Hells Angels.

[longers]

One tried to snatch my pannier off as I was doing 20mph minding my own business yesterday.

How unwise would it have been to have had a strong word or two if I'd caught up at some lights? Are they as dangerous over here as the American ones are portrayed as?

 

[Norm]

Real HA? Patched up and everything? I'd be very surprised if one of them tried anything like that.

 

[longers]

Yep, had the badges sewn on his jacket. He could have been pretending to try but I didn't see it like that at the time.

 

[Norm]

Wow. Well, I knew a few a long time ago and I know of a few now and I'd say that the media portrayal isn't too far from the truth.

 

[slowmotion]

On Highway One, on the west coast of the US, most uber-leathered-up bikers are actually dentists, with long-suffering wives on the pillion. It might be different in the UK, however.

 

[Debian]

Personally, I would've cycled in the opposite direction!

 

[steve52]

sadley it seems that even the hells angels are getting soft if there members need to snatch handbags for thrills, points shameing finger of shame at him!

 

[sleekitcollie]

Was it actually a HA BACK PATCH or some other SIDE PATCH (patch worn on arm ) club . Was there only 2 of them or more . Prob just a bit of "fun " on their part .
Confrontation prob not best . But these guys r mostly sound . As long as u ok with them and respect their choice of lifestyle

 

[upsidedown]

There's a bunch of them live in a big detached house in Wolverhampton. The police once raided it by driving a JCB through the front door !

 

[Dave Davenport]

I went to school with a bloke who joined the Hells Angels. He was just a regular bloke. It's just reputation, they aren't all Devils Spawn who take a pledge of indestructability. Next time catch them up and ask him what the f**k he thinks he is doing

A leather jacket with a cut-off denim and some badges does not make you tough

True, but being mob handed and tooled up does tend to.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

There's a bunch of them live in a big detached house in Wolverhampton. The police once raided it by driving a JCB through the front door !

I remember that. I was living just up the road at the time.
I worked in the Barley Mow on Penn Common and we used to get a couple of them in for a pint. They seemed like nice enough people, never caused any bother or anything. The problems usually arise with those who want to be Hell's Angels, but aren't.

 

[Twenty Inch]

The Hell's Angels are widely held to be one of the most ruthless and successful criminal syndicates around. Sonny Barger went a long way to sanitising their image, professionalising their activities, and developing their franchises. They don't often trash pubs and terrorise towns nowadays, it's bad for business. I wouldn't mess with any of them.

Still, Longers, looks like you just got a bad apple. There's always one, isn't there?

 

[Alan Whicker]

I have some limited experience with the HA. They're no saints but It was very much a case of "We don't bother 'civilians', but if you come looking for trouble, you'll definitely find it". They used to drink in a pub I went to a lot in Bradford. They never caused any bother but I do remember them being pretty er, nasty to one bloke who insulted a barmaid. The bloke ended up leaving the pub via a window, like in a cowboy film. He was the singer of the band I was due to see later, as it turned out. The NME later interviewed him in hospital.

A year or so back I was waiting at some lights on my old (1974) Vespa and an Angel roared up next to me. "I used to have one just like that" he shouted, before zooming off. I bet he wouldn't have said that if his mates had been with him .

 

[MarkF]

Yep, had the badges sewn on his jacket. He could have been pretending to try but I didn't see it like that at the time.

What, the Hells Angel patch with club location? TBH I'd be amazed, he'd be disrespecting his patch. Anyway, never mess with them, mess with one and you mess with them all.

 

[Cubist]

I have some limited experience with the HA. They're no saints but It was very much a case of "We don't bother 'civilians', but if you come looking for trouble, you'll definitely find it". They used to drink in a pub I went to a lot in Bradford. They never caused any bother but I do remember them being pretty er, nasty to one bloke who insulted a barmaid. The bloke ended up leaving the pub via a window, like in a cowboy film. He was the singer of the band I was due to see later, as it turned out. The NME later interviewed him in hospital.

A year or so back I was waiting at some lights on my old (1974) Vespa and an Angel roared up next to me. "I used to have one just like that" he shouted, before zooming off. I bet he wouldn't have said that if his mates had been with him .

One of the Bradford guys, Les, used to work in a bike shop in town. It used to break Moto Guzzis so I often went in for bits for mine. He had a hook instead of a hand. Not sure they were real Hells Angels MC though, I always thought they were Blue Angels.

The wannabes were worse than the real thing. When I used to live near Coventry there were the proper Hells Angels from the Warwick sort of area, Coventry Road Rats and the Satan's Slaves. The Road Rats were peanuts. The Slaves were a bit better, I used to know three or four of them, two brothers, one of whom, Chris, had a coffin bolted onto a pram chassis as a sidecar, the other brother had a nice chopped Bonneville, but no licence. He went by the name of Scum. Mate of mine put L plates on it for a laugh once. Still hiding now!

The other two were shadowier beings, one the brother of my best mate Ozzy (RIP, killed in a race at Mallory Park). He was OK, but as a young teen I sensed a real menace around him and some of his friends. The other was called Rabbi, and I never saw him on a bike, he always seemed to be driving a pick-up truck. He once accidentally reversed over Ozzy's Superdream , and when we told him he laughed and drove off.