In the world of motorcycling clubs, there are the 99% of "law-abiding citizens" and then there are the one-percenters. But there is another small group right in the middle and that's the Iron Order Motorcycle Club. They started making waves in the early 2000s and are one of the fastest-growing motorcycle clubs in the United States.
In their relatively short existence, they have managed to make their fair share of enemies but none of them are as big as the Hells Angels. These aren't the type of people that you would want to get on the wrong side of, but the Iron Order MC has managed to do this on multiple occasions. Over the years their rivalry has grown more intense and this has resulted in several violent altercations.
If you know a little about motorcycle clubs then you know that rivalries are a part of their culture, but so is mutual respect. Yet the Hells Angels seem to have little to no respect for the Iron Order MC, so why is that the case? Where does their rivalry come from and why is it so intense?
Let's take a closer look at the rivalry between the Iron Order and the Hells Angels.
The Iron Order Are Not A Real Outlaw Motorcycle Club
A one-percenter motorcycle club is a criminal organization whose members use their motorcycle club as a front for criminal activity. So according to this definition, the Iron Order isn't a one-percenter. Unlike the Hells Angels, they pride themselves on being "law-abiding citizens who just love to ride motorcycles", something no real Outlaw Motorcycle Club would ever do.
Now, let's get one thing straight, members of the Iron Order MC are the furthest thing from being law-abiding citizens but they aren't a traditional Outlaw Motorcycle Club either. As we stated before they lie somewhere between the real one-percenters and the other 99% of law-abiding motorcycle riders.
The Iron Order Motorcycle Club often wears regalia and practices the traditions of an OMC but they do this rebelliously. Usually, when a new motorcycle club wants to do these things they have to ask for permission from the Hells Angels and other members of the "big four motorcycle clubs". But the Iron Order didn't do this.
Pretending to be an Outlaw Motorcycle Club can get you killed and the Iron Order MC has had to learn this the hard way. They have been accused in the past of being "imposters playing dress up and trying to live up their ideas of what an OMC is." And the Hells Angels - as one of the biggest Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs in the World - have not taken their blatant disregard of their traditions lightly.
The Hells Angels Are Threatened By Them
On the other hand, the Iron Order MC says that the real reason why the Hells Angels hate them is that they see them as a threat. They're one of the fastest-growing motorcycle clubs in the United States with chapters all over the world. And because of this, they claim that traditional Outlaw Motorcycle clubs such as the Hells Angels are threatened by them.
Another thing to consider is that motorcycle clubs usually have a code of silence. They NEVER willingly cooperate with the police. But the Iron Order Motorcycle Club doesn't abide by that same code of secrecy. Since they're made up of former law enforcement officers and government officials they often do work with the police and other law enforcement agencies.
It's easy to see why the existence of such a motorcycle club could be seen as a threat by the Hells Angels. They're one of the most dangerous motorcycle clubs in the world. The HAMC makes most of its money by trafficking drugs and weapons it's also been known to be a murder-for-hire organization. So an unregulated motorcycle club like the Iron Order has the potential to really threaten their entire criminal enterprise.
They Are Natural Enemies
It's safe to say that law-enforcement and biker gangs don't get along. Ever since the emergence of one-percenters in the 50s and 60s, the police have been trying to shut them down but to no avail. So when a group of former law-enforcement officers decides to start a motorcycle club there is bound to be more than a few angry people and they usually have guns.
let's face it the Hells Angels and the Iron Order were never going to be friends. They hold directly opposing views of the world. The latter consists of people who have previously made a sworn duty to protect and serve while the former is a multi-million dollar criminal enterprise.
The two are natural enemies. The fact that members of the Iron Order have traded their police uniform for a leather jacket and a Harley-Davidson doesn't mean that the Hells Angels hate them any less.