Built-27-issue-sampler

mexican 1000 Ø baja / mexico 

Action photography courtesy Biltwell. 

Statics by Gary Margeum 

Redefining 

‘inappropriate’ 

So you want to race in the desert, but you really 

want to ramp up the challenge? Well, seeing how 

the rest of the entry is lining up on lightweight 

single-cylinder bikes, how about doing it on an 

18-year-old Harley Sportster? That’s what the guys 

at Biltwell did. And this is their amazing story 

6 7

fuel mexican Motorcycles 1000 Ø baja Ø barcelona / mexico / spain 

ulling up to scrutineering in 

Ensenada, we were decidedly out 

of place. Our bike was several 

inches lower than the ‘real’ dirt 

bikes, had about half the usual 

fuel range and, at 500lb, it was 

twice as heavy. Throw in the fact 

that no-one on our team had ever 

raced a motorcycle in a desert race 

and we were square pegs in the 

round hole known as the 

NORRA (National Off-Road 

Race Association) Mexican 1000 

off-road rally. If ignorance is bliss, 

we were as happy as fuck. 

The other competitors were 

friendly, but I felt a little like a 

Christian headed into the 

Coliseum. Sure, people cheer for 

the underdog but they also enjoy 

watching the lions tear you to 

shreds. Whatever, fuck it. The 

four of us who would do the 

riding made a pact – we would 

just ride to survive, and not even 

think about racing. If we made it 

to the end after five days, that 

would be an absolute win. 

The first annual Mexican 1000 

was in 1967, a run-wotcha-brung 

free-for-all race, and grew into the 

Baja 1000, with professional 

teams competing with halfmillion-dollar 

trophy trucks and 

their own support helicopters. 

About nine years ago, the 

Mexican 1000 was re-introduced, 

with the concept being closer to 

the original roots – a multi-day, 

rally format race for vintage 

buggies, trucks and bikes. It 

quickly became known as ‘The 

Friendliest Race on Earth’. 

Friendly it may be, but there are 

still some trophy trucks and longtravel 

buggies that caught us 

several times. Being passed by a 

pissed-off, 800bhp truck while 

trying not to fall over in a sandwash 

is quite an experience. 

We worked our asses off on 

this bike and it was proving 

surprisingly capable, despite the 

weight disadvantage. 

It ploughed through deep sand 

and silt like the affable little 

tractor it was. River crossings, 

rocky uphills, loose gravel… it 

did it all. 

Not always predictable, hard 

as hell to pick up when tipped 

over – yes – but it never broke 

down in over 1000 miles of offroad 

abuse and another 300 on 

the Mexican highways. 

There were 26 fuel stops over 

five days and our crew of friends 

never missed a single one. At the 

end of the tortuous week, I was 

way more impressed with our 

chase crew’s ability to move 

quickly and accurately than I was 

with my riding skills. 

When I finally pulled up onto 

the slippery podium at the finish 

line, we were the 27th motorcycle 

to finish the 2018 NORRA 

Mexican 1000 and the first-ever 

Harley-Davidson to do it. 

Forty-three bikes started and 

only 32 made it to the finish line 

under their own power. Several 

times it could have gone 

differently, and had we been on a 

regular dirt bike it probably 

would have. 

But since we were on such an 

inappropriate underdog of a 

bike, our tactic of being slow and 

thoughtful proved that 

sometimes the tortoise really 

does kick the hare’s ass! 

8 9


Frijole 883 

Built at Biltwell in 

California by Rob 

‘Rouser’ Galan and 

Bill Bryant 

Model: 2000 Harley-Davidson 

Sportster 883 

Frame: Stock Harley-Davidson, 

rear shock mounts reinforced 

Tank: Harley-Davidson Sportster, 

clearanced for GPR steering damper 

Rear fender: Chopped 

Harley-Davidson Sportster 

Swingarm: Stock. Gusseted 

and shock mounts moved by Roll Design 

Front end: Honda CRF250 

forks, hub, brake. Fork internals reworked 

by Precision Concepts. 

