HOGSpeak 101: A Glossary of H.O.G & Chapter Terms

Chapter Meeting: Purpose: Do business, share info, meet old and new friends, have fun. Chapter Merchandise available. All members encouraged to attend. Held monthly. Meetings alternate between 1st Thursday (Jan, Mar, May, July, Sept, Nov) and 1st Saturday (Feb, Apr, June, Aug, Oct, Dec). Location: Golden Dragon, 12778 Old Fort Road, Fort Washington. NOTE: Dates, times, location subject to change. Check for updates!

Chapter Merchandise: Rockers, patches, tees, jackets, name tags, and other cool items that are emblazoned with your Chapter’s name. All H.O.G. approved. Purchase at Chapter meetings & special events, or contact the Merchandise Officer.

Chapter News: Newsletter of Fort Washington H.O.G. Published bimonthly.

Chapter Officers: Four Primary (elected) Officers – Director, Asst. Director, Secretary, Treasurer – and several Discretionary (appointed) Officers, for example, Activities, LOH, Safety, Editor, Historian. Elections held annually.

Chapter Picnic: Open only to Chapter members and their immediate families. Food, fun, games, field events. Don’t miss it!

Closed Event: Chapter ride or activity that is open only to Chapter members and their guests. Guests must sign appropriate release forms.

Club H.O.G.: Annual rally of H.O.G. members from around the world. Expo, demo rides, music, more. New location each year. Info at www.hog.com & HogTales.

Full Moon Ride: Held on/near the Full Moon. Distances, destinations appropriate for season. Always fun. Four wheels welcome in bad weather.

Harley-Davidson of Washington (aka HDW): Fort Washington H.O.G.’s sponsoring dealer.

hdwash.com/hog: Official Web site of Fort Washington H.O.G. Features include a Ride/Event calendar, photo gallery, membership application, other Chapter info. Password-protected “members only” section holds newsletters, meeting minutes.

HOGAnnounce: Periodic e-mail notices sent to all members who provide e-mail addresses to the Chapter. HOGAnnounces relay useful news and information upcoming Chapter rides and activities, ride cancellations, and area motorcycle events.

HOG.com: Official Web site of the Harley Owners Group. Go to www.hog.com to get the latest news on national and local H.O.G. events, register for H.O.G. rallies, renew your national membership, and more. Password-protected “members only section.” www.hog.com.

H.O.G. Hub Rally: Park your stuff in one hotel and ride out daily to tour the sites. National H.O.G.-sponsored. More info at www.hog.com & HogTales.

HogTales: Official magazine of the Harley Owners Group. Member benefit to all Full members of H.O.G. Published bimonthly. Feature articles, rally updates, and more.

H.O.G. Touring Rally: Rally moves from starting point to final destination, usually with stops along the way. Spans days or weeks, depending on distance. National H.O.G.-sponsored. More info at www.hog.com & HogTales.

HOGs at the Beach: Annual gathering in Ocean City of members of MD/DE Chapters. Sunshine, easy riding, pure relaxation. Hosted by MD-DE American Motorcycle Riders Assn, Inc. (MDAMRA), with support from area HD dealers and Chapter members. Traditional date: Weekend after Labor Day.

Holiday Party: Annual Chapter Christmas/Holiday Season gala. Food, dancing, door prizes, elegant fun.

Hotline: 301.248.1200 #4. Recorded announcement of upcoming Chapter events. For up-to-the-hour information on ride cancellations, call 301.248.1200 #9, or contact the appointed Road Captain.

Ladies of Harley, aka “LOH”: Promotes women’s enjoyment of motorcycling as riders or passengers. Membership in LOH is open to all H.O.G. members as a free benefit, but it is not automatic. To join LOH, update your Member Profile on hog.com or call 1.800.CLUBHOG.

LOH Coffee: Held before each Saturday Chapter meeting at Coffee & Conversations, 12754 Old Fort Road, Fort Washington.

