JUST months ago they were engaged in tit-for-tat warfare. Yesterday they were standing shoulder to shoulder sharing a drink.

Eight of the state's outlaw motorcycle gangs came together to pledge: "The clubs are united."

The historic moment was carefully stage-managed at the Rebels clubhouse in rural Leppington in Sydney's west.

Two by two, club members wearing full colours roared in on their Harley-Davidsons through the 3m iron gates of the heavily fortified compound.

Among them were members of the Commanchero and Hells Angels, the two gangs who brought this latest heat on the bikies after their public brawl at Sydney airport, which left one man dead.

Up the driveway, past the gum trees and the grass and beneath the security cameras, they drove their bikes into the cavernous building, which is the Rebels main headquarters, lining them up in front of the bar.

Inside was the inaugural meeting of the United Motorcycle Council NSW.

The council has an agenda to clean up the bikie image and put together a legal challenge to the state's recent get-tough anti-bikie laws.

Their host was Alex Vella, president of the state's biggest bikie gang, the Rebels.

Their spokesman was "Fish", treasurer of the Sydney chapter of the God Squad.

"Thankyou for coming," said the bearded Fish - not Mr Fish, no christian name, only his one word nickname - as the gangs gave the public a rare glimpse inside their lifestyle.

It was the first time the media had been invited into the clubhouse.

Along one wall of the clubhouse is a stage. In one corner a boxing ring. Two pool tables stand in another.

No posters of half-naked women hang on the walls, only a painted sign that says: "All the world loves an outlaw. For some damn reason they remember them."

The floor was freshly swept concrete.

It gleamed, no bike oil staining the floor, not a speck of dust. Not a thing was out of place. All squeaky clean.

Along another wall was the well-stocked, 1970s-style brick bar where the members of the Rebels, Bandidos, Black Uhlans, Lone Wolf, Finks, God Squad, and Hells Angels leaned on the counter. All understated cool.

The two members of the Commancheros arrived late and joined them.

"We are here to unite as one voice to reassure the public that there is no ongoing dispute between the clubs," Fish said.

"The clubs are united. We are fighting what we think are unfair and unjust laws."

Their turf wars put aside, the gangs have united to fund a court challenge to the laws.

Fish said the council would be meeting on a regular basis and the other clubs who were on runs yesterday and could not attend would be sent minutes of the meetings.

They were not quite sure when or where the next meeting would be.

The clubs have been working towards this peace initiative since the fatal airport brawl in March. Two weeks ago, the first meeting at the Prospect Hotel was disrupted by police who raided the group.

Yesterday police, including the riot squad, made their presence felt with regular patrols past the clubhouse.

The new council's lawyer, leading criminal barrister Geoffrey Nicholson QC, said it was significant that the spate of recent bikie arrests were made under the old laws.

The new legislation did not only target bikies. They could be used against any club, any organisation in the community and were an attack on civil liberties.

Members of a club declared illegal under the laws could have their right to speak, to use the telephone, to meet whoever they wanted heavily curtailed.

"These laws are very wide in their application," Mr Nicholson said.

One of the bikies wore his political message across his wide chest on his $25 T-shirt: "Legalise Freedom. Support your Aussie one percenters."

Rebels boss Alex Vella is an old hand at using the law - and winning to great effect.

Only last May he won a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the ANZ bank and two mortgage companies to recover the same Rebels headquarters and two other properties after they were mortgaged by a former business partner using false title deeds.

Raising his glass yesterday, he signalled the end of the public part of the meeting. "Cheers to you all. Thankyou for coming," he said.

The media were ushered out and the roller doors to the clubhouse pulled down.

The show was over - but the police were anxious to have the last word.

As some of the bikies later rode away from the meeting, they were pulled over by police and taken in for questioning.