15 Amazing Motorcycle Tattoo Ideas for Men - Get the Badass Biker Look!

The motorcycle culture in America boasts expensive and high-peformance bikes, but also hardcore Harley Davidson bikers dressed in leather vests decorated with biker patches and showing off body art through motorcycle tattoos .

Different bikers have different reasons for getting a motorcycle tattoo. Some bikers do it because they want to show their affiliation to a motorcycle club. Others get tattoos to follow popular trends in the world of motorcycling. Even more see tattoos as a medium to express their thoughts and creativity.

Just like with certain motorcycle patches, biker tattoos hold a lot of significance especially if they belong to a 1% outlaw motorcycle club. In these circumstances, average motorcyclists often find it too difficult to tatoo their bodies without offending some biker club.

So when you enter a tattoo parlor, don’t just get the first tattoo design you see. Remember, tattoos are permanent. They may fade over time but there is no guarantee that you would be able to completely remove them. And if you get the wrong tattoo, you would have to hide it for the rest of your life to avoid risking the wrath of a motorcycle outlaw club.

Just like with regular tattoos, biker tattoos can be a permanent mark on your body drawn with needles and ink that is grafted to skin tissue or dermis. Once your body recovers from the needle work, the imagery now present on your skin tissue can be clearly seen.

For bikers, getting a tattoo is part of their lifestyle. The only difference between a regular tattoo and a biker tattoo is that most motorcycle tattoos specifically focus on motorcycle-related images such as a motorcycle company’s logo, a favorite motorcycle, motorcycle parts such as the engine, wheels, or sprocket, and even text about the philosophies of biker life.

This article focuses on unique motorcycle tattoo ideas for men . Though you don’t need to ride a two-wheeler to get a tattoo, it becomes customary to get a motorcycle tattoo once you commit to being a biker.

Want a tattoo as a way to express yourself to the world? You can always start by drawing influence from your life experiences. From buying your first motorcycle, your greatest professional achievement, or even heartbreaking moments, you can get a tattoo based on your life story. Your tattoo would benefit from being unique.

One of the most popular motorcycle tattoo designs feature a motorcycle fairing with beautiful yet devilish human eyes. This simple tattoo has a badass charm and also reflects your love for motorcycles. To keep your motorcycle tattoo simple, choose a monochrome look with either a black or red color scheme.

If you are getting a motorcycle tattoo because your motorcyclist friends have and are encouraging you to get one as well, start with getting a small motorcycle tattoo. Discreet motorcycle tattoos are easier to hide and will help you determine if you would like a bigger one.

A few examples to start with are a tattoo of a motorcycle wheel with wings or a smaller image of your motorcycle.

It looks extremely chic when minimalist bikers get small smoke cloud tattoos grafted on their collar bones. Text like “rev up the day” or “live to ride” can beminimal yet hardcore tattoos as well. Images of motorcycle keys, helmet, rims, and fairings are also examples of stylish minimalist tattoos .

Traditional motorcycle tattoos are inspired by the motorcycle scenes of the 1940s and 1950s. These tattoos usually feature a fast motorcycle emitting lots of smoke. In these images, the bike is being ridden by a carefree rider or a devil.

A traditional biker tattoo for men may display a beautiful woman that looks just like a romantic partner. Some tattoos feature beautiful scenery or endless roads to signify the freedom of riding a motorcycle.

The motorcycle skull tattoo is the most popular and versatile tattoo in the motorcycle world. A laughing skull, a flaming skull, a rider with a skull face are some of the most popular skull designs.

Some bikers get a skull tattoo to show that they are not afraid of death. According to superstition, bikers wear skull tattoos to ward off death. Some daredevils like to create unique skull tattoos, such as half of a rider’s face being skeletal to show off their bad boy reputations.

While talking about variations of the skull motorcycle tattoo, let’s not forget the devilish flaming skeleton rider. This tattoo is inspired by the famous Hollywood movie, Ghost Rider. If you don’t want to come across as intimidating but still want to get the skeleton biker tattoo or ghost rider tattoo, then add a friendly line to explain the theme of your tattoo. For example, “ride fearlessly” or “burn the obstacles.” Adding such lines to your tattoo can show that you are motivated and love riding motorcycles, but also indicate that you are not a law breaker.

For bikers, camraderie and loyalty are extremely important. If you ride alone, then maybe this type of tattoo isn’t for you. But if you ride with friends or are a member of a riding club, then you may want a tattoo that features three or four bikers riding together on a scenic road. Adding text such as “Biker brothers riding the wind,” or “Not Blood; Bike Related” can make your tattoo more unique.

For those who prefer to ride alone, the lone wolf tattoo may be best for you. You can have a tattoo of a man riding a motorcycle with a wolf on the fuel tank. Or, you can have a motorcyclist with a wolf head tattooed on your bicep.

