Biker Bars 2

"That's all we serve!" the bartender shouted out over the din of dozens of bikers and the loud music, as he slammed the Budweiser beer bottle on the bar.  Dozens of leather clad bikers and their women stood shoulder to shoulder, virtually everyone holding a red labeled dark brown Budweiser bottle. No one but I noticed the bartender's admonition to my x-wife. The bartender looked over at me and I replied with a wry smile, hoping that he understood that my wife was a novice to this type of place. 

Nowadays it's pretty hard to find a true biker bar.  Most biker bars have had to accept that survival of the bar is going to take more than a few seedy bikers, so it's not unusual to walk into a biker bar and see some college kids dressed in a polo shirts, shorts, and sandals, standing at the pool table with their college buddies alongside hard-core bikers.

And then there's the bars that really try to cater to bikers, but struggle with allowing MC members to wear 'colors' while in their bars.  Until the infamous "riot" at Harrah's casino in Laughlin in 2002, it was not unusual to see patch wearing MC members in many of the bars.  Now bar owners's fears of lawsuits from victims and innocent bystanders and damage to the facility and its reputation preclude the option for this self identification in most bars these days.  This is how it is now for most small bars in towns all over America.

So what once was a place where bikers could rally together and party together, has now been forever changed because of a few foolish badasses, fueled by alcohol.  A quintessential American scene has been lost.

I keep telling my new wife that we should open a biker bar.  Of course, non-bikers would be welcomed, but the place would exemplify the American iconic image of the biker, simple, patriotic, and fun-loving.  Of course, there'd have to be loud rock music, shapely young ladies serving the drinks, and plenty of room for wet t-shirt contests and the like.   And motorcycle only parking for sure.

What's your idea of a great biker bar?