Anyone who runs a modded Harley will know Biltwell Inc. The Californian company is a big player in the upgrade market, and its universal-fit items are even appropriated for new wave metric customs.
The guys who run Biltwell have petrol coursing through their veins, and the stable of daily riders in the Temecula parking lot is eclectic. It mostly leans toward Big Twins, but several of the crew have a dirt bike in their quiver. It?s often an XR400 or a TT500?or in the case of main man Bill Bryant, both.

?My roots in off-road racing go pretty deep,? says Bill. ?I’ve pitted or driven for desert teams since 1983. Last year, during a spectating adventure to the Baja 1000, I convinced some co-workers and friends to do the impossible: race the NORRA 1000 on a well-prepped but mostly bone-stock Harley-Davidson XL883 Sportster.? To Bill?s amazement, everyone said, Hell yes! And so we have Frijole (Spanish for ?Bean?), the world?s most improbable rally raider.

Bill, Rob ‘Rouser’ Galan and a small crew built this Sportster with a single intention: survival. ?We knew that the combined 1,300 miles from Ensenada to Cabo would take a toll,? says Bill.
?Since it?s a five-day rally, we built (or bought) back-ups of practically everything; wheelsets, foot controls, bars, shocks, the swingarm, you name it,? says Bill. ?We even bought a donor bike one week before the race and pulled its engine for backup.?

To maintain the essential look of the Sportster, the Biltwell c...