Checked into the group on here for this, joined and posted the following.  Then I thought, hmmm  20k+ people on here and only 6 members counting me???  Whats up with that??  lol  So here is what I posted and I would like some honest opinions.  I would like to think there a more than a few folks out there in the same boat as I am in......

 H.O.G. What is everyone's take on this? I have ridden pretty much all my life, just bought a new Harley 'cause I am 50 this year and I wanted one. I got a free membership with a patch and a pin. Benefits are great but I am not sure if I want to be an active "club" member. I have always been pretty much a loner I guess. I rode with a pretty rough bunch back in the day some, called 1%'s now. I transported alot of "goods" back then so I was solo and back roads alot. I would like to be more social, I respect anyone who rides. Don't put anyone down for what they ride. I have rode all the metrics and still own one. Love the old viragos. Didn't used to be so hard to fit in. Everyone was a brother back then and as long as you didn't get on somebodies turf business-wise your were good. I'm not a RUB and no longer an outlaw so where do I fit in??

To me every one gets to start over even if they have been cought or not. Because everyone makes mistakes and I'm no acception. I was considered a "poser" because I did not have a bike but some day I want a H-D but right now as my first road bike is a good start (Honda CM400T) but would like to go bigger. Been around some of the 1%ers and clubs in my day as well but was never in that brotherhood. But to me in my opinion you just like the rest of us, you love to ride and are not shy about it for the most part. As for being an outlaw I don't know who has not done things they may or may not regret but are still not proud of it either. I try not to concern my self how I look to others if I can't be true with myself.

"Seakers"

As for HOG I know some guys join it for the benifets of it but may not be active in the "group or club".

Wow!! 15 views and one response, Thanks Seakers! I'm just looking for some input here really not trying to make a big deal or upset anyone just honest thoughts here.

Yep, I get told I'm to honest about things but shit happens us my thought live and learn, then do what needs to be done.

Keep the rubber side down.

20 plus views and so far just Seakers and me?? Hmmm not quite sure what to think now, thought I would get more response, not sure what everyone is scared of..................

A lot of it may be the time of night because it is almost 2am here and some people are not seen or heard from just like to watch.

HOG can actually be a great place to meet other riders in your area. Like any large open group you will find all types of people, some you will become friends with, others you won't.

When I bought Road King back in 2001 I was kind of new to the area and really didn't have any riding buddies, so we (my wife and I) joined our local HOG Chapter. We met some great people there, some who are now our best friends even though most of us no longer ride with the HOG group. I got pretty involved at first offering to help anyway I could - of course I was the Webmaster and also the assistant Road Captain. After a while I found the "organized" rides a little too organized for my taste. I gave up my positions in the group and just rode with them on rare occasion, but I did still go to the meetings and social events because there were some good people in the club and like I said, it was a great place to meet others in our area who rode... we just did our own rides.

Every HOG is different, so I'd say to give your local group a shot - you got nothing to loose.

Thanks Lucky!

I have a lot of HD rider friends & a lot of HOG member friends. I have found them on rides to be rather cliquish since I don't ride an HD. My first ride I went on with them I had to explain to almost every person I talked to that I rode an American bike!

Scares me to ride with weekend warriors as well who only break their bikes out a couple times a year & then be in close formation.

Don't get me wrong. Lot's of great folks there. Lot's are my good friends. We even let them ride with out Victory group! LOLOL

I don't like riding with that many people at one time. I've done a few of the BIG rides (Love Ride 2x in LA, Walt Grey in Sacramento) where you seriously are herded. They were fun for what they were.

I'm not that regimented to follow the protocol some of the groups have.

I've also ridden with the STAR riders & been chastised for pulling out of formation to take pics of everyone as they rode by!

I'll stick to riding on my own or with a few friends.

I'm not putting any group down. The social part of it is great. For some it's perfect & others it's not.

This forum to me seems more "nondenominational" which is why maybe more of your HOG riders haven't chimed in as such. I've seen a few of my Victory riders on here as well.

2 WHEELS ARE 2 WHEELS regardless of what you ride! or just love motorcycles.

I'm only a HOG member when I purchase a new bike but I never renew the membership after that first year.  I think alot of it Guero is that we remember "when" and things just aren't the same.  Yeah, you can meet folks to ride with but I agree about the click thing and the week-end warrior thing.  I also think that something tells us deep down it just ain't for us.

Of course there are HOG members who renew every year because they enjoy that brand of comraderie and the organized rides and/or events.  HOG has put together some of the greatest scenic rides you can find and provides a lot of tips on where to go, what to be prepared for, what to see, where to stay, how to be safe, etc.  It's cool to just wing it but we get older and sometimes need to know what's up. I think if you're serious about trying to figure out where you "fit in" just go ahead and give it a go.  It certainly can't hurt anything except your ego when ya find you don't fit in.  That's a joke man. 

