Biker Gangs Around the World You Shouldn’t Mess With

Updated: Mar 19, 2024By Audrey KyanovaAutomotive

This article originally appeared on Investing.com. It has been republished here with permission.

©Cate Gillon/Getty Images

Outlaw motorcycle gangs first came about in the U.S. in the late 1940s, a product of soldiers returning from World War II. These soldiers had few job opportunities, so they formed MCs to regain those bonds of brotherhood they left behind on the war’s many fronts.

These 1%’ers are the “baddest of the bad,” and they aren’t anyone you’d want to mess with. Read through this list to learn about all of the different biker gangs throughout the world, as well as the net worths of their organizations and prominent members.

1. The Pagans

Date Founded: 1959
Financial Info: Up to $1 billion in revenue each year (Fortune)*

The Pagans are one of the most widespread, well-known outlaw motorcycle gangs in America. The gang was founded in the late ‘50s, around a decade before the idea of outlaw bikers really began to take off.

The Pagans @theguardian/Instagram

The Pagans are well-established, particularly on the American East Coast, and their feud with the Hells Angels (also on this list) is well-known. The Pagans are very protective of their turf, and they are one of the “Big Four” biker gangs in the world.

2. The Outlaws

Date Founded: 1935
Financial Info: $500,000* (Member Sam Childers Net Worth)

Founded in the Midwest in the mid-1930s, the Outlaws Motorcycle Club (MC) is an incorporated motorcycle gang that calls itself the oldest in the world. It is widespread, with two-hundred-seventy-five chapters across almost two dozen countries.

The Outlaws @fruitaway/Instagram

The Outlaws are all about secrecy and brotherhood. To join the Outlaws, according to their website, you have to do things “face to face,” not “online.” Just find a Brother and ask him, if you’re a tough-enough biker.

3. Los Bandidos

Date Founded: 1966
Financial Info: $600 per month membership dues cost in Sydney, Australia*

Los Bandidos is an outlaw MC with a worldwide membership, though it started in San Antonio, Texas. Its headquarters are now in San Leon, and it has expanded to include 2,500 members and 330 chapters across twenty-two countries.

Los Bandidos r/photography/Reddit

Los Bandidos’ rivals are many, including Black Cobra, the Cossacks, Comanchero, Kinfolk, Gypsy Jokers, and more (almost all of whom are on this list). Founded by Donald Eugene Chambers, it’s wise to ask before you step onto Bandidos turf.

4. The Gladiators

Date Founded: 2009
Financial Info: Unconfirmed

Though it may seem as though biker gangs are only in big American cities, they are popular across the country. The Gladiators MC, for example, was founded in rural Ohio, and it is very specific. Only men who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces who have cruiser bikes can join.

The Gladiators @dailymailuk/Instagram

Gladiators is relatively new, having been founded in 2009, and it has had issues getting a territory, thanks to more-established 1%’er organizations. The Gladiators have had to stay outside the city limits of Columbus, Ohio to avoid issues with other biker gangs.

5. The Red Devils

Date Founded: 2001
Financial Info: Unconfirmed

Not to be confused with the Red Devils Motorcycle Club that was founded in Canada in the 1940s, the RDMC we’re talking about here was started in 2001 as a support group to the Hells Angels.

The Red Devils @sixthtone/imgur.com

Though the club was founded less than three decades ago, the Red Devils have managed to make a huge impact on Australia, particularly in Melbourne. They provide much-needed support to the Hells Angels, both Down Under and in Canada.

6. Black Pistons

Date Founded: 2001
Financial Info: Unconfirmed

The Black Pistons is a worldwide motorcycle gang that acts as a support club for the Outlaws, an MC also on this list. The Black Pistons was founded in Germany in 2001, and it spread rapidly throughout Europe, Canada, Asia, and America.

Black Pistons @blackpistonsmc/Instagram

The Black Pistons have quite a few requirements to join. You have to be at least twenty-one, own an American-made motorcycle, and have been a friend of a Black Piston for a year. Members have to attend mandatory weekly meetings and functions, or else they won’t be a Black Piston for much longer.

7. The Gypsy Joker MC

Date Founded: 1956
Financial Info: Unconfirmed

An unusually named group, the Gypsy Jokers are a one-percenter club that was formed in SoCal on April 1^st, 1956. The April Fools Day founding is no coincidence, and the GJs have spread throughout Australia and Norway, too.

The Gypsy Joker MC @motor.maydaysur/Pinterest

Really, Gypsy Jokers are seen worldwide, and their links to other clubs might not be what you expect. For example, Gypsy Joker MC Norway has a support club in Brazil, established in 2016. This Brazil club is a foothold for the Gypsy Jokers to carve out more turf in Brazil (and in other areas, too).

