CABALLEROS - One of a myriad Bandidos support motorcycle clubs in Germany.
CAES DA PALAH - A three-piece-patch-wearing, diamond-patch club out of Portugal.
CALAVERA - Another of the German Bandidos support clubs.
ESTABLISHED: Unknown
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Finland
FOUNDER(S): Unknown
CHAPTER LOCATIONS: Six chapters in Finland
CENTER PATCH: Flaming cannonball
CLAIM TO FAME: Biggest one percent club in Finland, and integral in the “Great Nordic Biker Wars” of the 1990s
CLUB ASSOCIATIONS: Has support clubs in five Finland locations
CANNONBALL - Referred to as “the biggest 1% club in Finland,” this motorcycle club was one of the major cast members in the media/law enforcement drama that was the Great Nordic Biker Wars.
CARNICEROS - Established in 2005, a three-piece patch Bandidos support motorcycle club out of Spain. Motto: “Caniceros MC ride only American and European old bikes.”
CELTICS - A motorcycle club out of Switzerland celebrating their eleventh anniversary. There is also a Celtic club, AMA-chartered, in New York.
CELTIC WARLOCKS - A “brotherhood and sisterhood” from Down Under that deserves a mention. Although they are a “Non-Back Patched, Non-Political, Non-Territorial Brotherhood & Sisterhood” they do seem to be very in the center of their support for the biker rights movement in Australia and their support for the major motorcycle clubs down there. And they do adhere to the hangaround-prospect-member order of things.
(On a related note, there was a Celtic Warriors Brotherhood in the U.K. that disbanded in 2006.)
CELTS - A one percent club out of Austria.
CENTAUROS - A motorcycle club out of Mexico. From their club history, “The word Centauros is from Greek mythological Centaur, meaning ‘half-horse half-man.’ This was also the nickname given to Pancho Villa when leading the Mexican Revolution.”
CHARTER OAKS - A club that made that crowded little blue part of the law enforcement map and list in Connecticut.
CHICANOS EASTSIDE - Another of the German Bandidos support clubs.
CHIEFTAINS - Established in 1976 in Lawrence, Massachusetts. They made the law enforcement map there and in New Hampshire. They also have a chapter in Norway!
ESTABLISHED: Early 1960s
PLACE OF ORIGIN: New York
FOUNDER(S): Unknown
CHAPTER LOCATIONS: East Coast, U.S.
CLAIM TO FAME: Author and media personality Chuck Zito established the New Rochelle chapter by merging his New Rochelle Motorcycle Club with the Ching-a-Ling Nomads.
CHING-A-LINGS - One of the “classic” clubs out of New York. They began as a “street gang” in the early 1960s and—reportedly influenced by the Hells Angels—eventually evolved into a motorcycle club. In the early 1970s the Ching-a-Lings settled in the Bronx.
Author and media personality Chuck Zito established the New Rochelle Motorcycle Club, which later merged with the multi-ethnic Ching-a-Ling Nomads. Zito would eventually leave to become one of the more well-known Hells Angels.
The Ching-a-Lings made it onto the law enforcement map in Virginia.
CHOPPER CLUB - A United Kingdom motorcycle club just celebrating their thirtieth anniversary. It’s refreshing to see the main focus of a motorcycle club be on building their bikes: “The men and the machines.”
CHOPPER FREAKS - Established in 1986, a three-piece-patch club in Norway.
ESTABLISHED: 1959
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Los Angeles, California
FOUNDER(S): Lionel “Li’l Frank” Roger, “Hawk,” “Slim,” Shirly Bates, and “Champ”
CHAPTER LOCATIONS: Los Angeles area
CLUB COLORS: Blood-Red and White
CLUB PATCH: An oval sea of red blood with white human crossed bones
MOTTO: It’s not about the size of the few in the fight, it’s about the size of the fight in the few.
CHOSEN FEW - Here’s another name that not only has “classic” ties but it has also been chosen by a few motorcycle clubs.
In Belgium and beyond, there is a full-on diamond patch Chosen Few that evolved through the 1990s. They use a portion of the Confederate flag in their patch. They “ride all kinds of bikes, but prefer customized bikes with a personal touch.”
There is a Chosen Few in Iowa, established in 1969.
