell you I love your signature.

[HamstersFromHell]

4. You can blame the Discovery channel

The maltese cross is part of the logo of Jesse James' "West Coast Choppers", and TDC has featured Jesse and his work (awesome custom bikes) on several of their shows, as well as making him the "crew leader" for their series "Monster Garage".

Obviously Jesse sees money in them there crosses, so he's licensed his logo out to a ton of makers of T-shirts, etc. Same applies to Paul (and Paul Jr.) Teutul of Orange County Choppers in New York for their OCC logo once they hit the big time of TV stardom on TDC's "American Chopper" series.


(on edit...spelling)

[ET Awful]

6. It goes back a lot farther than that. . . .

The Maltese Cross had a place in "biker" culture for decades. Hell, look at some footage of the Hells Angels from the 60's, it's all over the place then too.

It's nothing new.

[mitchum]

5. because they look so cool

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

7. According to an "old" biker, now 86, of my acquaintance,

He says that between the wars (WWI and WWII) the Iron Cross was very respected in biker circles.
Apparently a lot of German motorcycle messengers won the Iron Cross, an excessive number something like 1 in 3.
For some reason, the look of the Iron Cross on a leather jacket did something for the nascent biker culture.
WWII interrupted the party, but at the end, the cult of the Iron Cross began anew, and has only increased in the past few years.

Btw: Ted (the old biker) still rides, but only short distances. He has sold all his bikes but one, a 400 Honda which fits him well. Ted is one of the coolest guys I have ever met, and I will miss him and his wisdom when he is gone.

[DS1]

8. woohoo, an answer!

I was wondering if it had German ties, and if so, why.

Thx.

[oneighty]

9. Veterans of Foreign Wars

Emblem is also constructed around the Cross of Malta..The Maltese Cross.

Interesting.

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