Roland Sands

Roland Sands (born August 12 1974) is the 1998 AMA 250GP National Champion road racer and award-winning designer for "Performance Machine", and owner and founder of "Roland Sands Design".

Background

Sands is from Long Beach, California. He began his life with the upbringing and diverse experience in the motorcycle industry. His first motorcycle was a RM 50 dirt bike, given to him on his 5th birthday, to which, after just minutes of riding, he broke a bone, but fell in love with it anyway. He literally grew up in the "Performance Machine" shop, and started working there at age 14 sweeping floors. Quickly moving up to assembly, sanding polishing, wheel designing, eventually working his way as Director of R&D and Design at "Performance Machine". In 2005, after the tremendous success Sands found on Discovery Channel's Biker Build-Off vs. Arlen Ness, Sands founded "Roland Sands Design". "RSD" designs concept motorcycle parts and accessories and builds custom motorcycles. "RSD" works with major motorcycle manufacturers to design concept and prototype motorcycles and promote benchmark product in the motorcycle industry and beyond. Sands’ designs are described as being a mixture of sport bike and chopper influences to create the ultimate custom bikes.

Pro racing career

During Sands’ professional racing career, from 1994 to 2002, Sands gained 10 wins to his reputation. At the age of 19, Sands’ father sent him to "Keith Code’s California Superbike School", and from that day on, road racing became his passion. His first race bike was a Yamaha TZ250, a purpose-built, two stroke racing machine. Winning his first novice 250GP race at Willow Springs Raceway in California, Sands enjoyed a nine-year professional racing career at the top of the AMA 250GP ranks, including a national championship in 1998. In 2000, after winning a few races stateside, Sands did a stint in the "British Super Cup" series on a factory Honda. Sands still currently holds four track records including Daytona, Sears Point, and Laguna Seca. Although enjoying his racing career, bodily injuries caused by racing accidents were taking the best of his competitive drive. Sands decided to broaden his career in custom motorcycle design and building, to which he had already mechanical and fabrication skills from building race bikes during his racing years.

In 2004, designer Chip Foose awarded Sands with the "Award of Design Excellence" for his design on the motorcycle "The Hard Way". In 2005, he was honored by his peers, who voted him "Rookie of the Year" on the Discovery Channel Biker Build-Off award show. Since his first television appearance on Biker Build-Off, he’s been featured on ESPN2’s Chopper Nation and Super Bikes, SPEED Channel's American Thunder and Build or Bust, and recently crowned champion of Biker Build-Off in 2006 against Jesse Rooke.

Awards and accomplishments

* AMA 250 GP Champion 1998
* V-Twin Wheel Design of the Year 2002
* V-Twin Control Design of the Year 2004
* V-Twin Wheel Design of the Year 2004
* Chip Foose Design of Excellence Award, Sturgis, 2004
* Modified Harley Class at the World Championship of Custom Bike Building 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place in 2005
* V-Twin Award Trendsetter of the Year, Daytona, 2005
* Discovery Channel’s "Ultimate Chop" Biker Build-Off Season Finale and Awards Ceremony Rookie of the Year 2005
* V-Twin Award Trendsetter of the year, Daytona, 2005
* Discovery Channel’s Biker Build-Off Champion for Sands vs. Rooke episode 1, 2006

Press and publicity

Covers

* Xtreme Bikes (Spain), Issue No. 20
* Freeway Magazine (France), May 2005
* Sport Bike (U.S.), 2006 Issue
* Wild Motorcycles (France), June 2006
* Barnett’s (U.S.), September 2006
* Bike Works (U.S.), September 2006
* Xtreme Bike (Spain), Issue No. 22
* Superstreet Bikes (U.S.), October 2006
* Performance Bikes ( [UK] [), October 2006

