All riders of every age have encountered it. Whether coming from friends and family as you tell them you’re getting a motorcycle or when a non-rider find out you carry the label of biker.

The look of ‘Are you crazy?’ mingled with the fear you’ll start eating babies and pillaging small towns.

How exactly did a form of transport get such a universally strong association to everything bad in our society and more importantly, are we turning the corner of that stereotype?

Ironically, the same media that painted the everyday motorcycle enthusiast as the crazed criminal have been instrumental in bringing the image back to a more realistic version.

Oddly enough, the motorcycle has a touch of blue-blood. Back in the early 1900’s when the motorcycle was gaining popularity it was considered a toy for the rich and a more affordable transportation alternative to the then expensive automobile by the average person. It even became a symbol of the growing emancipation movement by women.

But by the end of the Second World War, America had an abundance of two things; motorcycles and returning servicemen, neither of which the military had any further need for. Although many of the returning soldiers tried to pick up their lives and settled down to jobs, marriage and children, some of the young men were restless, trying to find their place in society and looking for friends that could relate to the experiences they had known.

The post war supply of cheap motorcycles not only presented the restless men an avenue for their youthful energy, the rough and powerful ride from the Harley Davidson or Indian motorcycles of the day gave that edge to life these men had known in war but was hard to find in suburban America. Many chose the life of the road with like minded individuals who liked to ride hard and party harder rather than settle in the routine of a nine to five job, mortgages and the stresses of raising a family. Just as the man either side of them in war was closer than any brother, their fellow riders became family.

Since these were men that were used to serving under a symbol, wearing patches of who they were and what they represented, it wasn’t long before the different groups became more organized and gave themselves an identity, something surely lacking for many. Two of the first such organizations were the Pissed Off Bastards and the Booze Fighters.

Because an offshoot of the Pissed Off Bastards became the infamous Hells Angels, their origins are less well known but it's thought that many were formerly members of an elite group of U.S. Army paratroopers trained to land behind enemy lines, defeat the enemy and hold their ground until conventional forces can re-enforce them.

Booze Fighters still exist today and make every effort to recount the club’s history. "Wino" Willie Forkner is recognized as the founder of the Booze Fighters and after being kicked out a previous motorcycle club for being too rambunctious he found kindred spirits in Nelson, Dink Burns, George Menker and others. It’s said that the club was actually formed at the All American Bar in Los Angeles in 1946.

How long would these groups have kept the moniker of 'club' and all the civilized air that goes with it will never be known. An event that should’ve been like every one before it became the catalyst that changed Middle America’s perception, and consequently attitude towards the motorcycle and its rider.

Ironically the description and what would become the public perception of 'Outlaw Bikers' came from a leading advocate for motorcycle enthusiasts to this day.

The term Outlaw Motorcycle Club which was originally used by the AMA (American Motorcycle Association) simply to designate motorcycle clubs who didn’t adhere to its standards and whether they could compete in the many competitions held around the country. It was one of these motorcycle competitions in Hollister in 1947 which would become an unclear footnote in riding history and a Hollywood sensation.