The Other 1%: Grand Theft Auto Online Biker Update Live

Start honking your hog and pumping your guts: bikers have arrived in Grand Theft Auto Online [official site]. Multiplayer crimepeople can now form and join motorcycle clubs - and not the polite kind who get together over tea and biscuits to write their self-printed newsletter. No, these are rude, noisy motorcycle clubs, doing all those crimes you see on television. Along with new bike-y activities, the Bikers update brings new bikes to ride and new clothes and cosmetic options to make yourself look rowdy.

You don't need to join a motorcycle club for all of that - anyone can dress up and whatnot. Pull on your leathers, grab a chopped hog, and roll around whacking people (yep, you can now attack with melee weapons while riding - perfect for Road Rash bike action). I suspect the serious bikers will frown on posers and give you a kicking but hell, they'll be putting the boot in either way.

If you do want to be serious, though, you can form or join an eight-person motorcycle club. They get to have a clubhouse, give and climb ranks, and play with new cooperative and competitive bikerbits.

I had intended to pootle around a bit myself so I could show you some of the Bikers update but, when I loaded up GTA Online, I spawned in front of a pond with a cool leather jacket, some nice boots, and only $101 in my wallet. Ah, yeah, I can imagine what I was up to last time I played. Then I tried raising money through, ahem, crowdfunding and it did not go well. Three police chases later, hey, I'll finish this post now then return to raise cash and join in the biker fun later.