The real “classic” Chosen Few, however, comes out of Los Angeles, established in 1959. Their “blood red” patch with a white cross of human bones has become a familiar sight flying in the L.A. area, for generations. They pride themselves on being “the first fully integrated outlaw MC.”
Another Chosen Few MC, established in Buffalo, New York, in 1966, wears a center patch that features a classic beatnik, indicative of the era and area in which they were formed. This club has had more than its share of interesting interactions with other clubs in the Northeast, but through it all has maintained an adage promoting unity: “If we all rode together, imagine how strong we could be!”
CIRCLE OF PRIDE - Established in 1990, this Iowa motorcycle club was founded in a “titty bar” by a group that included a guy named “Possum.” Perfect! At their property near Conesville, Iowa, they put on big events that have “no rules. . .and where nudity and vulgar language run rampant!” Again, perfect! Two of the bashes are called the “Hog Wild Rodeo” and “Thunder In The Sand” with all the proceeds going to local and national charities. And, as expected, they did make the law enforcement map in the Hawkeye State.
COCHISE RIDERS - A three-piece-patch motorcycle club, HAMC (Hells Angels Motorcycle Club) supporters that made the law enforcement map in Arizona.
COBRA, COBRAS - There are a few Cobra clubs snaking around:
One is the Cobra MC, established in 2007, beginning life as Triple Cobra MC. They are a Bandidos support club out of Denmark.
There’s a three-piece-patch club that made the law enforcement map in Florida (certainly not to be confused with another Sunshine State club, C.O.B.R.A. MC, a law enforcement club!). This club has some poignant philosophy when it comes to this entire “public-and-the-patch” thing: “A serious MC club commands respect for one reason. Those who are correctly informed recognize the deep level of personal commitment and self-discipline that a man has to demonstrate and sustain in order to wear a patch. . .The goal is to be admired and respected by the general public rather than feared.”
There is a Cobra MC in the UK and a Cobra’s MC, established in 1977, in Belgium.
ESTABLISHED: Early 1960s
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Long Beach, California
FOUNDER(S): Unknown, but with roots back to “Preacher” in 1963
CHAPTER LOCATIONS: Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Louisiana, Alaska, Colorado
CENTER PATCH: A coffin draped with a swastika-emblazoned red flag
MOTTO: Often imitated never duplicated
CLAIM TO FAME: Original members appeared alongside HAMC members in the 1966 Roger Corman film. . . The Wild Angels
COFFIN CHEATERS - Big, “classic,” international, with a name shared by two motorcycle behemoths:
The “classic” club (“Often imitated never duplicated”) was established in or around the early 1960s in Long Beach, California. Legend has it that a serviceman named “Preacher” spent some time in 1963 with the Long Beach boys, wound up getting a club charter for his own chapter in his hometown of Cleveland, and kept the name after the Southern California bunch patched over to another club.
So began one of the tightest lineages in the motorcycle club world: “You cannot join the Coffin Cheaters, you must be born into it or be a blood relative, hence our patch (‘Blood In Blood Out’). Exception, if you hang out for five years and have 100% membership approval, then you can be patched in as a full patch holder. NO PROSPECTS. We once had a probate that hung out and prospected for thirty years before becoming a full patch holder.”
Members of the original CCMC, along with members of the HAMC, appeared in the 1966 Roger Corman film, The Wild Angels.
ESTABLISHED: Early 1970s (or earlier)
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Australia
FOUNDER(S): Unknown
CHAPTER LOCATIONS: Australia, Norway
CENTER PATCH: Aboriginal-style devil’s head with wings
CLAIM TO FAME: On the Aussie “most dangerous” lists
Somewhere around 7,500 miles from Long Beach is Australia and the other Coffin Cheaters MC, established “at least back to the early ’70s.” With three chapters in Perth, two in Victoria, two in New South Wales, two in Queensland, and three Norwegian chapters, the CCMC Down Under make all the Aussie “most dangerous” lists. They are true international heavyweights.
The Norway chapters were established in 2004 as an evolution of Wild Wheels, Forbidden Few, and MC Lillestrom.
