Chapter 1: Muster to Custer Summary and Analysis

A "motorcycle run" to a Hell's Angel is a social experience. It's a get-together and moving party. It also symbolizes solidarity. The leader sets the pace. Some runs have clocked speeds at 90 mph in the rain. When Hell's Angels chapters began to spring up outside California in the late sixties, cross-country runs started to be organized.

In those early days, the gas tanks were small requiring the riders to stop frequently for gas. Today, a Harley FXRT has big gas tanks that can cover five or six hundred miles a day on just a few tanks. To Hell's Angels, they ARE their bikes. The cops, when aware of a run, would sometimes show up in great number to watch their activities. Other cops were friendly and helped clubs locate riders who got lost from the...