MEMBERSHIP:

All members must agree to abide by the H.O.G. Chapter Charter, GWC Operational Policies, including

Rideout Guidelines and Code of Conduct. This is agreed when joining GWC via the Wix platform by signing

the waiver form. If you don’t hold a current H.O.G. membership, you relinquish the right to be a Chapter

member.

 

Membership runs from 1st March to 28th February of the following year.

 

PRIVACY POLICY:

GWC will abide by General Data Protection Regulations which you will find the GWC privacy policy posted on the

GWC website.

 

MEMBERS:

Chapter Members must be current members of H.O.G.

GWC operate a flat fee for membership to be paid by each member.

All Members:

• have access to all events, open and closed.

• have voting rights at the Chapter’s AGM and at other times, where necessary.

• have priority booking over “guests” for activities, see appendix 1.

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GUESTS:

Each Chapter Member may invite ONE guest to “Closed” events (defined in the Chapter’s Annual Programme of

Activities and as specified in Appendix 2 to these Operational Policies). Guests are welcome to attend a maximum of

THREE times. After that the Guest is required to become a member of the Chapter, in order to attend any further

Chapter activities.

It should be noted that because Guests are not members of GWC or H.O.G. they are not entitled to any of the benefits of GWC or H.O.G. membership, including the wearing of any H.O.G. Chapter pins or patches or any similar items, or clothing made specifically for GWC.

Where a GWC event involves making a group booking, or where the number of participants is limited, GWC members

will be given priority, over guests of a GWC member. Therefore, a guest may not expect to benefit from any group

booking discount offered to GWC members.

It is the responsibility of the Chapter member inviting a guest to ensure they comply with the above, and the guest

signs a release form when attending a GWC activity /event, whether riding, pillion or other.Secretary January 2024.

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N.B. H.O.G. Chapters exist for the collegiality of Harley-Davidson motorcycle riders. Accordingly, any

"Guest", who has been invited by a GWC member to join a rideout, must be riding a Harley-Davidson or Buell motorcycle.

 

MULTIPLE H.O.G. CHAPTER MEMBERSHIPS

Members may join as many chapters as they wish. However, membership of another chapter, other than the Great

Western Chapter, #6655, may lessen the eligibility of becoming a chapter officer of Great Western Chapter, as a

conflict of interest could occur.

 

PRIMARY POSITIONS:

 

DIRECTOR

The Director is:

Chosen by the Dealer Principal from the Committee (A statutory one year minimum served on the Committee is

required)

The Director will remain in office:

Until they either stands down, or is asked to do so by the Dealer Principal (subject to review, with opinion being

taken from the Committee Members)

After their term of office, upon stepping down, the Director should be available as a mentor/ consultant for the new

Director for a period of one year. This is a non-Committee position.

 

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR/DIRECTORS

The Director will appoint up to three Assistant Directors from the Committee, whom they feel will support them

during their term of office. The post of Assistant Director will be given with the proviso that this person would be

willing to be considered for the role of Director if this were offered in the future. These positions will generally be for

a minimum period of 2 years and held in conjunction with the term of office of the current Director who chose them.

The Director must gain agreement from the sponsoring dealer for any Assistant Director appointments.

 

CHAPTER SECRETARY & TREASURER

The positions of Secretary and Treasurer will be appointed from within the Committee by the Dealer Principal and

Director, as these roles require specialised knowledge and an understanding of the Chapter and H.O.G. articles.

These posts will be held:

For a minimum of 2 years or until they either stand down or are asked to do so by the Dealer Principal or Director.

All Primary Officers will remain in post for the Duration of the Director’s Term in Office. With each change of

Director, there will be the opportunity to replace the Primary Officer Post holders. Should a Primary Officer resign

from their position mid-term, then a replacement will be appointed by the Current Director and will serve for the

remainder of that Director’s term in office.

