H.O.G. 411`s Pig Tales Newsletter

H.O.G. 411
CHAPTER
HARLEY OWNERS GROUP®
THUNDER MOUNTAIN H-D
NOV-DEC 2015
Director:
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Gary Green
[email protected]
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Assistant Director:
Chris Goldsberry
[email protected]
Secretary:
Susan Neiman
[email protected]
Treasurer:
DIRECTOR
SAFETY
EDITOR
MEMBERSHIP
2016 H.O.G 411 EVENT SCHEDULE
HOG 411 XMAS
TMHD SPONSOR
Ilona Green
[email protected]
Ladies of Harley:
Shelley Tucker
[email protected]
Head Road Captain:
Michael Ramsey (Rambo)
[email protected]
Safety Officer:
Paul Carroll
[email protected]
Photographer/Historian:
Paul Neiman
[email protected]
Editor:
Steve Collins
[email protected]
Activities:
Cindy Brink
[email protected]
Membership:
Steve Heaton
[email protected]
Webmaster:
Rudy Ruderman
[email protected]
Edited by Steve Collins / Distributed by Thunder Mountain H.O.G. Chapter 411 ©2015 H-D. All Rights Reserved
DIRECTORS CORNER
Gary Green
Thunder Mountain H.O.G. Chapter 411
Howdy, I’m
Gary Green the
new director of
HOG411. Most
of you know me,
but for those who don’t, I’ve been a
member of HOG411 for 8 years & I’ve
served on the board for 5 of those.
I look forward to serving my 1st year
as Director for 2016. My 1st street bike
was a Harley Shovelhead that I
purchased in ‘91. The first thing I
noticed though as a complete novice is,
the 1st day I rode it, people on other
bikes were waving at me as though I’d
been riding all along.
This is really something to think
about. I was all of a sudden part of this
group of people who rode motorcycles,
as soon as I threw my leg over my 1st
one. This was a big deal to me, to be
accepted by the motorcycle community
this quickly.
I could go into several other reasons
to ride, but what I want to focus on now
is that the people who ride are some of
the most welcoming people you will ever
meet. You immediately have a
connection, just ride into a parking lot
in the middle of anywhere you have
never been to & someone who rides will
walk up to you & start talking to you
about your bike, ice broken.
The 1st HOG411 meeting that Ilona &
I went to, we obviously looked as lost as
everyone does when they show up to
their 1st meeting. Again we were
welcomed into this group as though
we’d been members forever. As we were
able to ride with the group more & get
more involved, we were accepted even
more.
If you have any questions, just ask
your lead or sweep Road Captain of
any ride, or any board member.
H.O.G.’s motto is “Ride & Have
Fun” & we always strive for a Safe,
Fun environment for everyone who
rides with us. We went to the CO state HOG rally the
2nd year & that really kicked in the
friendships. We sat out by our rooms
each evening laughing & joking.
If you really want to get to know your
fellow HOG members, go on a road trip
with us, you may even learn more than
you really wanted to.
So in closing, I will ask that you to
at least come out & ride with us as
many times this year as you can fit
into your schedule & be a part of
our H.O.G. family. We look forward
to riding with you.
If you don’t have the time to go to a
rally with us, the next best thing is to just
come out & ride with us. We usually stop
& eat somewhere & we have some great
conversations while we eat. Really the
key to getting the most out of being a
member of this chapter, is getting out &
being involved in our events & rides.
~Gary Green~ The more you do with the chapter, the
more you get to know everyone.
Basically you get out of it, what you put
into it. We put a lot on the calendar so
that people can come to events that are
convenient for them. We don’t expect
anyone to attend everything, we
understand that the things we have to do
get in the way of what we want to do.
So meet us for as many skills practices,
rides, get-togethers’, rallies or TMHD
events that work with your schedule &
get to know us.
I feel that we are one of the safest
groups to ride with, out there. We take
safety on our rides very seriously, from
the way that we lead & sweep them to
our strict no alcohol policy.
You should never have to worry about
someone riding recklessly while riding
with us. We are also happy to help less
experienced riders to become more
comfortable riding with the group.
2
SAFETY OFFICER
Paul Carroll
Thunder Mountain H.O.G. Chapter 411
All the Gear,
all the time…
We have all heard this
terminology develop over the
past few years, but how many of
us actually practice it. I’ve been
guilty of participating in skills
training and competition and
not wearing a helmet, assuming
that if I do drop a bike or go
down, I’m not going to hit my
head.
