Harley-Davidson and the Hell’s Angels. Few couples are as equal as
those two names. The combination of Harley Davidson and the Hells Angels is
something like peanut butter and jelly, but sometimes turns into
oil and water In other words, sometimes the two don’t mix. From the
formation of Hells Angels, Harley Davidson has been his motorcycle of
choice, which has not always thrilled the company. they faced each other
a negative reaction from the buying public, which connected the company
to the motorcycle gang.
Since the early days of the biker gang, the Hells Angels have seemed
bask in his bad reputation. To this day, many members still use a
patch on his jacket, signifying his
“one percent” status. They were given the label.
in the 1950s after the American Motorcyclist Association claimed that
1% of all motorcycle clubs were outlaws, including the Hells Angels.
Harley seemed willing, albeit reluctantly, to accept the relationship.
until the 1966 release of a book by Hunter S. Thompson. Hell
Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Biker Gang
delivered an unflinching description of the gang in action. Thompson
lived around the gang for almost a year, only leaving after receiving a
severe beatings of some members. He wrote about everything.
the gang did, including violent beatings and gang rapes.
This rape of two teenagers, ages 14 and 15, by a group of outlaws, sent
shock waves across the country. More than 300 Hells Angels members were
gathered for a rally in California when the event occurred, landing
four members in jail, and the rest escorted out of the area. the men were
eventually acquitted of rape, but Harley-Davidson still stuck with it still
another black mark on your record. Suddenly, the company saw itself
as a voluntary participant in the actions committed by the gang.
Another incident, documented and verified in Thompson’s book,
happened in 1961. A man accidentally hit one of the members
bicycles with his car, a screaming fight ensued and the man was severely
beaten in addition to destroying his car. At the same time, the articles
detailing the worst offenses of the Hells Angels appeared in Time,
Life and The New York Times. In each case, the connection of the cyclists
the bikes they loved were featured front and center.
The most famous incident involving the Hells Angels took place in
Altamont, California in 1969. Members of the Oakland chapter were hired
as security guards for a concert with some of the biggest bands in
time. A concertgoer who came on stage was stabbed to death by
one of the Hell’s Angels. Although charges were dropped, the incident
he had already done damage to Harley-Davidson’s reputation.
During the 1980s and 1990s, the tangled relationship between
Harley-Davidson and the Hells Angels tensed up even more. Until 1983
incident led to four members being charged with conspiracy, after a
conflict with another biker gang. In more recent years, the Hells
Angels tangled with a rival gang in Nevada. The skirmish ended with two
dead members and two in prison.
Harley-Davidson’s affiliation with the Hells Angels, willing
or not, suffered as a result of bad public opinion. The motorcycle
The gangs were the long-time loyal customers who depended on the company.
for teams, but not your only customers. Most of the people who
bought a motorcycle, he was not involved in a motorcycle gang, but they were
afraid that others would think they were. When the Harley-Angels connection
formed, some customers took their loyalty elsewhere. throughout certain
points in the company’s history, have blamed their
financial problems of the biker gang. They claim that when the Hells Angels
make the front page, sales plummet.
The history of Harley-Davidson and the Hells Angels is long and
one tangled. Thanks to the publicity surrounding bikers, the
company reached a wide audience of new consumers. The same
the publicity has caused damage to the company’s reputation, but
They have always managed to bounce back. Harley Davidson and the underworld
Angels are two groups that will always be connected.