Photo: Harley-Davidson
About four decades ago Harley-Davidson decided it has a large enough following to create an organization unlike any other in the world. It was called the Harley Owners Group (HOG), and at half a million members today, it is the "largest factory-sponsored motorcycle club in the world."
Yet the Harley fanbase is a lot larger than that, meaning a lot of owners who are not part of HOG may miss out on some important aspects of the Harley way of living. In a bid to draw more people into the fold, the company announced this week a program meant to mirror the success of HOG, without all the hassle, and taking advantage of modern-day tools like smartphone apps.
The program is called H-D Membership, and it's open, for free, to all those who want to join. It wants to be a more tightly-knit and engaging community than HOG, allowing people not only to benefit from some exclusive features and services, but also to engage with other riders the world over.
The entire experience is centered on a new version of the H-D app, which will only be available to members. Riders will be able to use it to know each other and Harley groups, but also plan their rides and share them with others.
The program will reward members with things like priority access to info on new products and events, but more importantly than that, it brings in tow a lot of benefits, including roadside assistance and motorcycle service.
Based on what a member does as part of the program (meaning the stuff they buy from Harley, how much they engage with the community, and how many events they attend), loyalty rewards will be handed over to be used for further benefits from the Milwaukee-based brand. Separately, third-party partners, including Hilton, SiriusXM, AT&T, EagleRider Rentals, Shell, and Tentrr will be involved in the program as well.
H-D Membership will be accessible through the Access Pass and Rider Pass as well. The former, available for both riders and non-riders, comes with "exclusive access to key brand events and content as well as benefits such as enhanced rewards and partner benefits."
The Rider Pass is more complex, and offers roadside assistance, motorcycle service benefits and partner benefits. As you might have guessed, even if membership in the new program is free, both these access passes are not – sadly, at the time of writing we are unable to tell you how much they cost, because of some technical issues on the program's official webpage.
The program will also act as an entryway into HOG. Harley-Dadvidson plans to start offering access to it in the U.S. at first, but will later expand it to include other of its most important global markets as well.
The program is called H-D Membership, and it's open, for free, to all those who want to join. It wants to be a more tightly-knit and engaging community than HOG, allowing people not only to benefit from some exclusive features and services, but also to engage with other riders the world over.
The entire experience is centered on a new version of the H-D app, which will only be available to members. Riders will be able to use it to know each other and Harley groups, but also plan their rides and share them with others.
The program will reward members with things like priority access to info on new products and events, but more importantly than that, it brings in tow a lot of benefits, including roadside assistance and motorcycle service.
Based on what a member does as part of the program (meaning the stuff they buy from Harley, how much they engage with the community, and how many events they attend), loyalty rewards will be handed over to be used for further benefits from the Milwaukee-based brand. Separately, third-party partners, including Hilton, SiriusXM, AT&T, EagleRider Rentals, Shell, and Tentrr will be involved in the program as well.
H-D Membership will be accessible through the Access Pass and Rider Pass as well. The former, available for both riders and non-riders, comes with "exclusive access to key brand events and content as well as benefits such as enhanced rewards and partner benefits."
The Rider Pass is more complex, and offers roadside assistance, motorcycle service benefits and partner benefits. As you might have guessed, even if membership in the new program is free, both these access passes are not – sadly, at the time of writing we are unable to tell you how much they cost, because of some technical issues on the program's official webpage.
The program will also act as an entryway into HOG. Harley-Dadvidson plans to start offering access to it in the U.S. at first, but will later expand it to include other of its most important global markets as well.
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