Outlaw bike gangs ( OMGs ) got their commencement in the forties and ' 50 as spinoffs of more mainstream motorcycle clubs . After World War II , motorcycling began to spread in popularity as a hobby . Veterans settle into lives in the suburbs working ordinary business wanted to get a taste of the more adrenaline - charged lifespan they ’d lived oversea . Riding along the nation ’s highways with friends – partying and often drinking – was a complete means to do that [ source : Dulaney ] .
The felon grouping lead off to acquire after a 1947 bicycle rally in Hollister , Calif. , that flare up into a drunken revelry . agree to write up , drunken rockers rode through townsfolk ( even in and out of buildings and restaurants ) cause trouble and destroying property [ origin : Homer Thompson ] . Journalists and historian have since claimed that Hollister was not the all - out chaos portrayed in the media . Still , during a far-flung public outcry over Hollister , and the risk ofmotorcycleclubs , the American Motorcycle Association relinquish a statement purport at calming the world . Ninety - nine percent of motorcycle order were jurisprudence - tolerate , play - loving citizen , the AMA said . It was the other 1 per centum that do all the trouble and pay off all the attention [ source : Serwer ] .
Over the year , as sure clubs began to drift toward illegal action , they claimed the moniker " 1 percenter " as a badge of honor . Even today , most of these " outlaw motorcycle pack " defend that they are n’t criminal establishment . For example , renowned Hells Angels founder " Sonny " Barger claim that while some Angels may deal drug or commit enactment of furiousness , the organization itself does n’t endorse those activities [ source : Serwer ] . Still , law enforcement bureau from the U.S. and Canada to even Australia and Europe see the OMGs as a serious threat . The FBI look at thegangsorganized crime syndicates whose drug allot and sward wars put rival gangs and the public in danger .
Read on to find out which motorcycle gang are among the most grave and notorious .
10: Finks
America may be the home of the furrowed , leather - clad biker image . But Australia , with its wide-cut open land and interminable lengths of main road , has become a perfect place for outlawmotorcyclegangs to set up refugee camp . On top of local chapters of gangs like the Outlaws and theHells Angels , there are several Australian - based OMGs , include the Rebels and the infamousFinks .
shape in Adelaide , Australia in the sixties , the Finks were at the center of an all - out war with Australian police force during the late 2000s . Like many other biker clubs , Finks ' leader claim the group is misunderstood , and that they are just a mathematical group of guys who sometimes end up in trouble with the jurisprudence [ reference : Guilliatt ] . Even the colour they wear on their riding jackets are n’t your typical OMG logos . rather of the usual minatory images of flaming skulls or scowl demons , the Finks ' colors depict a tipsy - looking court jester with a slaphappy smiling .
But the Aussie government activity does n’t grease one’s palms the Finks as a gang of playfulness - loving trouble Lord . stool pigeon members have been charged with crimes like drug trafficking , violent assaults and even planning a hit on a police force officer [ generator : ABC Adelaide ] . The government of the state of South Australia move so far as to name the Finks the state ’s No . 1 criminal menace in 2009 [ source : The Gold Coast Bulletin ] .
9: Mongols
It might be named afterGenghis Khan ’s mighty conglomerate , but theMongols , make in the belated 1960s in East L.A. , is a comparatively small clubhouse . It has 70 chapters in the United States , and 800 member , most of whom are California - local [ beginning : National Gang Intelligence Center ] . But , while it may not be one of the Big Four outlaw motorcycle gang – the four largest and most muscular biker gangs , as identified by United States law enforcement agency – the Mongols has made up for its want of size with ferocity and ferocity . ( Keep reading the list to get out who the Big Four are . ) Despite being only a quartern of the size , the Mongols successfully wrested control of Southern California from its rivals , the Hells Angels , in the 1980s , after a protracted work party war . The Hells Angels still has n’t drive back the territory [ source : National Gang Intelligence Center ] . The Mongols ' winner in controlling the turf is due mostly to their alliance with L.A. ’s Hispanic street gangs . That confederation has also result in the Mongols engage in racially motivated furiousness against African - American gang members , and even pitch-dark civilians not assort with any type of gang . The Bureau of Alcohol , Tobacco and Firearms considers the Mongols the undivided " most violent and grave OMG " [ source : National Gang Intelligence Center ] . In 2008 , 61 of the ring ’s members were indicted in a huge bust , for charges admit drug trafficking , racketeering and slaying in L.A. , Las Vegas and other section of the Southwest [ beginning : Goldman ] .
