Back-Tracker
BACK-TRACKER
The King and the Kid team up to create a MotoGP board-track racer
TIME WAITS FOR NO ONE, AND NO MOTOR. THE 990CC MONsters of MotoGP are now gone, replaced by even higher-tech 800s. At least one of the Big Bangers, though, continues to make noise-and news. Credit for that goes to Kenny Roberts, three-time Grand Prix world champion, main man at Team KR, and to Roland Sands, once an AMA 250 GP champion, now at the very top of the custom-building game as president of moto-design house RSD. This back-to-the-future board-tracker is the product of their combined efforts.
Rapid prototyping and major development dollars sped Roberts’ realization of his 990cc KRV5, thanks to backing from Malaysian car-maker Proton. Roberts then mated the engine to his own chassis at his facility in Banbury, heart of
England’s F-l Belt. It was used in the 2004 season before an ill-fated switch to KTM power in ’05. The team is now in its second season with factory Honda motors (see Racewatch, this issue).
Meanwhile, KR happened to catch a television piece on Roland Sands, propelled out of nowhere to become one of the custom-bike builders despite his youth and roadracing background. Roberts and Chuck Aksland, team manager of “Kenny Corp.,” wondered if Roland could put one of their now-obsolete V-Fives to good use.
Sands submitted three drawings to KR, who was immediately drawn to the board-tracker design. Plans were solidified with a handshake at the 2005 USGP. “I think we’ve just scratched the surface of what’s possible in custom bikes,” said a jazzed Roberts.
Sands was happy with the choice, too. He'd long been enamored with the way things were back when boardtrackers—little more than a fire-breathing engine and two wheels-were the cutting edge of innovation.
It was a few months before one of Team KR’s readymade 195-horse powerpacks was hand-delivered to RSD, slipper clutch and advanced electronics included. Said an understated Aksland, “The 990cc V5 we gave Roland was fully developed.”
Sands explained, “I’d wanted to build a bike like this for a long time. I had lines in my head and a few sketches, but when I got the motor it all came together.”
Sands’ crew of cobblers was left with the challenge of sculpting the one-off frame in little time. Multiple running changes were made to the arching collection of tubes’ style, length and geometry. Hand-shaped aluminum bodywork also went through many a metamorphosis.
Roland relayed that the cooling system and its collection of handmade hard pipes was an exceptionally challenging aspect of the build. The five separate, stubby exhaust pipes caused some routing headaches, too.
Mocked up, then torn down, the tracker was soon scattered. Motor to England for polishing and final prep; paintables to Chris Wood of AirTrix for metallic army-green paint and graphics that included Roberts’ old rookie race number. Custom seat-maker Bill Wall used his father’s own boardtracker’s saddle to shape the one seen here.
The last two months the team worked day and night as the bike’s 2006 USGP delivery date drew closer. Two weeks to go and the careful final-assembly process began. The motor, buffed to a mirror finish and wearing carbon-fiber valve covers, went back into the frame. Custom triple-clamps received a GSX-R1000 fork with caliper lugs removed and legs smoothed. Between them a black-anodized RSD 23 x 3.5 contrast-cut Judge front wheel. When the rigid-mounted rear Judge hit he ground, the KRV5 board-tracker was ready to roll.
At the Faguna Seca unveiling, an impressed Roberts beamed, “I can make ’em fast but Roland made this bike a work of art.” -Mark Cernicky