Shocks: Elka 

Paint: Hot Dog Kustoms 

Seat: Ballard foam/MotoSeat cover 

Carb: CV with Rouser mods 

Air filter: four-layer, custom 

Top tree: Gigacycle 

Rear brake: Tokico 4-piston 

with custom Gigacycle carrier 

Bars: Pro Taper Adventurer 

Risers: Fastway 2in 

Handguards: Cycra 

Gearing: PBI 65t rear / 22t front 

Rocker boxes: Buell PCV 

Exhaust: Biltwell exhaust kit 

and shortened SuperTrapp 

Oi l Tank: Harley-Davidson, 

customised with rigid mounts 

Shifter: Modified Honda XR400 

folding, mounted in reverse (GP style) 

Brake pedal: custom 

Footrest mounts: 

Hugo Moto (modified) 

Skid plate: Hugo Moto 

Pegs: Moose (modified) 

Oil cooler: Honda XR400 

Navigation: Primary: 

Lowrance Elite 5Ti, Secondary: iPad mini 

with LeadNav app, Third: iPhone with 

LeadNav app, Fourth: Road books 

Throttle, cables, 

tools: Motion Pro 

Headlight and 

fairing: Baja Designs 

Squadron Pro 

Rear gear rack: 

Custom stainless steel 

10 11


Former marine Ed Pearlman organised the first Mexican 

1000, co-founded the National Off-Road Racing Association 

(NORRA) and founded the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of 

Fame (ORMHOF). 

While serving in Guam during WWII, Pearlman used to 

organise Jeep races for the troops to keep up morale. Postwar 

he raced in off-road events and in 1966 he, pilot Don 

Francisco and other enthusiasts established NORRA. In 

1967 they organised the first-ever Mexican 1000. 

In the 1950s Francisco had helped prepare Lincolns for 

the gruelling 2200-mile Carrera Panamericana, which ran 

north and south across Mexico on the Pan American 

Highway over five days. Due to spectator safety concerns the 

Mexican Government put an end to the race in 1955. 

NORRA 

Mexican 1000 

Francisco used his race experience to chart the Mexican 

1000 race course from his aircraft, calculating the necessary 

service stops. The first race went from Ensenada to La Paz 

with 68 vehicles competing in four classes. 

The race stopped in 1974 due to the fuel crisis but then 

Mickey Thompson and Sal Fish promoted the newly named 

SCORE Baja 1000 to continue off-road desert racing. 

Ten years ago Pearlman’s son Mike decided to revive 

NORRA and the Mexican 1000, and create a new form of 

vintage Baja racing. It consists of special stages (full-on 

timed dirt stages) linked together by controlled speed liaison/ 

transit sections (highway) in a four-day rally for vintage offroad 

vehicles and motorcycles, as well as modern desert 

Rally Raid cars, trucks, buggies and motorcycles. 

www.norra.com 

12 13


rouser 

Barnacle 

Bill ‘Barnacle’ Bryant 

Baja job: rider 

Day job: Biltwell boss 

“I’m the fattest, oldest and have one of 

the shorter inseams on our team. I 

knew I was going to struggle with this 

bike in these conditions but I made sure 

I got my share of hard sections and long 

days. In the six months before the race I 

changed my diet and hiked a local trail 

with my friend Aaron three days a 

week, religiously. I dropped 25lb and 

felt great before, during and after the 

race. I know our guys might have 

thought I was crazy in the lead-up, 

when we had to do something twice, 

three times or whatever. Test, refine, 

test, etc. In the end the plan worked out. 

“Many moving parts contributed to 

our success and one wrong decision or a 

stroke of bad luck could’ve been the end 

of the race for us. One sad illustration 

of this was the death of Jake Batulis on 

day five. Westy was one of the first guys 

on scene and called me at the next pit, 

where I radio’d in the report and tried to 

help get medical attention out to them. I 

didn’t know Jake, but I know his type – 

strong, hard-working, independent 

desert racers who liked to go fast and 

have fun. Things can go from fun to 

deadly pretty quick in the desert and my 

heart aches for his family and friends.” 

Rob ‘Rouser’ Galan 

Baja job: mechanic 

Day job: Biltwell mechanic 

“Twenty-four hours ’til we depart 

Biltwell HQ, the moto is prepped, the 

van is loaded, and my coffee kit is set. I 

keep asking myself, ‘Do I have every 

tool I might need? Did I pack the all the 

necessary spare parts? Do I have that 

special bolt?’ You know what I’m 

talking about; that one special bolt that is some 

odd thread pitch or a particular length. The 

one that can kill the whole mission because it 

wasn’t packed. I couldn’t let my team down, 

we all worked so hard leading up to race day. I 

knew that if I couldn’t keep the moto running 

for five days, I would live with the burden of 

failing my team for the rest of my life. 

“As each day passed, the dust collecting on 

the spares bins was a sign – a sign that read we 

were succeeding in our mission. All the hours 

of work, testing, and prepping were paying off 

in how the moto was conquering the gnarly 

terrain of Baja. My worries subsided and the 

pleasure of al pastor tacos started taking over.” 

