A nomad is a member of a motorcycle club (which may or may not be an outlaw motorcycle club) or similar club who is not a member of a specific charter of the group.
Some nomads live in geographical areas that have fewer than the required numbers to form a charter.[1] They may even have been sent to the area with a mandate to establish a chapter. Other nomads may have just chosen somewhat solitary lives.
While nomads are not members of a charter, they are respected and accepted widely by the club as full members. Whilst a nomad has the right to be hosted by any charter he appears at, he cannot direct a charter, as each one acts as an autonomous unit within the rules of the parent club.[2]
Most motorcycle club members wear a territorial rocker (i.e., the bottom patch on the back of the jacket) that signifies what city/locale, state, or province their charter is located in. A nomad's territorial rocker, however, will simply say "Nomad" or "Nomads".
There are clubs named "Nomads Motorcycle Club" in several countries, such as the Australian Nomads,[3] [4] [5] and clubs in South Africa[6] and Germany.[7]