After their term of office or upon stepping down, the Chapter Secretary & Treasurer should be available as

mentors/ consultants for the new Chapter Secretary / Treasurer for a period of one year. These are non-Committee

positions.

 

SECONDARY POSITIONS:

The following Committee positions will be filled by nomination. Nominations will be invited from the Chapter

membership within a time frame to allow for role shadowing where this benefits a role handover. All nominations

will then be reviewed by the Committee to ensure all applicants have the best interests of the Chapter at heart. This

will ensure that anyone who has been excluded from the Chapter previously, or who has a conflict of interests, will

not be invited to pursue their nomination at the AGM. Following agreement from the Dealer Principal and the

incumbent Director will discuss with any nominee who is not invited to go through to the election process at the

AGM, the grounds upon which their nomination has been declined. The decision of the Committee is final and there is

no process of appeal.

​

Secondary Officers positions elected on an annual basis are:

• Activities Officer

• Head Road Captain

• Editor

• Safety Officer

• Rally Co-ordinator

• Photographer / Historian

• Web Master

• Charity Officer

• Membership Officer

 

Appointment to these roles is for a period of one year (with the option of standing for re-election). This is to ensure

members wishing to take on such responsibilities recognise that it is a long-term commitment and that this period in

office provides continuity in the running of the Chapter. Should a Secondary Officer resign from their position mid-

term, then a replacement will be appointed by the Current Director and who will serve for the remainder of the

Chapter year. At the AGM, they can submit their nomination should they wish to do so.

All members of the Chapter are eligible to apply for a position on the Committee, provided that they are fully paid-up

members of both H.O.G. and Great Western Chapter. Nominations should be made in writing to the GWC Secretary

with a copy to the Dealer Principal of Riders of Bristol. Applications for any of the Secondary Officer positions are on

condition that:

1. The member has no conflict of business interest towards the sponsoring dealer.

2. The member holds no committee position within any other motorcycle club.

In the event of more than one nominee for the same role, the GWC membership will vote to determine who joins the

committee for the following year.

​

Election to Secondary Positions:

This will be by email vote (by Chapter members / H.O.G. Members) and votes must be received by the date notified.

One vote per member. The timescale for voting will depend on the need for a new officer to shadow the incumbent

officer to ensure a smooth handover. The email system stores the votes for transparency.

The successful applicant will be declared by the Chapter Director a.s.a.p. after the nomination / voting process is

completed.

 

Past Officers – Upon completion of an individual’s term of office, or resignation from that post, they would be eligible

to receive and wear a H.O.G. “Past Officer” patch. To receive a patch, the past officer would normally be expected to

have served the Chapter in this capacity for a full year.

Committee Meetings:

Meetings will be held throughout the year to discuss and plan the day-to-day running of the Chapter. Committee

meetings will normally be held on a monthly basis at Riders of Bristol.

The Committee may appoint small sub-committees, including both Committee and non-Committee members. The

role of the sub-committees is to assist officers within specific areas and to make suggestions to the Chapter

Committee. These areas may include – Chapter Social Activities; the riding programme for the year; Editorial matters

for RoadHOG, and the annual Chapter rally.

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Meeting Attendees:

Committee meetings should consist of: The Chapter Director with Primary and Secondary Officers and, whenever

possible, the Dealer Representative.

At every meeting, full minutes are taken by the Chapter Secretary. Minutes of Committee meetings are made available

to Chapter members:

1. Upon Request.

2. A summary is published monthly on the GWC website.

Committee Member Expenses:

Reimbursement of GWC member personal expenses, whilst on Chapter business, is at the discretion of the Committee

and must be agreed prior to any incurred cost.

 

Accounts:

The Chapter Treasurer will liaise with the Chapter Director and Dealer Principal of Riders of Bristol, who will audit

the Chapter accounts. These will be made available to all members at the Chapter AGM.

The Chapter performs the majority of its expenditure transactions via electronic banking. The Treasurer has

responsibility for the execution of these transactions, subject to approval by the Dealer Principal.

