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[RedDevil]

While my membership keeps getting renewed for me because I keep filling the CVO coffers with new rides, I have to admit that the members packet that I receive each year seems to be getting thinner and thinner.  One thing I deeply miss is the National HOG Rally.  I thought those were great opportunities that, along with sites like this, gave you an opportunity to meet people from all over the country and even some from our brothers and sisters overseas.  I personally, was deeply saddened when they cancelled the national rally due to finances.  That to me was one of the greatest benefits of membership.

[FLSTFI Dave]

The National rally is missed by me also.

If it were not for the good local chapter I doubt I would pay to renew, but the new bike comes with a year.

The maps are small, to hard to read.  GPS is much better or my big Atlas.

[WFP]

I have the National only...Tried the Local years ago, Anne and I went to one meeting and could NOT deal with the petty BS being discussed...I already had too much of that at work.  Never went back.

For National, I paid for the Life Membership quite a while ago and believe the Towing and Breakdown was the main thing I liked, especially if you travelled to Canada from the US and add the optional coverage.  When we broke down in back in 2007 on our way to the Nelson GTG, it paid for Hotel and rental car for the weekend while waiting for parts while in Billings...over $900 IIRC.

Pins, Patches and Books have also been kept and filed away............somewhere.  The books were great in the pre-GPS days when looking for dealers for that souvenir shirt or two dozen.  I have not yet received my 2012 package.

Bill

[gabe]

not looking for a legal debate but why do think they are obligated to give you anything? as a lifer you havent given them any money 20+ yrs

when you buy something they do not have the right to keep taking away  did i pay for something that said life iam not dead

[porthole]

I thought the whole HOG thing was hokey when it came out. My dealer offered me free membership back then and i never took it.

Became a member with the red bike and have kept it up for the road service but mostly for the guaranteed  10% off all the time at the dealer. The annual 20% night ain't too bad either.

If I wasn't planning tires and other stuff for this years 20% night the renewal sitting on my desk would already be in the recycling.


iPhone using Tapatalk

[Twolanerider]

 when you buy something they do not have the right to keep taking away

Actually, yeah, they do.  They can't give you any less benefits than they do all the members.  But if the entire class (all the members) gets a benefit change "Life" members do to.  Life Members can't get treated worse than everyone else.  If everyone else gets screwed you do too.  It's about as exciting as kissing your sister.

[JCZ]

I went to a few local chapter meetings of the three or four local chapters.....just never bought into all the power sturggles, cliques and bullchit excuses to ride.  It appeared to be a marketing tool from the MoCo and dealerships to get newbies to ride more and to meet other riders (neither of which I needed)......so they'd make more off the service end.  Breakfast rides, lunch rides, etc. and the destinations and locations of the rides.

I have maintained the national HOG just for the Road America service.  And yes, it's paid for itself on more than one occassion.  Ride with a piece of mind, having that road service.

[iski]

While my membership keeps getting renewed for me because I keep filling the CVO coffers with new rides, I have to admit that the members packet that I receive each year seems to be getting thinner and thinner.  One thing I deeply miss is the National HOG Rally.  I thought those were great opportunities that, along with sites like this, gave you an opportunity to meet people from all over the country and even some from our brothers and sisters overseas.  I personally, was deeply saddened when they cancelled the national rally due to finances.  That to me was one of the greatest benefits of membership.

Same here on the National Rallies.  Actually, the rallies gave me & some friends a nice spot to hit as a destination at times, with low cost entertainment.  We usually spent very little time at the rally itself - a quick walk through & more time watching music acts we liked.  Mostly we rode the area & looked for stuff we had not ridden before.  The trips there & back were also fun, usually. 

It appears HOG is attending more local rallies - both Daytonas, etc. than they did when I first joined, 10 years ago.  As a Life Member have noticed the changes for the cheap.  Maybe at some point they will rethink the regional/national HOG rally deal when the economy picks back up - which is a couple of years off at best.



My personal biatch, since about all I have to look at in each year's package is a lil brass rocker year pin, a cloth rocker patch, and map book that is too small to be a valuable atlas but I do carry a copy in the truck in case a GPS craps out - is the design of the rockers.  This year's design is unbelievably bad.  Looks like a HOG employee (marketing?) gave their kid an X-Box game with a skull & they traced that skull & then took a ruler & drew diagonal lines around it for the 2012 rocker.  Looks like cold crap on a biscuit, maybe not quite that good.  Not that I am an art critic or anything but I can pee lines in snow that look better than that design.

