Triumphrat

decobike · 11-30-2007, 02:40 AM

Just watching some mindless TV after the Packer game (yeah didn't go well) but the program was on the Hell's Angels. I haven't seen this topic addressed per se. So I got curious, do you So. Cal and others living in the Southwest ever encounter dangerous biker gangs when you're out riding? If so is it ever a problem? I hope this isn't an inapporpriate topic.

Shorty · 11-30-2007, 07:48 AM

deco...back in the mid 70's I was stationed at an airbase in the Mojave Desert which flew F-4 Phantoms and F-105's. One of the pastimes that many "civilians" enjoyed was pulling off to the side of the road and watching these fighters take off over their heads with afterburners on close enough to distinguish the separate panels on the underside of the aircraft and feeling the thrust.
One day after pulling weekend duty I got on my trusty 70 Honda CB350, buzzed out the back gate and within about a mile or so came upon about 30-40 Hells Angels partying on the side of the road under the flight path watching aircraft take off.
All I could hear, as I embarrassingly zipped past them on my 350, was "HEYYYY HUMMMMMDAH" receiving with what was at that time the biker salute in California, a clenched fist held high.

Shorty

panthercity · 11-30-2007, 09:49 AM

I thought the packer game went quite well...

Silverado57 · 11-30-2007, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shorty

deco...back in the mid 70's I was stationed at an airbase in the Mojave Desert which flew F-4 Phantoms and F-105's. One of the pastimes that many "civilians" enjoyed was pulling off to the side of the road and watching these fighters take off over their heads with afterburners on close enough to distinguish the separate panels on the underside of the aircraft and feeling the thrust.
Shorty

Yep. I spent 4 years in the USAF working on F-4Ds, and you just never seem to get enough of that massive, ear-splitting power.

ToeCutter66 · 11-30-2007, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by decobike

Just watching some mindless TV after the Packer game (yeah didn't go well) but the program was on the Hell's Angels. I haven't seen this topic addressed per se. So I got curious, do you So. Cal and others living in the Southwest ever encounter dangerous biker gangs when you're out riding? If so is it ever a problem? I hope this isn't an inapporpriate topic.

Here is the "golden rule".

Always be aware of the "Golden Rule" of conduct while traveling in club circles: If you give respect, you'll get respect. If you act with disrespect, then you'll be treated with the same.

More of the same:

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. They realize that a club's "Colors" are closely guarded and the membership process is long and difficult. Other factors notwithstanding, they respect Patchholders for what they have accomplished by being able to earn and keep the patch they wear. This is respect born out of recognition of dedication and accomplishment. The MC Club strives for respect for this reason. This is especially true as it pertains to those persons outside of the motorcycle community. This segment of society is by far the larger, and therefore represents a larger market for any fund raising activities that the group might undertake. It stands to reason that cultivating a relationship with these people is important, and to be perceived by them as "Biker Scum" would not be advantageous to the group. They will therefore conduct themselves as upstanding citizens in every way... "Good neighbors" so to speak. The goal is to be admired and respected by the general public rather than feared. The serious club, and all of its members and guests, will always conduct themselves publicly in a highly professional manner.

Lastly:
Dont touch the patch.

Geoff · 11-30-2007, 10:20 AM

I hear they are all over yet I hardly ever see any of them.
Coming home from the N'oreast rally last year, by my lonesome in the rain, I was passed by a lone Hells Angel, N.H. chapter (?) He was on a bone stock looking harley bagger, did not acknowledge my existance in any way, nor I his, and thats the first one I have actually seen on the road in my life. However, there were more local 1% ers to this area (Northeast) that I have seen, and generally they leave you alone and you them.
I would not want to be the unfortunate focus of their ire, tho, for whatever reason
G

BBR · 11-30-2007, 10:56 AM

I don't live in the SW , but rather the NW and I have run into Hell's Angels and Gypsy Jokers while out riding. Some wave, some don't, some have come up and checked out the Bonnie. They have always been friendly and just like everyone else. I respect their dedication to their club, and we all seem to get along.

BBR

OldTownRAT · 11-30-2007, 11:12 AM

On my way to work one morning last year, I was sitting at a red light when I noticed another motorcycle pulling up in the other lane. I look over as the other bike pulls up next to me and it is a Mongols member sitting on a beautiful Dyna. He looks over at me, gives a nod to my Bonneville then yells "Good morning. Beautiful day isn't it?" I replied "Good morning, it sure is." Light turned green and off we went. I also ran into a large group of Mongols at bar a few years ago in the San Fernando Valley. No trouble. Just pay them the same courtesy and respect that you would anyone else and you'll be fine.

dazco · 11-30-2007, 11:24 AM

Back in the 70's i guess you could say they presented a very tiny problem. Nothing that was real common, but things did happen. Me and a friend we confronted once on our yamaha 650's. We basically just left but they confronted us with obvious bad intent for no reason. Wasn't the angels tho, and i don't know who they were but they were obviously a biker gang. Since then they have been all but invisible here tho. I rarely see any. The only place i ever saw much negativity from biker gangs was bass lake, a little resort community in the sierras. The angels were always up there in the 60's/early 70's and caused a bit of trouble. I remember once being at the beach on the lake and the chosen few came roaring in and took over the beach driving all the families away. They came down with booze in their hand and yelling obscenities obviously drunk as he||. I guess when your IQ hovers around mid double digits you tend to compensate by being a prick. Real a-holes i gotta say. But today things are much different. The law doesn't tolerate nearly as much as they did back then.

But in hind sight i think their big downfall was riding hardleys.

sweatmachine · 11-30-2007, 11:32 AM

Not socal, but I have a funny Hell's Angels story.

Back when I was about 15 or 16 a friend of mine and I went to Breckenridge, CO during the summer to visit his grandmother that lived there. As most of you are aware it is a ski town. It seemed to be pretty quiet there during the summer due to the lack of tourists, but some of the ski places rent out scooters, as in honda 50cc (or 80cc?) twist-and-go style. So we rent 2 of them, they give you a big open face helmet and some ski goggles so you look really rediculous on them. The last thing the guy said to us was "don't take these on any of the trails through the mountains."

so the first thing we do is look for these trails, and of course we find one and tear through the woods on these rental scooters. We go through the woods for a while and pop out on some other highway. We're up on the top of the mountain going downhill at beyond top speed (40-50mph) and this big group of Hell's Angels comes up behind us. They start to filter though us, so the 2 of us are on these scooters looking like we should be on The Jetsons with our goofy helmets, and are riding right in the middle of this pack of Angels.

I started singing "Born to be Wild" as loud as I could just to be funny, not to mock them mind you, but I was inspired...

So they all joined in (we were going about 30-40mph at this point) and me and my friend, and a couple dozen HA's were singing "Born to be Wild" at the top of our lungs riding down a mountain. It was a blast. They passed us and rode off, me and my friend laughed for an hour!