In 1953, Marlon Brando wore a black leather Perfecto jacket and military cap to play Johnny, the defiant leader of the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, in the film The Wild One. In 1954, Tom of Finland featured his own wild heroes in his creations: muscular, uber-masculine figures dressed in black leather, rebels with powerful engines beneath them. This look was adopted by the Satyrs Motorcycle Club, the first gay outlaw club, that same year, making Tom's fantasy a reality.

Tom soon customized his new gay heroes, adding leather trousers, boots, and caps, while each motorcycle bore the name "Tom" on the fuel tank. Tom's motorcyclists first appeared as "Motorcycle Boys" in Physique Pictorial in the winter of 1958. Later, another one became the cover feature in April 1960. Motorcyclists dominated PP’s content thereafter, in recognition of its American readership and their growing obsession. When seeking a recurring character, he created Kake in 1968 as the ultimate biker leatherman, exploring his adventures—all kinds—through 26-panel stories.

The collection The Little Book of Tom: Bikers includes Tom's earliest images for Physique Pictorial, Kake in biker attire, panel stories, and hot unique illustrations, all collected in 192 pages of sexy and masculine men enjoying other masculine terms in black leather, jeans, and tall black boots. On motorcycles.