In 1965, veteran LIFE photographer Bill Ray and writer Joe Bride spent several weeks riding around Southern California with the Bernardino chapter of the Hells Angels. In a culture where the Beach Boys and the Beatles fought a squeaky-clean battle for the hearts and minds of America, the Hells Angels were, in the words of Hunter S. Thompson, a "burst of dirty thunder" that shocked folks wherever they went. The Hells Angels are now a worldwide phenomenon, incorporated, licensed and branded. Forty-five years after the photos were rejected by a LIFE managing editor, they are a reminder that the outlaw bikers still have a secret sweet spot in the American psyche.
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