Roland Sands has built one-off motorcycles of all kinds, the vast majority of which are pretty awesome customs. Some are obviously more extensive transformations than others, but even the lesser-involved builds are easily distinguishable from the donor bike’s stock form. Often times RSD-built bikes are the work of the company’s design team, but Roland himself is often personally responsible for aspects or the design and build of many bikes, which is the case with this example. Unsurprisingly, Roland Sands has had various companies commission him to build bikes for them, often incorporating some aspect of a company’s product’s industrial design in some way. This bike was commissioned by the iconic turntable producer Technics.
Panasonic began producing hi-fi audio equipment in 1965 under the name “Technics”, making turntables, amps, tape-decks, receivers, etc. In the early 1970’s, Technics released its SL-1200 direct-drive turntable. Different variants continue to be produced today and it has undeniably become the industry standard amongst professional and amateur DJ’s alike. The SL’s status in the music industry and DJ-scene has been a constant for several decades and the deck has dominated sales in the market, continuing to outsell newer models from competitors that often boast trick features the no-nonsense SL lacks. The Technics flagship-table is a relatively simple design design but an incredibly solid design, with decently-maintained examples lasting several decades. Pitch-control, a high-torque motor, a heavy-base, and great sound have given the best-seller a reputation that has persisted since its unveiling in an era when vinyl was king.
The SL-1200 was Roland’s inspiration for this 2010 Harley-Davidson Sportster 883 build and he found some clever yet straightforward ways of incorporating design-elements from the turntable. On the outside rim of the SL’s metal platter there are four rows of dots of various sizes. If the pitch control is dead-center the largest dots – on the second from the bottom – will appear to be perfectly still while the row below it and two-rows above it appear to be moving in opposite directions. Sands used this same design on the build’s disk-style wheels. The vast majority of the components are blacked-out and the custom tail-section and tank sport gloss black paint with minimalistic outline striping. In place of the H-D logo or script, Sands used the outside of a pair of Technics RP-DH1200 DJ headphones that this build was commissioned to celebrate the release of. The RP headphones also feature a design mimicking the iconic platter’s dots.
RSD’s custom builds are opportunities for the brand to show-off and demonstrate the possibilities of using its aftermarket cosmetic and performance parts. This Sands’-built 883 has over a dozen RSD parts on it, replacing pretty much every stock component that RSD makes an aftermarket version of. The list includes RSD progressive suspension rear-shocks, café seat and tail-section, clip-ons, Black Ops Tracker Grips, rear-sets and rear-brake/shift-levers, blacked out RSD Slant 2-1 Exhaust with carbon-tip, gas-cap, black Derby cover, belt-guard, front pulley-guard, Slant air-intake kit, “Performance Machine” front brake-caliper, RSD black master-cylinder covers, and front fork triple clamp and tree.
Unfortunately this one-off example has a few minor scratches on it according to the seller. It also currently lacks signals, a horn, and mirrors, but those are all quick, easy fixes, all of which RSD sells versions of if you want to keep that RSD parts train chugging along. This Sportster has just over 3,000 miles on the odo and appears to be in pretty clean shape despite its aforementioned imperfections. Though somewhat minimalist – like the hardware that inspired it – this build is an interesting custom, the bike’s headlight-guard, tail-section, and exhaust are surprisingly transformative for just a trio of components. Like all RSD builds, this one is of extremely high quality, utilizing high-end (and expensive) RSD components, all of which were pieced together by Roland Sands himself.
When I was 17, one of my roommates had a set of SL’s. Within a few months of living with him I got my own mixer and set of (Numark) tables and in the years that followed I got increasingly into playing on them. In San Francisco – where I was living at the time – there was a really big scratching and DJing scene where some extremely innovative artists were in their respective primes and the genre of “turntablism was at its peak popularity. Turntablists like DJ Shadow, Q-bert, Mixmastermike (The Beastie Boys’ DJ), and a handful of others were from the SF Bay Area and had become success artists outside of the local scene. The documentary: “Scratch”, which is available in its entirety on youtube does a good job of exploring and explaining the history, culture, and scene. So when I came across this SL-inspired bike it just made me really happy to see. I’ve had a set of tables everywhere I’ve lived since I was 17 and it wasn’t until a few years ago that I broke down my setup to make room for a CB-project. Priorities.
On the RSD website there’s a full write up about this build, including a promo-video for the RSD X Technics build. There is also a much more extensive photo-gallery of the machine, showing off the two-wheeler in a picturesque desert setting. While we’re on the subject of Roland Sands, he’s throwing an event in Southern California on October 14th: The first annual Roland Sands’ Moto Beach Classic. The one day beachside festival will feature live-music, food and drinks, art and vendors, and a myriad of different types of motorcycle-racing including BMW-sponsored drag-racing and the penultimate round of the RSD SuperHooligan Series, in addition to several other classes of flat track.
You can find this Technics commissioned and SL-inspired Roland Sands’-built one-off 2010 Harley-Davidson Sportster Iron 883 for sale here on Craigslist in Oceanside, California with a price of $14,000.