Being on a multi-day trip and
at the end of a long riding day,
decide to change into something
more comfortable and not quite
my riding attire to ride down the
street to grab a bite to eat
thinking nothing is going to
happen between here and there.
My philosophy is dress for the
crash. We all don’t expect to be
involved in incidents while
riding, but it happens a lot in
this state and around the
country.
I investigated a motorcycle
crash involving a Honda
Goldwing where the rider had all
the gear on except gloves. He put
his bike down at about 30 MPH
and every part of his body that
was covered was protected.
The part that wasn’t was his
hands. He was wearing shorty
gloves and his fingers from the
mid-knuckle down, were bloody
and raw. If he would have had
full finger gloves on, he would
have walked away without a
scratch.
There are a lot of companies
out there that make some great
riding gear that looks good,
keeps you cool and provides you
the protection you need. I
encourage you that aren’t
wearing protective gear now
when you ride, to invest in some
quality gear for 2016….It just
may save your hide
Until next time…Ride Safe!
~Paul~
Riding gear….jackets, gloves,
helmets, pants and boots have
come a long way in the last 15
years in their styling,
functionality and protective
performance.
Sliding down the roadway at
40 MPH is not the time to say,
“I wish I would have worn my
summer riding jacket or helmet.
3
EDITOR
Steve Collins
Thunder Mountain H.O.G. Chapter 411
ANSWERING THE
“HOW” QUESTIONS
As we travel this amazing land,
doing Dealer and Chapter visits/
HOT training/rallies, we are asked on
almost a daily basis “how” questions.
How do we grow as a Chapter? How
do we get more people involved? How
do we get our Dealer/ Chapter relationship to where it should be? How do we
stop cliques?…etc. All good questions,
fair questions that need to be answered.
Well the search for answers is really
quite simple—RIDE. Over thirty years
ago the Harley-Davidson® Harley
Owners Group® was formed. It was
formed as a RIDING GROUP. Not a
charity group, not a social group, not
a political or religious group. It was
simple…Ride and Have Fun…
How do we grow…RIDE MORE.
How do we get more people involved…
RIDE MORE. The answer is simple.
The more diverse and more exciting
rides we offer, the more “how” questions get answered. As we visit with
Chapter leaders and those in H.O.G.®
but not in a Chapter, it is clear that
Chapters have lost their way a bit.
So when you or your Chapter start
asking “how” answer with…LETS
RIDE.
The focus must be on riding, more
riding—fun riding—diverse riding. We
need to offer rides to our members and
soon to be members that take them to
new places. Rides that give them new
experiences. Simple…
Todd “THOR” Robinson
H.O.G.® Regional Mgr
As leaders and members of H.O.G.®
it is incumbent on all of us to remember
why we are. People have millions of
outlets for their charity of choice, for
their political views, for their religious
needs or not, but what we can offer is
great rides on great motorcycles.
The only real question is “how” do we
ride more? Well that answer is easy
also, just do it. Get members involved,
have them lead rides, plan rides. Offer
rides that are short/long, 1 day/multiple
days, to food/not to food, morning/night
and everything in between.
Remember no one buys a HarleyDavidson® motorcycle to not ride it.
Wesimply need to give them the chance
toride with great people on great roads.
We need to put fun back in our rides
and Chapters and remove the everyday
B.S. that comes with all the other time
takers other than…JUST RIDING
4
MEMBERSHIP OFFICER
Steve Heaton
Thunder Mountain H.O.G. Chapter 411
Thunder Mountain H.O.G.
411 is on Facebook!
Steve Heaton
Membership Officer
[email protected]
Search for us: Thunder Mtn.
Harley Owners Group - H.O.G. 411.
Welcome New Members!
2014 Monthly Chapter Dinner &
H.O.G. Meeting Schedule
Dinner @ 6p, Meeting 7p @
Johnson’s Corner.
All Members & Guests are Welcome.
