“I admit that my perceptions may be subjective, but it has been my experience that those who wear gypsy leather tend to have a very high percentage of military vets in attendance, regardless of their cut...”
The club replaces that void in their lives.
Larger clubs rely on an organizational structure to keep everything in order. A lot of guys thrive on this. They want to join these kinds of clubs because they need a sense of “structure and order” in their lives. They want to contribute to a larger goal, and they want their place in the framework.
Some guys are just lost, and many motorcycle clubs offer them “family”. They give them a place in the structure, and tell him that he’s now part of their family, and that they’ll back him up no matter what.
http://www.motorcyclephilosophy.org/2008/03/men-join-motorcycle-clubs.htm
Uhhh... sorta... without all the psycho-babble.