I used to live in Ventura CA, which I think is the Hell’s Angels headquarters? (Not sure, but that’s what I had heard.) Their bikes used to line the streets some weekends. Most of them seemed pretty harmless to me, but what do I know. I once was sitting in a little cafe on Main there and overheard a conversation between two of the guys... one was an older guy trying to convince a younger guy to buy the bike that they were out test-riding, which was parked outside. “But it’s pink! It’s a chick’s bike.” “You can paint it!” And it was... it was a hot pink Barbie bike, even though it was a Harley. It just made me laugh to overhear those two tough guys having that conversation over yuppie designer coffees.
WFAA has a good article with new info, making it sound this is a bit of a Turf War and the Cossacks NOT paying dues to the Bandidos to operate in the state, that kind of a deal, racketeering(?). Without further comment:
“For months, there had been skirmishes and talk of a war between the Bandidos and Cossacks over money, turf and respect, according to a law enforcement bulletin obtained by News 8.
That talk escalated into open warfare on the streets of Waco Sunday afternoon during a biker gathering at a restaurant. Nine suspected gang members were killed and 18 others were injured in a confrontation between the two motorcycle gangs at the Twin Peaks restaurant on the south side of Waco.”
Violence between members of the Bandidos OMG and the Cossacks MC has increased in Texas with no indication of diminishing,” according to the bulletin. “The conflict may stem from Cossacks members refusing to pay Bandidos dues for operating in Texas and for claiming Texas as their territory by wearing the Texas bottom rocker on their vests, or ‘colors’ or ‘cuts.”
Good story, funny. Thanks.
I’ve never come across any of the hard core biker types, have a friend who is a biker up the yazoo but not the trouble-making kind. He knows all this stuff.
There are motorcycle forums on the web which would probably be the place to go if people wanted to find out more.