This was a Saturday morning when I went to catch up with some gorgeous motorcycles as well as to get acquainted with some of the members of the HOG (Harley Owners Group).
On the 69th Republic Day, these riders from the Armed Forces have a special message for all the bikers and the citizens of the country as well. Have a look at the video to see what they have to say.
Harley-Davidson is popular for owning a social network community, commonly known as HOG – Harley Owners Group.
First instituted in 1983, they currently have more than 1,000,000 members till date, and have successfully completed 35 years.
Funny story actually, the group got the name ‘HOG’ as an earlier group of Harley racers had a hog or pig as their mascot. After winning a race, they would put the pig – yes an actual pig – on the back of their Harley motorcycles, and then go for a victory lap.
The inception of HOG occured in 1983, when the company took advantage of the long-standing mascot’s nickname hog, and then turning it into an acronym HOG, which now stands for Harley Owners Group.
The Armed Forces Chapter of the HOG has Harley motorcycle owners who are current or retired members of the Indian Armed Forces.
Col Robinder Singh Sirohi, who in 2016 became the secretary of the Armed forces Chapter, went on to become the Director of the Armed Forced HOG in 2017.
These affiliates not only share a common thread of having served the country, but also the passion of motorcycling. They have conquered the roads many a time, on their trips across the country, strengthening their brotherhood via Harley-Davidson.
Not all of them started off with Harley’s. Many of them have graduated from basic bikes like Royal Enfield Bullet, Yamaha, and many others.
In a unique initiative in 2017, Harley Davidson extended assistance to its Armed Forces HOG Chapter members by providing them with free and safe custody (space) for motorcycles across selective Harley-Davidson dealerships in the country.
This has been introduced for the convenience of serving officers who are posted at military camps for long tenures.
Video Editor: Kunal Mehra
Cameraperson: Shiv Kumar Maurya
(We Indians have much to talk about these days. But what would you tell India if you had the chance? Pick up the phone and write or record your Letter To India. Don’t be silent, tell her how you feel. Mail us your letter at lettertoindia@thequint.com. We’ll make sure India gets your message.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)