Five years ago, the maniacs at Biltwell Inc. did something completely unhinged, by racing a Harley-Davidson Sportster 883 in the NORRA 1000 desert race from Baja, California to Mexico. And why not" The Californian parts and gear company knows their way around a Sportster?and they’re usually up for just about anything.
They’re also not stupid, which is why they took a second Sportster 883 along for the ride. Stripped down to its parts, the second Sporty rode in Biltwell’s chase van just in case something broke. But as it turns out, most of those parts were still sitting in the van by the end of the race.

In true Biltwell fashion, the entire smorgasbord of spare and ex-race parts was then gathered into a pile and massaged into another fully functioning dirt bike, courtesy of regular Biltwell collaborator, Rob ?Rouser? Galan. Dubbed the ‘Spare Parts Sportster,’ that bike was enthusiastically thrashed all through the Mint 400, and the first two Biltwell 100 desert races. The Sportster eventually started showing signs of the continual abuse it had suffered. So when Biltwell head honcho Bill Bryant started jonesing for an adventure bike to call his own, he figured it was time to give the unkillable 883 yet another makeover.

?In the spring of this year, Rouser traveled from his surf lair in remote Panama to come up for his annual work trip in Temecula, California,? says Biltwell head honcho, Bill Bryan. ?We brainstormed about what it would ...