ESTABLISHED: Late 1960s/early 1970s
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Sydney, Australia
FOUNDER(S): William George “Jock” Ross
CHAPTER LOCATIONS: Australia
CLAIM TO FAME: One of the major motorcycle clubs in Australia
COMANCHERO MC - Established in the “late ’60s–early ’70s” in Sydney, Australia, by William George “Jock” Ross, a Scottish immigrant. Legend has it that the name was chosen after Jock saw the classic John Wayne flick The Comancheros. More handed-down history has a second Comanchero chapter formed in 1982 by Anthony Mark “Snoddy” Spencer after he challenged Ross’ authority. Spencer was said to have traveled to Texas where he formed an alliance with the Bandidos—the result would be that Spencer’s Comanchero MC would patch over and become Australia’s first Bandidos chapter.
There is a Comancheros (yes, Comancheros, not Comanchero) three-piece-patch motorcycle club in Catalunya, Spain.
COMBATANTS - A three-piece-patch club out of New Hampshire that made the law enforcement map there in the Granite State.
COMBAT VETERANS - Established in 2000, a one percenter veterans club out of Belgium.
COMPADRES - Another of the Bandidos Euro support clubs, this motorcycle club is out of Norway.
COMPANEROS - A stateside Bandidos support club that made the law enforcement map in Texas.
CONDEMNED FEW - Diamond-patch motorcycle club that made the big time on the law enforcement map in New York.
CONDORS - There are a couple of Condors MCs flying around:
A three-piece-patch motorcycle club out of Hungary, established in 1996.
Another European Condors club: the Norweigian klubben, established in 2002. They are a “friendship club” (support-like) with No Name MC.
CONFEDERATES - A big three-piece-patch club with chapters throughout the Netherlands. Another of the Euro clubs with the Confederate flag in their patch.
CONFEDERATE GYPSIES - An Outlaws support motorcycle club out of North Carolina.
CONTRAS - Another of the bounty of German Bandidos support clubs.
CORREZE - And that bounty extends into France with this Bandidos support motorcycle club.
COSSACKS - Established in 1969, a “classic” club that made the law enforcement map in Texas:
ESTABLISHED: 1969
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Texas
FOUNDER(S): Unknown
CHAPTER LOCATIONS: Texas
CLUB COLORS: Gold on Black
CLUB PATCH: A cossack: a nomadic horseman and warrior
MOTTO: We take care of our own.
CLAIM TO FAME: One of the major motorcycle clubs in Australia
“In the Days of old, COSSACKS were nomadic horsemen and warriors defending their faith and territory from the forces of Europe. It was written some four hundred years ago that ‘The COSSACKS are always on horseback, always ready to fight, and always alert.’ Today, in modern times we traded our horses for motorcycles. . .Though we doubt seriously that any of us actually descended from the ‘Russian warriors of old,’ we have consequently adopted their name and sense of brotherhood. Our motto is: ‘WE TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN’ And our colors are Gold on Black. Always ready—Always in the wind.”
COYOTES - A three-piece-patch motorcycle club howling in Hungary.
CRAWLING DEATH - Out of Germany, this club has reportedly become part of the Golden Drakes MC, Germany (that may just mean that the name is available!).
CRAZY DEVILS - Established in 1982, a three-piece-patch motorcycle club in Bavaria. They even have their own song!
ESTABLISHED: Roots back to 1990
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Lithuania
FOUNDER(S): Young rockers
CHAPTER LOCATIONS: Lithuania
CLUB COLORS: Black and White
CLAIM TO FAME: Rode only at night, making noise and looking crazy, to avoid and deter the “militia”
CRAZY IN THE DARK - Established with roots back to 1990 in Lithuania. Like most motorcycle clubs in that politically rocky part of the globe, they had to deal with especially harsh law enforcement/government suppression. To avoid the police, they would often have to ride only at night and they looked like they were mad! Hence the name, Crazy in the Dark!
CREW - Another of the chromed crowd of Euro Bandidos support clubs—this one is out of Norway.
CRIMINALS - A short 5,000-mile putt from the Crew, another Bandidos support club: the Criminals out of Chiangmai, Thailand.
CROSSROADS - Established in 1986, a motorcycle club out of Baltimore, Maryland. There is also a Christian club in New York with the same name.
CROSSED RIFLES - A three-piece-patch club for veterans out of North Carolina.
CRUCIFIERS - This motorcycle club made the law enforcement map in California. It has made other news as well. In one of those weird, Unibomber-like tales of isolation, a Crucifiers member—and his apparent crime—was featured in a 1992 piece in the Los Angeles Times:
FUGITIVE IN 1981 MURDER CASE CAPTURED
Led by a tip to a Santa Cruz Mountains canyon so remote that locals call it “the belly of the beast,” authorities have arrested a man for his involvement in the 1981 killing of a fellow motorcycle gang member in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, police said Friday.
