Why are Harleys called hogs? Because of an actual pig. In 1920, Harley-Davidson's factory race team, the legendary Wrecking Crew, adopted a piglet as their mascot at a race in Marion, Indiana. Racer Ray Weishaar took victory laps with the little pig riding on his gas tank, sportswriters started calling the team the "Harley hogs," and the nickname stuck to the motorcycles themselves. Decades later, Harley leaned all the way in: the Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.) launched in 1983, and the company even trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker HOG. That is the short answer. The full story is better, and it involves a farm kid from Kansas, a bottle-fed piglet named Johnny, and a marketing department that took 60 years to catch up to a joke.
Who Was the Harley-Davidson Wrecking Crew?
Back up to 1916. Motorcycle racing was America's wildest sport, run on steep wooden board tracks and dusty mile ovals at speeds that would still scare you today, with no real protective gear to speak of. Harley-Davidson, Indian, and Excelsior were locked in a factory war for bragging rights, because winning on Sunday sold motorcycles on Monday. Harley's answer was a factory team stacked with the fastest men alive. They won so much, and destroyed the competition so thoroughly, that the press dubbed them the Wrecking Crew.
One of those riders was Ray Weishaar, a farm boy from Kansas with a huge grin and a habit of winning. He is the reason your uncle calls his Road King a hog.
How Did a Pig Named Johnny Start the Whole Thing?
In 1920 the Wrecking Crew rolled into Marion, Indiana for a big national race. Somewhere along the way, the team picked up a piglet from a local farm, and the little guy became the unofficial team mascot. Weishaar basically adopted him, named him Johnny, fed him from a bottle, and even bought him a small harness.
Then came the good part. When the Wrecking Crew won, Weishaar would scoop up Johnny and take his victory lap with the pig perched on the tank of his Harley. Picture half a horsepower of squealing pork doing a parade lap at a packed fairground. The crowds ate it up, and the sportswriters had their angle: Harley's boys were the hogs, and they were hogging every win from Indian and Excelsior.
Weishaar himself died doing what he did best, in a racing crash in 1924. But the nickname he and Johnny created outlived them both, and eventually it outgrew the race team entirely. By mid-century, "hog" just meant a big Harley, the kind of heavyweight American V-twin you feel in your chest before you see it.
When Did Harley-Davidson Make "Hog" Official?
For decades, "hog" lived on the street, not in the boardroom. Bikers used it with pride. Harley's suits mostly ignored it. That changed in 1983, when the company launched its factory-sponsored riding club and needed a name. They called it the Harley Owners Group, which conveniently shortens to H.O.G. Nobody at the factory tripped over a coincidence that perfect. It was a wink at 60 years of biker slang, and it worked: H.O.G. grew into one of the largest factory-sponsored motorcycle clubs on the planet.
Then Harley went one step further. The company took the nickname to Wall Street and adopted HOG as its stock ticker symbol on the New York Stock Exchange. A word that started as a sportswriter's joke about a piglet on a gas tank now scrolls across financial tickers every trading day.
What Is the Timeline From Farm Pig to Wall Street?
| Year | What Happened |
|---|---|
| 1916 | Harley-Davidson builds its factory race team, soon known as the Wrecking Crew |
| 1920 | The team adopts a piglet mascot in Marion, Indiana; Ray Weishaar takes victory laps with Johnny the pig on his tank |
| 1920s onward | Press and fans call the team the "Harley hogs"; the name transfers to the bikes |
| 1983 | Harley launches the Harley Owners Group, H.O.G., embracing the nickname officially |
| 2006 | Harley-Davidson's NYSE ticker becomes HOG, replacing the old HDI symbol |
Does "Hog" Mean Every Motorcycle, or Just Harleys?
Ask any rider and you will get a strong opinion. Purists insist a hog is a Harley, full stop, and history backs them up since the word was born on a Harley gas tank. Over the years the word loosened up, and plenty of folks use "hog" for any big, heavy cruiser. Call a Honda a hog at bike night and you will not get arrested, but you might get a look. Here is the unofficial field guide:
A hog is: a Harley-Davidson, especially a big touring or cruiser model with some miles and some attitude. A hog is not: a 300cc commuter, a scooter, your buddy's e-bike, or anything that gets described as "zippy." A hog is earned, not bought, which is a philosophy bikers apply to most things, including respect.
That last part is basically the Skull Society motto, and yes, we put it on a shirt.
Respect, honesty, loyalty. The words bikers live by, printed in the USA. From $24.97.
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Why Do Bikers Still Love the Hog Nickname?
Because it fits. A hog is loud, stubborn, a little dirty, and completely uninterested in your opinion. So is a proper Harley, and so is the average person riding one. The nickname carries a hundred years of racing wins, road grime, and refusal to take anything too seriously, which is the same energy that built biker culture in the first place.
It is also a reminder that the best parts of motorcycling were never focus-grouped. A farm kid taped a pig to the front of the fastest sport in America and accidentally branded the most famous motorcycle company on earth. No agency invoice required.
If that spirit sounds familiar, it is the same reason our shirts say what everyone at bike night is already thinking:
An honest inventory of your priorities, printed in the USA. From $23.97.
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For the rider whose hog ranks above most humans. Printed in the USA. From $23.97.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why are Harley-Davidson motorcycles called hogs?
The nickname comes from Harley's 1920s factory race team, the Wrecking Crew, who kept a piglet named Johnny as a mascot. Racer Ray Weishaar carried the pig on victory laps, reporters called the team the "Harley hogs," and the name transferred to the bikes.
What does H.O.G. stand for?
H.O.G. stands for Harley Owners Group, the factory-sponsored riding club Harley-Davidson launched in 1983. The acronym was a deliberate nod to the decades-old "hog" nickname.
Is Harley-Davidson's stock ticker really HOG?
Yes. Harley-Davidson trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol HOG, which the company adopted in 2006 in place of its old HDI symbol.
Can you call any motorcycle a hog?
Traditionally a hog is a Harley, especially a big cruiser or touring bike. Some riders use it loosely for any heavyweight motorcycle, but the historical roots are pure Milwaukee.
Who was Ray Weishaar?
Ray Weishaar was a Kansas-born star of Harley's Wrecking Crew race team and the rider most responsible for the hog nickname, thanks to his victory laps with Johnny the piglet. He died in a racing crash in 1924.
So next time somebody asks why you call your bike a hog, you have a hundred years of history and one very good pig story to tell. And if you want to wear that attitude instead of explaining it, grab a USA-printed tee from Skull Society. Johnny would approve.
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