What a Fort Worth HOG Membership Means

After the post about the Fort Worth HOG Road Captains I started considering what it meant to be a member of our Chapter. You might be thinking, what is there to know? Just show up and ride! Well, not exactly, which is why I am going into more detail. 

Most riders understand there are a lot of different types of motorcycle riding groups and each has its own requirements for membership.  MC's have a hang around, prospect, and patch in, LEO's require you to be or have been part of law enforcement, MM (Motorcycle Ministries) may require you to attend worship services regularly and participate in outreaches. Some meetup riding groups I have ridden with have no requirements at all. Some groups look down at HOG Chapters with the incorrect analysis that there are no requirements that must be met to join and remain a member.

I believe there is a misconception that being a Fort Worth HOG Member means just paying your yearly dues. To some degree, there is truth to that statement. Yes, you pay your dues, buy your patch, and become a member. That is first step of membership that precedes other requirements. The next requirement is that you have to ride a Harley if you want to ride with the group. It is Harley Owners Group (HOG) after all (not Honda Owners Group(hog)). You can ride an off Harley brand bike upon invitation from a current member in good standing for up to 3 rides with the Chapter, but then, you gotta get a Harley or move on to another group that will allow you ride whatever it was you rode up on. Even some MC's have relaxed their american made bike requirement and now allow cruiser and touring metrics with a minimum engine size. HOG however has stood firm, strong, and proud not to bend on bike brand requirements.

So you've got your Harley and your membership, now what. How about group riding guidelines.  Fort Worth HOG does have a ride guideline that its members are supposed to be familiar with and respect. None of us want to become victims of an accident due to the neglect or the dis-concern of a rider that chooses to do his own thing while group riding. Our Chapters guidelines are designed to make our rides safe. You won't be riding with the Chapter long if you can't or won't follow the ride guidelines. Its expected of riders to wear proper gear, not shorts and tennis shoes for example, pass signals back, not break formation, This might seem harsh to some but, follow the ride guidelines or get out. This is no different than most MC's, you'll be expected to follow whatever standard riding procedure they have or you'll be asked to leave. The ride guide even states on page 2- The Chapter expects all riders to ride safely and ride within their experience and comfort level at all times.  It goes on to read- new riders should learn the fundamental skills of motorcycle riding and gain some experience before joining a group ride. You can buy a Harley, join the Chapter and get started in group riding right away, but, if you're a danger to other riders around you, it will be addressed.

So your a solid safe rider of good riding reputation and none of the other Chapter members are saying behind your back, "Don't ride too close to that person, their dangerous!" What about your actions off the bike?  If you were to face a review about your attitude or respect towards others within the Chapter how would you score? As with any MC, MM, RG, etc. your attitude will play into your continuance within that organization. Thus the reasoning behind the prospecting phase of an MC. They want to get to know you and give you a chance to get to know them to see if its a good fit. If its not, you'll be asked to leave and not earn your patch. In regards to Fort Worth HOG, even though there is no prospecting period, we are expected to conduct ourselves respectfully and represent our Chapter and sponsoring dealership with integrity. If it wasn't for our dealership we wouldn't even have a local Chapter to be part of. The annual HOG Charter even states in Article VI that the sponsoring dealer may suspend or terminate a person's membership in the sponsored Chapter if they determine that a member's conduct is undesirable or contrary to the sponsoring dealerships interests. For the people that say being a HOG member is easy street and that you only have to buy your way in, try coming around and acting like a moron, throwing around an attitude of disrespect towards your HOG family and sponsoring dealership and see how long you remain a member.

