It’s a wild ride on Australia’s bikie gang national runs
THE national run is part of a bikie’s duty to their club. But things don’t always end well when Australia’s outlaw bikies get together and hit the road. PICTURE SPECIAL
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THEY’RE a crucial part of bikie culture, a duty of all members to hit the road and meet up with mates.
A few times a year bikie chapters from across the country come together to take part in a national run.
Club rules state that unless they’ve got a very good excuse, all members must come along.
Usually the police are there waiting for them.
AUSTRALIA’S OUTLAW BIKIE FUNERALS
REBELS MC: THE BIGGEST OUTLAW GANG
REBELS RUN IN MELBOURNE
Earlier this month police swarmed as Rebels bikies rode into a Sunshine industrial estate.
A large number of police including Public Order Response converged to conduct checks on riders.
Police had earlier followed the bikies through Queensland and travelled through Moree, Dubbo, Parkes and Albury issuing them with court attendance notices for a range of offences including possessing a prohibited drug and driving while suspended.
They also issued 104 traffic infringement notices and 61 defect notices.
FINKS NATIONAL RUNS
ACCORDING to the rules of the Finks Motorcycle Club there are three major runs for the club each year — one in New South Wales in January, another in South Australia at Easter and a third in Queensland in October.
There are also three bike shows a year for members to attend.
Missing a major run is considered a sin and can result in a loss of voting privileges.
Miss two and you are required to show cause to your home chapter.
Miss three major runs and you face a loss of membership.
A person wanting to join the club must do one interstate run and then be nominated and seconded by members of the chapter they want to join.
HELLS ANGELS RUNS
In the Hells Angels the road captain is in charge of organising the runs, which are mandatory for members.
He co-ordinates the route of the run, the destination and other logistical matters. He also communicates with rival bikie gangs to negotiate permission to ride wearing colours through rival territory.
COMANCHEROS STRIP CLUB BRAWL
BIKIE runs can end in trouble.
Earlier this year footage emerged of a shocking bike brawl in Canberra during a national memorial run.
Around 100 members of the Comanchero gang were in the ACT in August 2017 when the brawl broke out at the Capital Men’s Club in Fyshwick.
CCTV played in a court hearing showed a fight between two men escalating into a punch-up in the smokers’ area of the club.
The fight turned into a violent mass brawl in the main bar. At one point a man was knocked to the ground and kicked and punched before being left unconscious.
The shocking footage shows female workers at the club attempting to help the unconscious man as the violence continues.
HOW POLICE RESPOND
WHEN bikies go on a national run it’s usually not just fellow members who come along for the ride.
The police are often out in force to make sure there’s no trouble.
One such occasion was November last year when anti-bike cops from Strike Force Raptor in NSW pulled over Bandidos as they travelled to Tasmania on their national run.
Victorian and New South Wales officers stopped motorbikes on the Hume Highway near Albury issuing traffic infringement notices and doing breath tests.
In 2016 police also kept a close eye on the Comanchero national run pulling over bikies
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Originally published as It’s a wild ride on Australia’s bikie gang national runs
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