But it wasn't all just cut and grind and happy accidents-a few key areas got special attention. Perhaps the coolest innovation on this machine is under that chrome seat. Look there, and you'll see a nice round oil bag, but that's just half the story-one that begins with Dorian's friendship with the guys at Milwaukee Iron. "When Milwaukee Iron did the six or so episodes for the Discovery Channel, we furnished the wheels and frames and stuff for everything they did. Anyway, I knew Randy could help me since he was making some round oil tanks. When I got the frame done I went to them, and Randy said, 'Go on back there and work with Gary.' So Gary and I worked together, and Gary helped me develop the fender and the oil tank. As far as I know, this was the last project Gary worked on before he passed away. One half is the oil bag; the other half is where all the electronics are mounted. The circuit breakers, the coil-all that stuff is concealed under the left-hand side of the oil bag. So that's what you'd call a multifunctional oil bag: one side screws off, and it's just a cover for all your electronics."
When the engine was pulled out of the stocker, it was immediately trucked over to the nearby Nitro Shack, where Big Dave Lytton tore into it. "I told him to just freshen it up a bit, but he knows me better than that," admitted Dorian. A former AMI Mechanic of the Year and Horsepower Shootout winner, Dave has extensive experience building fast and reliable V-Twins. He installed high-compression pistons, fresh cams, and adjustable pushrods and massaged the heads for better flow. A new Mikuni carb replaced the gummed-up original. That and a few other tricks are good for about a 20hp bump-up from stock. Add that to the fact that this custom weighs a good 80 pounds less than the original, and you've got a pretty potent little package. "I just wanted it to be small, light, and nimble," says Dorian. "It feels like a durned flat-tracker. The performance is just phenomenal."
Dorian is, of course, heartened by the response he's gotten to "Hard Times," a custom that has given birth to a line of Sportster kits. The Bobster kit is modeled after this custom, and there's a version for taller riders with a 5-inch backbone stretch. He's also come up with a model that has a 6-inch rise and a 4-inch stretch he calls the Chopster, as well as one that sources the beefy Buell frontend, engine, and fat rear wheel to make a Pro-Street-type model he calls the Mobster. "Since we built this bike, we've built about a dozen of them and sold I don't know how many frames." From our point of view, this is what you could call a "value proposition," because the good news is that if you're thinking about building a bike like this for yourself, it is easy to find cheap Sportster parts. "The swap meets are just full of this stuff," offered Dorian with a smile. "At first I thought you'd need to go buy a donor bike, but I'm finding frontends everywhere and good engines-and a lot of Buells are out there."
As tough as it was for him to get this bike right in that one grueling week, Dorian has tried to make it as easy as possible for first-time builders to pick up the Sporty ball and run with it. "We have tech sheets, and we have three tech specialists here who stay on the phone 16 hours a day helping people." So now you've got a "no excuses" way to become a custom bike builder. "We made this almost stupid-proof. That's what our goal was," said Dorian.