It ths HOG membership a lot of fun? What does it ential? Thanks-The tater.

 

One free tow if needed ....

 

A lot of the "fun" part depends on the local chapter. If they are well organized planning rides it can be a lot of fun.
If not, find another chapter that does.

 

[sm=exactly.gif][sm=happy046.gif]

 

I refuse to belong to my local, Indianapolis, IN. If I did join one I would have to ride about 35 to 40 miles to their meeting. I do be long to the national though just for the perks. Hotel, tow, etc. in case of breakdown. Some Dealers give you a discount if you belong to National. Some Stealers give you a discount if you belong to their local only, the local used to only give a discount on the weekend of their meeting and only if you belong to theirs. Another stealer in IN only gives a discount if you are a chapter member but year 'round not just meeting days. The Dealer that does my service for me gives either a National, Local, or ABATE discount.
The Dealer in Bowling Green, KYgive a disc. if you are a National as does Wabash Valley in Terre Haute, IN. If I'm out riding and need something these are the dealers I look for. I always ask before I buy if it's not something I have to have.

 

The National membership is good with the optional emergency service of $20. The National events if close by are a lot of fun and serveral of your surrounding state rallies can be fun if they are someplace you haven't been before. I have become very disenchanted with the people in my local chapter. Mainly Sunday riders that don't have a clue.

 

you need to be a national HOG member first to be a local member. HOG = Harley Owners Group...

after you join National HOG, most local chapters will let you attend one or two meetings as a guest. I would attend an early spring one when the rides first start and maybe see if you can go on one ride to see if you like it...

check out the HOG website and your local chapter hog site as well...

 

The national membership brings with it some good features and benefits although not all are tangible in terms of a parts/accessories discount or towing.

You will hear a vast array of variations in local chapter experiences. I belonged to a mediocre one in NC. Came to CA and local chapter here was a real dog (mostly due to sponsoring dealership but also because of a few bad apples in the group). After new owners took over dealership that changed SIGNIFICANTLY and has continued to only get better and better. I went from not wanting to be a member here to now being a chapter officer.

One of the benefits of the chapter I belong to now is that we encourage you to come out and try us out before becoming a member. We have a new member ride scheduled every month in addition to other rides. The purpose of the new member ride is to introduce new members to the group, allow those who haven't ridden much with a group, or with ours to do so, and also for prospective members to go on a ride, interact with the members, and decide if it's something they want to do before obligating them to purchase a membership.

This will sound oversimplified but having been through the transition I can say that it is more than surmountable: The members are what make a chapter good or bad. If you have a local chapter that is bad or not what you'd like it to be, the only way to change that is to get involved. Chances are you are not the only person that is upset with how things are going. Get together, get involved, and make the difference. Standing on the outside complaining about how much it sucks and how you will never join or ride with them is understandable but will do nothing to make it any better. That means that your observations and ideas on what would make it better are all wasted because you stopped short of doing anything about it.

So my two cents is this: Are HOG chapters a lot of fun? They can be great fun and full of great people. If you happen to have one of those chapters near you, join immediately! If the chapter near you has some challenges and shortcomings, join, get involved, and turn it into a chapter that others will want to join immediately!

 

Trotter...is that one free tow for life... or one a year ?

 

Just more junk mail