It’s a cold and dreary morning as members of The Tribe motorcycle club rumble toward their monthly meeting place – a Starbucks in Factoria.

Each of the leather-clad bikers is Jewish, but while the Torah forbids eating pork, riding hogs is another story.

Most of these men aren’t going to let a little bad weather get in the way of a day trip.

Jeff Kay is the founding member of Seattle’s Tribe chapter. He takes his motorcycle to work every day, commuting between his Bellevue home and Microsoft’s Redmond campus rain or shine.

The license plate on his Harley Davidson Road King reads “KSHRHG,” as in kosher hog.

Kay started the Seattle Tribe five years ago with a charter from the original Washington D.C. group, which he co-founded while living in Virginia.

The two clubs are independent, but they share the same name, as well as a patch design that features a stylized Star of David, a Torah scroll, a motorcycle wheel, the word “Tribe” written in Hebrew, and flames to represent a burning bush.

The Tribe’s Seattle chapter is one of 23 riding clubs in the Jewish Motorcyclists Alliance, but it’s the only one on the West Coast as far as its members are aware.

Many of the other groups use funny names like the Hillel’s Angels, or the Bagel Riders. Kay took a more earnest approach.

“We were looking for something that was Jewish and serious,” he said. “We didn’t want to make a joke about it like a lot of these clubs. It’s not that we don’t joke, but I didn’t want to project that.”

The Tribe takes itself seriously, but it isn’t one of those notorious biker gangs made up of outlaw “one-percenters” like the Hell’s Angels or Bandidos. The most trouble most of its riders ever see is the occasional speeding ticket.

“We’re all just Jewish and we have that one thing we really love doing, which is getting on that iron horse and riding,” said member Neil Golden.

No initiations, hazing rituals, or even invites are necessary to join the club – just an affinity for Judaism.

The group also does occasional work in the community, volunteering last year at the Jewish Film Festival and sponsoring a picnic for the Seattle Association for Jews with Disabilities.

The Seattle Tribe’s monthly rides attract eight to 10 riders on average, although the group has 15 members, most of them middle-aged and with a variety of professional backgrounds.

Lenny Warsaw has a blue-collar job at the ELDEC aerospace and electronics company in Lynnwood. Ron Brazg is a doctor, his brother Clive owns a wholesale packaging company, and Ned Porges is a retired college professor now working as a real-estate broker.

Doug Davis owns a jewelry shop and serves as the treasurer of Youth Development Fund, a non-profit group that provides assistance for educational and children’s-services programs.

The Tribe is non-denominational when it comes to motorcycle brands. Kay and Davis ride Harleys, while brothers Ron and Clive Brazg have Boulevard cruisers made by Suzuki.

Porges travels on a BMW R-1200 that features a radio, CD player, anti-lock brakes and heated seats.

“Mine is a convertible on two wheels,” he said.

For The Tribe, it’s not about brand names or a life on the fringes. It’s a passion for motorcycles and the open road.

“I just love the freedom, I love the air, and I love being with friends on the road,” Davis said.

For more information about The Tribe MC of Seattle, contact info@seattletribe.com