Arthur La Vern Schlosser, 42, eluded detectives for more than a decade by using two aliases, hiding in a cabin two miles from the nearest town, and living off the land, said police and Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Department officials.
This week, as he met his son at a rural school bus stop, Schlosser was arrested by deputies who had been watching him for several weeks—ever since two Van Nuys detectives learned of his hide-out through an informant, said Van Nuys chief homicide Detective Stephen Fisk.
Sporting a large tattoo of Adolf Hitler on his back, Schlosser was taken into custody without incident, said Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Deputy Kim A. Allyn.
He has been returned to Los Angeles County and charged with the June 2, 1981, murder of Michael Henry, 26, who was shot during a dispute, Fisk said.
Henry was actually shot by Van Nuys resident Timothy Elby, then 24, as he defended himself against Henry and Schlosser, Fisk said. Henry and Schlosser, who belonged to a bikers gang called the Crucifiers, had gone to Elby’s home on Decelis Place to beat him because Elby had given Henry’s ex-girlfriend a ride on his motorcycle, police said.
Fisk said Elby was never charged in the case because the shooting was considered self-defense. But Schlosser, formerly of Sunland, disappeared. Detectives believe that he settled in the Santa Cruz Mountains, near the town of Felton, shortly after the killing.
Although Schlosser did not directly cause his companion’s death, he can be held responsible under California law because it occurred while they committed a crime in which the victim feared for his life, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Leonard J. Shaffer. The men also provoked Elby into defending himself, he said.
Shaffer, who handled the case in 1981, said Schlosser’s disappearance did not exactly haunt him all these years. “I’ve had too many matters between then and now,” he said.
The Crucifiers were also mentioned in an L.A. Times article about Hells Angels’ George Christie’s famous Olympic run in 1984:
As a Ventura County participant in the 15,000-mile torch relay—[Christie] ran a kilometer to the cheers of fellow bikers from the Hells Angels, Crucifiers and Heathens motorcycle chapters—Christie was asked to name a youth organization to receive the money he had paid.
And in yet another of those eBay treasure hunts, in 2010 a priceless part of Crucifiers’ history came out of a dusty attic:
RARE 1950’s ERA CRUCIFIERS LAMC OUTLAW BIKER GANG BANNER for CLUBHOUSE
You are admiring an ultra-rare find indeed. We are proud to offer an original 1950s era Crucifiers outlaw biker gang banner. Recent pawn with two (2) other outlaw vests from a collection. We have never seen one of these before. Measures 53' Inches Long by 33' Inches Wide. Very large size. Perfect for display in both your classic car or motorcycle outbuilding. Features leather reinforced working snaps. Embroidered with felt patches. Some stains thru out banner which in our opinion add character. . .
And, finally, maybe a few of us remember that the fictional motorcycle club in the 1981 cinematic masterpiece The Cannonball Run was, yes, the Crucifiers.
CRUSADERS - Established in 1969 in Lewiston, Idaho. This motorcycle club specifically notes that they “are NOT a Christian MC.”
Then there’s a diamond-patch motorcycle club out of South Africa with the Crusaders name: “Brotherhood is the common bond of our lifestyle and our way of life. . .We believe strongly in tradition and adhere to the old ways of the 1%er way of life. We respect and honour the 1%er way of life, and choose to live life with the same values as they do.”
CURRAHEE - A three-piece-patch club out of Tennessee.
CUSTOM RIDERS - Established in 1970 in the southern part of the U.S., a three-piece patch motorcycle club but also an AMA charter.
CYCLE TRAMPS - Existed in the mid-1980s in Birmingham, England, and reportedly became part of the Outlaws MC.
DARING EAGLES - Established in 1982, a three-piece-patch out of Germany
DARK DIVISION - Our first descent into the deep “darkness” of names. . .out of Germany, the Dark Division is a support club for Germany’s Rolling Wheels.
DARK FACES - Established in 1977 in Germany with their “46” in a diamond patch. (We will be seeing a fair number of clubs that correlate numbers with the initials of their name [D=4, for the fourth letter of the alphabet, F=6]; many then put the numbers in a diamond or other-shaped patch).
