Hitting the Open Road

Working toward breaking the common stereotypes of "outlaw" bikers, our group is simply passionate about motorcycles and looks to do good for our community. We are also advocates for motorcycle safety awareness!

Holding weekly, monthly and annual events, we also plan multiple trips every year, so you are bound to be able to attend at least one. We travel to local fun destinations as well as overnight and day trips to our neighboring states.

•  Eastern Harley Davidson, 1570 Old   Country Rd. Riverhead NY, 11901                                               

• Quick Chek 3540 Veterans Hwy, Bohemia, 11716  

• LIE Exit 43 BP gas station, North West corner,  200 South Oyster Bay Rd, Syosset, 11791  

• K of C, 1341 5th Ave Bay Shore, 11706 

Bob Lowery initiated the idea of establishing a Long Island HOG chapter and along with fellow founders Tony Prisco, Tom Wood and Ron Quilliam, organized the chapter from the ranks of the South Shore Motorcycle Club of Long Island in October of 1985. 

LIHOG was among one of the earliest chapters formed, and in its first year hit 200 members. Gene Baron, owner of Suffolk County Harley Davidson is considered the “mother” of LIHOG. The dealership, then located in West Babylon was at the time, the oldest H-D dealership on Long Island. Gene together with Hempstead Harley Davidson owners Richard Cristiani and Marty Altholtz and with Stan Chornoma of Eastern Harley Davidson joined to sponsor the chapter. National HOG organizers Joel Weiss and Steve Piehl were under a lot of pressure from corporate to make HOG work and considered LIHOG a rousing success. The National, seeing the success overlooked the idea of 3 sponsoring dealerships mainly because National HOG was still in it’s infancy and suffering it’s own birth pangs. 

At one point, around 2000, LIHOG had over 1800 members, the largest in the world at that time.

HOG chapters at some point were given identifying numbers. LIHOG was given 3439 and some point records show prior to 1997 it actually had 3, 3439, 2180, 3230. But 3439 was always used in order for the National not to be confused. Suffolk HOG still retains that number since Gene Baron was the first sponsoring dealership. The story goes that Gene was the most respected H-D dealer in the tri-state area, considered fair and honest, everyone deferred to him. Because of the mixture of Suffolk and Nassau dealers, LIHOG met as near to the counties border as possible. 

One early meeting spot was a diner on Route 110 in Farmingdale. It’s said the chapter would take over the entire diner on a Sunday morning each month. The chapter soon out grew the diner and shifted to a variety of meeting halls as far east as the Port Jefferson Elks Club, but most near the Route 110 border and eventually at the KofC hall in Deer Park then the American Legion hall in Bay Shore and currently at the Daniel Tobin KofC in Bay Shore.

LIHOG has had a number of officers and directors during its early years. Initially the four founders were co-directors. Tom Wood served as Director for a brief time and Tony Prisco took over in 1986 and stayed there for a number of years. 

The chapter named Sharon Sherry as the first female Director in the country in 1993. 

When Bob Lowery became Director LIHOG sponsored a New York State HOG Rally on Long Island in 1997. It was the largest NY State rally in history up to that point. LIHOG was noted as the “Best Organized Chapter” by then H-D CEO Vaughn Beals at the October 1997 Poconos Rally. 

Sharing a photo with the chapter was President Rich Teerlink and the legendary Wille G!

Because it was so huge, eventually 2 then 3 chapters were formed. September 2005 saw the establishment of the Nassau Chapter,#1797, sponsored by Hempstead H-D and now in Bellmore.

In 2019,Eastern H-D became the sole sponsoring dealer for Long Island HOG, thus becoming #3182. For some unknown reason, the chapter had some different chapter numbers, probably due the National issues. They were 3439, 3180, 2180, 3230 and 3182. The first LIHOG newsletter was in the fall of 1985, the Annual Toy Run to Little Flower Residence was on December 21, 1985 with many subsequent runs on snowy, unplowed roads. As of 2023 the Annual Veterans Day Ride to the Stony Brook Veterans Home has been an amazing event for over 15 years. Many members have become Officers, way too many to list as it also keeps growing. 

LIHOG’s long standing history and its wonderful success is because of them.