Hells Angels

About Hells Angels

The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) is a world-wide motorcycle gang whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporation. Some members of the Hells Angels and other motorcycle clubs nickname themselves "one-percenters" in response to the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) claim, made after the infamous Hollister affair, that ninety-nine percent of motorcyclists were law abiding citizens, and the other one percent were outlaws giving everyone else a bad name.

Both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Criminal Intelligence Service Canada classify the Angels as one of the "big four" outlaw motorcycle gangs, contending that members carry out widespread violence, drug dealing, trafficking in stolen goods, and extortion. Many Hells Angels members, associates, and supporters assert that this is a mischaracterization, and claim that they are a group of motorcycle enthusiasts who organize social events such as group road trips, fundraisers, parties, and motorcycle rallies.

In March 2007 the Hells Angels filed suit against Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group alleging that the film entitled Wild Hogs used both the name and distinctive logo of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporation without permission.