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[VaEagle]

I received and email today from my local HOG chapter that stated that HOG National has changed the policy concerning Lifetime membership.
According to the local chapter you can be a National Lifetime member but you can't be a local lifetime member anymore! They are choosing to allow you to keep the lifetime status locally if you have continually signed a waiver each year and continue to do so. If you fail to sign a waiver each year then you are dropped from their rolls and you have to join again and pay yearly dues!!!!!!
Seems to me a waiver is just to deal with liability issues at club rides and events not a membership issue.

I know many on this site are not HOG members but those who are members have you run into this issue locally?

I guess Lifetime doesn't mean lifetime anymore!

[Twolanerider]

Have been a life member for some gawdawful number of years I can't remember.  Had a GF at the time who thought it was cool and (then) it was cheap.  So for a h.....  well, I joined.  Never did the local thing though.  Seemed like all I ever heard of them doing was riding a few blocks from the dealership to go to dinner.  Of course I never listened that closely.  Come to think of it that played some role with that ex-GF too....

[King Glide]

Have been a life national member for many years and have had to pay local dues at several different chapters. As far as I ever knew that was always the way it worked. Anyway, what's another $25 a year, last year I spent $100,000.00 at the dealer including my bike. If you want to play the game you got to pay the entry fee.

[Sklywag]

My suggestion, get a Life Membership in the NRA rather than HOG, that does something to support our rights.  HOG Gives you nothing.   

[ultrafxr]

Only National H.O.G. offers Lifetime memberships.  The local chapters have never had that category.  National does not dictate to them except to limit how much to charge for dues.  The maximum amount was $24 as of a couple years ago - may have gone up I don't know.

With that said our local chapter has for some time given gratis annual memberships to a couple of old timers who were instrumental in getting the chapter started over 25 years ago.

While membership in National H.O.G. is a prerequisite for joining a local chapter none of the dues paid for National membership goes to the local chapter.  All funds for the local chapters come from the chapter themselves in the form of dues, fundraisers, etc., and maybe from the sponsoring dealer.  National H.O.G. does not give any monetary support to the local chapters.

[CVOMOE!!]

Local Chapters have always had a membership fee, usually in the $20.00 range.  There has never been a Life Membership at the local Chapter level.  You need to be a National Member to join a local Chapter though but you don't have to belong to any local Chapters if you don't want to.  You can also join as many Chapters as you like.

Cheers, Moe

[Fired00d]

I have been a national member since I got back in to riding (Harley's) and was a chapter member for a few years. Currently I'm still a national member but don't belong to a chapter... didn't participate in the local meetings/events so decided not to belong to local chapter anymore.

 
Ride Safe,
Fired00d
 

[VaEagle]

I was wondering how widespread the local chapter issue was. I guess many local chapters didn't offer lifetime status.
My local chapter had a lifetime status that you could buy if you had a national lifetime membership.(I think you had to be a member for something like 5 years before you could buy lifetime status.)
My disagreement is that I was told for X amount of dollars I would have a Lifetime National membership with no additional fees, then locally I paid X amount of dollars and was told no more dues and I would be a local member for life.
The local chapter is now saying if you had missed signing the waiver or in the future if you fail to sign one year then you just wasted the money you paid  to get a lifetime local membership and have to start paying yearly dues.
I know chapter membership is optional and not necessary to ride my H-D. To me it just comes across as paying for something that was promised and is now taken away. I used the dealership HOG member discount a lot and now I run the risk of loosing that benefit as well or I have to start paying yearly dues to get the discount , something I thought was over for me too.

As far as the NRA over HOG, I agree with protection of rights. I have been a Benefactor Life member there for years. Maybe a membership to the American Motorcyclist Association is a better option for membership if i want my money to protect motorcycling rights?
http://www.americanmotorcyclist.com/

[Twolanerider]

The local chapter's life membership was obviously just a local chapter thing.  When purchased what documentation did they provide?  What terms or exclusions were used to define "life" and how the program may or may not end?

The chapter may not have the option to do what they're doing now based on how the initial "life" membership was purchased.  Or you may not have a leg to stand on relative to every whim and whimsy of an idea they'd like to change.  Will depend on the details of the agreement when you purchased.