DARK FAMILY - A support club for the Black Iron MC out of Brazil.
DARK FIGHTERS - A three-piece-patch club out of Bischofszell, Switzerland, that just celebrated their Silver Anniversary.
DARK FORCES - A three-piece-patch motorcycle club out of Germany.
DARK HEROES - A three-piece patch out of Germany with their “48” in a diamond.
DARKRAGE - Another of the teeming team of Bandidos support clubs in Deutschland.
DARK RIDERS - Two clubs carry this slightly ominous and brooding name:
One in Montreal, established in 2004, with a chapter in Denmark.
And one in South Carolina, U.S. of A.
DARKHORSE - Established in 2002, a three-piece- patch motorcycle club out of Florida.
DARKSIDE - A three-piece-patch club out of New York.
ESTABLISHED: 1963
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Chicago, Illinois
FOUNDER(S): “DC Danny” LeDesma
CHAPTER LOCATIONS: Illinois
CLUB PATCH: An eagle head
CLAIM TO FAME: Gave up the one percenter patch but replaced it with a “99% NFG” patch
DC EAGLES - Established in 1963: “A club that gave up the 1% patch.” But they still made the law enforcement map in the Land of Lincoln.
The late “DC Danny” LeDesma founded the DC Eagles MC in Chicago, Illinois. During the “turbulent” early days of the club and the crazed Chi-town club scene, the club had to make some concessions that came out of the beginning of a federation of motorcycle clubs. One of the concessions was to stop wearing the one percenter patch—but that changed into the wearing of a diamond patch that says “99% NFG,” which all DC Eagles wear above their heart. The club says that, “This patch is as or even more important to a DC Eagle than his back patch. . .We say that all of these brothers got their training in previous clubs; now they are getting their PHD in BROTHERHOOD.”
DEATH MARAUDERS - This motorcycle club made it onto the law enforcement map and list in Illinois.
DEATHMEN - This motorcycle club began in Manchester, England, by their founder, “Charley.” Ten years later they expanded into San Diego, California, “after a long road of negotiation with some of the most notorious Clubs in the world. . .and 3 piece MC struggles within the toughest Motorcycle Club State in the U.S.—California. . .This Club is the definition of determination.”
DEATHTRAPS - Out of California, this interesting club is based on some real old-school stuff. Their “mindset” is that “The DeathTraps are trying to revive a lost lifestyle that has been buried under lame fat tire bikes and between the pages of ridiculous ‘builder’ magazines. Thirteen guys who are only doing what has been done forever, but until recently has been replaced by theme bikes and fucking circus shows.”
ESTABLISHED: 2006
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Muscatine, Iowa
FOUNDER(S): Unknown
CHAPTER LOCATIONS: Iowa
CLUB COLORS: Red and White
CLUB PATCH: A skeleton riding a bike with big apes
MOTTO: A wise man knows when to speak, and when to shut up and listen.
CLUB ASSOCIATIONS: Support club for the Sons of Silence
DEFIANT SOULS - Established in 2006 in Muscatine, Iowa, the Defiant Souls is a support club for the Sons of Silence. They have a near-biblical motto: “A wise man knows when to speak, and when to shut up and listen.”
DEGUELLO - A Houston one percent Bandidos support club.
DEMON KNIGHTS - A three-piece, diamond-patch motorcycle club out of New York that made the law enforcement map there.
DERANGED FEW - Also making the law enforcement map were the Deranged Few—they made it down in Virginia.
DESPERADO - A three-piece-patch, “Official hangaround MC to the Red & White” in Tata, Hungary.
ESTABLISHED: 1975
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Johnston County, North Carolina
FOUNDER(S): Unknown
CHAPTER LOCATIONS: North Carolina, Virginia
CLUB COLORS: Black and Blue
CLUB PATCH: The bandana-covered face of a desperado
CLAIM TO FAME: Another of the clubs with modified punctuation. “We aren’t stupid,” they assert. “It was a misprint on the original patches in 1975. . .We choose to keep it. . .as a reminder of our roots.”