Mike ‘Otto’ Deutsch 


Day job: Biltwell merch chief 

“Racing the NORRA 1000 on a Sportster was 

a fun but challenging adventure. I’m stoked my 

boss/buddy Bill Bryant asked me to partake – I 

don’t have a ton of motocross experience but 

I’ve ridden in Baja a fair amount and knew 

what to expect. I stepped up my exercise 

Biltwell’s 

Baja crew 

routine a bit and tried to ride dirt more. That 

said, I was apprehensive. Baja on an XR400 

ain’t too terrible but a 500-pound Sporty was 

another story. 

“When the race finally came, Barnacle Bill’s 

planning and Rouser’s OCD wrenching paid 

off. We finished each of the five days with no 

huge surprises and zero mechanical issues. 

Some riders had tougher sections or more miles 

to make, but all our guys stayed committed 

and none tapped out early. Before we knew it, 

the race was over. I’m proud to be a part of the 

team that tackled it and made it.” 

Erik ‘Westy’ Westergaard 


Day job: Biltwell product-dev 

“When I am on a motorcycle, whether it be 

street or dirt, I find my thoughts wandering. If 

it isn’t about my boys, it may be trying to work 

out a product design or stresses I am going 

through. No matter what, motorcycles allow 

me to process thoughts in a way that I cannot 

do any other way. The mindset I am in during 

a race is one of absolute focus, split-second 

reactions and absorbing the details of what is 

going on with the bike and terrain. 

During the NORRA Mexican 

1000, I found myself in a different 

mindset. It wasn’t about working 

through an issue or the intensity of 

a closed-course battle inches from 

another competitor, but more like 

being fully-engaged in the 

moment. The Mexican landscape 

was unlike any other and I was 

thinking to myself, ‘I am in the 

middle of the Baja Peninsula, 

fulfilling a racing dream and truly 

enjoying one of the best 

motorcycle rides I have ever had.’ I 

am pretty sure I even shouted 

‘woohoo!’ into my helmet, for 

only the cactus, cows, road 

runners and GoPro to hear. It was 

an experience I’ll never forget.” 

Chris ‘Mad Dog’ 

Moeller 


Day job: BMX shop boss 

“Prior to this, my desert racing 

experience amounted to getting 

my 1964 Avion camper/1989 

F250 Diesel 4X4 stuck in front of 

some buggies in the 2017 Baja 

1000 south of Ensenada. It was on 

that same trip that Bill cooked up 

the idea of racing a Harley in the 

upcoming NORRA. I think 

getting my vintage rig through a 

deep silt bed, coming into camp 

with a wine spritzer in one hand 

and two three-year olds in the 

extra cab demonstrated the kind 

of tenacity Bill was looking for in 

a teammate. Although not a 

Biltwell employee, I jumped at the 

chance to join the crew. 

“During my two days and 400 

off-road miles, the terrain included 

wide-open dirt roads, steep, rocky climbs and 

descents, deep silt beds, rocky riverbeds, and 

endless sandy whoops. Although we only 

tested in a couple of these, the bike was 

surprisingly easy to ride in all of them. 

“On climbs, the Harley pulled like a tractor 

and never stalled and engine braking on 

descents worked well. Our secret weapon, the 

Rekluse clutch, kept me upright in frantic silt, 

sand and rocky situations. Due to the low 

gearing, our top speed was only 60mph 

without getting behind the fairing. A few more 

mph could have come in handy but might have 

got us in trouble too. The Harley needed little 

more than some extra throttle to stand up and 

pull out of just about any situation. This was 

nice, because when laid down, she took some 

coaxing to get back on two wheels. 

“If there’s a better feeling than coming 

around a dirt pass and seeing three locals 

standing on the roof of their Ford Ranger, 

hooting and hollering at a gringo they’ve never 

heard of, I’ve yet to experience it. Thanks 

Biltwell for providing an experience that I 

won’t soon forget.” 

14 15

fuel motorcycles Ø sahara / africa 

Photos 

Fuel Bespoke Motorcycles 

Saharan 

Himalayan 

Fuel take Enfield’s 

400cc budget 

adventure bike, make a 

few changes, and then 

ride it for 1900 miles 

through the sahara 

22 23


We loved those Yamaha XT500s 

and Honda XL s that were prepared for 

the early Paris-Dakar races 

This Royal Rally 400 is the latest bike creation to emerge 

from the innovative workshops of Fuel Bespoke 

Motorcycles in Barcelona. 

It’s based on a 2018 fuel-injected Royal Enfield 

Himalayan and was built for this year’s Scram Africa – 

an off-road adventure organised by Karles Vives, founder of Fuel. 

