Roland Sands, the forever young California kid, is largely known these days for his all-conquering RSD brand, frequent appearances on television and the incredible custom creations that he’s built, including for many a Hollywood star. But before he was any of those things, he was a seriously fast and aggressive road race whose career was sadly hampered by injury. From these roots, he’s always had a passion for the machines that have made motorsport great and the pioneers who built them; oh, and he also owns a race team. So, it should come as no surprise then, that to pay homage to the American track bikes designed to take on the post-war British invasion, the RSD crew have built a Harley-Davidson ‘Sportster KR-TT’, a modern twist on a classic racing machine.
For Sands, his life on two wheels started at five with a Suzuki RM50 and before he was old enough to drink a beer he was working at his Dad’s Performance Machine shop and racing in the AMA 250 GP Championship. This is where only a few years earlier, future legends Kenny Roberts Jnr and Carl Edwards were battling it out, and he penned his name into history, taking out the 1998 National Championship. But injuries were taking their toll, so he turned his hand to the building side of bikes, and among the customs of every kind, he’s also the man behind the Super Hooligans series, now a mainstay on the Moto America circuit.
He’s built a bunch of one-off race machines too, perhaps the most extreme being the unbelievable KRV5 board tracker, powered by a genuine Proton KR5 MotoGP engine from family friend, Kenny Roberts Snr. But his second KR custom goes back to a time when American race tracks, dirt and sealed, were starting to be flooded by the high-tech post-WWII machines from the UK. Harley Davidson needed an answer to these OHV packing engines and the KR750 answered the call, followed by the remarkable XR750. The TT versions of both bikes were built for road racing and to create his homage to these legends, Sands decided to combine old and new.
So the basis of the build is a modern Sportster 48, partly chosen for the wide front end which would be put to good use later on in the build. You also get the benefit of the later model driveline package, not to mention that building the bike on an original platform would cost a fortune and be sacrilegious. So, the stock Sporty was stripped back to its barebones and a generic Airtech XRTT bodywork kit was purchased to begin the transformation. But this would be no easy bolt-on conversion, the kit is designed for the older solid-mount Sportsters and it was also key that this bike was rideable and not just a showpiece.
Aaron from RSD set to work, first fabricating a fuel cell based on a Sporty tank that is incredibly customised to mount up neatly, while allowing the fibreglass cover with its iconic lines to fit over the top. With the tools spinning, the rear frame was cut back, and this lets the cool as can-be tail cowling to sit in place. True to the race bike theme the crew at Saddlemen have done a great job on the seat, with a mix of race looks and street comfort. But the big challenge would come from the front fairing, not only was it not a fit, but getting it just right so that the handlebars would have enough lock, was no easy task. A custom fairing stay was fabricated before a lot of measuring, tweaking, and measuring again had it locked in.
The clear screen is a stunning addition, brilliantly mimicking the lines of those old race bikes that thundered around Daytona, and to keep things street-legal, a small light bar has been mounted up too. The paint job is clearly inspired by the legendary HD colour scheme, but Roland and painter Chris Wood, threw around some ideas to make it their own, and Chris has knocked the finished result out of the park. Knowing his racing history, Sands wanted to add a wheel in the same style used back in the day. And what do you know, RSD makes a beautiful Morris replica and they’ve been wrapped up in sticky Dunlop Sportmax Q5 tyres.
The handling part of the equation was next on the list, and to get the bike to really perform, it was decided it would have to be raised to improve clearance for some serious lean angles. At the front end, the wide 48 triple clamps come into their own, allowing a braced set of right-way-up Ohlins forks to be slotted in. At the rear end, it’s a brand you’d normally associate with the off-road, but the Fox Racing shocks do a hell of a job providing a fast and yet plush ride. To bring the braking up to the same level of performance, a wave-style rotor from Galfer is clamped by a plated Brembo radial caliper, and the crew performed a chain conversion too.
The engine doesn’t miss out either and probably makes similar power to the old XR750, with the modern engine spiced up with RSD’s own air cleaner and that stunning S&S flat track inspired high mount exhaust system. It adds a little of the dirt racing vibe, and given the originals were at home on the dusty and sealed surfaces, it’s a nice touch. For the remainder of the build, Roland unleashed his own RSD catalogue on the bike, with RSD pegs and rearsets, fuel filler cap, grips, chain cover and a host of other tasty pieces.
It’s a true team effort at Roland Sands Design and the lucky customer walks away with one hell of a motorcycle, modern in performance and a true cult classic in the styling.