Jan 05
Aug 02
Feb 02
Sept 06
Mar 01
Oct 04
Apr 05
Nov 01
May 03
Jun 07
July 05
NOV-DEC
Welcome To HOG411
THE HOG chapter to be in on the front
range of Colorado! Our sponsoring
dealership, Thunder Mountain Harley Davidson
(TMHD), in beautiful Loveland, Co, is ideally
placed to fulfill all your Harley Davidson wants
and needs, and is fantastic starting place fort a
journey into high and winding roads of the
Rocky Mountains, or out onto the flatlands of
the High Plains.
Are you a Guest? Welcome! We would
love you to join our Chapter. Please contact me for
membership details.
5
JANUARY
APRIL
-HOG 411 Polar Bear Ride-Fri. 1st, 11am @ TMHD (Closed
Event)
-LOH Bingo/Potluck-Sat. 2nd, 5pm @ TMHD (Closed Event)
-HOG 411 Chapter Meeting-Tues. 5th, 6 pm @ Johnson’s Corner.
(Closed Event)
-HOG 411 Chapter Meeting-Tues. 5th, 6 pm @ Johnson’s Corner.
(Closed Event)
-Demos and Dogs-Sat. 9th, 10 am @ TMHD (Closed Event)
-HOG 411 Chili Cookoff–Sat. 23rd, 11am upstairs @ TMHD
(Closed Event)
-Skills Session-Sun. 10th, 10 am-Noon @ TMHD (Closed Event)
-Board Meeting-Tues. 29th, upstairs @ TMHD (Member Event)
-HOT Training-15th-16th, @ Las Vegas (Closed Event)
-TBA Ride- Sun. 24th (Closed Event)
FEBUARY
-Board Meeting-Tues. 26th, upstairs @ TMHD (Member Event)
-Membership Meeting, Johnson’s Corner-Tues. 1st, 6pm (Closed
Event)
-HOG 411 Membership Dinner Ride– Thurs. 28th, 6pm meet @
TMHD (Closed Event)
-HOG 411 Glow Golf-Sun. 14th, 1pm @ Centerra SC. (Closed
Event)
-LOH Progressive Ride- Sat. 30th, meet TBA @ TMHD (Closed
Event)
-Board Meeting-Tues. 23rd, upstairs @ TMHD (Member Event)
-LOH Event-Sat. 27th, 5pm upstairs @ TMHD. (Closed Event)
MAY
-HOG 411 Chapter Meeting-Tues. 3rd, 6 pm @ Johnson’s Corner.
(Closed Event)
MARCH
-Membership Meeting, Johnson’s Corner-Tues. 1st, 6pm (Closed
Event)
-Bucksnort Saloon-Sat. 7th, 930 am @ TMHD (Closed Event)
-LOH Mother’s Day Ride-Sat. 8th, 1030am @ TMHD (Closed
Event)
-Safety Chalk Talk-Sat. 5th 1030 am @ TMHD. (Closed Event)
-Lunch/Eagles Game–Sun. 6th, Palomino’s @ 11am, game @ 3pm
(Closed Event)
-Demos and Dogs-Sat. 14th, 10 am @ TMHD (Closed Event)
-HONOR FLIGHT-Sun. 15th, (Open Event)
-Irish Poker Run-Sat. 12th, 10am @TMHD (Open Event)
-HOG 411 Membership Dinner Ride– Wed. 18th, 6pm meet @
TMHD (Closed Event)
-Road Captain Meeting-Sat. 19th. 1030am @ TMHD upstairs
(Closed Event)
-Skills Session-Sun. 22nd, 10 am-Noon @ TMHD (Closed Event)
-LOH Bike Maintenance Session-Sat. 26th, TBD @TMHD (Open
Event)
-Realities Ride/Rally- 28th-30th, (Closed Event)
-Board Meeting-Tues. 29th, upstairs @ TMHD (Member Event)
-Board Meeting-Tues. 31st, upstairs @ TMHD (Member Event)
Dates and times are subject to change: for detailed information about events go to and click on the activities tab, check our Facebook page
and check your email for shout out updates.
Event Statement for H.O.G. 411: Chapter activities are conducted primarily for the benefit of H.O.G. 411 chapter members. There are three
categories of event activities as follows:
Closed: an event open to H.O.G. chapter 411 members and one guest per member only.
Open: an event open to all National H.O.G. members and other guest as desired.
Member: an event that is open to National H.O.G. members only.
Public: an event open to all motorcycle enthusiasts.
6
7
8