CLUB ASSOCIATIONS: Friends to the HAMC
DESPERADO’S, DESPERADOS - Okay, another of the shared names to explore:
One, the Desperado’s, was established in 1975 in Johnston County, North Carolina. And, yep, they made the law enforcement map there. They’re pretty straightforward in their self-analysis: “We are not a motorcycle club for everyone. We are an ‘old school’ club with very high standards that will not be compromised for anyone. . . We are not a support club, but we’re damn sure not a ‘fence walking’ club either. We are proud to call the Red and White our friends and do support them worldwide.”
And, like the Red and White, they answer the burning question about the misplaced apostrophe in their name: “Yes we know it doesn’t belong there. We aren’t stupid. It was misprinted on the original patches in 1975. We have had many chances to change it as our patches have been made and refined several times. We choose to keep it in its original form as a reminder of our roots. Besides, it sets us apart from others that have chosen to use the DESPERADO name and really have no idea what it’s all about.”
The Desperado’s also made the law enforcement map in Virginia and they were mentioned in the huge Alexandria, Virginia, Grand Jury June 2010 indictment of at least 27 members of the Outlaws MC on a variety of charges:
8. Maintaining the Outlaws’ Control Over Specific Areas–At all times relevant to this indictment, the Outlaws organization was focused on achieving and maintaining control of the specific Region and Chapter areas occupied by the Enterprise. This control was achieved by asserting control over a particular area by directing the members, probationary members, and official hangarounds to engage in acts of violence against other competing motorcycle gangs, including the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC), Desperados Motorcycle Club (Desperados MC), Renegades MC, and the Diablos MC.
And there are more Desperados around the world. There is a Desperado MC, an HAMC support club in Hungary. There is a Desperados Bandidos support club in Texas. And in Calgary, Canada, there is another HAMC support club: “We ride for freedom, as a brotherhood. Proud supporters of Hells Angels.”
DESTRALOS - In Washington State, this Bandidos support club made it onto the law enforcement map.
DEVASTATORS - A three-piece-patch club out of Denmark.
ESTABLISHED: 1999
PLACE OF ORIGIN: San Francisco, California
FOUNDER(S): A group of women riders, including the famous/infamous “Goth Girl” (who is no longer with the club)
CHAPTER LOCATIONS: California
CLUB COLORS: Red and Black
CLUB PATCH: A Bettie Page–esque she-devil surrounded by flames
CLAIM TO FAME: An all-female club—and a club that definitely rides.
DEVIL DOLLS - Established in 1999 in San Francisco. This begins our relationship with the Devil in his various shapes, matters, and forms. And it’s a good way to start the selling of our souls, with one of just a couple of female clubs on this list—and the mention is well worth it. The Devil Dolls really don’t keep a low profile! Their patch is a coy Bettie Page–like she-devil surrounded by flames. And they do ride. They are definitely not just another pretty face.
DEVIL DRIVER - A three-piece-patch, one percent club out of Germany.
ESTABLISHED: 1985
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Hungary
FOUNDER(S): High school friends (“motor-freaks”)
CHAPTER LOCATIONS: Budapest, Debrecen, and Kecskemét, Hungary
CLUB COLORS: Red and White
CLUB PATCH: A hairy, bearded devil
CLAIM TO FAME: Once told by Hungarian authorities, “If you do not stop gathering immediately, we will do in everyone!”
DEVILS - Established in 1985 in Hungary, the Devils are another of those motorcycle clubs in a part of the world where the cops and government are hardened and serious: “In 1985 one could in no way call our country democratic. It was rather a police state controlled by politics. . .this was the time when the community life of our club started! Our fellowship began at the time we went to high school. The few motor-freaks were characterized by their common interest—nothing but the motor mattered. We met every day, we worked on our motors and knocked around. We spent our money on our motors rather than on food.
Our club faced several times bothering from local authorities: ‘If you do not stop gathering immediately, we will do in everyone!’”
The club survived and now has chapters in Budapest, Debrecen, and Kecskemét.
DEVIL’S ADVOCATES - A three-piece-patch motorcycle club based in Luxembourg.
DEVILS BREED - One of just eleven motorcycle clubs to make the law enforcement map in the Hawaiian Islands. Mahalo!
DEVILS BRIGADE - A three-piece-patch club with chapters in Detroit and Holland.
DEVILS CHOICE - Another of the “official support clubs of the 81 world” out of Denmark.
ESTABLISHED: 1967
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Fontana, California
FOUNDER(S): 12 original members
CHAPTER LOCATIONS: U.S., Ireland, and England (though the European chapters are essentially separate entities, with different colors, patches, and spellings)
CLUB PATCH: A wheel and trident.
