Truthfully, I would love to not write this text, and I’ll offer you a warning earlier than continuing. We’re, sadly, going to have to speak about pedophilia, so if that is a topic that is uncomfortable and triggering, which it actually needs to be for everybody, go away now.
Why is RideApart masking this topic? As a result of a narrative just lately went reside, prompted a completely righteous firestorm, and was subsequently taken down by the proprietor of Easyriders Journal on his private web site, BikerNet, and the following reporting by content material creators and mentioned proprietor’s completely shit-ass, half-hearted, horrendous apology.
It’s newsworthy in that we’re speaking in regards to the people who personal one of many oldest biker titles round. Easyriders is/was one of many cornerstones of chopper tradition.
However I imply, who of their proper thoughts within the 12 months of Epstein-This, Epstein-That, and everybody calling for anybody tied to that monster to get their heads chopped off would publish a goddamn Penthouse-style letter-to-the-editor about CSAM?
Apparently, the positioning owned and operated by Keith “Bandit” Ball, the proprietor of Easyriders Journal and BikerNet, who’s additionally a Sturgis Corridor of Fame Inductee. And, truthfully, we have to know who the fuck wrote it, so this particular person is rarely allowed to attend a biker perform once more. They in all probability additionally needs to be investigated by the police, trigger this shit does not come out of 1’s creativeness.
Let’s begin with how this got here to RideApart’s consideration.
As you’d count on with a publication like (and a writer who owns) Easyriders, one thing of this nature shortly gained discover by the neighborhood. Nevertheless it started with Weems Motor Co, a motorbike builder out of Tampa, Florida, when Easyriders contracted a singer, songwriter, and freelance mannequin, Jasmine Cain, to seem with one in all Weems’ customs for a shoot. Cain, nonetheless, was alerted to or in any other case found the aforementioned article and informed Weems that she’d completely not be working with anybody related to Easyriders and BikerNet attributable to their publishing one thing of this nature.
Once more, a warning proper now.
OK, so the title of the story was “An Outlaw’s Confession by Renegade,” and started with the skin-crawling sentence, “You bought all of it incorrect. Kathy was 13 and I used to be 23. I might fly to her elementary college…” I have never been in a position to entry the remainder of the article, because it was shortly eliminated, and the Wayback Machine does not have it archived.
However YouTuber shadetree surgeon has seen it and put up a video in regards to the story linked beneath, as did Weems Motor Co., and Cain, who all state that it concerned “Renegade” choosing up a baby from her elementary college, taking her to Los Angeles, having her strip at dank golf equipment, after which assaulting her himself. My pores and skin is crawling simply writing that out.
The publish, which initially went up on February tenth, 2026, was taken down after the web rightfully flipped its collective shit on Easyriders, BikerNet, and Ball. The previous and latter of which then proceeded to supply probably the most mealy-mouthed apologies round, the primary of which got here from the Easyriders Instagram web page.
“On February 10, a extremely offensive, despicable merchandise was posted on Bikernet,” the apology begins. “We need to state unequivocally that the Easyriders workers had no involvement with this publish, was not conscious of it previous to publication, and most definitely doesn’t condone its contents. We share in your outrage and need to guarantee you that this merchandise had nothing to do with Easyriders. It was not revealed in our journal nor featured on any of our social media platforms. We respect those that have taken the time to succeed in out to us about this and we respect those that are standing with us in assist. Thanks on your continued loyalty to Easyriders Journal.”
It was signed “Easyriders Employees.”
Photograph by: Instagram
OK, certain, Easyriders has nothing to do with it. BikerNet could have totally different writers and workers, however it nonetheless has the identical proprietor. Keith “Bandit” Ball, the proprietor of each, who publishes routinely underneath his byline on BikerNet, then proceeded to enter the apology tour with an absolute bullshit-ass mea-culpa.
In a press release dated February twelfth, 2026, Ball begins with “Wow. You possibly can think about. I’ve had suggestions from everybody and their mom on find out how to deal with this. We don’t assist pedophilia in anyway form or type. I’m utterly accountable for the story and pulled it down instantly.”
He then affords this, “My mistake.” I am sorry, however what the precise hell are you doing right here? Your mistake? Your mistake to publish a pedophilic story? In 2026? When probably the most dominant information story of our day is how this insane net of pedophilia runs by means of each home of energy on the planet? Your mistake?!
Ball continues, “I’m not going in charge anybody besides myself. Not going to throw anybody underneath the bus. That’s towards the code.” It is towards your code to name out the author of a pedophilic story? That is your code? No, no, no. That is not a code. That is defending a heinous act. Mainly, you are Pam Bondi’ing the state of affairs and defending somebody who you completely should not be defending.
Photograph by: Instagram
The editor continues, however does so by attacking some girl named Amy, supposedly in his circle, who’s apparently maintaining this story—which, once more, he revealed on his web site solely two days in the past on the time of writing—alive, saying, “However somebody has stored this error alive by means of her posts. She’s not proud of me, and I want her no hurt, however she is the one pounding the pedophilia drum and making an attempt in charge it on me…Amy wrote an anti-Muslim piece which I rejected. Am I flashing it all around the web to make her out to be a nasty particular person? Hell no, she’s a superb author.”
This is the place Ball’s apology, nonetheless, goes utterly off the rails and mainly cops to the story as wonderful, and relates it to much more minor prison offenses that completely do not embody the assault of kids. Ball continues, “We publish homicide mysteries, does that imply we condone homicide? We publish tales about stolen bikes. Does that imply we condone thievery? I don’t suppose so.”
Ball then goes on to say he is simply making an attempt to “rebuild” Easyriders Journal, and that “We hope to get previous this… We’re additionally on a mission to rebuild the good motorbike journal, Easyriders, which is 55 years outdated this 12 months.”
“We’re all about driving free, driving cool bikes and that includes the perfect builders on the earth. What might be higher?” he provides, earlier than signing off the apology. What might be higher is if you happen to named the author, that is what. As a result of, towards your code? Rattling the code, man. We’re speaking about baby sexual assault. It ain’t some petty larceny or one thing alongside the traces of narcing on a good friend to their partner for spending money they did not have. It is a horrifying fantasy piece [hopefully that’s as far as it went, though that’s more than disgusting enough. jj] written in regards to the sexual assault of a kid.
Now here is the place the motorcycling world wants to come back collectively proper freakin’ now.
I used to write down for Easyriders again within the day when it went by means of its final rebirth. The parents behind it needed a extra inclusive journal, one which wasn’t as Hell’s Angels, brotherrrrrrr-adjacent. They had been good individuals and had imaginative and prescient. However the publishing world is tough, and that went underneath, sadly. Ball, apparently, then purchased it from the ashes, and is at present making an attempt to restart it in all its SAMCRO-wannabe glory. Nobody within the motorcycling world, nonetheless, ought to assist him try this till he says who wrote this shit.
They must be outed. There must be repercussions. The general public has a proper to know who this particular person is and to ostracize them from our neighborhood. Nobody deserves a protected area in relation to this. Nobody.
