Despite outlaw bikers and outlaw motorcycle clubs (or one-percenter motorcycle clubs) being the bane of law enforcement the world over, their bad-boy appeal and two-hoots-for-the-law attitude earn them many fans. Honestly speaking, while many outlaw bikers are not leaving muddy and law-skirmished trails, these are not the people ordinary folks want to mess with.
They are a strong subculture within the motorcycling world and their popularity has often brought flagging motorcycle sales to respectable numbers. It’s only natural that outlaw bikers are partial to some motorcycles, with their liking for a brand or a particular kind of bike stemming from more reasons than one.
For many, buying a motorcycle indigenous to their country is a patriotic move, even if they do not treat the officers of the law with the same kind of respect. But hey, there’s a reason why they are called the bad boys of the motorcycling world!
Here go the 10 motorcycles and their brands that outlaw bikers are partial to riding, and why…
10 Harley-Davidson Cruisers: The Number One Choice
Depending on club rules and how much an outlaw motorcyclist can afford, Harley-Davidson cruisers are the motorcycle to go for, especially if you are a fan of the HAMC, the Hell’s Angels Motorcycle Club. These members have gone down the Harley-Davidson road from the start, and entry is only given to anyone who owns an HD that’s 1,000-cc and above.
The actual motorcycle can be up to each member’s choice and budget, considering Harleys do not come cheap. Not even for outlaws. For HAMC, riding pure American is a matter of pride.
9 Triumph Rocket: Pagan’s First Ride
While most outlaw motorcycle clubs in the US ride mostly Harley-Davidsons, this was not the case with the Pagans MC, when they were first formed. At the time, this outlaw bikers club preferred rising Triumph Rockets. Today, the liking stems from its nearly 2,300-cc engine with crazy torque that hits the road like a berserker.
Later, as the years went by, Pagans MC also shifted to HDs, all though many outlaw MCs in the UK and Europe call the Triumph Rocket their choice of riding down free roads.
8 Indian Chieftain: When HD Is Not An Option
If riding a Harley is an OMC’s idea of patriotism, then even an Indian should be right up their alley – they are also as American as the HDs. While Harleys are revered more than the Indians, most MCs save a few like HAMC will let you ride an Indian motorcycle, as long as the engine is more than 1,000ccs. Plus, there are quite a few Indian motorcycles that one might prefer over Harleys.
The Chieftain is a popular ride amongst the Indian bikes because it can carry a lot as a bagger, which comes in handy during long and punishing club rides.
7 Suzuki Hayabusa: Never Ridden By American OMCs
So none of the American outlaw motorcyclists will ever be seen on a Japanese bike. Mostly because when the outlaw motorcycle clubs were being formed, they came right after the wars, and the anti-Japan sentiment was at an all-time high.
And yet, many outlaw bikers, like the Ghost Rider, a Swedish motorcyclist stunt rider and traffic outlaw, rides only the Hayabusa, mostly because it is an awesome, power-packed motorcycle with riding ease. Pack it with nitrous and nearly nothing can stop it, or even out-ride it. Sadly, American outlaws would not know of the Hayabusa’s delights.
6 Buell: Came Harley-Owned
While most outlaw bikers in the US go for Harley-Davidsons as their choice of ride, be it for the club’s business and even as means of transportation, other American bikes like Indian and even Buell are let in sometimes.
Also, do remember, by 1993, Harley-Davidson Motorcycles owned 49% of Buell, and it was started by an ex-Harley-Davidson engineer, Erik Buell. By 2003, Buell was solely owned by HD, and even if they were discontinued by 2009, it is still American enough to be accepted by most OMCs.
5 West Coast Choppers: ‘Bad Boy’ Bikes
Even if Jesse James is not part of an outlaw biker club, he’s enough of a bad body himself to be considered an outlaw biker/ So the bikes he makes, under West Coast Choppers, were considered very American and very cool by plenty of MC members, even if they were not used for the club’s official business.
That said, James’ philandering ways led to his and Sandra Bullock’s marriage dissolving spectacularly, enough for him to shut shop and move to Austin. The bikes he made are now even more prized, considering they are but a few.
4 BMW S1000RR: HAMC’s New Ride?
In 2018, a few HAMC members suddenly dumped their long-patronized Harley-Davidsons and were seen riding BMWs. In particular, the BMW S1000RR, a racing bike made for the Superbike World Championship of 2009, is beginning to gain favor. With a 999-cc engine, this is not a cruiser, but powerful enough to make a long-ride comfortable and zippier as well.
With literally everyone and their neighbor riding an HD, maybe it truly is time to give the other bike brand a chance and stand out from the crowd as well.
3 Kawasaki Vulcan: Outlaw Bikers Love This One
When an American outlaw motorcycle club expands to other countries via international chapters, the diktats on which bikes can be ridden change. Not every country prefers a Harley, and believe it or not, Kawasakis are quite the bikes of choice for outlaw bikers all over the world, including, of course, Asia.
The Vulcan bikes come in various displacement with the Vulcan 2000 being a 2053-cc V-Twin that makes a colossal 141 ft-lb of torque. Armed with one of the best V-Twins they can cruise pretty fine and have great riding comfort, perfect for punishing long rides.
2 Victory: Over Harley?
Back in the day, and for many outlaw bikers even today, anything but a US-made Harley-Davidson was not patriotic and lily-white enough. So when Sonny Barger, a prominent and respected HAMC member said that he only rode Harleys because the club wanted him to but did not like them, ears perked up.
Of course, Barger was patriotic too and preferred the all-American Victory Motorcycles, specifically the Victory Cross Country Motorcycle, and found it to be more reliable and way cooler than the HD. Sadly, Victory Motorcycles shut shop in 2017, but they're still plenty of them on sale.
1 Big Dog Motorcycles: For Canine Lovers
Any outlaw biker who loves dogs has to have heard of Big Dog Motorcycles, with names like “Old Smokey”, “Husky”, “Boxer”, “Pitbull” and many more.
These were cool bikes, choppers with oversized fenders and handles, ape hangars really, and lasted from 1994 to 2011, post which the company shut shop. Since these were also pure American, some OMCs let them in, and they were a big favorite with independent outlaw bikers with no club affiliation as well. Riding a Big Dog meant you loved both motorcycles and dogs, and for a while, these were the biggest and coolest chick magnets ever.