CLAIM TO FAME: A true “classic” club, grown from Vietnam War years
DEVILS DICIPLES - Established in 1967 in Fontana, California, this is a true “classic” club, growing from vets of the Vietnam War years—and growing from the social earthquakes of the time. Beginning with twelve original members, the DDMC has become worldwide. We’ve seen, and will see, a lot of creative variations on wording, punctuation, and spelling as we comb through MC names—here, “Diciples” was intentionally tweaked so that the club wouldn’t be confused as having any “religious affiliation.”
A little personal anecdote—I don’t think I’ve ever felt more of a connection and a bridge between the biker world’s corner of the 1960s and current times as when I spent an evening at the DD clubhouse in Los Angeles. It’s a de facto museum—a shrine not only to their club, but to all the eclectic energy that may have had that big boost in the 1960s but has remained truly timeless throughout this entire lifestyle.
Below is a female perspective of the commitment of a patch holder to his club—a DDMC ol’ lady gives her views:
A MAN OF VALUE
Holly, ol’ lady of Skinz, Devils Diciples MC
Relaxing in a Las Vegas casino bar, Skinz says to me, “Tell my brother Casino, here, what you just told me about how you view patch holders and marriage.”
So I explained that I saw no higher or stronger bond between people than a marriage. There is no other ceremony or ritual or acknowledgment that means as much as a marriage means—at least in the “real” (i.e., fake) world.
I do feel that some patch holders hold their club right up there on a level even with marriage.
And I see that as a good thing!
I know this is the opposite of how it is perceived by most people, especially women who are ignorant of the motorcycle club scene. Many times a jealous ol’ lady will allow herself to blame her man’s commitment to his club for the problems between them in the home, and will view his club involvement only as a bad thing.
But that’s from the eyes of a jealous ol’ lady.
I see that kind of commitment as proof that a relationship filled with meaning, respect, loyalty, honor, love, support, protection, pride, and selflessness is cherished and desired. And these men are exhibiting the same traits and values within their club that are both paramount and fundamental to a strong marital bond. Furthermore, these men hold the bonds of brotherhood on a level equal to marriage. So, my take on being with a patch holder is that if you happen to be with one who wants both a club and marriage in his life, then you have found a pretty special man—a righteous man.
And to me, there’s no better man!
Lil’ Jon is the “P” of the Mountain Chapter of the Devils Disciples MC in California. He discusses a dilemma faced by many in the MC community—on one hand they are shunned and feared but on the other hand there is a strong vicarious interest in the lifestyle:
In all my years as a member of the Devils Disciples Motorcycle Club, our policy has always been that our business is our business and nobody else’s. But now somebody wants me to tell my club’s history so that any Tom, Dick and Harry can read about it. I don’t know why any club member would talk to someone about their club knowing that it will be read by some of the very people whom we take great measures to keep out of our lives.
There’s nothing that I enjoy more than sitting at the clubhouse, having a beer with my brothers and swapping stories of good times and bad. But that is only for us. That is why we have clubhouses; so we can control who comes into our life. That’s why we prospect people so we can control who comes into our life.
Most people outside of my club wouldn’t give us the time of day. Bars won’t let us in because we are in a club, cops harass us because we are in a club, the general public may give us a nod as we ride by but wouldn’t stop to help us as we sat on the side of the road. These are not the kind of people that I want to share my life with.
I have had a great life and have met many amazing people riding with the Devils Disciples Motorcycle Club but unless you are one of us or run in our circle, that’s all you will ever know from me.
Courtesy of “Skinz” and Devils Diciples MC
DEVILS GRIP - This motorcycle club made it onto the law enforcement map in Virginia. In 2009, members were mentioned in newspaper reports as having attended the funeral for Pagan MC member “Jimbo” Hicks, after Hicks was killed by police during a raid on his home.
And the club is mentioned in that same, huge Alexandria, Virginia, Grand Jury June 2010 indictment of the Outlaws MC, cited as having “formed an alliance” with the OMC to “fight a common enemy.”
ESTABLISHED: 1973
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Christchurch, New Zealand
FOUNDER(S): Unknown
CHAPTER LOCATIONS: Christchurch and Timaru, New Zealand
CLAIM TO FAME: “The original South Island outlaw motorcycle club”
DEVILS HENCHMEN - Established in 1973, New Zealand’s Devil’s Henchmen MC is out of Christchurch and Timaru. It is recognized as “the original South Island outlaw motorcycle club.”
