The Outlaws Motorcycle Club is a group of motorcycle riders with definite ideas about the way things should be done. The club was started in Chicago in 1935 as the McCook Outlaws, later changing their name to the Chicago Outlaws and, eventually, simply the Outlaws. Yet the most interesting aspect of this motorcycle club is that it is considered to be the first true "one percenter" club east of the Mississippi.
The term "one percenter" is derived from the small number of motorcycle clubs in the U.S. not sanctioned by the American Motorcycle Association. According to the club's website, the Outlaws were in good standing with the AMA until 1963, when that organization banned the use of the word "outlaws" on any clothing or custom patches worn by bikers participating in official AMA races. At that point the club decided to cut ties with the AMA and go its own way.
In 1965 the American Outlaws Association was born as an umbrella for all current and future chapters around the world. The organization modified the official AMA patch to come up with something that was completely unique but still able to show the Outlaws displeasure with their former friends. Since that time the Outlaws have grown to the extent that they have chapters all over the world.
Today, the main page of the club's website instructs people not to contact them asking how to join. Instead, they are to find a current member and ask him instead. The Outlaws tend to be an exclusive group allowing only males who ride American-built motorcycles of 1,000cc or more. Not much is known about membership requirements because the Outlaws tend to be a very private organization. At the same time, they are very loyal to one another regardless of the particular chapters individual members belong to.
