Oldfella,
4wd, Caravan, Bikes & Leisure
Harley Davidson History
| Disabled Riding Day 3rd December 2007 Pictures |
| Home |
| About Us |
| Harley Davidson History |
| J.P - Justice of the Peace Services |
| Contact Us |
| Tips & Tricks |
| Bike Pictures |
| Bike Specifications |
| Suppliers |
1980 - 2006
* Early H.O.G. events – such as the "Run to the Sun" ride pictured here – were often "loosely organized".
1983
* Harley-Davidson launches Harley Owners Group®, or H.O.G.®, signing up some 33,000 members – in two countries: the United States and Canada – by the end of that first year.
* Hog Tales® magazine debuts along with H.O.G. in 1983. Though its format has changed considerably over the years, its purpose has remained the same: to be the "Journal of the H.O.G. Experience."
* In its first year, H.O.G. members could already enjoy some of today’s most popular benefits, such as the H.O.G.® Fly & Ride program, featured in the April/May 1983 edition of Hog Tales. The program originally offered just four destinations: Miami, Florida; Orlando, Florida; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Frankfurt, Germany. Today it offers more than 40 (in five countries).
1984
* The Harley-Davidson® Softail® debuts and proves to be a bike that helps shape the future of the Motor Company. 1984 also sees the introduction of the 1340 cc Evolution® engine. It replaces the Shovelhead, which had powered Harleys® since 1966.
* H.O.G.® stages two North American national rallies (independent of any pre-existing motorcycle event): one in Reno, Nevada and one in Nashville, Tennessee. Combined attendance is close to 3,000.
* The H.O.G. ABCs of Touring contest is introduced. This fun program catches on quickly and today is one of many popular H.O.G. benefits.
1985
* The first H.O.G. chapters form in 1985. Though there is no official "first chapter," this pin from the Sauk Trail Chapter is among the earliest on record. By the end of that year, 49 chapters were officially on board.
1986
* From the beginning, collectible pins and patches are an important part of the H.O.G. experience, both as collectible items and a way for members to display their H.O.G. pride.
1988
* H.O.G. celebrates its 5th Anniversary at the Annual Rally in Asheville, North Carolina. Earlier that summer, Harley-Davidson celebrated its 85th Anniversary in Milwaukee. Festivities included a pancake breakfast for 4,000 H.O.G. members.
* Legendary Harley-Davidson flat tracker Scott Parker wins the first of his record nine AMA Grand National Championships. H.O.G. was one of Scott's official sponsors during much of that time, giving H.O.G. members a special connection with this Hall of Fame racer.
1989
* Original H.O.G. Mileage Merit Program begins.
1990
* Harley-Davidson introduces the Fat Boy®, which goes on to become one of the most iconic Harleys ever.
1991
* More than 3,500 members from across Europe venture to Cheltenham, England to enjoy the first official international H.O.G. event: the inaugural European H.O.G. Rally.
1993
* Rally fever spreads to Canada as 600 members take part in the 1st Canadian National H.O.G. Rally in Ottawa.
* The Motor Company celebrates 10 years of H.O.G. with this full-spread ad. H.O.G. celebrates with a big rally (how else?) in Milwaukee. More than 20,000 members take part in the fun.
1994
* Some 1,200 members gather in Vannes, Britanny for the 1st French National H.O.G. Rally.
* H.O.G. enrolls its 250,000th member, as commemorated in the September/October 1994 edition of Hog Tales®.
1995
* The first Harley-Davidson Road King® takes to the highways and byways of America, quickly establishing itself as a popular touring option.
* The 1st German National H.O.G. Rally attracts more than 2,000 members to the town of Loreley in Germany's Rhine Valley.
* New H.O.G. Mileage Program is introduced, replacing the original Mileage Merit Program.
1996
* H.O.G. gets epic with the original Route 66 touring rally. On this first cross-country H.O.G. tour, some 425 members ride from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Los Angeles, California along the fabled "Mother Road".
* Japan's 1st National H.O.G. Rally is held in Yunogo.
1997
* 250 adventurous H.O.G. members take part in the inaugural Posse Ride, a 12-day riding odyssey from Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine.
1998
* More than 53,000 members from 42 countries come to Milwaukee to celebrate 15 years of Harley Owners Group®.
1999
* The 1st Middle East Rally takes place in Muscat, Oman.
* H.O.G. merges onto the Information Superhighway as www.hog.com and the H.O.G. Members Only site (now members.hog.com) go online.
* Harley-Davidson introduces the Twin Cam 88® engine. The counterbalanced Twin Cam 88B™, designed for Softail models, follows in 2000.
2000
* H.O.G.'s 500,000th member is featured in the January/February edition of Hog Tales®.
* Members from across South America converge in Iguazu Falls, Brazil for the 1st South American Regional Rally.
2002
* H.O.G. helps kick off the Motor Company's 100th Anniversary festivities by launching the Harley-Davidson Open Road Tour at the 19th Annual H.O.G. Rally in Atlanta, Georgia.
* The VRSCA V-Rod® hits the market, making big waves with its drag bike styling and Harley's first-ever street-legal liquid-cooled engine, the 1130 cc Revolution® V-Twin.
2003
* Hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts from around the globe converge on Milwaukee to celebrate the highly anticipated 100th Anniversary of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company. H.O.G. members celebrate the 20th Anniversary of H.O.G. with CLUB H.O.G.® XX, the 20th Annual Rally, in West Bend, Wisconsin.
* H.O.G. reaches the 750,000-member milestone.
2005
* More than 700 riders roll into Milwaukee to complete the second leg (Eastern Campaign) of the Posse Ride: Lower 48, a two-part, two-year epic adventure that led those who rode both sections (about 420 members) through all 48 of the contiguous United States.
* The annual rally tradition continues with CLUB H.O.G. Chattanooga, as thousands of members gather on the banks of the Tennessee River in downtown Chattanooga.
* Harley-Davidson establishes the first authorized dealership in Russia.
* Rally-goers set a world record as they encircle Uluru at the 15th Australia National H.O.G. Rally.
2006
* The Motor Company's first authorized dealership in China, Beijing Harley-Davidson, opens in April.
* The Moscow H.O.G. Chapter is founded in spring of 2006.
* H.O.G. reaches the one-million-member milestone.
Oldfella, 4WD, Caravan, Bikes & Leisure