Daryl Tearne—fresh out of design school—landed the oddest dream gig of all: redesigning the Crocker motorcycle for the modern age. Crocker, with less than 50 ever made, make brands like Vincent seem mainstream. But Tearne did the near impossible and made a prototype that was at once futuristic and traditional. When that project hit a wall, he moved on to Buell, for yet another project that hit an ever bigger wall. Working with Erik Buell in the dying days of the company was a lesson in keeping his head above water. And moving on. Now Tearne heads the design department of a major toy company. Dishing on the inner workings of Buell, Tearne has a few opinions and a bundle of life lessons as a young man making his way through two legendary—if doomed—American motorcycle institutions.