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Many people assume motorcycle clubs sprang up after World War II, but riders were banding together decades earlier. In the early 1900s, when motorcycles were little more than bicycles with engines, enthusiasts formed clubs for fun and support. One of the first, the New York Motorcycle Club, merged with the Alpha Motorcycle Club of Brooklyn in 1903 to create the Federation of American Motorcyclists, an early precursor to the American Motorcyclist Association.
Other local clubs sprang up at the same time. The Yonkers Motorcycle Club evolved from the Yonkers Bicycle Club and hosted endurance runs before the Federation International Motorcycliste existed. It later served as a civil‑defense messenger service and is considered the world’s oldest active motorcycle club. On the West Coast, the San Francisco Motorcycle Club held its first meeting in November 1904 and organized its first hill‑climb run a year later.
These early clubs predated the 1940s outlaw image. Through the 1920s and 1930s, motorcycling was an affordable alternative to cars, and clubs were formed for camaraderie and support. An Air Force history article notes that motorcycles were popular in the early 1900s until the Great Depression slowed production. After WWII, many veterans joined existing clubs seeking camaraderie and adrenaline, but they were joining a tradition that had been established for decades.
Modern MC culture stands on these pre‑war foundations. Do you know of other pre‑WWII clubs or stories from the early days? Share them here!
📌 Source: Rider Magazine, History.com
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