I think H.O.G. is going through a transition. Any organization with more than one million members globally has to. The size of most chapters nowadays is so big, that most people do not even know the others at meetings. Hence the "ride together, party together" portion becomes less and less. For me the H.O.G. and the local chapter (one of the largest in Europe) are very welcome service offerings. I can choose from many events, get safety training, information, and much more, and - most important - use both as communication platforms to meet people, coordinate rides and such. I have many friends, who do not ride. Can't make them riders. Hence the vice versa option works very well for me: Find people who ride (I prefer H-D) and become friends, associates, at least acquainted. And then ride together. I have made many new friends in the last couple of years through H.O.G. and I am happy about that. At our age it is not that easy to make friends, in my mind.
I do also like the part of H.O.G. which is the charity work, the toy runs, or meeting disabled children and more. I respect the people who volunteer to do chapter work, while I limit myself to ride the bike. The pins and patches are a very big attraction to many. been there, done that. I think it's okay to wear the stuff when riding as a group, it is part of the character and befits the purpose.
In summary, I see no other organization like H.O.G. in the bikers universe, and Harley's marketing is really doing a top notch job to give us even more reason to ride. And that's what's it all about, in my mind!
Ride safely,
Louis