Everyone likes to have a good time. Everyone's idea of a good time is different though, and alcohol often factors into the idea of having a good time. It's interesting to watch people upon arrival at a destination, especially some of the biker friendly bar and grills we end up at. I've seen groups of riders ordering buckets of beer, drinking, drinking, drinking more.... then leaving their beer bottle littered table and zooming away in close formation down the road. I don't know where Fort Worth HOG stands on this but I do know where I stand on the issue of riding under the influence. I also know that I have never seen any Officers or Road Captains drink during a Chapter event. I have seen Members on occasion drink but they didn't continue on with the group afterwards, thumbs up to them for their consideration. It's my opinion that it takes more control to not have a drink while group riding than to give in so as to have a "good time" and put others lives at risk. If you think you need to have that drink on a ride then don't ride with the group afterwards, or if its something you feel you have to do all the time, then finding another group that does drink and ride might be better for you. There are plenty of groups that don't care and would be glad to have another party-er on board. My wife and I have no problem having a wonderful day of riding without the need to involve alcohol. It's also considerate, respectful, and responsible towards your HOG family not to drink and ride.

As stated earlier there are a lot of different organizations and every one of them have their own rules to follow. I wrote this to highlight a couple of the dominate aspects of what it means to be a Fort Worth HOG Member. We are expected to uphold a reputable conduct to our Chapter, dealership, and community. When motorists see that HOG patch on your back they should know that we are representatives of a responsible riding organization. Our local community should know that when a Fort Worth HOG ride rolls through or shows up that we will be considerate, respectable, courteous, and safe. Fort Worth HOG is a family oriented riding group, not hell raisers and road terrors. We have a great time on rides, dinner runs, charity events, dealer events and it's a wonderful family of people to become part of. This type of riding group may not be what your looking for, and that's fine, but this is some of what it means to be a Fort Worth HOG Member.

Maintenance Level Limitations

On this post I want to explore just how far can or should someone go with maintenance at home.  The answers will vary greatly depending on numerous factors. Obviously riding a motorcycle doesn't mean you can maintain or repair one though.  When I rode motocross and competed in Europe I was given a highly modified bike from a place out of California named R&D Motors.  This 80cc bike I received had a custom exhaust, bored cylinder, front forks from a 125cc, custom swing arm and rear suspension, high performance carb, etc.  The only problem with the bike that we were warned about was that the thing had so much torque, we would have to replace the piston rod bearings every 4 motos.  this involved removing the exhaust, carb, head, piston, and getting to the piston bearing on the rod which would just crumble into little pieces as it was removed.  At the age of 14 I was performing this maintenance task every other week myself.  My father worked with me the first few times and then just allowed me to handle it from then on.  My stepfather owned his own BMW motorcycle repair shop for 21 years and I would often hang around his shop as well. My father and I also did some classic car restoration.  We built a 57 Thunderbird convertible and a 72 Mustang Mach I fastback from the ground up.  We broke them down to the frame/unibody and began rebuilding from there.

Not everyone has the Motorsport history and experiences that I have had.  This has been a tremendous help in being able to perform my own maintenance without concern on both our bikes and cars.  Even if you don't have the background it doesn't mean you cant do this stuff yourself, it just means you will need to read the service manual thoroughly for whatever task it is your wanting to perform.  It also means you might have to spend some money on special tools for different tasks.  I always figure it this way:  If someone built it, I can take it apart and put it back together. If I screw it up, I can haul it into the shop and pay them to fix my screw up. I would have had to pay them to do what I was trying to do anyways so what the hell, I'll try it myself first.

Another point before we delve into details is Warranty Work. I am a firm believer in letting the dealership repair the bike if its under warranty.  The distinction needs to be made about the difference between maintenance and warranty work.  Maintenance is NOT covered by your warranty.  The warranty covers mechanical and electrical malfunctions and breakages.  If something breaks and you've got a warranty, let them fix it. I would also recommend purchasing an extended warranty.  It's worth it.

Maintenance has to be paid for if you take your bike in for it.  This means things like oil changes, lubrication, air filter cleaning/change, tire replacement, brakes, spark plugs replacement, etc. are not covered.  You can purchase maintenance plans and even tire replacement plans if you want which will cover a specified amount of whatever as outlined by the plan.  I didn't purchase these for either of our bikes so I cant comment on their details.

Now lets get into some of the points that could affect the level of maintenance you want to perform or even if doing this is for you to begin with.

Personal mechanical ability- Everyone has varying degrees of mechanical ability.  Again, personal history in this area will play a large role in how comfortable you are in mechanics.  I'm not gonna say you cant learn if you don't have a history, it just might take a bit longer to learn details as to the what, why, when, and how's of maintenance.  No matter what level your at, get a service manual for your specific bike.

