OUR HISTORY IN PICTURES
THE STORY
The Boozefighter Motorcycle Club® (BFMC®) was formed by a bunch of guys fresh out of World War II. „Wino“ Willie Forkner (deceased 1997) is recognized to be the founder. They were at the infamous Hollister, California event of July 4, 1947, which has been immortalized by the movie „The Wild One,“ starring Marlon Brando. Lee Marvin played the part of „Wino.“
The term „Boozefighter“ does not mean we are against responsible use of alcohol. However, we do forbid the use of non-prescription drugs, or any form of illegal activity.
The Boozefighters® have never been „one-percenters“ or an Outlaw Club. We believe in respecting the rights of all motorcycle clubs in a peaceful, co-existent manner, and of all members of the community. We believe in freedom of choice and freedom of the road.
In 1946 just back from WWII a group of Veterans started hanging out with each other at the All American Bar in Los Angeles, California. Also in 1946 an individual named Willie Forkner crashed through a fence during a race in El Cajon, California and joined in the fun. After his pleasure ride Wino Willie left the 13 Rebels Motorcycle Club because of the rebellious behavior and his drinking habits. Wino decided to start his own club with the likes of men such as Vern Autrey, Jack Lilly, Jim Cameron, J.D. Cameron, George Manker, Bobby Kelton, “Red Dog” Dahlgren, “Dink” Burns, Gil Armas, Johnny Roccio, Johnny Davis, “Fat Boy” Nelson, Lance Tidwell, and C.B. Clausen.
These “Vets” were die-hard motorcycle enthusiasts (to say the least) who began making a name for themselves by their racing, building motorcycles and other motorcycle antics. Eager to exercise the freedoms they had fought for in the war, these hard core motorcyclists formed the “Boozefighters® Motorcycle Club (BFMC®)“. The BFMC® is an independent club and one of the oldest active motorcycle clubs in existence and its original members (The Original Wild Ones) created much of the “Biker” lifestyle and image that continues today. There are chapters across the United States, Asia and Europe. The BFMC is truly an international organization. It is this rich history that is being preserved in the spirit of fellowship and good fun.
During the Great Hollister Rally and Races held at Hollister, Ca. in 1947 the Boozefighters participated in the fun and festivities. The Hollister “riot” rally occurred from July 4 to July 6, 1947. The event was sensationalized by yellow news reports of bikers „taking over the town“ and staged photos of public rowdiness.The rally, which was sponsored by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), was attended by approximately 4,000 people. This was several times more than had been expected, and the small town of Hollister was overwhelmed by bikers who were forced to sleep on sidewalks and in parks.
About 50 people were arrested during the event, most for public intoxication, reck-less driving, and disturbing the peace. Members of the Boozefighters® Motorcycle Club, in particular, were reported to be fighting and racing in the streets. The Hollister “riot” rally prompted Hollywood to portray them as the rough and rowdies in “The Wild One”.
The 1953 film (starring Marlon Brando) was inspired by the event and based on an article run in Life magazine which included a staged picture of a drunken man resting on a motorcycle amidst a mass of beer bottles. Lee Marvin played “Wino” Willie the founder of the BFMC in the movie as “Chino”.
Although the Hollister event was extremely blown out of proportion by the media it did set the stage for the “image” of the American Biker and started the separation of motorcycle clubs and the American Motorcycle Association (AMA).
When Life Magazine published its article about bikers and the events at Hollister on 21 July 1947, the “bad boy” Biker image was blasted into the living rooms of everyday.The Boozefighters® then as in the present surely met the criteria of hard riding, hard drinking, dedicated motorcyclist that have “fun” and “brotherhood” as their main focus.
None of the “Original Wild Ones” were ever incarcerated for serious crimes and to this day the Boozefighters do not allow any illegal activities in the club. The Boozefighters of today follow the examples of the original members by maintaining a respectful stature in today’s biker world, riding bikes and having fun.
The Originals didn’t discriminate toward any ethnic, religious, or political group. “Wino” Willie said “We fought side by side for all Americans to have freedom of choice”.
The Boozefighters of today maintain this policy. We are family men, engaged in legitimate business and careers, enjoying getting together as a social group for parties, rides and special events. We are into this thing strictly for having harmless, good clean fun.
We couldn’t care less about “territory” and things like that.