LOH Ride: Planned by our Chapter’s LOH members. Led by Fort Washington H.O.G. Road Captains. All Chapter members welcome. Destinations vary.

Maryland-Delaware American Motorcycle Riders Assn, Inc. (MDAMRA): Organization of Maryland and Delaware H.O.G. Chapters. Plans HOGs at the Beach and other “all-Chapter” activities such as the annual “Run for Crabs.”

Members Event: Event open to only H.O.G. members.

Officers Meeting: Purpose: Plan member meetings and events; address Chapter business. Members may attend as observers only. Usually held last Thursday of month, but date/location subject to change. Contact an officer if you’d like to attend.

Open Event: Chapter ride or activity that is open to the public. Participants must sign appropriate release forms.

Orientation Ride (“O” Ride): Leisurely ride following each Saturday Chapter meeting. Purpose: Orient new riders and/or new members to Chapter group riding. All members welcome.

Participation-Based Discount: Chapter members earn discounts on purchases at Harley-Davidson of Washington based on participation. Pick up a discount card when you attend a meeting, take part in a Chapter ride, or volunteer at a Chapter event. Each card good for one trip to the HDW checkout counter. Motorcycles, special sale items, etc. excluded as designated by HDW.

Pick-Up Ride: Informal weekend rides departing HDW at pre-set times. Chapter members simply show up, agree on a route and a destination, choose their own ride ride leader(s), and then ride and have fun. Rides depart Sat. at 11:00 a.m., Sun. at Noon.

Pin Stop: Specific rallies and motorcycle events designated by National H.O.G. Riders attending these events may show their National H.O.G. cards to receive an event pin from National H.O.G. For a list of H.O.G. Pin Stops, go to the events section of www.hog.com. [Note: State H.O.G. Rallies are not designated pin stops. Only pre-registered participants receive pins.]

Poker Run: Fund raisers sponsored annually by most MD/DE Chapters, usually as Open Events (all bikes welcome). In a traditional run, riders follow a planned route, drawing playing cards at stops along the way to build a poker hand. Top Hands win cool prizes. Many variations on theme, e.g., Panty Runs, where riders pull panties of varying sizes from bags at each stop; largest cumulative size wins! Planned and run by Chapter volunteers.

Posse Ride: Hard-riding H.O.G.-sponsored expansion of a Touring Rally. Usually a cross-country experience. More info at www.hog.com & HogTales.

Road Captains: Experienced riders who plan and lead Chapter-sponsored group rides. Appointed annually.
Road Captain Meeting: Road Captains plan rides and assign ride leaders and tail gunners.

Rolling Thunder and Rolling Thunder Open House: Annual ride through Washington, DC honoring POWs and MIAs. HDW Open House draws thousands from across Nation, as does the Yellow Ribbon Ride from HDW to the Pentagon — launch point for Rolling Thunder. Chapter members volunteer in large numbers to support these events.

Spring Tune-Up: Marks the “official” start of the Chapter riding season. Destination: Popes Creek. Always a large turnout; 4 wheels welcome if the weather doesn’t cooperate.

State H.O.G. Rally: Most states and Canadian provinces sponsor annual rallies. Maryland and Delaware are annual co-hosts. Open to all H.O.G. members and Non-H.O.G.s sponsored by members. Activities vary. Full list at www.hog.com & HogTales.

Sweep: 1) Individual rider or small group of riders who follow the last participants in an event such as a Poker Run to ensure all riders have completed the ride safetly. 2) Synonym of “Tailgunner.”

Tailgunner: Road Captain assigned to ride at the rear of a group ride. Also known as “Sweep.”

Volunteer: Individual Chapter members who step up to help plan or carry out Chapter or Dealer events such as Poker Runs, Open Houses, parties, picnics.

Wild Irish Ride: Chapter celebration of all things Irish. Destination: Fells Point, Baltimore.