[spydglide]

If you survive long enough, everything you purchase/join/etc. will be a 'lifetime' membership/guarantee.  har.  spyder

[grandpadoc]

I'm Lifetime and just pay my local dues to keep my 15% discount with the dealer. We do a lot of Pick Up rides on weekdays around here and let the HOG chapters have the roads on weekends.

[Willie D]

Only National H.O.G. offers Lifetime memberships.  The local chapters have never had that category.  National does not dictate to them except to limit how much to charge for dues.  The maximum amount was $24 as of a couple years ago - may have gone up I don't know.

With that said our local chapter has for some time given gratis annual memberships to a couple of old timers who were instrumental in getting the chapter started over 25 years ago.

While membership in National H.O.G. is a prerequisite for joining a local chapter none of the dues paid for National membership goes to the local chapter.  All funds for the local chapters come from the chapter themselves in the form of dues, fundraisers, etc., and maybe from the sponsoring dealer.  National H.O.G. does not give any monetary support to the local chapters.

Sounds like Our Chapter. Life Member is only for National.
 

[Master Guns]

I've never heard of local chapter members getting a discount at the Harley Dealer.  Is this an individual chapter/dealer thing or is it common practice?  I belong to High Country HOG.

[spydglide]

I've never heard of local chapter members getting a discount at the Harley Dealer.  Is this an individual chapter/dealer thing or is it common practice?  I belong to High Country HOG.

It's pretty common (or was, until the recession has changed operating behaviors) around these parts of the country.  spyder

[grandpadoc]

Some dealers switched to a points system, but my dealer still has 10% off for chapter members and 15% off for charter members.

[SupDude]

Many years ago I was the Membership Officer in a HOG Chapter.   In order to join a local chapter you must first be a national member. Several of our members had lifetime National HOG Memberships.  National members still had to pay annual dues to the local chapter every year.  If someone's national membership expired in the middle of the year their local membership was suspended until they rejoined Nationl.  That was my experience.   I have not been a member of a HOG Chapter in many years so things may have changed.

[ultrarider123]

Been a national HOG member for a while now but have not moved to Life membership.  I should have years ago when it was much cheaper...   Not sure if our local chapters offer the lifetime deal but have not ever heard it mentioned so would assume they do not.

As for local chapters and discounts, the local dealers have their own discount program but also have some specials for the local HOG chapter members.  Both the K'ville chapter and SMHD/Maryville chapters are very active here in East Tennessee.  However, I chose not to be a member of the local groups.  I was in a home owners association once and did not like it.  Went to a couple local HOG meetings and felt about the same as the HOA meetings and decided it was not for me.

[Yoda]

I do not claim to be an expert.  I inquired about chapter life memberships when I was the Director of our local chapter and got some education on the matter from both our local dealer and National HOG.  What if the dealerships goes out of business?  What if the dealership decides to close the HOG Chapter?  What if the dealership is sold and the new owner does not want a HOG Chapter?  Now you could use some of the same argument with National HOG life memberships also.  Just my experience.
I have gone to a lifetime HOG membersip and I hope I have the years left in the saddle to reap the benefits of it.

Yoda

[Indenial]

Just wondering--(too lazy to look)--does anyone know how much Life Membership to National is?

[Yoda]

Current prices are as follows (in $US):
Full membership: One year: $45
Two years: $85
Three years: $120
Associate membership: One year: $25
Two years: $45
Three years: $65
Full life membership: $650
Full life membership after five consecutive years of membership:  $400
Associate life membership:  $325
Associate life membership after five consecutive years of membership:  $200

Note: Memberships are non-refundable and non-transferable.

[Indenial]

I've got more than 5 yrs in so far, so it looks like a lifetime membership would be a good deal. Thanks

[T-Hawk]

Our Local Chapter has only charged $15/yr for quite some time... and the only "Lifetime" members of the Local Chapter are the Charter members.

We're actually dropping out Local Dues for 2013, but the Liability Signature is still a requirement to be on the Local register and to participate in anything the Chapter does as a group.