Articles

* Hot Rod Bikes (U.S.) Feb. 2003: "The Racer’s Edge: Roland Sand’s Builds his First American Custom"
* Freeway Magazine (France) Feb. 2003 "Rolling with the Homies: V-Rod Motorcycle Performance Machine’s Roland Sands Designs Whiskey Tang No. 10" " Team PM Family Affair: Perry and Roland"
* V-Twin Motorcycles (U.S.) Sept. 2003 "Performance Machine Master Builder Triple Threat Talents"
* Wild Motorcycles (France) April 2004 "The Hard Way 70 : PM raises the bar with Roland’s new V-ROD" "Like Father, Like Son: Perry and Roland Sands Interview"
* Hot Bike 2005 Calendar January: "The Hard Way 70"
* Freeway Magazine (France) May 2005: "Daytona Hard Rock El Grande Moco from Sands"
* Orange County Register – Sept. 2005: "Architect in Motion"
* Barnett’s (U.S.) Aug./Sept 2005 "Laughlin River Run: El Grande Moco"
* Harley Davidson’s Dream Machine (Germany) Sept. 2005: "Performance Machine’s Roland Sands #35 V-Rod and Street Rod Specials"
* Robb Report Motorcycling (U.S.) Nov./Dec. 2005 "Green Machine: Roland Sands builds for both style and Substance the Grande Moco"
* Xtreme Bikes (Spain) No. 20 "Roland Sands’ The Glory Stomper"
* Playboy Magazine (U.S.) March 2006 "On the Scene: Custom official Roland Sands is fueling next generation of custom motorcycles"
* Biker Journalen (Norway) No. 3 2006 "Roland Sands Biker Build-Off: The Glory Stomper"
* McNytt (Denmark) May 2006 "Back to Nature: "RSD"’s the Grunt"
* Cycle News (U.S.) Issue #19 May 17, 2006 "Build or Bust: Roland Sands’ No Regrets"
* Wild Motorcycles (France) June 2006 "Wild Wheels: "RSD"’s Grunt"
* Easyriders (U.S.) 35th Anniversary Special June 2006 "Something Different from Roland Sands: The Art of Function, the Glory Stomper"
* Motociclismo (Spain) Aug. 2006 "El Grande Moco"
* Cycle News (U.S.) August 9, 2006: "Sands Gets His Hands on MotoGP Engine…Watch Out!"
* Freeway (France) Aug. 2006: The Roland Sands Story: Street Warrior Grunt, the "RSD" Grunt" "Roland Sands Performance Superboy" "The Glory Stomper" "El Burracho"
* Sport Bike (U.S.) 2006 Issue: "Roland Sands’ New Blood HayabU.S. ‘BU.S.’s baby!" "Speed Dating: A ‘BU.S. and Bunny Tale"
* MotorRad (Germany) August 18, 2006: "Intro News: "RSD" KRV5 Tracker"
* Wild Magazine (France) Sept. 2006: "RSD’s KRV5 Tracker" "RSD’s No Regrets"
* V-Twin News (U.S.) Sept. 2006: "RSD Vintage Cover Line"
* Performance Bike (Japan) "Performance Machine" "PM’s Roland Sands"
* Bike Works (U.S.) Sept. 2006: "Biker Build Off Race: Roland Sands vs. Jesse Rooke" "Roland Sands vs. Jesse Rooke at Willow Springs Raceway"
* Barnett’s (U.S.) Sept. 2006 "Roland Sands Interview"
* Super Street Bike (U.S.) Oct. 2006: "Biker Build-Off Winner: Roland Sands" "New World Order"
* Performance Bikes (UK) Oct. 2006: "Roland Sands’ Radical 2-litre Harley Racer" " U.S. Bike-building Genius Injects some West Coast attitude into Goodwood: No Regrets"
* Hot Bike (U.S.) Vol. 38 No. 12 Oct. 24, 2006 "Custom Looks, Reliability, and Good Manners: Roland Sands comes up another winner ‘The Vintage Kit’"

Television appearances

* Discovery Channel’s Biker Build-Off : Chop Off finale September 4, 2006
* Discovery Channel’s Biker Build-Off : two episodes, 2005
* ESPN2’s SuperBikes : one episode, 2006
* ESPN2’s Chopper Nation : two episodes, 2005
* SPEED Channel’s American Thunder : ten episodes, 2004, 2005, 2006
* SPEED Channel’s Build or Bust : three episodes, 2005

External links

* [http://www.rolandsands.com/ Roland Sands Design Main Website]
* [http://www.performancemachine.com/ Performance Machine]

Sources

* [http://www.hotbikeweb.com/features/0404hb_custom_harley_roland/ Hot Bike Magazine]
* [http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/Article_Page.aspx?ArticleID=4074&Page=1 Motorcycle USA Magazine]
* [http://www.bikernet.com/bikebarn/PageViewer.asp?PageID=1245 Bikernet.com]