Outlaw motorcyclists: An outgrowth of lower class cultural concerns

The article compares the value system and lifestyle of three groups of deviant motorcyclists in the Tennessee‐Kentucky area to the focal concerns of lower class culture described by Walter Miller in his classic study of adolescent gang delinquency. Some striking parallels between the values of the two groups are noted. Some differences in the focal concern are noted, but the differences seem to be due primarily to the age differential between the two groups. Although both groups subscribe to lower class values and share most of the focal concerns described by Miller, the outlaw motorcyclists appear at least partially the products of downward mobility, which may be a result of subscribing to lower class values and concerns.