Hells Angels in the Wind


These photos were taken in 1965 by LIFE photographer Billy Ray while he was spending a couple weeks with the Hells Angels, shooting photos for an upcoming article.  Ray shot all of these images while the Angels were on a run from San Bernardino to Bakersfield, CA.  It's clear that Harley's were the favored motorcycle as there is a great mix of  Knuckleheads, Panheads, Ironheads, Flatheads and even an old servi-car.  The custom scene in California at that time was just beginning to transition into choppers and you can see some of the motorcycles in these photos already sport tall sissy bars and upswept exhaust pipes.  A few of the motorcycles have racked out front ends, but on a whole, these motorcycles are set up to ride, not just be seen.























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