The Himalayan is powered by a single-cylinder, 411cc fourstroke 

engine that makes just 24.5bhp. But Karles wasn’t 

bothered by the humble power output: “We thought it could 

perform pretty good in the Atlas mountains and Morocco desert 

where speed is not as important as light weight, manoeuvrability 

and simple engineering. 

“From what we could see, it looked like the internals of the 

engine were similar to a 1980s rally bike – and we loved those 

Yamaha XT500s or Honda XLs that were prepared for the early 

editions of the Paris Dakar. They were light, functional bikes.” 

The bike has been only slightly modified, keeping most of the 

parts stock. Fuel just changed the lines and proportions to get a 

more compact, aggressive and classic look. 

“To achieve the goal,” says Karles, “we have swapped the front 

light for a vintage enduro set-up, taken off all the protectors 

around the tank and changed the shape of the seat to give us a 

solo saddle. That allowed us to use the space taken by the 

original passenger seat for a luggage rack to carry a small bag.” 

On the left side of the bike, Fuel has ‘recycled’ one of the tank 

protectors into a support for a pannier. 

Fuel installed a Powertronic engine management unit to 

improve power, responsiveness and fuel-efficiency. Karles adds: 

“We have also added the option of turning the ABS on or off, 

depending if you are riding on or off-road.” 

Some frame protectors, more robust handlebars, a USB 

charger, and a unique speedometer help make the bike more 

functional for a trip like the Scram Africa. 

24 25


The lack of power is only 

noticeable when you ride on sand or 

up through the dunes 

TOP 

Moroccan petrol stations 

are often a casual affair 

above 

This is when you want 

60bhp rather than 24... 

“We didn’t have any issues or 

breakages during the Scram ride,” 

says Karles. “In fact the only 

setback was a flat tyre, which is 

nothing if you consider that we rode 

more than 1900 miles across stone 

tracks, mud, sand and broken roads 

in very high temperatures during 

our two-week adventure. 

During the Scram, riders face 

stages with an average distance of 

between 120 and 180 miles, mostly 

off-road and usually at very high 

temperatures. This is a challenge for 

riders, let alone the motorcycles. 

Karles says: “The bike is a 

pleasure to ride for the comfort of 

the suspension and its weight. The 

lack of power is only noticeable 

when you ride on sand or through 

the dunes. It could do with a little 

more power to avoid getting bogged 

down in those situations but 

otherwise the engine is fine. 

“The tyres performed well offroad, 

though we felt less confident 

on asphalt but this was something 

you can expect from an off-road 

tyre like the Pirelli Rallycross. It’s 

worth saying though that we ran 

the same tyres for the entire trip. 

“The fact that we could connect 

or disconnect the ABS was very 

helpful for riding safely on the road 

stages and then having the option to 

ride off-road tracks without it. 

“So we have been very impressed 

with this little bike in the extreme 

conditions we made it face. Hats off 

to Royal Enfield!” 

fuelmotorcycles.eu 

26

scram africa Ø morocco 

Riding custom bikes 

across the Sahara will 

never be dull. Here 

are the finest shots 

from this year’s Scram 

P h o t o s b y G o t z 

28 29

scram africa Ø morocco 

30 31

wheels and waves Ø biarritz 

“There are infinite 

possibilities of 

what a Wheels and 

Waves experience 

might look like” 

Photography & words Tom Bing 

106 107


very time it comes round, I say I am going to go. For some reason, I never 

have managed it. It always seems like a good idea though; motorcycles 

and surfing in the South of France. Wheels and Waves is in its 8th year 

now; 20,000 people descend on the beach town of Biarritz to celebrate 

all things motorcycle and (some things) surf. 

It’s carnage in a rental car; there are bikes everywhere, riding with the type of 

confidence you can use when there are nearly as many bikes as cars on the roads. 

It’s a cross between a utopia and a dystopian world at times. Rules go out of the 

window; park where you want, have pipes as loud as you want, don’t bother with a 

brake light. When the sun goes down, all sorts happens; but let’s keep that quiet... 

Pulling into the main hub of Cite De L’Ocean on the first day straight from the 

airport was tough. There’s me in an unfamiliar car, piloting from the left-hand side 

and navigating my way through hundreds of bikes, trying to find a space. I was on 

the cheap insurance plan from the cheapest rental company, hoping that I wasn’t 

going to bump a bike on my way through, both for the sake of the bike owner and 

my credit card. I needed to ditch the car and find a ride. 

