The name itself is self-explanatory, the Bandidos Motorcycle Club isn't one that follows the rules and the regulations of the AMA (American Motorcycle Association) and accordingly are part of the growing league of one-percenter motorcycle clubs across the US.
While they may be under the keen eye of the law since law enforcement considers them to be a threat to the normal peace of any territory they hog, shows like the Sons of Anarchy have only served to make outlaw motorcycle clubs more popular, even if OMCs have dubious facts supporting them.
Most of the Harley-Davidson motorcycles’ sales rest on the shoulders of these biker clubs. The image of most one-percenters is such that men would always be queuing up to join the brotherhood, and women will always want their share of bad boys. If you too have found the Bandidos MC strangely attractive, here go 15 facts for you learn a little more about the club, its men, and the workings behind it all.
15 The Bandidos MC Is Known As The Bandido Nation
On of the largest outlaw MCs in America, the Bandidos Motorcycle Club likes to call itself and all its brothers the Bandido Nation. Which kind of sounds like they exist above and away from the rules of the home soil and makes the law enforcement pretty nervous about them and their thousands of members.
14 The Founder Was Known As "Mother"
The founding member and the first “El Presidente” of the Bandidos MC is Donald Eugene Chambers, who joined the Marines after school and was packed off to Vietnam. Once back, he started the Bandidos Motorcycle Club on March 4, 1966, in San Leon, Texas – as of 2020, this club is now 54 years old. Within the club, he bore the nickname “Mother.”
13 The Club Was Named As A Nod To Mexican Bandits
While we do not understand the need to honor bandits, Mexican or otherwise, Bandidos were named after them and their way of living life by their own rules, much like outlaw MCs. Most of the members that Donald “Mother” Chambers recruited were also Vietnam war veterans sourced from bars in Houston, Corpus Christi, Galveston, and San Antonio.
12 This Is A Caucasian + Hispanic MC
Most outlaw MCs put a lot of importance on the race, caste, and creed of the members, many of them being all-white only. None of the outlaw MCs ever allow a woman member and most people of Hispanic or African-American origin have their own MCs. The Bandidos MC, however, does allow for both Caucasian and Hispanic members, probably because the very name is Mexican in origin.
11 Bandidos MC Are One Of The Big Four
With a strength of more than 5,000 members (as of 2005) and covering some 22 countries, the Bandidos MC is big and expanding. Along with Hells Angels MC, the rather scary Pagans MC, and the Outlaws MC, they form the “Big Four” of motorcycle clubs that the law enforcement is at pains to contain.
10 International Bandidos MCs Are Free From The Mother Chapter
As of 2006, the Bandidos MC in Europe and Asia are no longer part and parcel of the Bandidos MC of America. While all Bandidos MC have the same name and wear the same colors (more or less), the laws of the mother chapter do not govern the international chapters, especially in Europe and Asia.
9 The Colors Came From The Marine Corps
The name may have come from the Mexican bandits of yore, and so did the logo, but the colors of red and gold were Chambers’ way of paying homage to his original brotherhood – the US Marine Corps, where he served during the Vietnam war. Of course, the Vietnam war veterans weren’t given a hero’s welcome, so Chambers honored the brothers more than the organization.
8 Chambers Was Disillusioned With The War
The government was not fair to the Vietnam War veterans, but neither were the civilians. The Vietnam War was a bad decision, and the victims on American soil were the returning soldiers who got no benefits of recognition for their services. Desperate to belong to a band and be given their dues, many of them founded MCs or signed up for one, looking for the lost brotherhood they never really found.
7 The Bandidos Motto Is Rather Direct
Much like the motto of Hells Angels, the forever motto has been adopted by the Bandidos as BFFB, “Bandidos Forever, Forever Bandidos.” But the cooler motto is “We Are The People Our Parents Warned Us About” which pretty much shouts that the Bandidos MC members are all bad boys and not to be messed with.
6 They Have Plenty Of Allies and Support Groups
Bandidos MC is big, and accordingly, call the Mongols MC, Satudarah MC and the Tri Dorogi MC (Russia) their allies. Regional motorcycle clubs such as Amigos, Companeros, Desperados, Destralos, Gray Ghosts, Hermanos, Hombres, Ozark Riders, and Pistoleros are support clubs for Bandidos and often provide Bandidos with new prospects. They wear opposing colors, gold and red.
5 They Also Have A Whole MC Enmity Chain
The 69ers MC, Banshees MC, Cossacks MC, Hells Angels MC, Iron Order MC, Kinfolk MC, Night Wolves MC, and Notorious MC are the enemy clubs of Bandidos MC – and unsurprisingly, most of these are all-white. Clashes are common and bloody and disrupt the peace, law, and order of any area, enough for charges to be pressed on either side.
4 To Combat Law Enforcement, They Turned Non-Profit
When enough of their top-position members began to be charge-sheeted under various penal codes, the Bandido Nation, at least the US chapters, declared themselves to be a non-profit group together only for the joy of riding. The idea is to retain the above-the-law image by doing various charity events and runs.
3 They Have Been On TV And In Books
In 2012, there was a TV series called Bikie Wars: Brothers In Arms and it featured not just the Bandidos MC but the enmity between the Bandidos MC and the Comanchero MC. The series itself was based on the eponymous book by Lindsay Simpson and Sandra Harvey. The climax of the series and the book was the 1984 Father’s Day Massacre, known as the Milperra Massacre.
2 A Bandidos MC Member Was Shunned For Writing A Tell-All Book
Colin Caesar Campbell was an enforcer with the Bandidos MC, and he left the motorcycle club after he “did not like the direction it was taking.” Later, he wrote a book about his time in the Bandidos nation, and it did not go down well with the PTB at Bandidos. He was declared to have “out with bad standings” later.
1 The Biggest Motorcycle Club Funeral Ever
When the acting national president Alvin Chester ‘Big Al’ finally lost his battle with cancer, he had a request to make from the Bandido Nation – that they give him the biggest motorcycle cavalcade funeral ever. Carrying Harley Davidson manuals instead of Bibles, that is exactly what the brotherhood did, honoring Big Al the outlaw MC way…