Moped Army

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Moped Army is a group of avid moped riders, originally formed in Kalamazoo, Michigan as the Decepticons in 1997 by three friends from Sturgis, MI while attending Western Michigan University.[1] Eventually, as other moped riders showed an interest in creating their own branches associated with the Decepticons, the Moped Army was formed, with the Decepticons summarily becoming a branch of the Moped Army.

In its mission statement, the Moped Army describes itself as "...the organizational end result of an outcropping of moped enthusiasts throughout the nation."[2] To that end, the Moped Army's website hosts a forum and the Moped Wiki, which provide informational resources to the greater moped community, and many of the branches host public events throughout the year.

In 2003, Hardcore Productions released a documentary on the Moped Army, Swarm and Destroy. The footage was shot mostly at the Decepticon's BBQ 6 event, and contains anecdotes about moped lifestyle and the history of the Moped Army.[3]

In 2006, comic writer/artist Paul Sizer authored a science fiction graphic novel entitled "Moped Army" inspired by the organization.[4]

As of autumn 2006, the greater organization comprised 18 branches, with roughly 340 members in total.[5]

[edit] Allusions

Some Moped Army branch names contain references to cultural icons, moped-related terms, or the branch's geographic location.

  • 50:1 are named for a common gasoline-to-oil ratio used in 2-stroke moped engines.
  • The Bombardment Society is a reference to a school club in the film Rushmore.
  • The Creatures of the Loin is a reference to the Tenderloin neighborhood in San Francisco. [6]
  • The Decepticons took their name from the villains of the Transformers television series.
  • The Ghost Riders took their name from the popular comic book character Ghost Rider.
  • The Hell's Satans name comes from an episode of The Simpsons. [7]
  • The Mosquito Fleet is an eponym of the steamships of Puget Sound.
  • switcHANDsignal references the Pittsburgh-based Union Switch & Signal.
  • The Tom Cruisers are a reference to Tom Cruise and the movie Top Gun.

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Swarm and Destory is Motto of Moped Army. Kalamazoo Gazette. Retrieved on 2006-11-16.
  2. ^ http://www.mopedarmy.com/main/mission/
  3. ^ http://www.1977mopeds.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=123
  4. ^ http://www.paulsizer.com/moped_army/about_moped.htm
  5. ^ http://www.mopedarmy.com/members/view/
  6. ^ http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/12/27/DDGU0GCPP51.DTL
  7. ^ http://www.thesimpsons.com/episode_guide/1108.htm


 This organization-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../m/o/p/Moped_Army_bbad.html"