I used to ride motorcycles. Big, heavy, fast, loud motorcycles. My favorite was my 2004 Honda ValKyrie Rune. It’s massive 1832cc liquid-cooled overhead-cam horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine sounded awesome, and at over 900 lbs with me on it, the bike rode like a dream.
We thought it would be cool to have our own “colors” to ride under so I designed a back patch for the family to ride with. I started with the idea of an Bald Eagle clutching an American Flag and a Rattlesnake.
The Bald Eagle was chosen June 20, 1782 as the emblem of the United States of America, because of its long life, great strength and majestic looks, and also because it was then believed to exist only on this continent. The eagle represents freedom. Living as he does on the tops of lofty mountains, amid the solitary grandeur of Nature, he has unlimited freedom, whether with strong pinions he sweeps into the valleys below, or upward into the boundless spaces beyond.
The flag of the United States, often referred to as theAmerican Flag, is the national flag of the United States. It consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton (referred to specifically as the “union”) bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows, where rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternate with rows of five stars. The 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 states of the United States of America, and the 13 stripes represent the thirteen British colonies that declared independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain, and became the first states in the U.S. The flag has become a powerful symbol of Americanism, and is proudly flown on many occasions, with giant outdoor flags used by retail outlets to draw customers. Desecration of the flag is considered a public outrage, but remains protected as freedom of speech.
The Rattlesnake was the favorite animal emblem of the Americans even before the Revolution. In 1751 Benjamin Franklin’s Pennsylvania Gazette carried a bitter article protesting the British practice of sending convicts to America. The author suggested the the colonists return the favor by shipping “a cargo of rattlesnakes, which could be distributed in St. James Park, Spring Garden, and other places of pleasure, and particularly in the noblemen’s gardens.” Three years later the same paper printed a picture of a snake as a commentary on the Albany Congress. To remind the delegates of the danger of disunity, the serpent was shown cut to pieces. Each segment is marked with the name of a colony, and the motto “Join or Die” below. Many felt the rattlesnake was a good example of America’s virtues. They argued that it is unique to America; individually its rattles produce no sound, but united they can be heard by all; and while it does not attack unless provoked, it is deadly to step upon one.
Since I like to be different I decided to try making the eagle a skeleton. This turned out to be cool and kind of matches the tendency of motorcycle clubs to put skulls and bones on things. It was difficult to get the wings to work but since feathers are almost part of the skeleton of a bird it made sense to have the feathers fill out the wings.
Los Hermanos Colinas means “The Hill Brothers” since our last name is Hill and we are “brothers” in the sense of a family.
Put it all together and you get:
