Handing on the legacy

Meet some of the young officers shaping the future of H.O.G.^® chapters across Europe

As told to Jeremy Pick

The Harley Owners Group^® has always had a strong foundation of experienced members sharing the passion that ownership of the world’s greatest motorcycle brings. Now a new generation of young leaders with a unique energy and enthusiasm are stepping up to encourage new younger members to carry H.O.G.® forward for the next generation. Here we speak to four Chapter Officers from across Europe about their involvement with the club, how attracting and retaining young members is so important, and how they are encouraging the next generation of young riders to participate in H.O.G.

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Xebo
Director, Madrid Chapter, Spain

My name is Federico Lescano – although most people know me as “Xebo”. I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1989 and now live just outside Madrid, Spain, with my wife and young son.

Because motorcycles have always been a symbol of freedom for me, I got my motorcycle licence five years before I could drive a car, simply because I was only interested in riding bikes. I joined the Madrid chapter after buying my first Harley-Davidson^®, a Street Bob^®, from the Makinostra Harley-Davidson and I soon put 110,000km on that bike before selling it to buy another model, a Road Glide^®, soon followed by a Road King^® Special.

I have loved Madrid Chapter since day one. I’ve held chapter officer roles since I was 22 and I see one of my main responsibilities as ensuring the legacy of all those who have worked so hard to make this club into something truly special, and thanks to our great team we can continue growing and enjoying the H.O.G. experience.

It’s no secret that many chapters, ours included, have a somewhat aging membership. It can feel challenging to attract new members, especially due to the cost of the motorcycles and the difficult economic situation that young people are facing today. Additionally, many young people are very absorbed in their phones and digital activities, such as social media and video games, and some don’t even get their motorcycle licences like we did. However, at the Madrid Chapter, we do everything we can to reach out.

Despite the challenges, we have a solid number of members under 40 years old, along with two officers in their 30s and a sponsoring dealer who is even younger. Young members bring a different perspective and a lot of energy, which is essential for the growth and renewal of the chapter. The legacy of H.O.G. lies in the young people who choose to actively participate and we are very proud to have several members who are second generation riders. It’s an honour for us that they choose to spend their free time riding with the chapter.

Our best approach to attracting young members to H.O.G. has been to bring in young people as officers within the chapter. This allows us to have different perspectives and ensures that the decisions we make reflect the interests and concerns of the new generations. Additionally, we make a concerted effort to listen to our younger members to better understand what they are looking for and what motivates them to participate. This way, we can adapt our activities and events to make them feel more connected and part of the community.

@thexebolud @hogmadridchapter

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Elke 
Secretary and Communications Officer, Corridor Chapter, Netherlands

My name is Elke Heesakkers and I live in the village of Den Dungen in the Netherlands, where I work as a teacher at an elementary school. My love for Harley-Davidson began when I was 10 years old (I am now 27) and my father would take me out on the back of his motorcycle. Then he bought his first Harley^®, and I went everywhere with him, even more so when my mother also started riding.

The moment my father bought his Harley, he immediately became a member of the Corridor Chapter. I wasn’t an official member, but I always went along; I knew everyone and everyone knew me, because there were few other children in our chapter. I really enjoyed it and was completely integrated into the family, as if I had all kinds of extra mums and dads.

When I turned 18, I immediately wanted to get my motorcycle licence and then I bought my first Harley-Davidson, a Softail Slim®, which I still ride today. In 2019 the director asked me if I wanted to become communications officer for the chapter, taking care of the website, newsletters and mailings and promotion of our open events to the wider world. As a young person he thought I was an ideal candidate for the role, which I was honoured to accept. I really enjoyed being able to take on an active role within the club.

A few years later the officer position of secretary became available. I thought that would be fun too, so I applied and was accepted. Since then, I have been part of the board of the chapter where most importantly of all I represent the youthful sector of the membership. Every now and then, young people do join, but often they aren’t very active and drift away after a few years, which is something we’re looking to address. This is a challenge that we are looking to overcome, perhaps by having specific ride-outs and other events to encourage more young people like me to experience what a beautiful and welcoming family the Harley Owners Group is.

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Emma Poole
Assistant Director, Wolfruna Chapter, UK

I first joined H.O.G. back in 2014 when I got a free membership with my first bike, an Iron 883^™, which I still own – it has since been joined by four more Harleys! Now, I’m 29 and assistant director of Wolfruna Chapter in the UK.

That first H.O.G. membership gave me the opportunity to meet so many new people, to make new friends who share the same interests as I do, and to travel across Europe with them. That led to me becoming Ladies of Harley^® officer for Wolfruna, a position I held for a year and a half before becoming assistant director in June of this year.

My philosophy on bringing in new members? We need to keep growing the H.O.G. community by getting the younger generation involved at the earliest opportunity, and by setting things up in the chapter to keep young members engaged. It’s really important to make young members feel involved, that they are just as much a part of the H.O.G. community as any other members, and not to let them feel overlooked.

I think social media plays a big and increasingly important role in encouraging young members to be an active part of H.O.G. by showing them they are welcome and valued and that they too can be a part of this great brand. I love posting about the trips I take by Harley-Davidson, and I hope it reaches the younger generation and shows them that they can be a part of this great community. I have recently been given the opportunity to become a regional officer for H.O.G. UK and Ireland and that will give me a great opportunity to encourage more female members and younger H.O.G. members to become more involved with the club.

@emmapoole95

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Alexandre Large and Adeline Hacquart
Lyon Chapter, France

We have both been active members of Lyon Chapter since 2019, culminating in both of us being elected as young officers in January of this year. Thanks to the enthusiasm of our parents, we have both always loved riding – I currently own and ride a Low Rider^® ST and Adeline rides a 1200 Roadster^™ after obtaining her motorcycle licence in 2022.

Lyon Chapter organises up to 35 rides a year in Lyon Chapter and reach out to potential new and younger members by participating in many other events around Lyon and with other H.O.G. chapters from across Europe. We organise rides and restaurant meetings with the other young people in the club every month as a way to stay close to each other and to share our passion for H.O.G. and Harley-Davidson.

Young people can bring a new dynamic into the club. Social media is a big part of staying in contact with young people and remaining relevant to that age group. We stay very active on Instagram, keep close to our sponsoring dealer, Harley-Davidson Lyon, and to the other young officers in the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region – we plan to all ride together very soon!

@youngsters.of.lcf @lyon_chapter_france @alex_n_ride  @adeline_hqt

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