Billed as the “Oldest Black and White Motorcycle Club in Nebraska,” Los Diablos M/C was founded in Omaha, Nebraska, 1960. Omaha, it’s clear, was a world apart from Los Angeles at the time. As young black men were banding together in the inner-city neighborhoods of Los Angeles and Oakland, to share both an enthusiasm for custom motorcycles and the emerging black-urban culture, seven middle-aged guys in Omaha were just looking for riding buddies. Profiled in a 1973 edition of Harley-Davidson Enthusiast magazine, the Los Diablos rode cross-country with military precision, looked sharp, and followed strict rules that dictated each member would ride a Harley-Davidson FLH with minimal, and tasteful, customization. Choppers were simply out of the question.
In 1973, the club included at least two second-generation riders in President Robert Phillips and Road Captain Sherman Grant, whose fathers rode with each other. At the time, the youngest Los Diablos member was 33. Most had families. Leonard Smith, the secretary/treasurer, was an Omaha police officer. Clearly, this club was not looking for trouble.
“None of these guys has brushed with the law as far as club function is concerned,” Smith told Enthusiast, “You can go to any city with a motorcycle club, and ask about Los Diablos, and they are ready to ride with us. I think we’ve got an A-One rating.”
Los Diablos (not to be confused with the one-percenter Diablos M/C) is still on the road, meeting at its club house on Ames Avenue in Omaha. In August 2010, the club celebrated its 50th anniversary with a block party.