About HOG, HOG Chapters, & GTHOG

GTHOG is a chapter of the Harley Owners Group® (or H.O.G.® for short). The following describes H.O.G., H.O.G. Chapters, and GTHOG.

About H.O.G.® (Harley Owners Group®)

The Harley Owners Group is a family oriented international organization. H.O.G. was established by the Harley Davidson Motor Company (or HD) and is operated by employees of HD.

You can become a member of H.O.G. by (1) owning a Harley and (2) paying your membership dues (about C$65.00 / year). Membership gets you magazines, a map book, a pin, a patch, and more. The one thing a H.O.G. membership does not get you is an automatic membership in a local H.O.G. Chapter (it's a separate organization and so it requires a separate membership).

For more info about H.O.G., see www.hog.com

About H.O.G.® Chapters

A H.O.G. Chapter is a family oriented local organization. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of H.O.G. Chapters world-wide. H.O.G. Chapters are sponsored by a local Harley Davidson dealership, adhere to the rules in the H.O.G. Chapter Charter defined by H.O.G., but are operated by unpaid volunteer Harley owners (customers of HD just like you).

You can become a member of a H.O.G. Chapter by (1) becoming a member of H.O.G., (2) completing and signing the H.O.G. Chapter's Membership Application & Waiver form, and (3) anything else the Chapter requires. Each Chapter is different. Most Chapters charge an annual membership fee. Membership gets you whatever that local Chapter gives you (again, each Chapter is different).

To become a member of a H.O.G. Chapter, you must first find one. Ask at your local HD dealership, check the list at www.hog.com, or check GTHOG's lists of Favourite Links for Chapters near Toronto. Then show up at their next Chapter meeting and they'll help you to become a member of H.O.G. and the Chapter. Most Chapters won't make you join up at your first meeting or two (or ten, depending on the Chapter).

In the South Central Ontario area, we are fortunate to have several HOG Chapters. Each Chapter has its own geographic locale (Toronto, Scarborough, York Region, Milton, Durham, etc) and each tends to have it's own "personality" (determined mainly by the personalities of the current active participants and leaders of the chapter). Check out one or more Chapters until you find one with a locale and personality that suits you. Or more than one as there's no rule that says you can't join more than one Chapter.

About GTHOG (Greater Toronto Harley Owners Group)

GTHOG is definitely one Chapter you'll want to check out. Independent studies have show that GTHOG members have 13.40% more fun and are, on average, 14.50% more intelligent and better looking . Not a bad crowd to hang out with!

GTHOG, also known as Chapter #9743, held its first official Chapter meeting on May 28, 1998 at the HD of Toronto dealership, 578 Front Street West, Toronto, Ontario. (after an interest & informational meeting that was held on May 10, also at the dealership). The name "Greater Toronto" was selected because at that time there already was a "Toronto" HOG Chapter (it disbanded later in early 2002).

To become a GTHOG member there's no minimum requirements for participation and/or purchases. The only thing that's required is having a H.O.G. membership, having signed the Membership & Waiver form, and having paid the GTHOG membership dues (a measly C$25 / year). From there, the more or less you put into GTHOG by participating, the more or less you'll get out of it.

To join GTHOG, just show up at a GTHOG Meeting (info) and talk to one of the Executive members (they'll be the ones doing a lot of the talking). They'll ask you for your HOG membership number -- but if you haven't got one yet, don't worry, come out to a meeting anyway.