Time- Maintenance takes time.  It can take even longer if you haven't performed some of the tasks before. My first oil change on my Street Glide took 1.5 hours.  I had to keep referring to the manual for information even though I know the principles of performing an oil change, and I didn't have a process established for this bike.  Now I am able to do an oil change in 30 minutes.  Maintenance will directly take time away from your day that you may not want to give up.  That's understandable.  Remember though, maintenance is crucial to keeping your bike on the road, it must be performed, and if you cannot or don't want to take the time to do it, then take your bike to the shop and have it done.

Patience- This one could go hand in hand with time.  It can become very frustrating at times when performing maintenance.  The level of maintenance will also directly affect your patience.  For instance, steering head bearing lubrication is very clean, easy, and takes about 5 minutes.  Oil changes on the other hand require laying on your side to get under the bike, messy oil, more processes, and more time.  Your patience can play hard into this if its 90+ degrees outside and your sweating profusely trying to get it done.  If you get angry or frustrated easily then self maintenance may not be for you.

Tools- Most regular maintenance will not require much in the way of special tools.  Some special tools might make it easier to perform the maintenance though.  You may have to buy tools to do some tasks and it wont cost all that much.  An oil filter wrench, Torx sets, Spark Plug Gap Gauge, are some of the special tools most people don't have laying around.  Again, the level of maintenance will directly affect what tools you might need.  Also be sure to separate maintenance tool requirements from repair tool requirements. Maintenance will require far less specialized tools than repairs.

Money- Unfortunately most of us are not self made millionaires, lottery winners, or inheritors of expansive European estates.  It's convenient to take your bike in and pay someone to do it all for you if you can afford it. With my finances, if I didn't perform my own maintenance, I would not be riding a Harley. At dealership prices I simply cannot afford their cost for maintenance. However, if you read my post about oil changes, the first oil change you do can save you enough money to buy most of the tools you'll need to perform your own regular maintenance for years to come.  Thus saving you lots of money down the road.  You'll have to decide for yourself if the savings are worth dealing with some of the other points this post is covering. Either way your gonna be spending money, just far less by doing it yourself.

Space- You gotta have the space to do this stuff.  Not only that but you need to have space to store the tools and materials. This usually means shelves and/or toolboxes and space for those as well.  There are many variables on the issue of space.  Some people wont mind working outside in the open on their driveway while others might have a nice shop in a separate building.  No matter what the situation, it will take some space both to perform the work and store the supplies.

Health- This could possibly be the most important reason NOT to perform your own maintenance.  Since regular maintenance is a must, you wont be able to let it go.  That means whether its 110 degrees outside or 40 degrees outside, if your gonna ride, you've got to do it.  Unless you have a heated or air conditioned space, you could get over heated or super cold very quickly.  This could be a health concern.  There is a lot of bending, twisting, getting up and down, laying on your side, etc. involved as well.  You can get scraped, cut, and bruised if your not careful.  You might have a reaction to certain oils or cleaners used for maintenance. Chemical cleaners could cause skin or inhalation reactions for some people.  If there are any health concerns then don't do it, your health is more valuable than doing the work yourself.  Let someone else do it and live to ride another day.

Desire & Self Enjoyment- I personally enjoy doing the work myself.  It's something I look forward to doing as crazy as it may sound.  It's nice to take my time, enjoy the day, and wash my bike afterwards. Usually one of my sons or Margaret spends time helping me or just hanging out with me while I work.  I value that time with them and appreciate that they take time to spend with me working on my bike.  I also like knowing without question that the work is performed correctly and thoroughly upon completion.  It gives me a chance to go over the bike, check for loose bolts, fixtures, or possible wear on parts. For me it's another way to enjoy all aspects of having a bike.  You may not feel the same way.  If working on it becomes a chore that you just hate to perform, you probably shouldn't do it.  Mistakes could be made, improper procedures performed, incorrect fluid/lube levels or torque specifications might be overlooked, just to get the chore over with. It can also become easy to put it off for another week if you get that sick feeling when you think about having to do it.  All of this could lead to engine damage or worse depending on what type of work you perform.  Do it because you want to, not because you have to.

