H.O.G. Memories: The Finishing Touch

In our new series, Bob Lowery, who was the Director of Long Island H.O.G.^® Chapter in the early 1980s, shares the story of how the Harley Owners Group^® got its own license plate.

No matter what you do to a bike, whether you customize it with chrome or paint to make it your own, there’s always one piece you have no control over. You’re stuck with it: all 28 square inches – 4 inches by 7 inches. Yep, it’s the state license plate. The Long Island H.O.G. Chapter did something about it.

First, a little history. Motor vehicles weren’t a big deal in the early 20th century—the rage was bicycles. In the 1890s, there were hundreds of bicycle clubs on the East Coast, and the city streets, such as they were, were filled with thousands of recreational “bikers” on the weekends. The first road maps were printed for bicycles, and as early as 1887, New York State passed an Act in Relation to the Use of Bicycles and Tricycles, which established that bicycles had as much right to the road as any other carriage.

It’s not surprising, then, that New York was the first state to require license plates and registrations for cars and motorcycles, starting in 1901. Motorists were required to make their own plates, using leather or iron, bearing the owner’s initials. Massachusetts was the first state to start issuing plates in 1903, the same year the first Harley-Davidson^® motorcycle was made, but New York didn’t get round to issuing state plates until 1910.

By then, metal plates were in the mix, until World War II when tabs were issued to save scarce metal needed for the war effort, with some states experimenting with fiberboard and soybean-based plastics. It wasn’t until 1956 that a standardized plate size was agreed upon at 6 x 12 inches with standardized mounting holes. Today, it’s 4 x 7 inches.

THE MAKING OF A HOG PLATE

The now canceled International Motorcycle Show used to be held at the Javits Center in New York City, usually around the first week in January, and every manufacturer displayed their new models. In 1998, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) had a large booth and was making a push on affinity plates. You could be a doctor, lawyer, dentist, ham radio operator, alumnus of a college, member of sports teams, military veteran, and any other conceivable group—it had a plate for you.

I was assisting the dealers at the Harley-Davidson display, and I approached the DMV official with some statistics. There were 13,000 H.O.G. members in New York at the time and about 30 chapters. Each member had a bike, maybe two, and a car, probably more than one. Their spouses also had a car. So, there was a possibility of selling five or more plates to each H.O.G. family. DMV did the math.

At the time, Virginia had a H.O.G. plate, but for some reason it was only for cars, not bikes. I told the DMV official that we wanted the plate for bikes, cars, commercial vehicles, and the disabled. We also wanted a vanity aspect to the plate so bike owners could create their own message. I told them that I would do the mailing, which was relatively easy since H.O.G. chapters throughout New York State were exchanging newsletters.

It took about 10 months for everything to be approved, and the H.O.G. plate was finally unveiled at the January 1999 Long Island H.O.G. Chapter breakfast. It was pretty exciting. The American Motorcyclist Association had its own plate, and now so did we. I never received statistics on the number of plates sold, but the program lasted 25 years. It was finally canceled by Harley-Davidson in 2024. Those with current H.O.G. plates can keep them for as long as their registration is valid. If you have one, hold on to it. It’s a keeper.

And it’s still attracting attention. A couple of weeks ago, I was driving on a nearby road, and the driver of the car next to me motioned for me to roll down the window. “Where did you get that plate?” he excitedly asked, “I’m in H.O.G,” I replied. “But you can’t get them anymore. Sorry!”

If you’d like to share a specific memory about H.O.G., we’d love to hear it! Just mention “H.O.G. Memories” in your message.