JOHN RYLAND

John Ryland wasn’t born to motorcycles. He found them late when a friend from work insisted he throw a leg over a Suzuki DR650. It was February in Virginia, long, cold weeks from spring’s warm days. He had a wife and kids and a 9-to-5 at an advertising agency. He got his license, bought a pile of projects, and started his first build. He was 40 years old.

“That was eight years ago,” he says. “The first one was a Yamaha XS850 Triple, and I wanted