[Yoda]

I have been a member since 2003, so anything prior to that I cannot speak of.  I can agree that there is drama sometimes in chapters, but there is drama everywhere.  Being in America, if you don't want to be in a local chapter, don't.  Good chapters are a reflection on good dealer/sponsors.
I went Life last year and just got my renewal packet last week.  Yea, this year's design isn't that good.  With it came the 2012 Adventure Guide.  Now this probably cost quite a bit to print and mail to all members, and most likely is an attempt to publicize the benefits.  My membership does have it's privelages.  There have been new benefits added in the past few years.  AT&T, Best Western to name two.  If you don't like the benefits, don't be a member.  Remember we live in America. 
It was said here that it seems "hokey".  And maybe you are right, but a better marketing and business model is not out there.  Be a member, ride and have fun, get services, new tires, new bike, etc......   BRILLIANT!  Honda, Kawasaki, BMW, Susuki, Ford, GM, etc have not been able to copy it.
I have been the Director for the local chapter, have been on the State Rally committees and participated in many, many rides and events.  I miss the national rallies for all the same reasons others have said here. 
I think the bottom line up front is that with restructering and the economy, it would be criminal to the stock holders for the MoCo to not do what they can to keep the company a float and strong. 
Just my .02
Yoda

[DDavidson]

Could create a new membership called HIPPO. Harley Is Pissin People Off.

Could have a HIPPO mascot that represents our/your/their feelings.

http://www.wimp.com/hippogas/

[VaEagle]

Or maybe since they don't get together in a National Group rally anymore maybe it's not a HOG just a bunch of Harley Owners so the new name could be HOs and when you buy your Harley you become a Harley HO.......

[2018_FLTRXSE]

Great post kraut,

I dont think that HOG only in Europe needs help, but here as well...

The Chapter manual is a guide, and independent chapters adapt changes with approval from HOG and the sponsoring dealer...

The Chapter I have chosen to join this year is in its rebuilding stages, and the first thing we are doing is looking over the history and WHEN things started going downhill...and what we can do to fix it...

What we have found is that this Chapter created bylaws which were accepted by the sponsoring dealer at the time and approved by HOG. Looking at them, they are simply a reiteration of the HOG manual with a couple of exceptions.

post more later...

[bbrown]

Or maybe since they don't get together in a National Group rally anymore maybe it's not a HOG just a bunch of Harley Owners so the new name could be HOs and when you buy your Harley you become a Harley HO.......
[/quote




Now that is funny

[2018_FLTRXSE]

When you think about it.. HOG is just another marketing strategy for the MoCo...

Get a bunch of owners together.. they look at each others rides and customizing ideas, copy those and spend more money.. on accessories

Ride more, spend more in service, buy different riding apparel to suit the ride...

Now, on Chapters... I live on an island 112 miles around.. with no ferry, or truly efficient means to transport a motorcycle to another island or farther away. There are three dealers, with three Chapters. Each has had its challenges over the years (This year will be my 10th year in HOG) so I've seen it, watched it, and moved from point to point  to find the ideal chapter... That changes with the sponsor, and the members.

I'm now a Primary officer for 2012, trying to rebuild a Chapter that was hurt by past individuals. Good dealer relationship, good sponsoring dealer with some cool ideas. Putting a core group together to make rides fun is key.. remembering that we dont have a lot of places to go here.. so its more about how we get there, than how many miles we cover.

The Chapter-Dealership relationship makes things fly or fail, and the dealer has final say... Trying to make three functional chapters in this small space has always been a challenge... looks to be a promising year.... time will tell for us.

I know all about the cliques, and the petty chatter and BS, hence why I left a chapter I once loved... the officers changed and the chit hit the fan... it became about control, not about fun.... They lost 20% of thier membership in one quick sweep.. and numbers have dwindled since.

Like any social group.. its what you are willing to make of it.

[dlaws01]

I'd become a member except I just don't like that many people.  I know, it's not them but me that has a problem.  I get nervous in a large crowd of people.