WORKING -- Don Sanders

-- Story by Lolita Harper, photo by Steve McCrank

HE IS

Making hogs purr like kittens

LOSE THE SUIT AND TIE

Don Sanders said he doesn’t mind getting dirty. In fact, he prefers an

atmosphere where he can blare the music and chat with his colleagues

while he does his work.

Sanders, 25, is a mechanic at Geoffrey Gaites Harley Davidson

Specialist shop in Costa Mesa and enjoys nothing more than turning a raw

piece of machinery into a smooth, pavement-thumping piece of art.

Sanders, who has been riding motorcycles since he was 4, said he gave

up a job in sales -- which paid much better -- because it stifled his

true personality.

“I had to wear business clothes. I couldn’t grow a goatee, and I had

to wear shirts that covered up my tattoos,� he said.

At the shop, Sanders’ fresh Harley Davidson tattoo is proudly

displayed, peaking out from under the right sleeve of his oil-smudged

blue work shirt.

EXPENSIVE TOYS

Aside from fueling his own passion, Sanders’ job is to service, repair

and customize other people’s prized motorcycles. Bikes come into the shop

that have had anywherefrom $20,000 to $65,000 poured into them, Sanders

said. Some with ornate paint jobs, such as an orange bike with

bone-colored flames and skulls, are worth more than $100,000. The custom

paint jobs alone cost more than the average Harley motorcycle, Sanders

said.

In the shop now are two of Dennis Rodman’s motorcycles. Standing out

from the rest -- not unlike its owner -- was Rodman’s custom chopper,

painted purple with a leopard-print seat. The former basketball star’s

other bike is a more modest Harley, designed for touring.

Sanders said he understands the owners’ affinity for the machines, as

he devotes much of his spare time and resources to his own Harley.

WHY HARLEYS?

Sanders started his motorcycle hobby by riding dirt bikes and street

bikes, he said, but nothing compared with the heart-pumping feeling of

riding a machine with V-twin engines. Plus, Harley bikes are made in

America, he added.

“I always wanted a Harley, I could just never afford one,� Sanders

said.

About five years ago, Sanders found an old, junker Harley in pieces

and bought it for about $800, he said. While rebuilding his own bike, he

discovered his passion for mechanics. Five months ago, Sanders decided to

pursue his fascination with hogs and make it his profession.

Sanders rides his bike as often as he can but has to be careful

because many of the modifications on it are illegal, he said. Sometimes

he braves the commute from his home in Lake Forest to the shop on

Fairview Road, but said he prefers to ride in cities with higher crime

rates.

“My bike is really loud. It attracts too much attention here. In other

cities [police] have bigger things to worry about than pulling me over,�

Sanders said.