8: Black Pistons Motorcycle Club
One of the youngest OMGs to make this tilt , theBlack Pistons Motorcycle Clubwas just show in 2002 . In that short time , the Black Pistons has grow cursorily . It not only has 70 chapters in 20 states , but also upwards of 200 member [ source : U.S. Office of the Attorney General ] . The club also operates in Canada and several European land , include Germany , the U.K. and Belgium . The Pistons are the official support gild for the Outlaws Motorcycle Club , one of the world ’s big 1 percentergangs . In other words , the BPMC are the enforcers for the Outlaws , doing the dirty work that the parent club does n’t want to be associated with . Black Pistons are tax with dealing drugs and assault the Outlaws ' enemies [ generator : U.S. Office of the Attorney General ] . The explosive increase of Black Pistons chapters has led to outbreaks of force and tension with rival gangs . During the summertime of 2002 , for good example , a fresh Pistons chapter in Portland , Maine attract detail from several local gangs to the city . Police worked extra time to pack down a potential sod state of war from erupting [ source : Hench ] .
7: Sons of Silence Motorcycle Club
establish out of Colorado , and controlling much of the Southwest and Rocky Mountain States , theSons of Silence Motorcycle Clubboasts 30 chapters across the United States and five splinter clubs in Germany . Altogether , the SOSMC is 275 members solid [ source : National Gang Intelligence Center ] . Founded in the town of Niwot , Colo. in the 1960s , the Sons of Silence have been engaged in a long turf war with rivals like the Outlaws since the root [ source : Abbott ] . The Sons are one of the few 1 percenter clubs to be allied with theHells Angels , which mean they have a plenty of enemies for a comparatively smaller clubhouse [ informant : Serwer ] . They make up for the disadvantage in fire power . In 1999 , a vast multi - state raid of Sons of Silence clubhouses in Kansas , Colorado and Arizona uncovered enough weapons to run a modest ground forces . Among the confiscated ordnance were loads ofmachine guns , tobacco pipe bombs and even hand grenades [ source : Abbott ] . The society knows how to intimidate . Their motto , incorrectly translated into Latin in their colors , is " Until end Separates Us " [ source : Serwer ] .
6: Vagos Motorcycle Club
With around 300 members and 24 chapters , theVagos Motorcycle Clubis one of the most formidable gangs on the West Coast of the United States [ source : U.S. Office of the Attorney General ] . Wearing the symbol of the Norse god of mischief , Loki , Vagos have been engaged in a farsighted , fucking turf warfare with theHells Angelsmembers in California [ reference : McDonald ] . They also have operations in Hawaii , and along the U.S.-Mexico border . allot to U.S. law enforcement , Vagos MC work out with chapters in Mexico to smuggle drugs back and forth to the United States [ source : U.S. Office of the Attorney General ] .
Like most of the other 1 percenter baseball club , Vagos was found in the 1960s [ seed : Dulaney ] . The gang has become increasingly violent in later years , though . In 2009 , a former president of the nightspot ’s San Bernadino , Calif. chapter was put on test for murder after allegedly ordinate club member to drive a man to the dessert and down him . The reason ? The two man disagreed over the price of a bike [ source : Cruz ] . In another crime , a Vagos member break into a home , steal the householder ’s money and some drug , and then shot him in the pass [ rootage : Cruz ] .
5: The Pagan’s
ThePagan ’s , found in Maryland in 1959 , is one of the Big Four outlawmotorcycleclubs . The Pagan ’s is much smaller than the other Big Four clubs , with only about 200 to 250 member spread over 41 chapter [ source : U.S. Office of the Attorney General ] . Their sod is in the main centered on the Mid - Atlantic region in the United States , specially Pennsylvania . While they may not be as big as rivalgangs , the Pagan ’s are considered extremely dangerous by both the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol , Tobacco and Firearms . Among other reason , the pack has close ties to other organized crime enterprise , including the Italian Cosa Nostra and the Aryan Brotherhood , a sinewy prison house gang that has declared war on non - white-hot slipstream [ seed : Barker ] .
On top of dealing drug like meth , cocaine and PCP , Pagan members have been tied to arson , Assault , bombings and murders . They have also been known to illegally purchase and reserve machine gun . Just to be lead up into the radical , member first need to steal motorcycles to shew they ’re worthy [ source : Charles Peirce ] . In the other 2000s , Pagan ’s chapter leader Pete excessively was convict of assault for assail a couple in which he traumatise them both with a taser , expose the woman ’s foot with his steel - toed boot and bludgeoned the man with a sword baton – all over an argument about motorcycle part [ source : Peirce ] .
4: Bandidos Motorcycle Club
In term of rank alone , theBandidos Motorcycle Clubis one of the largest outlawmotorcyclegangs . The group has rise to a totality of 2,000 member since it was started in 1966 [ source : National Gang Intelligence Center ] . contribute to that a number of puppet clubs or " duck’s egg clubs " that do the Bandidos bidding and take the heat for some of their illegal activity , and you have a Brobdingnagian organization . The gang is powerful enough , with chapter in 16 state and at least 14 countries , that U.S.law enforcementofficials have label it one of the Big Four OMGs [ source : National Gang Intelligence Center ] .
The Bandidos name and logotype come from the Frito Bandito , the mascot for the popular brand of corn silicon chip [ root : O’Hare ] . But do n’t lease that whimsical tie fool you . Based out of Texas and controlling turf across much of the Southwest , the Bandidos are heavily involved in cross - border drug trafficking [ source : National Gang Intelligence Center ] . They also have been involve in violent turf wars all over the world . This fierce war with rival gangs has lead to bombardment via grenade in Norway , fire-raising in Brisbane , Australia , and multiple shot in Canada [ source : Skelton ] .
