HOW IT
STARTED
It was a chance meeting in the summer of 2018 when co-founder, Clint Vosloo pulled up on his ’52 WL at the fuel station in Old Windsor, Berkshire. “I was getting ready to refuel when a pickup pulled up really close behind me, too close, and a guy got out and started walking towards me. I thought ‘This is going to get interesting….’”.
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As it turns out, the driver became co-founding member, Darren Hanson, who had just purchased a ’42 WLA from Romania – his first bike (ever).
“We became friends and rode together a few times,” says Darren “then Clint pushed it to the next level on social media platforms and connected with three other owners, Reece Hill, Malcolm Piper and Chris Kinsey. We all met for the first time at Guildford Harley Davidson’s Birthday Bash in 2018 and rode to a local pub for a few drinks – this was really the humble beginnings of the FORTYFIVERS CLUB”.
The Fortyfivers Club is an invitational club of like-minded owners, riders and builders of Vintage Harley Davidson Flatheads founded in the UK, with a global membership reaching as far as Japan, Australia, South Africa and Argentina as well as the usual locations of USA, Europe and (of course) UK.
Since its founding in Summer ’18, the Fortyfivers MC has embraced the digital social platforms and exists primarily as a global digitally native club, with registered members connecting through their private WhatsApp Page and boasting a current social following of over 25,000 people across their Instagram and Facebook pages. Club Membership is through an invitation only basis with over 600 registered Lifetime Members.
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“We receive at least 10-15 requests a week to join the club through our social platforms, but we are really strict with membership. All requests need to be supported with photos of bikes, history of the bike and your Instagram name – so we can check on details.” Says Clint, who manages the clubs’ membership and social platforms. “We only accept owners or builders of vintage Harley Flatheads - this keeps things pure within club members - Something I learnt from my father, who ran a Harley Club back in the sixties”
We are very lucky to have members who are passionate about the vintage Harley lifestyle, so we always have an abundance of content to share on Instagram and Facebook
FORTYFIVERS FIRST FIVE
The Fortyfivers have managed to grow a global community of Harley Flathead enthusiasts that includes members across varied interests, from military restorations to beach drag racers with membership reaching as far as Australia, Indonesia, Argentina and South Africa.
“We are very honoured to have members who are veteran TROG racers, like Ant Carpentier, Romo Motor Festival co-creator Carsten Bech, the first American to race in the beach events in Europe, Chris McGregor, TROG Racer and member of The Frozen Few, Adam King, Custom builder and Racer Bully Lane, and many of the members who represent the club name in Japan and Indonesia.” The club is also very proud to have female members in USA, UK and Europe. “Our First Lady Thelma Tomalewicz, a TROG racer, who we reached out to with an invitation to become a member, has been great for the club. Since then we have female members who are social riders, like Mara Luduena in Brazil and hardcore racers, like Karen Howell from the USA and vintage motorcycle lifestyle enthusiasts like Sarah Bradley in the UK”
All registered members receive a Lifetime Membership card and number that is paired to them for life, and often required to get member discounts through partner brands and on the clubs’ webstore. It has created somewhat of a ‘tradition’ with new members who photograph and post their membership cards in some interesting locations with their bikes.
Check out our Instagram page @fortyfiversclub for photos and vids. The Instagram page is also a very impressive collection of photo postings of Fortyfivers Club Member bikes and lifestyle and has an ever growing following.
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A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL MEMBERS FOR SUPPORTING THE VINTAGE HARLEY DAVIDSON FLATHEAD LIFESTYLE AND FOR REPRESENTING THE FORTYFIVERS CLUB IN YOUR COUNTRIES.
