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Brooklyn Kings
As an avid biker for over nine years, photographer Martin Dixon gained unprecedented access to the predominantly African-American motorcycle clubs in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Manhattan. Comprising a huge subculture of urban road warriors totally unknown to most New Yorkers and bike club enthusiasts, these black "biker gangs"—with names like the Jaguars, the Black Falcons, the Pythons, the Transit Wheelers, the Imperials, the Corpians, the Harlem Riders, the United Roadrunners, and the Uptown Riders—are really high-octane social clubs, whose members ride flashy ninja sport bikes.
Through Dixon's spectacular insider perspective, we enter a world straddling the customs and trappings of traditional biker culture (the heavily embroidered leather jackets, the thick male camaraderie, the bike as manifestation of the ego), and the rituals and pastimes of the urban biker (the springtime bike blessings, the trophy parties, and the clubhouse socials). More importantly, thanks to Dixon, we witness, even participate in, a set of rituals the likes of which no outsider has ever the block parades (complete with monster trucks!), the barbeque parties (replete with a southern club specialty, the "Mississippi Mud Slide"), the bikini bike wash, the Myrtle and Virginia Beach bike runs, the drag races, the raunchy fundraising parties, and, of course, the "biker chicks", urban flavor.
Through Dixon's spectacular insider perspective, we enter a world straddling the customs and trappings of traditional biker culture (the heavily embroidered leather jackets, the thick male camaraderie, the bike as manifestation of the ego), and the rituals and pastimes of the urban biker (the springtime bike blessings, the trophy parties, and the clubhouse socials). More importantly, thanks to Dixon, we witness, even participate in, a set of rituals the likes of which no outsider has ever the block parades (complete with monster trucks!), the barbeque parties (replete with a southern club specialty, the "Mississippi Mud Slide"), the bikini bike wash, the Myrtle and Virginia Beach bike runs, the drag races, the raunchy fundraising parties, and, of course, the "biker chicks", urban flavor.
144 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2000
26 people want to read
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December 31, 2025
This book is an incredible piece of history. Martin Dixon is a skilled photographer, and he captured Brooklyn Black Biker culture so beautifully that I was flipping through these pages and having flashbacks to my childhood.
I have a lot of piecemeal memories from my childhood visiting Brooklyn, the Bronx, Rochester, Albany, Brownsville, and more with my father who spent about 10 solid years in the 90s working back and forth between New York specifically, Michigan, and other places in the North Eastern USA and Ontario, Montreal, etc.. I remember being packed in the van with my siblings and mom and just going from place to place over the summer months and in some winter months and seeing dancehall after dancehall being set up and torn down and packed up.
I can’t remember it all, because I was so young, but one thing I remember is being at a biker event.. women with gold teeth dressed fly and my mom and aunts dancing. Dudes on bikes… a fancy summer bbq car show.. when I started enjoying this book, I had to call my mom and ask her if I was tripping.. and she said no they played some shows for some biker meets! I was tripped out. The photos looked so familiar to me. Crazy what some books can bring up for you.
This is a wonderful piece of history and captures something so beautiful and unique about a Black subculture that many don’t get to experience. The photography is incredible, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and Martin Dixon was beholding everything! Greg Tate contributed gold to this as well.
They need to reprint this book!
I have a lot of piecemeal memories from my childhood visiting Brooklyn, the Bronx, Rochester, Albany, Brownsville, and more with my father who spent about 10 solid years in the 90s working back and forth between New York specifically, Michigan, and other places in the North Eastern USA and Ontario, Montreal, etc.. I remember being packed in the van with my siblings and mom and just going from place to place over the summer months and in some winter months and seeing dancehall after dancehall being set up and torn down and packed up.
I can’t remember it all, because I was so young, but one thing I remember is being at a biker event.. women with gold teeth dressed fly and my mom and aunts dancing. Dudes on bikes… a fancy summer bbq car show.. when I started enjoying this book, I had to call my mom and ask her if I was tripping.. and she said no they played some shows for some biker meets! I was tripped out. The photos looked so familiar to me. Crazy what some books can bring up for you.
This is a wonderful piece of history and captures something so beautiful and unique about a Black subculture that many don’t get to experience. The photography is incredible, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and Martin Dixon was beholding everything! Greg Tate contributed gold to this as well.
They need to reprint this book!
Displaying 1 of 1 review