The Treasurer provides a monthly financial report to the Chapter Committee (including the Dealer Principal),

detailing all income and expenditure incurred.

An end of year balance of GWC accounts is shared with H.O.G. UK.

Road Captains/ Marshals

Marshals and Road Captains will be chosen by the Head Road Captain. Post December 2011, they must have gone

through a process of selection:

1. Ideally, they should have satisfactorily completed a motorcycling proficiency course/test approved by

H.O.G. e.g., Bike Safe, Riders Edge or an approved IAM course. Road Captains / Road Marshals appointed,

who have previously held either position pre-January 2012, are exempt from item 1.

2. All new GWC RCs, since January 2012, are required to attend and successfully complete the H.O.G. Road

Captains training course.

3. Road Captains will be appointed on a yearly basis.

4. Our Road Marshals will be guided/trained by H.O.G. trained Road Captains. This training period allows

assessment of the suitability of a Road Marshal to move into the role of Road Captain. If appropriate, the

Road Marshal will then be put forward for mandatory Road Captain training, provided by H.O.G.

5. New ride team members must organise at least one rideout per season and help on other rides when asked

to do so.

6. All ride team members must wear high visibility tabards when undertaking their role.

7. Rideouts to be conducted in accordance with all relevant road traffic legislation.

 

GREAT WESTERN H.O.G. CHAPTER CODE OF CONDUCT:

• The Chapter requires all members to treat everyone with value and respect, regardless of their race,

nationality, ethnic origin, creed, disability or gender.

• The Chapter expects all members to show tolerance, and to respect the beliefs and views of others, even if

they are not in line with their own.

• The Chapter expects all members to honour the H.O.G. Chapter Charter and GWC Operational Policies.Secretary January 2024

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This Code of Conduct applies to members, not only whilst attending Great Western Chapter events, but also in their

out-of-Chapter activities, in so far as these relate to H.O.G. , Harley-Davidson Dealers, other chapters, or any other

situation directly related to the Great Western Chapter, H.O.G. and Harley-Davidson.

Disciplinary and Complaints Procedure

As a family-oriented Motorcycle owners’ group, it is important members feel they are safe to attend events and

activities without fear for their own personal well-being or that of their families. In the event that any member

should exhibit behaviour which is antisocial, disruptive or disrespectful of the culture or viewpoint of other Chapter

members, or in contravention of the ethos of the Chapter and, or H.O.G., then the following complaints procedure

will be followed, in order to deal fairly with any such incidents:

In the event of a verbal complaint(s), the Chapter Director will discuss its substance with the member(s) alleged to

have acted in breach of the above. This will be at a time, as close as reasonably possible to the complaint having been

made, in order to achieve a prompt resolution.

In the event of a written complaint(s) to the Chapter Director, the following process will apply:

• The Chapter Director will appraise the Dealer-Principal

• After consultation with the Dealer-Principal, the Director will write to the member, about whom the

complaint has been made, and make that person aware of the accusations brought against them.

• The member will then have 14 days in which to make a written response. (If the member chooses not to

reply, a decision will be made based on the information already received).

• The Director, in consultation with the Dealer Principal, may hold a formal discussion with the member. The

final decision, based on all the information received, is the responsibility of the Dealer-Principal.

• A letter giving details of the decision will be sent to the member against whom the allegations were made.

• This decision is final and there is no appeal.

• Action taken against any member exhibiting antisocial behaviour, which is in direct opposition to the ethos

of the GWC, H.O.G. or basic human rights, will range from a formal warning, to expulsion from the Chapter.

• In the event that a decision is made to suspend or revoke a membership of the Chapter, the person in

question will receive a letter from the Dealer Principal confirming the cancellation of membership. This

letter will set out the reason(s) for the cancellation of membership, in clear concise terms. A copy of the

cancellation letter will be sent to the H.O.G. UK.