Rough Creek Lodge Ride 2013

Recently we took a ride with the Friendship Riders before the ice storm rolled in. Everything worked out perfectly both time and weather wise. We knew a cold front was soon to arrive but would be proceeded by a couple days of 70+ degree weather. Apparently one of the groups organizers felt the same way and planned a ride to take advantage of possibly the last comfortable riding day of the year.

This ride lasted all day and took us south west of Fort Worth into some incredible pasture lands. We crossed quite a few cattle guards to get to the ride roads and the result was incredible. At one point we rode along the side of a large hill for miles that fronted a pasture which stretched over the horizon. The cloud formations were incredible as well possibly from the cold front slowly moving in mixing with the warm air. the combination of sky and landscape made for the most majestic scenery I have recorded since Margaret bought the GoPro for me.

We stopped at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center for a break and took in a fantastic view of the valley. We then headed for Rough Creek Lodge for lunch. This place was very upscale and very biker friendly too! One of the administrators met us as we rolled in and greeted us with smiles and the utmost courtesy. We sat down in huge chairs that had embroidered pillows. There were homemade chips in paper cones and individual sealed glass condiment jars. The iced tea was flavored with some herb, don't know what it was but it was wonderful. The lunch menu consisted of 3 items and were prepared by an executive chef. Everyone seemed to fully enjoy the experience and food.

Maybe it was just because we hadn't ridden in awhile on a nice day long trip, but this ride was one of the best day trips I have been on in the Fort Worth area. The Friendship Riders are a wonderful group to ride and spend time with. They also have very creative ride destinations and related activities that always keeps your interest at its peak.

Rough Creek Lodge Ride Slideshow

Rough Creek Lodge Ride 2013 Video

Wise County Toy Run 2013

The annual Wise County Toy Run is a great time to meet other riders and ride for a reason. This year Margaret came along and rode her bike to her first large event. We met up with our HOG Chapter at the dealership for the Chapter ride to the event. I think we had about 50 bikes this year from our Chapter. It was a good turn out even though it was down from last year. Upon arrival in Decatur we promptly began taking media footage of the event.

I don't know how many bikes were there. It seemed less than last year but unless your counting each one there is really no way to know. The admission fee was a toy or $10. We just paid the $10. I figured since the money is used for event expenses its just as important as giving a toy. We wandered around taking video and pictures of bikes, toys, and people. There are a few pictures of patches of MC's as we wanted to highlight some of the supporting clubs. Right about the time the entire procession left we went to the front of the line and took pictures and video of nearly all of the bikes as they left the parking lot. Then we made our way hastily back to our bikes before we got left behind. We were just about the very last bikes out of the parking lot and they were closing the gates as we rode through them.

It didn't take long to catch up with the main procession. It was moving quite slow through the streets of Decatur. Cars were parked along the side of the road and people were sitting on their tailgates or lawn chairs waving and enjoying the bikes. For the entire trip to Bridgeport people lined the roads for the event. When we arrived in Bridgeport we found where our HOG Chapter had gathered and pulled in with them. They had left the starting point at the beginning of the parade, we had left at the end, and right as we finally pulled in, they were leaving to go eat. They had already walked to the drop off point and back, geared up, and had the Road Captains in place. I parked our bikes to make it easy to get out and we headed for the toy drop off point.

The toys were piled high, activity was at its peak, a raffle session was taking place, chili was offered, and lots of raffles for various items could be bought. We took some media here as well and stayed for awhile to take everything in.

Margaret and I went our own way back home along some beautiful back roads to avoid the highway traffic. It was an exciting day and the activity level was high. By the time we got home we were both exhausted. I wanted to make sure to get our media online as soon as possible after such a large event. Margaret was overwhelmed by it all, surprised by the enormity of the event, and excited to have taken part in it. It was a great experience again this year and we'll both be looking forward to doing again.

Wise County Toy Run 2013 Slideshow

Wise County Toy Run 2013 Video