Roland Sands, who’s getting to be our favorite motorcycle builder, has reportedly built a chopper powered by the V5 engine from a Kenny Roberts 2004 MotoGP machine. The upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed tossed that little tidbit into their press release:
World-famous motorcycle customiser Roland Sands will also be showing his monster V5 chopper – projected by the same engine that powered Kenny Roberts’ GP project in 2004. 200 bhp in a chopper!
Interesting point is that Cycle News has the same press release stating Sands will be showing a Harley powered custom:
World-famous motorcycle customiser Roland Sands will also be showing an awesome Harley Davidson-powered custom build bike that has taken the American custom world by storm.
Is that a little diversion for a big unveiling? There was a previous report in a British cycle magazine that Sands had obtained the V5 so that might be the real story leaking out.
What’s the real story? Hmm …?
UPDATE: See also Roland Sands KRV5 Tracker V5 Powered Custom
Link: Goodwood Festival of Speed
Link: Cycle News
The Kneeslider: Roland Sands Wins 2006 Biker Build Off
The Kneeslider: Roland Sands RenStar and RSD Grunt
C.J. Luke says
It would be a disapointment to see him put the V5 in a chopper. I would rather see him build a “sport” bike with the V5 and build a chopper with the Harley engine.
aaron says
maybe harley bought the tooling for the proton KR V5…. i can see it now….
Dave Ford, Associated Press
Milwaukee, Wisconsin – “after succesfully demonstrating that one chopper makes it a production model, harley has obtained permission from the AMA to run former motogp engines in production classes. harley is currently petitioning to run it against the 600cc fours in formula Xtreme, arguing that “the damn wops and japs have humiliated us with superior technology for too long. this is your chance to give us an unfair advantage before those slope-eyed honda suits join the AMA board again. remember pearl harbour!” H-D lawyers then proceeded to lead the room in a chant of USA! USA! before boarding a flight to china to explore future production facilities.”
maybe not, but rumor once had it that old KR was looking at building streetbikes with the V5… why go it on your own when harley could offer production expertise? the worlds largest motorcycle market (over 125cc, that is) has been screaming for an american sportbike for ages, and there is a high spec motor sitting on a shelf somewhere….and it just happens to have a great american racers name attached to it.
mark says
Maybe Sands is simply showing two different bikes…