“Angels forever, forever Angels” is the motto of the official Motorcycle one presenter gang, the Hells Angels. Some may also remember them to have said “When we do right, nobody remembers. When we do wrong, no one forgets” but this is more a comment on the controversy given (or earned, dependent on your stand point) to their brand, than a lived and loved by motto.
The term ‘one presenter’ comes from a comment made by the American Motorcycle Association, when they stated that 99% of motorcycle gangs and riders in general are all law abiding citizens, giving the impression that the remaining percent were outlaws.
It’s not just the American Motorcycle Association that has taken a stance against the Hell’s Angels previously. The US Department of Justice considers Hell’s Angels an organised crime syndicate, which here means that the US Department of Justice are leveling the Hell’s Angels with groups who commit organised crime; the Mafia for example.
The so-called outlaw motorcycle club is established enough to have no less than 425 charters in 50 countries, which given that they were founded on March 17, 1948 is fairly impressive to have such a widely spread following.
The Hell’s Angels have worn many a nickname throughout their long and illustrious history (the HA, Red & White, 81) but their following should really be described far more like a family – they may seem threatening, but this is an image enforced by news coverage and media portrayals particularly in TV and Films.
The image of a large group of men, is deemed to be threatening enough, but dress those men in Leather jackets and trousers, donned with various biking Insignia and bananas, beards and sunglasses it does create an image of a group of people you wouldn’t want to run into in a dark alley.
Becoming a Hell’s Angel doesn’t mean you wear the clothes and you’re in. There’s a long and investigative process that you will go through should you want to join the biking family. To even be considered to join the HA, you must be in possession of a valid driver’s licence, a motorcycle over 750cc and the right combination of personal qualities. You may not be a HA if you are a registered sex offender or if you’ve ever applied to become a member of the Police Force or a Prison Guard or Officer. Even if you do possess the correct personality points, that still doesn’t mean you’re in.
First you are deemed a ‘hang around’ which progresses to an ‘associate’, after a couple of years you become a ‘prospect’ to which you eventually progress into being ‘full patch’ which is the highest honor of membership status.
If you do decide joining your nearest charter of the Hell’s Angel’s is the route you’d like to take, by all means go for it. Rock the style, have fun, but most importantly, stay safe. Carry On Biking should be your first port of call when it comes to safety, you can trust them.