DEVILS OWN - A three-piece-patch club out of another hotbed of motorcycle club activity: Arizona.
DIABLOS - Well, we leave the Devils and now shake hands with the various incarnations of Diablos:
The Diablos out of Virginia are among the many clubs that made the pages of the epic Alexandria, Virginia, Grand Jury June 2010 indictment (see Desperados).
In California, Diablos made it onto the law enforcement map. They also go way back in legends and history. Reportedly back in 1958 or 1959 the Los Diablos patched over to another California motorcycle club but returned to “their roots” as Diablos in 1961, retaining the sacred and holy “’Berdoo” bottom rocker.
Connecticut Diablos also made their state’s section of the law enforcement map. But back in 1998, members of the Meriden chapter were jailed on various charges, ranging from murder-for-hire to heroin conspiracy.
In August 2007, the Comancheros MC Germany was reportedly renamed Diablos and is a Bandidos support club.
Finland also has a Diablos Bandidos support club as does Belgium, established in 2004.
Diablos, Spain, established in 1993, is a three-piece-patch motorcycle club out of Ciudad Condal.
DIABLOS LOBOS - This long-running motorcycle club out of Arkansas made the law enforcement map in the Natural State. The cops may not like them, but the kids love ’em—they have put on a major toy run for the last twenty-five years or so!
DIABSIN FRATER - This motorcycle club out of South Africa might not exactly be a group of one percenters, but they have a hot center patch that looks like Hellboy before he lost his horns.
DIE GOTZEN - A three-piece-patch motorcycle club out of Russia, they express some compelling introspection: “We rarely communicate quite isolated from the outside, sometimes even aggressive. Too cruel was the world around us, so we built our own and try to live it, faithful to his ideals, the Holy Spirit of fraternity, avoiding of villainy and betrayal, unfortunately so common nowadays.”
DIRE WOLVES - There are a couple of dens of these wolves:
One, established in 2010 in Union County, North Carolina.
Two in Georgia: one established in 2008, the other in 2010. They do have different patches but they are linked. The boys out of Union County have a very cool and matter-of-fact philosophy: “Ride with me, drink with me, party with me, make memories with me, defend our lifestyle with me, but whatever else you do, don’t fuck with me.”
Good advice all the way around!
DIRT & GRIME - This motorcycle club made its smudge on the law enforcement map in Washington State.
ESTABLISHED: 1960s
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Arizona
FOUNDER(S): Billy Burr, Nic-a-tic, and close to 30 others
CENTER PATCH: Pair of winged dice
CLAIM TO FAME: Their landmark merger with the Hells Angels in Arizona
DIRTY DOZEN - This is our first look at a phrase and a name that has been part of the biker vocabulary and leathered lexicon forever. Many clubs have used this specialized designation to mean many things within their motorcycle clubs; but as a full club name, we need to look to Arizona—with yet another of those landmark-legends from the 1960s. The Dirty Dozen MC was “classic” in every way. The looks, the bikes, the actions—they were the perfect “what you see is what you get” characters, just like those they portrayed in Angel Unchained, another of the American International stable (or maybe un-stable) of “B” biker flicks in the 1960s. Their legend is especially deep because of their ties to the Hells Angels. In his book, Hell’s Angel, Sonny talks about the Dirty Dozen’s merger into the HAMC—going into the Red and White in the early/mid-1990s after having been an AZ-only motorcycle club and “friend and allies” of the Angels for twenty-five years.
DOMINEERS - This East Coast bunch made it onto the law enforcement map and list in Massachusetts.
DRAGON OF THE ROAD - A Bandidos support club based in Belgium.
DRAMMENS - The club’s history started back in 1990 in Norway, when five friends started a motorcycle club called Bullock MC. They started things out with a bit of (future) Euro-irony, as their first clubhouse was where the current police station lies.
In January 2003, they were accepted as a hang-around club to the Chieftains.
DRUIDS - Established in 1978, the Druids North is a motorcycle club out of Sheffield, England. There is also a Druids MCC, established in 1990, based in Ireland.
DUKES - Established in 1996, a motorcycle club in West Rand, South Africa.
