Opening in 1968, Ramrod became one of San Francisco’s key leather and biker bars during the height of the post-Stonewall era. Operating through 1983, it served as a meeting ground for motorcyclists, leathermen, and blue-collar regulars at a time when the South of Market and waterfront districts were the center of the city’s underground gay life.
These were years when dress codes, music, and unspoken rules defined each bar’s tribe. Ramrod’s tough, masculine name and atmosphere reflected a culture that valued ritual, camaraderie, and a sense of brotherhood, long before leather aesthetics were visible or celebrated in the mainstream.
