MC History

Motorcycle Club History

Motorcycle Club History goes back one hundred years. There have been motorcycle clubs (MC’s) since the first mass-produced motorcycles were made available at the turn of the century, but the current landscape of clubs began taking shape in the 50’s and 60’s. After WWII there was an explosion of motorcycle clubs as large numbers of veterans began looking for excitement. Forming clubs that had military style structure and discipline, and having a penchant for thrill seeking and hard-drinking, they were on a collision course with the ultra-conservative ideals of the 1950’s.

Famous Hollister Biker Photo

Proof photo was staged

In 1947 there was a 4th of July weekend bike rally in Hollister, California that attracted an unexpectedly large crowd at the time of about 4000. The participants carried on like 20 to 30 year old ex-military men usually do, they got drunk, got in fights and raced their motorcycles. Being overwhelmed by such a large turnout, many were forced to sleep on sidewalks and in parks. Despite the huge crowds, poor conditions and lack of organization only about 50 people were arrested during the event, most for public intoxication, reckless driving and disturbing the peace. There were 60 reported injuries, of which 3 were serious. The media sensationalized the event. A single staged photo of a “drunk biker” guzzling beer on his bike, a pile of broken bottles at his feet, became the image sold to the public along with stories of out of control bikers taking over the town…downplaying the fact they were invited and ill-prepared for! A spokesperson from the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), which sponsored the event, was supposedly quoted in the press as saying “only one percent of bikers are deviants, the other ninety nine percent are law abiding citizens” (although the AMA refutes this). Ever since then, “outlaw” bikers have referred to themselves as 1-percenters.

In 1953, the film The Wild One starring Marlon Brando was released. The film was inspired by the sensationalized press coverage of the Hollister rally and set in the public mind the stereotype of the “outlaw biker”. This led to some embracing the image, and further changed the MC community.

Moving into the 60’s and 70’s, as more clubs began to delve into unlawful behavior and the press continued to focus only on the worst elements of the MC community, there was little to redeem the biker way of life in the eyes of the public.

In the last 20 years there has been resurgence in the number of motorcycle owners and a growing acceptance for the MC subculture. The public is now aware that not all bikers are outlaws and accept that fact that some are. It is this outlaw image that actually attracts many to the community and has led to a whole new set of issues. Many of these “weekend warriors” dress up and “act the part” – swarming rallies across the nation. Many in the MC community feel there are too many clueless yuppies on bikes walking a fine line between having fun and getting into real trouble.