Since it premiered on the Discovery Channel back in the fall of 2002, the hit television show Biker Build-Off has become the barometer for what's cool in the chopper world, defining the hottest new trends and turning underground cult builders like Billy Lane, Indian Larry and Russell Mitchell into world-famous TV stars. If you've seen it before, then you know that Biker Build-Off is a chopper program to the core, typically favoring mile-long, old-school choppers built by guys who would rather piss on a live spark plug than be caught dead playing with sportbikes.
What does it mean, then, when the 2006 season premiere Build-Off is won by a decidedly unchopperlike bike named "No Regrets," which is turned out with such signature sportbike components as an hlins Superbike fork, low clip-on handlebars, roadracing slicks and a streetfighter-inspired flyscreen? It means that the mainstream custom motorcycle world is being turned straight on its head, and the guy doing that inverting happens to be someone very well known to Super Streetbike readers. Roland Sands, the 31-year-old national champion roadracer, confirmed sportbike freak and burgeoning chopper legend, is the leader of this new world order. Inspired by his unique background in the motorcycle industry, Sands is pushing custom motorcycle design in radical new directions with his relentless mashing-up of sportbike and chopper styles to create a new breed of performance-oriented, sportbike-inspired customs unlike anything the motorcycle world has seen before.
Don't bother trying to categorize Sands' creations-even he resists that urge. "I don't like to think of them as choppers or sportbikes," he says. "They're just cool f*cking bikes that I want to ride. I appreciate the beautiful craftsmanship and artistry that people associate with choppers, but I also want a bike that I can ride hard, like a race bike, that really hauls ass." It's almost inevitable that Sands would begin building custom motorcycles like this, given his unique upbringing and diverse experience in the motorcycle industry. Sands is the son of Perry Sands, owner and founder of Performance Machine, the well-known aftermarket firm that manufactures some of the world's finest wheels, brakes, controls and other components for custom motorcycles of both the chopper and sportbike varieties. Sands virtually grew up in the PM shop and has worked there since age 14. "I didn't have a choice," he says. "My parents put me to work early to keep me from getting in any more trouble." Sands started out sweeping floors and at one point or another held almost every job available at the company-including assembly, sanding and polishing, and even designing wheels-eventually working his way up to his current position as Performance Machine's director of R&D and design.
While he was busting his design chops in the studio at PM-Sands has no formal design training whatsoever, it's all been hands-on learning-he was also mastering the art of riding sportbikes very, very fast. Sands' father was involved in motorcycle racing from the beginning, but it wasn't until Roland's 18th birthday, when his parents gifted him with a one-day class at Keith Code's California Superbike School, that he got serious about dragging knees. From that day on, Sands says all he wanted to do was roadrace. Sands doesn't do anything half-assed, and his foray into roadracing was no different. Instead of starting simple, he went straight into 250GP racing on a Yamaha TZ250-a purpose-built, two-stroke racing machine that is one of the most challenging bikes to master. And master it he did-Sands won his first novice 250GP race at Willow Springs Raceway in California and never looked back, enjoying a nine-year professional racing career at the top of the AMA 250GP ranks, including winning the national championship in '98.