3: Outlaws Motorcycle Club
They may not be as famed as their rivals , theHells Angels , but theOutlaws Motorcycle Club(aka the American Outlaws Association or Outlaws Nation ) has exclusive line-shooting rights to at least one honor . They can authentically call themselves the first outlawmotorcycleclub , bulge out in 1936 as the McCook Outlaws in Cook County , Ill. Later , they look at inspiration from the 1953 Marlon Brando flick " The Wild One , " even borrowing their colors from the design on Brando ’s leather jacket [ beginning : Dulaney ] . Ironically , that film was based on the Hollister riot that got many of the outlaw golf club start . The order is still one of the largest today , with 1,700 member in 176 chapters in 13 countries [ author : National Gang Intelligence Center ] .
Today , the Outlaws are look at one of the Big Four and control the Great Lakes region of the United States . Much of their tearing bodily function is the result of their on-going feud with Hells Angels . To fund their operations , the Outlaws make and betray crystal shabu and deal other drugs like cocaine and methylenedioxymethamphetamine , better fuck as cristal . They have a heavy presence in Canada , where they fight fight back gangs for ascendancy of the cross - border drug deal . Among other crimes , the Outlaws have been tried in the United States for ( but not always convict of ) arson , execution , kidnapping , explosives , robbery and even hunt harlotry ring [ source : National Gang Intelligence Center ] . In Australia , the Outlaws have been bear down with crime such as outrage police military officer , essay murder and planting bombs in rival mob members ' cars [ source : Barker ] .
2: Warlocks
Even in the criminal underground of outlawmotorcyclegangs , theWarlocks , an OMG active in Pennsylvania and Florida , have a bad report . Other club like the Pagan ’s see themselves as too upstanding and goodly to associate with the Warlocks , who are go steady as " low lives " by many other gang [ source : McGarvey ] . So what kind of activities do bikers get regard in when even their fellow bikers do n’t respect them ? Wearing the prototype of a harpy , a winged monster from Grecian mythology , as their emblem , the Warlocks have been involved in dealing drug and tearing law-breaking since they were launch in the late ' 60s .
One example of a Warlock ’s trigger-happy streak is the 1988 kidnapping of a rival biker gang drawing card . Retaliating for an attempt by The Breed Motorcycle Club on Warlocks members who were drinking at a Pennsylvania bar , fellow Warlocks snatch Breed chapter leader Craig " Coyote " Gudkneckt , tied him up and beat him repeatedly with the butt of a handgun . The scandalize Warlocks go to poky once " Coyote " report the beating to the police [ generator : McGarvey ] . In 1995 , a Warlock hump as " Mudman " was convicted of bump off a cop after being pulled over , worry that he would be read back to prison house for violating parole [ source : Graham ] . " Mudman " died in a prison brawl a few years later [ sources : Knipe Brown ] .
1: Hells Angels
Even if it ’s not the most dangerous , or the Old , theHells Angels Motorcycle Clubis the most well - know and notorious of the outlawmotorcyclegangs . The name has become synonymous with the Christian Bible " biker . " They still get the most wardrobe , too . A 2009 discipline that survey reporting of OMGs in international newspapers found coverage of 51 unlike alleged offence perpetrated by the Angels between 1980 and 2005 [ informant : Barker ] . The Hells Angels have almost 2,500 members worldwide , spread out across 250 chapters , 26 countries and six continent [ germ : National Gang Intelligence Center ] .
Today , the Angels are considered one of the Big Four OMGs by the FBI because of their involvement in dealing drugs , trafficking weapon system and crimson criminal offense . The gang is demand in crashing turf wars , like a battle with the Mongols for ascendency of California , and a bloody war with several rival gang in Quebec . One Canadian Angel confessed to mangle 43 people in the seventies and ' 80s [ source : Serwer ] . In 1985 , when Canadian Angels decided one of their chapters was n’t suitable of the name Hells Angels , they kill six of the members and dump their body in the St. Lawrence River [ author : Serwer ] .
The gang has been around since almost the kickoff of 1 percenter clubs . Members of some of the clubs involved in the notorious Hollister incident of 1947 went on to form the Hells Angels a year by and by in San Bernadino , Calif. The crew quickly rose to celebrity as books like Hunter S. Thompson ’s " Hell ’s Angels : A Strange and Terrible Saga , " and exploitation films of the ' 60s found on the Angels grow them into countercultural heroes [ source : Dulaney ] . That reputation was destroyed after the infamous Altamont Music Festival organized by The Rolling Stones in Northern California . A Hells Angel who claimed to be working as pay up protection for the Stones stabbed an 18 - year - onetime male in the gang to death . That biker was comport of the murder , but the incident was enough to transubstantiate HAMC ’s public image from rugged someone to dangerous toughie [ source : Dulaney ] .