Wheels and Waves is as a disparate series of events run within an hour or so from 

the main site at Cite de l’Ocean on the South Side of the City. Each day hosts one or 

two events; with the highlights being Punks Peak, El Rollo, The Swank Rally and 

skateboard and surf contests which take place in the ‘Village’. The two highlight 

events for me were the Deus Swank Rally and El Rollo; the former being an enduro 

time trial for vintage off-road bikes and El Rollo is the flat track race in the 

beautiful setting of the San Sebastian Hippodrome. 

The Swank Rally was the hub for the 

coolest, most angry-sounding vintage dirt 

bikes. The laps were around 5-6 minutes 

long, with jumps, berms, forest sections 

and plenty of loose dirt to test riders’ 

abilities. Plumes of two-stroke smoke 

emerged over the start line where riders 

eagerly waited their turn on the course. 

There were some great displays of riding, 

but whoever it was on the brand-new 

Triumph Scrambler 1200 clearing the 

tabletops was definitely worthy of a prize. 

I managed to get a ride; Indian kindly 

lent me a 2019 Chieftain Dark Horse, in 

white. My daily ride is a Honda CRF250. 

In fact, the Chieftain had more cubic 

capacity than my bike and my car 

combined. It was not very inconspicuous 

but awesome. The rumble of thunder when 

you crack the throttle was unlike anything 

I’ve ridden. 

I rode over to the Art Ride in the indoor 

skatepark for the unveiling of the new 

Indian FTR1200 Artist Series of tank covers 

by artists including friends of Built, D*Face 

and Steve Caballero who could not be there 

due to a femur-breaking motocross accident 

days before his flight to Europe. My ride 

home from the event was a wet one in the 

summer storm, but the height adjustable 

screen, fairing and running boards on the 

Chieftain kept me dry; in fact, with a bit of 

“a celebration 

of all things 

motorcycle and 

some things surf” 

108 109


“EL rollo was the 

main event for us. 

the day we were 

waiting for” 

another wave 

Dropping the flag on 

another round of Wheels 

and Waves flat track 

music on and cruise control it was a 

pleasure getting caught in the rain. 

I was sharing accommodation with the 

folks behind the Dirt Track Riders 

Association, as well as Indian 

Motorcycles guest flat track rider Rob 

Bush from California. Next door to us 

was the Tokelove family; with Daughter 

Leah over to race her new FTR1200 at 

El Rollo. Needless to say, our trip had a 

heavy focus on the flat track side of 

things. El Rollo was the day we were 

waiting for – although Anthony Brown 

and Leah did enter the Swank Rally on 

Anthony’s dad's BSA outfit, to great 

applause from the crowd. 

El Rollo was, for us, the main event. 

Set within a beautiful valley with lush 

green rolling hills ascending in the 

distance, the short oval track sat under 

the shadows of the imposing cast 

concrete stands at the Hippodrome. The 

pop-up pits and track sat in the baking 

sun of the horse track in-field. The roar 

of hooligan bikes, the rattle of vintage 

two-strokes and everything in between 

dominated the otherwise peaceful 

landscape. The field of riders was huge 

and varied; I spotted a ’45 Harley and a 

2019 CRF450. There were some 

beautifully put-together framers and 

some intriguing ideas of what a flat track 

bike is. One of the things that draws me 

to this racing is the ingenuity on show in 

the pits. There are all sorts of engines in 

all sorts of frames; once the hassle of 

110 111


hooligans 

Shed-built trackers and 

factory Indians mix it up 

“wheels and waves 

is unlike any other 

show i've ever 

atended before” 

lights, clocks and electrics are done away with, it opens up a myriad 

of custom possibilities. There are very few pro-built bikes here; and 

only Indian with the factory bikes – which, by the rules of the 

Hooligan series, are still modified road bikes. 

The racing was awesome. Vintage wins were claimed by the 

DTRA’s Anthony Brown who rode his old Triumph with style and 

real speed. The Hooligan class was Indian dominated, but it was the 

Scout Sixty that took the top spot on the podium, with the FTR1200 

still very much in the early stages of race development. Feran Sastre 

took the modern bike win; keeping the trophy in Spain. 

Back at the hub of Wheels and Waves, there was music, food, 

manufacturers and retail stores. There were impressive displays of 

skateboarding at the top of the event and fun little peeling waves at 

the bottom on Plage De La Milady. Every street surrounding the 

event was packed with motorcycles. One guy with a moto-hobo tent 

was asleep in the shrubbery overlooking the beach. 

The event spread over five 

days and a huge area; it struck 

me that my experience of 

Wheels and Waves was totally 

unique to me. There are infinite 

possibilities of what a Wheels 

and Waves experience might 

look like to others. It’s unlike 

any other bike show or festival 

I’ve attended before. I’d go 

again, but I’d make sure I had a 

ride, not a rental car. 

112

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