To express your passion for motorcycles, you can get a heartbeat motorbike tattoo. This design usually features the heartbeat pulse with the motorcyclist maneuvering his bike on top of the line.

Doctors, lawyers, musicians, and men from other professions sometimes ride motorcycles as a hobby. To make their tattoos unique, they can design tattoos inspired by their professions.

For example, a doctor can get a motorcycle heartbeat tattoo while including an image of a stethoscope around his neck.

A lawyer can get a tattoo with the scales of justice hanging from a set of motorcycle handlebars. Adding text such as “constitutionally free” can improve the tattoo’s design.

A singer or musician can get a tattoo displaying musical notes coming out of a bike’s exhaust pipes.

Traditional American motorcycle tattoos mostly feature an American cruiser such as a Harley Davidson or Indian motorcycle. Many motorcyclists also like to add the American flag to the image. However, if you want to be simple when giving your motorcycle tattoo an American touch, you can simply use a red, blue, and white color scheme.

Neo-traditional motorcycle tattoos for men have bold imagery to express the modern motorcycle culture. These tattoos feature the latest cruiser models, stunning lady riders, and sarcastic or mocking slogans.

Bikers are extremely loyal to their family and friends. It is extremely common for men to get a memorial biker tattoo to honor any loved ones they have lost. A memorial motorcycle tattoo can be small with the dead person’s name written on the motorcycle, along with the abbreviation R.I.P. More elaborate memorial tattoos can display a rider on a motorcycle in front of the grave of his loved one.

Just like skull tattoos, there is a wide variety of motorcycle helmet tattoos. The tattoo can have a simple black helmet, or can display a skull wearing a helmet. Moreover, it can display a helmet with beautiful scenery or colorful abstract artwork.

Tribal motorcycle tattoos are a biker’s way to pay tribute to a tribe or culture. Only men who belong to a particular culture can get the motorcycle tribal tattoo.

Tribal biker tattoos signify pride, strength, and security. Tribal biker tattoos include different lines, patterns, symbols, sacred scripts, or images of sacred places.

1% outlaw motorcycle clubs or lawbreakers are a dominant aspect of American motorcycle culture. Members of these clubs look cool with their biker patches and tattoos, inspiring others to follow their example. While you are free to follow their fashion trends, you are not allowed to get tattoos of their slogans, mottos, and club insignia. To steer clear of dangerous and off-limit biker tattoos, find out all about the top 35 outlaw motorcycle clubs in America here.

Some motorcyclists love black tattoos for their gothic vibe. However, large biker tattoos with lots of details look great in different colors schemes. From red, blue, gold, pink, green, and purple, different shades of color add more depth and character to biker tattoos.

Many motorcyclists love their traditional biker vests or cuts. With their arms exposed, they can flaunt their tatoos to the world as most bikers have tattoos on their forearms and biceps.

As you flex your forearm muscles to turn the throttle, press the clutch, or rev the engine, these muscles cause the tattoos to move as if they are alive. The biceps provide a great surface area for large biker tattoos.

The most visible motorcycle tattoos are the ones on the neck, arms, hands, and forearms. Back tattoos are popular as well. However, because your back would be covered by your t-shirt, biker vest, or leather jacket, it is difficult to flaunt your creativity to the world.

Getting a biker tattoo is a risky affair. If you don’t like the end result, it means a waste of time, money, and lots of pain. Moreover, you will regret your decision for the rest of your life because of the permanent damage to your body.

When getting a tattoo, don’t be impulsive. Research online and check out the designs available at different tattoo parlors. You can also have a tattoo artist draw the design as you put your imagination into words. With thousands of designs available on the internet, mix different images, play with color schemes, and add text that defines your thoughts, values, or beliefs. Make sure that your motorcycle tattoo reflects who you are as a person.

To make a motorcycle tattoo unique, you can take inspiration from old school tattoos. You can bring back the post-WWII motorcycle scene or you can get a tattoo of your favorite mythological character riding your favorite motorcycle. Changing the placement of your tattoos on your body can also make your tattoo easier to see or more unique.

Yes, for two reasons. You cannot get elaborate tattoos on your fingers due to less space being available. Therefore, you will be stuck with getting a small skull or helmet biker tattoo. Some riders get the letters on their bikes’ license plates tattooed on their fingers but that is as creative as you can get.

Due to a greater number of nerve endings in your fingers, a finger biker tattoo hurts more and the color fades quickly because your fingers are constantly being washed, touching objects, etc.

Motorcycle tattoos are an important artistic representation of male riders in today’s world. Depending on a man's personal style, motorcycle tattoos can be of different sizes, colors, and shapes. Biker tattoos are a great way to show your love for motorcycles while also decorate your body.

The tattoo ideas for male bikers mentioned above are a few suggestions to help you get started. There is no limit to the creative world of biker tattoos. Just make sure that the tattoo you are getting is true to your personality and lifestyle.