History of Our Chapter

Biggs HOG Chapter History

How It All Began

Harley’s House of Harleys (HHH) opened its doors at 1555 S Coast Highway, Oceanside, CA on October 3, 1988. Fifteen months later, on January 12, 1990, the Oceanside HOG Chapter was launched. The National Harley Owners’ Group (HOG) was founded in 1983: the Oceanside Chapter is among the oldest Chapters in existence (hence our comparatively low Chapter # - 0270).

In the beginning, Oceanside HOG, like other Chapters, was a loosely knit group of individuals, holding meetings, enjoying rides, and developing lasting friendships within their HOG family. Through the generosity of the dealership’s owner, Harley Hartman, the Chapter membership grew and took on a more expansive role, both as a HOG Chapter and extension of the dealership, and as a force in the community. Records from the earliest years of Oceanside HOG Chapter 0270 did not survive the sands of time; the history of the Chapter goes back only to 1997, and, to my knowledge, there are no current members of our group who joined prior to that.

The Feather Pin History

The earliest tale we have from 1997 is the “Feather Pin History”. The Chapter had a dinner ride scheduled, but the weather was bad, it got dark, everyone got lost and decided to go home. To make it up to the group, the Dealer Liaison (Mac) had 50 pins made. They were round, about the size of a quarter, primarily black with gold stars. The top said, “Mac’s Lost Tribe” and the bottom border said, “Where the Heck Are We”. The “Tribe” reference resulted in the “feather pin” concept. On January 1, 1998, the Chapter held its annual Breakfast Run to Mt. Soledad and the first red feather pins were distributed. On January 4, 1998, the first “official” ride of the year was to Hard Rock Café in La Jolla and “feather pin rides” were born. HHH subsidized the cost of these pins, but by late 1999, over 1000 red pins had been distributed. The current system, where you “trade up” for a different color, was established in 2000, and in 2002, Bill T received the first 100 ride pin.

Organization of Many Rides

In the early years, Chapter meetings were not held at the dealership in Oceanside; they were usually held at a restaurant or meeting hall. Occasionally meetings were held in the HHH parking lot. It wasn’t until 2001 that meetings were consistently held at the dealership, and those meetings were often accompanied by a buffet dinner! In late 1999, Oceanside HOG was incorporated. Also in 1999, the name of the monthly Chapter rides was changed from “New Member Ride” to “Get Acquainted Ride” (GAR). The year 2000 ushered in the concept of Road Guards as “Lead”, “Mid-Pack” and “Sweep” to help keep riders safe on our rides; the number of riders and the number of rides each month was growing exponentially.

Formation 101 was officially launched in 2001, and it was held roughly quarterly. Monthly Formation 101 classes began in 2004. The “Rider Pin”, given to members who attend the Formation 101 class was introduced in November 2005 (we are a Chapter that loves pins!)

The Road Guard in Training (RGiT) Program started in 2003.

The Change to Biggs

On July 31, 2003, HHH moved from South Coast Highway in Oceanside to 717 Center Drive in San Marcos and became known as “Biggs H-D”. The Oceanside store remained open until 2008. The name Biggs came to Richard L (current owner and son-in-law of Harley Hartman, the original owner of HHH) in a dream. Richard said he liked the sound of it and that it was one syllable instead of six. Of course, Oceanside HOG came along and became known as Biggs HOG.

Biggs HOG rides, events, and activities continued to grow and in 2008, the Chapter offered one weekday ride per month, adding to its eight-plus weekend rides each month. In addition, the first “Jason Davis” memorial ride to Mt. Soledad occurred. In November 2023, we held the 17th annual Mt. Soledad Memorial Ride to remember Jason.

The First Female Road Guard

In 2009, Biggs HOG accepted its first female Road Guard. Michele D (AKA “Belle”) served as a Road Guard until 2018, when she became the first Road Guard Emeritus. In 2019, she became the first female Director of Biggs HOG. Belle served in many other capacities over the years, including Secretary through 2022.

The Move to the new Location

In 2010, Biggs H-D moved to its current location on Los Vallecitos in San Marcos, and Biggs HOG began to enjoy some of its best times. Ladies of Harley (LOH) was in full swing, holding 4 event rides, 6 dinner rides, and 11 Guest speakers every year for most of the decade. In 2012, LOH even published a cookbook!

The number of discretionary officers for the Chapter grew to keep up with all the activities our Chapter offered to the membership. Biggs HOG members enjoy their sporting events also. Over the last 35 years, we’ve attended countless Gulls Hockey games, Lake Elsinore Storm Baseball games, and Harley Nights at the Speedway in Orange County. In 2015, 2016, and 2017 Biggs HOG members rode to Pasadena to help decorate floats for the Rose Bowl Parade. Each of these events epitomized the Ride and Have Fun philosophy that is Biggs HOG.

Giving back to the Community

Biggs HOG also has a philanthropic side. Since its inception, Oceanside/Biggs HOG has held Poker Runs and other events supporting charities such as Breast Cancer awareness, Heart, Autism, Toys for Tots, and the Military. We give back to the community in many ways, including the Carlsbad marathon and the America’s Finest City marathon. (We are a generous Chapter!) We’ve traveled near and far, making anywhere from five to seven long distance and overnight trips each year, missing that mark only once due to fires and Covid. Many members take other (non-Chapter) trips to places like Sturgis and the east coast for Run for the Wall (DC). (We are a Chapter that loves all kinds of rides!) The Biggs HOG Chapter (unofficial) motto is “Live to Ride, Ride to Eat”. We do an abundance of both.

Varied Activities

(Beginning in 2019, Biggs HOG enabled members to link the monthly calendar of events to both Androids and iPhones using their respective apps, so no one needs to miss a ride OR a meal.) The Activities Committee comes up with creative places to ride, followed by interesting places to dine. We’ve had monthly “Challenge Rides”, which are not only about the ride, but also about the quality of the type of food. There was the Deli Challenge in 2015, a Breakfast Challenge in 2016, the Taco Challenge in 2017, a Meatball Challenge in 2018, a Burger Challenge in 2019, and the Chili Challenge in 2020. (We are a Chapter that loves to eat!)

What the Future Holds

Now as we enter 2025 and celebrate 35 years, we’re not resting on our laurels, but rather expanding your access to our Chapter with a new website, state-of-the-art communications to keep you current in real-time, and tons of useful and important information. This is but a smattering of the 35 years of Biggs HOG “Ride and Have Fun” lifestyle. Stick around and see what the next 35 years will bring