From Friends to Family

Navigating life’s ups and downs with support from the biker community

By Dustin A. Woods

Born in Brazil, raised in Toronto, and having the enviable opportunity to travel to different parts of the globe, Tiago Kunzendorff is most at home on the seat of his Harley-Davidson^® motorcycle. The tale of how he got into riding is a common one. Enamoured with motorcycles as a child, he did a little dirt biking here and there before buying his first motorcycle as an adult. His first Harley-Davidson model was a Sportster^® Forty-Eight^®. He then levelled up to a Street Bob^® and then a Road Glide^® Special before getting his current ride – a 2023 Road Glide ST. 

The rider of 15 years is a member of the Harley Owners Group^™ who immerses himself in the Toronto riding community, attending events like Moto Craft, the Toronto Motorcycle Film Festival, the Distinguished Gentlemen’s Ride, Bad Livin’ Roadshow, and monthly Moto Social meetups.

“Whether the destination is on another continent or just an ice cream shop around the corner, riding a motorcycle can make even the most mundane trip into an adventure,” says Kunzendorff.

Some of his more notable experiences include exploring seaside towns in the south of Portugal and a group ride to New York where they looped through Lake Placid, Cape Cod and the Catskill Mountains, finding themselves at an Indian Larry Block Party. Poor weather, mechanical issues and other miscellaneous mishaps may have seemed challenging at the time, but they helped build character and solidify friendships.

“I’m sure we would have been a lot dryer and more comfortable if we’d done the trip in my old Honda CRV,” Kunzendorff says. “But it wouldn’t have been nearly as fun, transformative or memorable. We certainly wouldn’t still be talking about it with such reverence this many years later.”

Riding has provided Kunzendorff with many therapeutic benefits. Commuting to work on his Road Glide clears his head and keeps him balanced, while the bonds he has forged through riding have helped the divorced father of three through some serious life challenges. The loss of a job, the ending of a relationship and that pesky little pandemic were dark times brightened by the brotherhood (and sisterhood) of bikers he’s met along the way. It’s allowed him to be a better, more present father and make greater progress towards becoming the best version of himself.

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