I've got my own ideas about "brotherhood" both back in the day and today.  Like quite a few here, I've lived the life, rode on the edge, and discovered in the end..........you don't wear brotherhood on your sleeve, on your forehead, or on your back.  And what you expected from it ain't nearly as much as what is in your heart or what you've given over the years.  To me, the relationship one has with a lifelong friend regardless of his lifestyle, is a helluva lot more viable and dependable than anything a "brotherhood" proclaims.  Friendship is unconditional.  Brotherhood in the motorcycle community is a game and comes with rules.  It can lock a person out from the rest of the community. Pretty soon you DO wonder where you fit in or why you DON'T fit it anywhere.  And, despite what some may say; it ain't nothing like the brotherhood of being in the military...........nothing at all.    And personally, calling someone "brother" doesn't make it so.  If you know our connection to be only that we share a particular lifestyle it doesn't mean we're "brothers".  Only when we grow to become friends can we be called brothers.

Oh hell.........I went on a rant didn't I. 


Peace

Im not a member and with my job schedule probably never will be.

Over here in England it does not really make for a big deal if you are club or not, 1% (of all the different groups) here tend to interfere with everyone elses business...


I am an independant, and my motto is that...


"I Will Drink With Anyone Who Wants To Drink With Me" 


I have been in a back patch club here in England but we were a zero attitude club, well accepted wherever we went.....until a certain club decided we were too big and just kept picking away at the weaker members - no war was started - and top guy decided the club would take the patch down just to spoil their fun...


It was a shame as I really did enjoy being a member of that club, I was just a member, nothing special in that you may say, but I was an active member who would always be an outrider for a club suicide run, club run, or even just a fun run, I used to volunteer to do the runs even for other chapters well away from my own as there was 2 of us who used to make sure the ride went without any kind of stop anywhere...lol...traffic signals-didn't matter what colour they were at! Junctions-We just blocked them so the ride went through ...all in all an unstoppable ride! and for me and my bro? it was a rush too!!!

Nowadays, zero attitude, zero politics, zero BS, zero rules, we ride where we ride, we do what we want to do, we enjoy the ride.....no matter what club you ride with unless you are dedicated to that club you may as well be fully independant, I can get parts for my Harley cheaper than the clubs here can as I import direct via friends in USA...


I have friends and bro's who are with all the major clubs here in England, UK... There is no way I will stop being a bro to any one of them just because they are in a club that I will never have any affiliations with, there is one club (1%) who dont like me anymore as I wont go and do my shows at their biggest event of the year for free...dont care who you are, unless its a full charity event
NO-ONE gets it for free!!!  A weekend costs me around £500 ($760) and thats without the road fuel for my towing vehicle and support vehicle!!!

All the people I have regard for all over the Western World are my Bro's and Sis's and there aint nothing ever going to be allowed to spoil that!!!!!

I think I will give it a chance and see, might even put the patch on my jacket, lol.  Don't think my ego is in any danger, that was funny!  I don't see myself joining a local chapter though.  I didn't get my bike there because I didn't feel comfortable there to begin with.  Maybe cause I rode up on an old ricer to look at HD's??  The guys in Lubbock Texas are wonderful people to deal with but I ride more in New Mexico these days.  Sounds like we all need to get together from cyclefish and start our own MC, call it the Son's of Eclecticism...........

There is nothing like the ride with an eclectic bunch of like minded individuals going where they want, when they want and with whom they want.....

HOG Chapers well it depends on the location, some have crappy membership others have bigger memeberships, some chapters are very active. If you read the Mag that comes with that first year HOG National dose put out some amazing rides, really they do. I went on one when I first moved to Florida, I really didn't know anyone and wasn't well recieved in the Motorcycle community there. So, I renewed my old membership for years ago and when on a national trip. I wouldn't have been able to do it either without them. The hotel rooms were all discounted greatly, some free meals in places atleast one a day besides continentals at the hotels.They hooked me up with a roommate so I didn't have to float the hotel room alone. I was surprised all the neat side places, museums, parks, that we went through and got to go on. I met some really nice folks, some riding for years, some new, some rich, some poor, older bikes new bikes just a mixture of folks. The National HOG tour was like a Gypsy tour of sorts, I came and went as I pleased.
Now the local well that is a different story. I belong to a close friend's chapter, they paid for the membership for me so I go, its in another state. To many in the chapter its a "status" thing to own a bike, In group rides I corrected the road captain on his directions on how riders behave together in a group. and was stared at, but the next meeting it was brought up and I was thanked for correcting their incorrect behavor. I went with my friends for almost a year and pretty much was ignored, and just watched. One day the Chapter Director comes over we babble some, I shot Off some ideas and such next thing I know they all want to rub up on me realizing I didn't buy the big tour bike cause I could, I didn't buy cause the other lady in the chapter had one, I bought it couse I was tired of going long distances and beating the hell out of my self on a fxdl. They caime to realize I road for enjoyment and my friends did to, man they nonimated for activities director which I turned down. But I guess like most things in life you get what you give. If you go in with the attitude that these folks are fools just cause they are newer, then they will treat you like you is dirt, If ya go in as a know it all and don't know shit, or how to ride well just like anywhere else ya lost your respect. So I'm a National and Local chapter member, once a month aint bad ot hang with folks that are different than me, gives me a reminder of how it was for sometimes, other times we do go cool places. They're alright and I'm the chapter class clown can you imagine that............so have or not your choice. have a great one "T"
They are dorkie, but sometimes that's ok and I can get away with it cause I'm a chick

