Desert Wolves
journey, they turned to the biggest names in
the motorcycle aftermarket for help. Among
those that stepped up to the plate were Swedish
suspension experts Öhlins, transmission specialist
Rekluse, tyre brand Dunlop and Australia’s Barkbusters.
Barkbusters is more accustomed to preparing dirt bikes
for desert crossing, making use of its extensive range of
protective handguards. However, the brand is increasingly
finding its way onto street bikes these days and so why not
Harley-Davidsons too?
“We began the collaboration with
El Solitario about a year ago,”
says Barkbusters’ Robert Vel-
janoski. “These guys are
a unique bunch and
when
D a -
TRAVERSE
vid Borras came to me and said, ‘Our vision is
to create an international multi-brand collab-
oration to design and produce the necessary vehi-
cles, garments, and artefacts needed for a cross-Saharan
motorcycle adventure.’ I knew we had to be involved.
“I set up a bunch of Barkbusters hardware suitable to
work with the Easton Fat handlebars the El Solitario guys
had outfitted the Harleys with and then had it powder
coated in black to suit the bikes. I then matched that up
with sets of carbon guards. Once it was on the bikes it gave
them a really purposeful look and matched the whole atti-
tude of the adventure,” says Veljanoski.
The three heavily modified Roadsters made their pub-
lic debut, after the successful crossing of the Sahara, at
the Wheels and Waves festival in Biarritz, France, where
Barros said of the Saharan adventure, “El Solitario Desert
Wolves starts as a multiple-sided collaboration between
genuine brands. The ride into the African Sahara
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