What Is the Oldest Motorcycle Gang?

The oldest widely recognized outlaw motorcycle gang still in operation is the Outlaws Motorcycle Club (A.O.A.), which traces its origin to 1935 in McCook, Illinois. If the question is meant to include all motorcycle clubs—whether “outlaw” or not—the honor for oldest continuously operating club generally goes to the Yonkers Motorcycle Club, founded in 1903 in New York. This distinction matters because “gang” typically refers to outlaw clubs, while many of the earliest motorcycle organizations were civic or sporting clubs.

Why the Answer Depends on “Gang” vs. “Club”

In common usage, “motorcycle gang” refers to outlaw or one‑percenter clubs that operate independently of mainstream sanctioning bodies and are often labeled by law enforcement as criminal organizations. By contrast, “motorcycle club” can describe any organized riding group, including those sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) and similar bodies worldwide. The earliest documented motorcycle organizations fall squarely into the latter category.

The Outlaws MC: Oldest Outlaw Motorcycle Club

Founded in 1935 around the Chicago suburb of McCook, the Outlaws Motorcycle Club is broadly regarded as the oldest outlaw motorcycle club still active. Early members were young riders who organized loosely before World War II and, like many clubs of the era, saw activity ebb during wartime before regrouping in the late 1940s. The club later adopted the “American Outlaws Association” identity as it expanded, and today it operates internationally. In law enforcement and academic literature on outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs), the Outlaws are consistently cited among the “Big Four” along with the Hells Angels, Bandidos, and Pagans.

Oldest Motorcycle Clubs That Aren’t “Gangs”

If the focus is on age regardless of outlaw status, earlier clubs predate the Outlaws by decades. The Yonkers Motorcycle Club, founded in 1903 in New York, is widely cited by the AMA and club historians as the oldest continuously operating motorcycle club in the world. Other early clubs, including the San Francisco Motorcycle Club (1904), emerged as motorcycling took off in the early 20th century, organizing endurance rides, hill climbs, and civic events rather than the outlaw culture that rose after World War II.

Early Clubs and Milestones at a Glance

The following timeline highlights notable early motorcycle organizations and key dates often referenced in discussions about “the oldest” club or gang. It provides context on how early sporting clubs evolved alongside, and sometimes apart from, the later outlaw scene.

• 1903 — Yonkers Motorcycle Club (New York, USA): Generally recognized as the oldest continuously operating motorcycle club.
• 1904 — San Francisco Motorcycle Club (California, USA): One of the oldest U.S. clubs, prominent in early competitive and civic motorcycling.
• 1935 — Outlaws Motorcycle Club (Illinois, USA): Widely regarded as the oldest outlaw motorcycle club still active.
• 1946 — Boozefighters MC (California, USA): Influential postwar club associated with the 1947 Hollister event; not a self‑identified one‑percenter gang.
• 1948 — Hells Angels MC (California, USA): Among the largest and most internationally recognized outlaw motorcycle clubs.

Taken together, these dates illustrate why the Outlaws MC holds the “oldest outlaw” distinction, while clubs like Yonkers and San Francisco trace the broader roots of motorcycling culture to the sport’s earliest decades.

Why Confusion Persists

Terminology

Media and popular culture often use “gang” and “club” interchangeably, but historians and law enforcement distinguish mainstream, sanctioned clubs from outlaw groups. That difference changes which organization counts as “oldest.”

Wartime Interruptions

Many clubs saw attendance and activity drop during World War II, then reorganized after 1945. Some histories reference “continuous operation” while others accept wartime lulls, creating variations in how “oldest” is defined.

Regional Mergers and Claims

Local clubs that formed in the 1930s and 1940s sometimes merged into larger organizations. For example, San Francisco’s Market Street Commandos (1940s) later merged with the Hells Angels in the 1950s. Such mergers complicate lineage claims for “oldest.”

How Historians and Agencies Verify These Dates

Researchers typically rely on multiple sources: club charters and archives, AMA records, contemporary newspaper reports, and law‑enforcement assessments. While individual origin stories can be contested, the broad consensus across these sources supports 1935 for the Outlaws as the oldest outlaw MC, and 1903 for Yonkers MC as the oldest continuously operating motorcycle club.

Summary

The oldest motorcycle gang, in the outlaw sense, is widely considered to be the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, founded in 1935 in Illinois. If the question includes all clubs, the oldest continuously operating is generally recognized as the Yonkers Motorcycle Club, founded in 1903. The apparent discrepancy arises from whether one means “outlaw gang” or “any motorcycle club.”