HOG® Canada Spotlight: Chris Hull

A well-travelled Toronto rider enjoys retirement, one kilometre at a time

Story & Photos by Dustin A. Woods

Chris Hull purchased a Harley-Davidson^® Road King^® and became a lifetime HOG^® member 21 years ago. Since then, he has travelled nearly 480,000 kilometres aboard H-D^®motorcycles – exploring almost every U.S. state and Canadian province. He has ridden to the furthest highway points on the East Coast (Cape Spear, Newfoundland and Labrador) and West Coast (Anchor Point, Alaska), as well as the southernmost point of the Continental United States (Key West, Florida). But that’s not where the journey started.

The motorcycle bug bit him hard. He didn’t want a car like the rest of his peers. He wanted to be different. He wanted to be free. Travelling on two wheels offered the adventure he craved. Despite his father’s protests, he acquired his first motorcycle at 19 and owned three bikes in his first year of riding. The first one had to be delivered to the family home because he didn’t even have a licence yet. He road-raced throughout his twenties and has subsequently enjoyed motorcycles for fun, relaxation and travel. Prior to purchasing his first Harley-Davidson model, Hull exclusively rode sport bikes.

He replaced his first Harley-Davidson with a 2006 Electra Glide^® Ultra Classic, then a 2016 Ultra Limited before upgrading to his current steed, a 2019 CVO^™ Ultra Limited. The fact that the odometer is quickly approaching 100,000 kilometres is a testament to both man and machine. As any rider knows, that’s a lot of time to spend in the saddle.

“Riding a motorcycle is an immersive, 360-degree experience,” explains Hull. “Unlike driving in a car, you can see, hear and feel everything around you.”

Despite already being gainfully employed, Hull was kicking around the local H-D dealership so often in his spare time that they offered him a job. He joined the sales team part-time, then ramped up to full-time upon retiring from the City of Toronto. Living and breathing motorcycles while also making a paycheque was all well and good, with one exception – it didn’t allow enough time for riding. Now fully retired, he is able to ride whenever he pleases. When we met up at Durham Harley-Davidson, he was back at his old desk and chatting with fellow staff as if he’d never left.

Working as a sales associate, then assistant sales manager, Hull helped close to 1,500 customers over his 18-year tenure. As an experienced long-distance rider, he prided himself on working to find the best bike for their needs, offering information and education that would improve their ownership experience.

Motorcycles have had a profound impact on his life and taken him to some incredible places. In 2011, Hull checked off his ultimate Bucket List trip by travelling to Alaska. From conception to completion, the month-long trip was his most arduous undertaking yet. After shipping his bike to Calgary, he rode through the Canadian Rockies, exploring Banff and Lake Louise before traversing the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93) up to Jasper – a road he highly recommends and confidently places in his Top 5 Roads in North America.

Alaska has always captured his imagination and did not disappoint. Despite the cold, ever-changing road conditions and distances travelled, the wildlife, ruggedness and sheer magnitude of the remote, majestic wilderness remain in his mind, making it the best trip he’s experienced on a motorcycle to this day. Hull has sage advice for anyone considering such an adventure: “Take your time, and take pictures. You never know when you’ll be back this way again,” he says. “And don’t fuss about your bike getting dirty, because it will.”