Nomad (motorcycle-club membership)

A Nomad in a motorcycle club has authority delegated by the National President to enforce club rules and behavior.

Most club members wear a territorial rocker (or the bottom patch on the back of the jacket) which signifies what city, state, or province their chapter is located in. A Nomad's territorial rocker, however, will simply say "Nomad". This means that they hold no particular allegiance to a specific club, but should be respected and accepted nationwide. For example, if the National President had a problem with a specific club chapter, he might dispatch a group of Nomads to visit the club. The Nomads would then observe the club and advise the members of any problems the National President may have. If the infractions were not corrected, the Nomads might then have the authority to correct the problem.

However, this authority to direct chapters is not accepted by all. Whilst a Nomad does have the right to be hosted by any chapter where he appears, he cannot direct a chapter. Winterhalder reports that, in 1997, the Bandidos national group sent a Nomad to the Oaklahoma chapter to "make sure we understood the Bandido way". However, his presence was resented by President Winterhalder, and an argument with the national president ensued over the role of the Nomad. [Winterhalder, Edward. "Out in Bad Standings: Inside the Bandidos Motorcycle Club, The Making of a Worldwide Dynasty." Owasso, Oklahoma, OK:Blockhead City Press, 216.] The right of the chapter to act as an autonomous unit, within the rules of the Bandidos club, is stressed by Winterhalder.

Nomads sometimes live in geographical areas which had fewer than the required numbers to form a chapter. [Droban, Kerrie. "Running with the Devil:The True Story of the ATF's Infiltration of the Hell's Angels." Guliford, CT: Lyons Press, 9–10.] They may have chosen to live somewhat solitary lives, or they may have been sent to an area with a mandate to establish a chapter. Strangely though, the Hells Angels Australia chapter is also known as Nomads, although they wear the "Australia" bottom rocker. ["Right to Ride". "Live to Ride". September 2008, no. 241, 63–65.]

Since the Nomads are not official members of a specific club chapter, they must be received, housed, and fed by any chapter they may currently be located. They are essentially members of all chapters.

In Australia, a Nomads Motorcycle Club exists in its own right. [Ashton, Kelly. "RIP Metho Tom". "Ozbike: Thunder Down Under". no. 320, 18–22.] The club has no website and is not as well-known as other clubs, but does have a significant presence in the press as an outlaw motorcycle club engaged in allegedly illegal activities. Although Veno does not believe that the Nomads are one of the five most significant outlaw motorcycle clubs in Australia, its negative presence in the press is undoubted. [Veno, Arthur. "The Brotherhoods: Inside the Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs". Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 67.] [Baker, Jordan. "Crime Inc's Riders" . "Sydney Morning Herald". 12 January 2008.]

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