Chapter activities are conducted primarily for the benefit of H.O.G. chapter members. There are three categories of activities, all activities are identified as follows:
Closed events are those chapter events which are open to chapter members and one guest per member.
Member events are events that are open only to H.O.G. members
Open events are those chapter events which are open to chapter members, national H.O.G. members and other guests as desired.
If you are interested in becoming a H.O.G. chapter member, contact any St. Augustine Chapter Officer.

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EVENT POLICIES .. RIDE RATING .. PRIVACY POLICY ..SAFETY ..

RIDE RATING DESCRIPTIONS
In order to maintain safe and fun riding conditions on HOG sanctioned riding events, Rides will be rated to establish the degree of difficulty anticipated. It is important that each member compare the rating of the sanctioned event to his or her own riding capability. The road Captains, safety adviser or board members will assist with any questions you may have in determining the difficulty relative to the ride demands. Remember to consider the comfort and abilities of your passenger who may not have your stamina. Also consider any medical conditions or medications which may affect your ability to perform up to the rating stated. As indicated in the events page disclaimers: all rides are considered easy unless otherwise noted.
The Rating Descriptions are as follows:
EASY: Trip is typically local and requires less demanding open road and inner city skill levels.
MODERATE: Trips that include longer distance segments requiring many hours in the saddle to cover the mileage objective.
DIFFICULT: Trips that are longer in distance and may include night riding, high speed Interstate routes, mountain terrain, tight winding back roads and decreasing radius turns.

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EVENT POLICIES .. RIDE RATING .. PRIVACY POLICY ..SAFETY ..

H.O.G. CHAPTER ONLINE PRIVACY POLICY
Personal privacy and security of information are mutual concerns of H.O.G., its members, and visitors to St. Augustine Chapter web site. This Statement explains H.O.G.'s Internet policies and security measures relating to personal privacy and information security.
H.O.G. will not obtain personally identifying information about you when you visit our site unless you choose to provide such information. If you choose to send e-mail, registration, or other personal information over the Internet, you do so voluntarily.
The St. Augustine Chapter will not disclose personal information provided to it except as follows:
At your request, which may be oral, in writing, by telephone, electronic or other means we recognize;
To assist H.O.G. in evaluating its programs and to continue to improve the quality of your on-line and membership experience;
When disclosure is required by law, such as pursuant to court order, subpoena, legal process or government agency examination or investigation, or to protect or enforce our rights;
To companies that perform services for H.O.G. in connection with your membership, such as data processing and financial transaction processing companies and agencies;
To Harley-Davidson affiliated companies and carefully selected third parties for their own use to provide products and services, or other opportunities to you, unless you have instructed us in writing not to do so; and
In connection with Harley-Davidson corporate due diligence and audits.
By your use of and connection to our web site, you understand and consent to this privacy statement. If for any reason you are concerned that the personal or member information maintained by H.O.G. is not correct or if for some reason you believe H.O.G. has not adhered to these privacy principles, please notify us by calling 1-800-CLUB-HOG.

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GROUP RIDE SAFETY RULES

We have an excellent mix of new as well as experienced officers and committee people to keep our activities interesting, enjoyable and safe. The Senior Road Captain and the other Road Captains will decide based on participation how many motorcycles will be assigned to a group before each ride. They will assign a "Team Leader" and a "Tail Gunner" for each group.

The following is the four most important do's and don'ts as we ride together.

First - we should ride in a staggered formation with the team leader in the left hand position of the lane. Why left? To increase visibility in the four wheeler’s left hand rear view mirror. The second rider takes the right hand position and stays one second distance behind the first rider, The third rider maintains in the left position, two seconds distance behind the first rider. The fourth rider would Keep a two-second distance behind the second rider and so on. This formation keeps the group close and permits each rider a safe distance from others ahead, behind and to the sides. Never pair up, there is no place to go to avoid a car or road hazard. On large rides we will be forming several teams and try to keep the number in each team to six to eight for safer riding. Advantages: faster traffic can get around safer without trying to break into our group, in urban areas (we try to avoid) small groups in tight formation have a much better chance to stay together in traffic and particularly all getting through the same traffic light.

Second - we need to practice a consistent procedure for lane changing. This is a smooth and safe way for it to work. The Team Leader wishes, for example, to move from the right to the left hand lane on a four-lane highway to get around slow moving traffic. The T L will signal for a lane change using their turn signal and a hand signal. Each rider then passes this signal back to the tail gunner. No one changes lane at this point. When the left lane is clear of traffic the tail gunner will move over to secure the lane, then signal or radio (when we get a few) move them over. At this point each rider checks their own mirror to confirm it is clear and safe to change lanes, then the riders smoothly move to the left hand lane. (all riders change lane on the command from the tail gunner). Let’s suppose that we are all now in the left lane and the slow moving traffic has been passed. Again it is the sole responsibility of the Team Leader to say or signal: "Let’s get the right lane" Again, no one moves. The tail gunner checks the lane and the traffic and, if clear, will say or signal: "Right lane secure: bring them over." All riders then move at one time. The issue is safety, think about how all riders moving after the tail gunner secures a clear lane enhances the safety of the team.

Third - The speed of the group should be that which is comfortable for the least experienced rider. No one wants to ride in a team ride where the speed and riding conditions are far beyond the capability of the least experienced rider. Doing so isn’t safe. We are supposed to be out for the voyage not the destination. We all may have to slow down a bit to get in the comfort zone of a new rider. If we press a new rider too much, you can bet that he/she will not want to ride with this group again. Our Road Captains will take this into consideration when assigning groups, so if you are a new rider let the leaders know so you can feel comfortable.

Fourth - In addition to having a seasoned Team Leader, a very experienced rider should be Tail Gunner. He/she is responsible for lane changing, keeping the group together and critiquing the ride at breaks or when it is finished with regard to safety. The least experienced riders should be in the middle, Trikes or bikes pulling trailers should be at the rear - only followed by the tail gunner.

Hopefully you find these comments to be helpful. They summarize various articles and information from AMA.

Ride safe, Dick Sherrod, Former Safety Officer

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