A lifetime of adventure: riding a Harley-Davidson here, there and everywhere

Canadian H.O.G.^® member Jim Williams has covered hundreds of thousands of miles, and shows no sign of slowing down

Motorcycles have been there for most of Jim Williams’ life. By the time he was an undergraduate studying in Toronto, he was already on his second set of wheels and tasted his first Harley-Davidson^® in the 1970s, when his brother bought a 1975 1000cc Sportster^®. Since then, the milometer has just kept ticking up!

However, as is the case for many riders, life had other plans and Jim stepped away from motorcycles for a time, while he pursued further study at the State University of New York. Some years later, in 1998, he accepted a teaching position at the American University in Dubai and brought a new 1200 Sportster to boot. Jim was back doing what he loved.

“It was a fantastic bike and I put 25,000 miles on it during my first year there,” he recalls. “I was riding all year, burning up batteries in the 50-degree heat. The dealership in Dubai had offered me an unlimited mileage service plan on its new bikes – but they didn’t offer me this plan when I purchased my next Harley^® in 1999, an FXDX Super Glide^® Sport!”

Just the beginning

This would prove to just be the start of many Harleys to come – most of which parted company with Jim considerably more well-travelled than they’d come. His 2007 Road King^® Custom was perhaps his most used, clocking up an impressive 70,000 miles, closely followed by his 2001 Sportster, which had 53,000 miles to its name. Other models that have passed through Jim’s hands include a Street Bob^®, Heritage Classic, Electra Glide^® and Low Rider^® ST.

One of his Heritage Classics was from 1995 and served him well for a trip from Hamilton, Ohio, to Los Angeles, California and back again. “I rode that bike on three major summer rides,” he reflects. “The LA run covered more than 6,000 miles in 13 days – without cruise control or any of the conveniences of modern bikes.”

He currently owns and rides a 2021 Heritage 114 Classic (based in Canada) and a 2023 Low Rider ST Fast Johnnie (kept in the UK) so, whichever side of the Atlantic he lands on, he’s ready to go. Jim first started noting down his mileage while planning summer trips then, when he moved the UK, he found insurance companies would ask him for his annual mileage.

“I remember I emailed a dealership in Toronto (from the UK) with details to part exchange my two-year-old Electra Glide and told them 35,000km,” says Jim. “They emailed me back asking: you mean 3,500km?”

The call of the road

Riding means a lot to Jim. He’s ridden around the US and Canada, the UK and Europe, through all sorts of conditions – from 45-degree heat in Utah to –7-degree cold on the Trans-Canada Highway. He’s enjoyed every trip and the different challenges they bring. While he mostly rides alone, Jim has made a habit of returning to Canada every summer to take long road trips down through the US with his brother, Ed. “We are like-minded,” he explains. “We are up by 5am, ready to start our 500-mile ride, almost every day.”

It’s an important part of Jim’s life, giving him that escape from the everyday that helps him find peace. “Riding means a lot to me. It’s given me thinking space like nothing else. I just focus on the road and allow my mind to wander,” he muses. “When I was leaving work and I’d look at my car, my immediate reaction was ‘crap’. If I look at my bike, my immediate reaction is ‘nice’.”

It all adds up

Having moved around a lot – and ridden around even more – Jim elected to collect Harley-Davidon T-shirts from his various bases over the years, which now include Amarillo, Michigan, Halifax, Nova Scotia and Manchester. But, with countless memories made on the road and mile after mile ticking by, how far exactly has Jim ridden? An incredible 337,250 miles – for now.

And, for anyone else considering taking their first step into long distance touring, he simply advises: “Let it flow. Enjoy every day and let your mind wander…”

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