Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1546039
AUGUST 9, 2006 • C Y C L E N E W S 82 Sands Get His Hands On A MotoGP Engine... Watch Out! One year ago, at the United States MotoGP race at Laguna Seca, Roland Sands, road racer turned custom-cruiser builder, made an agreement with MotoGP team owner and three-time World Champion "King" Kenny Roberts. That agree- ment was to put a MotoGP-spec engine to use, but in a very different manner. One year later, a deafening rumble echoed through the Red Bull Energy Station on top of Laguna Seca's famed turn one. That rumble sounded similar to that of the MotoGP bikes which had been circling the track throughout practice, yet something was different. It wasn't coming from a racing machine, it was coming from a chopper. Yes, you guessed it, leave it to Sands and the King to come together to build a KR V5-powered chopper! "This is a bike I've wanted to build for a long time," said Sands. "Building the bike with Kenny's motor is like a dream come true. With the collision of a MotoGP engine and Boardtrack style, it was our intention to create a potent mix of racing tech and iconic style. My goal for this bike is to further blur the lines of what a custom bike can be. I hope the motorcycle industry as a whole will appreciate the results." The project combined know-how and racing history of Team Roberts with the edgy design of Sands. Roberts was aware of Sands' road-racing pedigree, but it was Sands' Discovery Channel Biker Build Off episode that turned Roberts onto Sands' talent as a motorcycle designer and builder. After an introduction to his childhood hero at the 2005 Laguna Seca MotoGP race, one of Roberts' KR V5 engines was on its way to Sands' shop, based in La Palma, California. "Roland looks at the bike completely different than the way I look at it. He looks at it more as an art form... it's a totally different disci- pline, but I appreciate it," said Roberts. The legend's response to Sands' final design was simply "build it." That's exactly what Sands' did, and it came out a flying success. The KR V5 Boardtracker boasts one of the team's 2005-spec 200 horsepower V5 engines, which was engineered by Team Roberts at their British-based facility. Everything else, including the geometry, stance, and design lines are provided by Sands, and are reminiscent of a 1914 Boardtracker. The KR engine's aluminum cylinders, heads and cases were hand polished by Sands' team, while RSD also had the car- bon valve covers and transmission cover hand painted. The forks are custom modified Suzuki GSX-R1000 units that were anodized black, while the wheels are RSD's Contrast Cut Judge wheel in the 23 x 3.5-inch variety upfront, with a massive 21 x 9-inch unit out back. Bill Wall took care of the custom seat, while artist Chris Wood put the finishing touches on the evil machine, spraying it in army-green metallic with tan-colored panels, on which the RSD pat- tern is repeated. Alpinestars then tied everything together, making a custom leather suit that incorporated the style of RSD, with a racing feel that featured KR-team logos. In every way, shape and form, the RSD KRV5 Boardtracker is one mean machine. There is no doubt that it pushes the bounds of what a custom bike can be, which is exactly what the motorcycle industry needs if it is going to continue to grow. Kudos to Sands' for thinking outside the box and building it, and kudos to "King" Kenny for, well... being "King" Kenny. Steve Atlas (Top) "King" Kenny Roberts (center) stands with Roland Sands (right), while KR rider Kenny Roberts Jr. checks out the seating position of the RSD KR V5 Boardtracker. (Above) Alpinestars made a collaborative RSD/KR set of leathers, tying the racer-meets-cruiser theme together.