Hi, I'm an officer in my local H.O.G. chapter, and my girlfriend is the membership officer, so I can tell you how it works in our chapter at least.
When someone buys a new bike at the dealer, the F&I guy at the dealer (the one who does the closing paperwork when you buy your bike) is supposed to register your bike's VIN with the motor company. This is what gives you a HOG membership and begins your warranty period. You should receive a HOG membership packet within 2-3 weeks of buying your bike. If you don't get anything, there's a chance that your dealer didn't properly register your bike (we've seen this happen once at our dealer). In this case, you need to contact your selling dealer ASAP, because you bike may be carried by the factory as unsold, and is not yet under warranty!
H-D pays your membership dues for the first year (a $40 value!). Your local chapter will also have dues. Our chapter's dues are $15 a year. Our dealer pays the first year's (chapter) dues for buyers of new Harleys; your dealer may or may not. Anyway, you can be a member of any chapter you want, but you have to be a National H.O.G. member before you can join a chapter. I suggest you go on some rides with a local chapter and get to know them before you join. They will allow non-members to ride along, but you will probably have to sign a liability release first.
May I ask why you don't want to join the chapter from the dealer you bought your bike from? The dealer sponsor's it's H.O.G chapter, but it is run by regular folks like you and I who are elected by other H.O.G. members in the chapter. And you can always visit another chapter and take part in their activities. We do that all the time.
If you want to know how to join a local H.O.G. chapter, check your dealer. In our chapter, the H.O.G. membership officer contacts new owners that checked the box saying they want to join, and helps them get their membership submitted. Your dealer can give you the information about the HOG chaper they sponsor, or if you look around the dealership, they should have an area, ( at least a bulletin board) that has all the H.O.G. information you need. Alternatively, you can visit your dealer's website, and they should have a link to the H.O.G. chapter that will give you more information. If you need help finding your local dealer's or H.O.G. chapter's website, you can use the chapter locator at
www.hog.com
Hope that was enough information for you
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