Well like any group you will find the one you want to hang with: Myself, I kinda attract my own members for the group I ride with so HOG isn't really a necessary evil for me. I'm part of the Combat Vets Association and have been goin on 10 years now. Every time I buy a new ride is when I renew my HOG membership and I even sign up for the local HOG chapter in my area because I do like to promote the whole aspect of riding and like the Rev said, it used to be different a LONG time ago when I first joined HOG back in the late 80s early 90s but it's too official and their meetings tend to be long winded and most of them I don't really identify with anymore. But that's just my take on it.

I belong to the local HOG chapter, I enjoy it and ride when I can, go to meetings when I can, my husband isn't a member anymore (he does have an HD but he's more involved with classic cars) which is okay and he rides when he can. I enjoy the 'ladies of harley' (LOH) events although there are more female passengers than those who ride their own, I really don't care, I just want to ride with whomever and whatever bike they have. I don't like to EXCLUDE others as I know how that feels and I say hello and introduce myself to potential members and other riders, I think it's all a matter of attitude and being non-judgemental; every 'group' has their cliques and I don't play into that .......... which is refreshing coming from a female perspective, leave the drama at home please! I love the get togethers for charity causes and our HOG chapter will support members' other 'causes' and 'groups' ........... because we want to ride and the more, the merrier! We break up our bike rides into usually two groups, those who go a little faster and those who rather not, no big deal .......... members will come and go but I think I stay because they have been most supportive and accept my 'doesn't really look like a harley' V-ROD, haha!!! I stay away from those who give snide remarks, are unkind intentionally and try to laugh it off, jerks are everywhere ......... I just like to ride with those who are adventurous, and don't have a chip on their shoulder ............ ooopps, just babbling now ....Haha! Hope you find your 'group' ..........

When Marni and I first moved to Brisvegas we didnt know any bastard..I had my old ironhead and we rode everyday for work..So I'm sitting in the pub on Saturday watching the races and having a beer when all these shiny Harley's pull up and park out front..A bunch of older blokes and sheila's come into the bar and start ordering coffee's and shandies and the such..Anyways I notice a coupla blokes out front checking out the ironhead,so I grab my beer and head out to have a yarn..The first question is "what is it"?.I say its an 83 ironhead..He asks"Yeah but what make is it"..I was like shit mate its a harley..Oh ok i wasnt sure coz it has no badges or stickers on it was the answer i got back..I asked who they were and was filled in they were "The Brisbane HOG chapter"..They invited me to the dealer bbq the following weekend..I gave it a miss..I kinda try to dodge the "Hogies" coz they are majority boffins and boring as bat shit...Dont get me started on the shitting on 50 down the highway thing...CHEERS BOOF

Being a Buell owner it will be a cold day in, someplace, before I voluntarily associate myself w/ anything HD.

That said, have a speaking acquaintance w/ the local HOG Chapter. - I belong to the Legion Riders & we can usually count on its members to support our events & sometimes we participate in theirs. (The local dealer gives us precisely diddley in the way of support.)

I too ride mostly solo, on back roads, not because transporting anything more interesting than St. Joseph's baby aspirin but because tend to be a moody, grumpy old bastard & this board is about as near to a social like as I have.
Trying to change that, which is why I joined the Legion Riders.

Things you have done is the past are things you have done in the past. Don't tell anybody & the can't hold it against you

As a lifetime non-conformist and non-affiliated to anything I surprised myself last year by joining the local chapter...I went to the initial sign in meeting...cool...a couple weeks later went to an event and damnit all to hell if there wasn't a big ass booth and row of tables dedicated to a certain political party...trying to get me to not thinking about having a good time and vote for x, y or z....regardless of the political parties affiliation I split...when I ride...I ride...don't try and sway my vote...my beliefs...all of it...fire up the bikes...turn on the tunes...grab me a brew...and stow all that other shit...

I think I will take the benefits and maybe even display the HOG emblem. I probably won't join a local chapter. For now I am just gonna put some miles on my bike and see where the road takes me, probably alone but I'm good with that, I always have my friend jack with me for comfort around the campfire. Good comments, thanks for the input.

savage as a buell owner, how can you not associate yourself with Harley since they are the manufactors of that bike? Hell the motors are "tweeked" sportster motors. Now, don't get me wrong I would have loved to have gotten and Lighting cause they really do sound good with all the correct aftermarkets but I'm just miffed a bit.So I'm asking the question, I'm sure ya sure J&P like the rest of us do, I know they don't make them any more, but how can ya say you don't have anything to do with HD? have agreat one! "T"

Yep, definitely the people that make the Chapter. I didn't like the BIG HOG group in the store right in Houston. I joined the Kingwood HD HOG Chapter which is a bit smaller and great people. So I'd say join up and hopefully meet some great people, if you don't, you don't need to stay.