8. The Highwaymen MC

Date Founded: 1954
Financial Info: $30,000* (Cost of Clubhouse in Detroit, 2011)

The Highwaymen MC has roots in Detroit, where it was founded in 1954. The Highwaymen are dominant in Michigan, thanks to them having been founded in one of the state’s most important cities. No doubt, a lot of men who struggled with losing their jobs in the auto industry in Detroit found solace in gangs such as the Highwaymen.

The Highwaymen MC @detroitnews/Instagram /@Kentucky Highwaymen M/C - Pikeville Chapter/Facebook

As for rivals, the Highwaymen are bitter enemies of the Outlaws. The groups have been at constant odds since the seventies, and these rivals have carefully carved out turf through the former auto industry hotspot.

9. The Rebels

Date Founded: 1969
Financial Info: $1.2 million* (Senior Member James Patrick Duff Net Worth)

At its peak in Australia, the Rebels MC had seventy chapters and over one thousand members, which made it the largest biker gang in the country at the time. The Rebels, which use the American Confederate flag as their logo, were founded in 1969.

The Rebels @thetattoohut/Pinterest

According to its website, the Rebels are in America, too. They describe themselves as a “true 1% motorcycle brotherhood.” Admittedly, the use of the Confederate Flag imagery is unusual, especially in Australia, a world away from where the United States Civil War occurred.

10. Cossacks MC

Date Founded: 1969
Financial Info: $16 for a “Run the Lake” shirt on eBay*

The Cossacks MC calls itself a “working man’s club,” with an emphasis on “charity,” “community outreach,” and “brotherhood.” The biker club is one of the largest OMCs in Texas, infamous for their conflicts with the Bandidos.

Cossacks MC @dailymailuk/Instagram

According to CNN reports, the conflict between the Cossacks and Bandidos comes down to, of course, money. Cossacks members won’t pay Bandidos dues in exchange for operating in Texas, and the Bandidos are angry that the Cossacks have claimed Texas as their turf by donning the “bottom rocker” on their leather vests.

11. Caloh Wagoh

Date Founded: 2016
Financial Info: N/A (Judicially Dissolved)

Caloh Wagoh is a biker gang that was founded in 2016 when the Trailer Trash MC and the Crips (in Hague) merged. Many members of the Caloh Wagoh are residents of caravans or, in some cases, of Surinamese descent.

Caloh Wagoh @nltimes/twitter.com

The Caloh Wagoh was officially, judicially dissolved in 2021. Interestingly, there is still a Caloh Wagoh Main Triad account on Instagram, though it’s not clear if there is any official connection between the owner of this account and the actual MC itself.

12. The Warlocks

Date Founded: 1967
Financial Info: Unconfirmed

Allies to the Pagans and Hells Angels, the Warlocks were formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1967, and they still call the city their HQ. Another Florida branch of the Warlocks was started that same year by ex-Navy servicemen on duty on the carrier the U.S.S. Shangri-La.

The Warlocks @townnews/imgur.com

The logo, “Born to Lose,” is a mandatory must-have when one wears Warlock vests. The club has also trademarked its multicolored cartoon of a winged harpy (a Greek mythological character), making sure that this logo remains the legal property of the MC.

13. The Loners MC Nomads

Date Founded: 1979
Financial Info: Unconfirmed

The Loners MC, also known as the Nomads, was founded in 1979 in Woodbridge Ontario, Canada. Their allies include the Rock Machine Road Runners, Bandidos, Mongols, Dirty Dozen, Annihilators, and Vigilantes MCs.

The Loners MC Nomads @Loners M.C. Nomads/Facebook.com

According to CBC, the Loners are basically made up of people who “did not rate” being initiated in Hells Angels. This could mean a lot of things, from the Loners not having enough ties to the Hells Angels to join, or them failing at the initiation process for some reason.

14. Hells Angels

Date Founded: 1948
Financial Info: Up to $1 billion per year in revenue (Fortune)*

Of course, we couldn’t have a list of the toughest biker gangs of all time without including one of the most famous MCs: the Hells Angels. The Hells Angels’ biggest rival is the Outlaws, with whom this large gang has had quite a few interactions.

Hell's Angels @CTVMontreal/Instagram

Though some Hells Angels are feared, the gang has largely become commercialized, hanging out with A-list actors like Jason Momoa and selling merch. When famous Hells Angels leader Sonny Barger passed away, his net worth was reportedly around half a million dollars.