01/05/2026
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This year we (Boozefighters MC)celebrate 80 years as a club. 80 years of riding the streets of the United States. 80 years of Brotherhood. 80 years of living life the way we want, not the way others think we should. 80 years of history worth preserving. But it all started with a desire to enjoy the freedoms we were guaranteed.
In September of 1945 WW2 ended and many men were coming home. These men had experienced a life that no man walks away from unchanged. They were eager to return to the lives they left behind and eager to be free once more. Many of these men turned to hobbies that gave them an adrenaline rush and a full sense of unrestrained freedom. Motorcycle enthusiasts were on the rise and motorcycle racing provided the rush they were after. Many of these returning veterans began looking to join or form motorcycle racing clubs. Some of the most famous bikers and clubs in US history will get their start during this time period. But the one I’m focused on will happen sometime in early 1946.
After returning home men such as William “Wino” Forkner, will search for an outlet that will provide the excitement, freedom, and all around rush they craved. Wino will find that in returning to riding motorcycles. He had done so before the war and had no doubt missed it throughout the war. Many of his friends and acquaintances had done the same after returning home. Wino had been a member of the 13 Rebels MC until a drunken ride through a race gate saw him being “asked” to leave.
Wino and a group of his friends routinely drank at an old Flying A gas station that had been converted into a bar and grill called the All-American in South Gate Los Angeles. They began discussing forming their own club and settled that they would. While deciding on a name a friend of theirs, Walt Porter, raised his head off the bar and something to the effect of, “Why don’t you call it the Boozefighters, since all you do is sit in here and fight the booze anyways”. The group laughed but after some consideration they settled on Boozefighters as the name. They initially intended to join the AMA (American Motorcycle Association), but were turned down to the name. Of course, instead of changing the name they raised the proverbial middle finger and opted to become what was, at the time, referred to as an outlaw club. This only referred to a club that did not follow the rules and guidelines of the AMA. They were independent clubs who answered to no one but themselves. Riding, drinking, and racing was a way of life for these men and they were going to live that life the best they could.
In July of 1947, the Boozefighters and many other outlaws clubs (Pi**ed Off Bastards of Bloomington, Marketstreet Commandos, Moonshiners, Galloping Goose, Sharks and more) all descended upon the little town of Hollister, CA. They were there to celebrate July 4th weekend and to join into the festivities around the Gypsy Tour race that was happening (while few if any made it to the actual races). This naturally caused a stir and that fateful weekend would go down in history as the true birth of the American Biker. It would also see the Boozefighters brought to the limelight for the first time in biker history. An article entitled “Cyclist’s Raid” would spin the event into a work of fiction that would result in mass national apprehension and even fear of bikers. Some of the events involving the Boozefighters would be brought to center stage and hyped up. These hyped up version of the events would later be used in a 1953 movie starring Marlon Brando call “The Wild One”.
From that point on the Boozefighters were solidified as an important part of the rise of the American Biker. Today we attempt to stay true to the original point in forming this club. We enjoy brotherhood on the road and many of us still race our bikes. We salute our founders: Wino Willie, Vern Autrey, Fat Boy Nelson, JD Cameron, Jim Cameron, George Manker, Johnny Davis, Bobby Kelton, Jack Lilly, Les Haserot, Gil Armas, CB Clausen, D**k Burns, Jim Hunter, Johnny Roccio and the many others in the first generation of Boozefighters! Join me in raising a glass to our founders, 80 years of being a club, and to many years to come. Boozefighters Up!
