Thoughts On The Harley Patch And Pin Culture

[deelip]

My 2016 HOG card came in the mail today along with the 2016 HOG patch and pin. Like all previous patches and pins that I received, these will also be put away in some corner and forgotten. Maybe it’s just me, but I never quite understood the point of walking around with patches and pins stuck to my riding jacket. I mean, I’ll wear a t-shirt that has a Harley-Davidson logo or motorcycle on it. But somehow I could never bring myself to become a walking talking notice board of all my riding achievements. This patch and pin stuff is one aspect of the Harley culture that I could never really wrap my head around.

[Tourider]

I've owned Harleys for over 20 years but can't really get my head around the whole HOG thing.

[deelip]

Originally Posted by Tourider

I've owned Harleys for over 20 years but can't really get my head around the whole HOG thing.

Here in India, Harley-Davidson was having a huge problem trying to get owners to renew their HOG memberships after the first free year expired. Owners paid Harley separately for the road side assistance program and renewed their subscription faithfully every year. So last year Harley decided to do the age old trick of selling a low demand product by bundling it with a high demand one. They included the roadside assistance program in the HOG program. Now everyone is renewing their HOG memberships just so that they can get roadside assistance.

[Tourider]

That's what used to happen in the UK and was the only reason I paid HOG subs for a few years. That all changed when they transferred the insurance franchise to a company called Carole Nash, who include recovery in all their policies.

[Threewheelbonnie]

The all controlling "in the family or a bad person" mentality where a group controlled by the corporation acts to squash any independent thought along the lines of "maybe I'll try a sportsbike next time" I find mildy disturbing and Orwellian. I actually asked Triumph to stop bombarding me with RAT stuff because pretending advertising was an owners organisation seems dishonest. I guess if you like the happy clappy, isnt what I bought the best thing possible reinforcement you may think differently and some cultures will have more people who like this.

I toyed with the idea of a Harley and HOG in the UK really put me off. Everything aped the US, the exclusive language, the uniforms, rules about not riding your non-Harley bike....it was heading towards some sort of cult. If i'm going to join a cult I at least want one where you get to dance naked and take mind altering drugs, fat blokes in tassles don't cut it.

Harley make good bikes now, so I wonder why they think they need to protect sales in this way? Younger, non-Americans, the buyers they need are surely split on this and a more neutral stance would be better?

Andy

[backofbeyond]

Originally Posted by Threewheelbonnie

If i'm going to join a cult I at least want one where you get to dance naked and take mind altering drugs, fat blokes in tassles don't cut it.

Andy

Funny, I never thought of you as a fat bloke in tassels

The whole HOG thing, the band of faux rebel brothers image, all of that anti establishment "a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do", real men ride Harley's bulls1t is what puts me off. A pity really as the few times I've ridden one they seemed ok as slow, somewhat agricultural, bikes go.

I rode a couple of the non outlaw versions (Buells, if you remember them) some years back and I really liked them . As a older model CCM owner I must have a soft spot for half developed in a shed type bikes as I could see myself buying a Buell.

As a kind of motorised horse to ride off into the sunset in a soft focus version of your life as a western desert cowboy movie they might just about work (the vision doesn't really work if you're on a screechy two stroke or a zillion rev Jap multi) but for anything else the illusion / delusion comes up short. There's an element of football supporter mindset in there somewhere where the scarves and the shirts and the communal chanting from the terraces goes some way to overlooking the problem of a team with 22 left feet.

Good marketing though. If you can convince people to tattoo your product's name on their chest you really must be world class.

[EvilNerdLord]

when I had my cruiser (Honda 1100 shadow ace) I tried the whole vest/pin thing...idea was to get the pine of places/events/etc I go to/visit/participate in...better than collecting those little spoons of plates. But I discovered several key facts:
1) I find vest too damn uncomfortable, I tended to leave it off/forget to bring it/etc.
2) vests are NOT protection....
3) I look horrid in one anyway and just can't pull off the 'badass biker' look...even if I don't shave for a week.

[ChrisFS]

Originally Posted by deelip

My 2016 HOG card came in the mail today along with the 2016 HOG patch and pin. Like all previous patches and pins that I received, these will also be put away in some corner and forgotten. Maybe it’s just me, but I never quite understood the point of walking around with patches and pins stuck to my riding jacket. I mean, I’ll wear a t-shirt that has a Harley-Davidson logo or motorcycle on it. But somehow I could never bring myself to become a walking talking notice board of all my riding achievements. This patch and pin stuff is one aspect of the Harley culture that I could never really wrap my head around.

Deelip, go with the flow, wear the pin and sew on the patch.......and then get a HOG tattoo on your forehead to complete the set

[*Touring Ted*]

It makes me cringe...

I used to work at a Harley Davidson dealer.

The whole thing is a big American commercial plastic farce. The bikes are slow, expensive and noisy and the chrome comes from China.

Middle ages accountants, stock brokers and estate agents dressing up in too much leather once a week and walking around like they're Butch Cassidy.

Take the bandana off.... You look ridiculous.

Take the back patch off ... You're not a hells angel.

What's with the leather chaps ?? Do you have a horse to Lasso when you get home ?

Stop revving your noisy exhausts just before you get off your bike. We already know you're here and you're ruining our conversation.