Roland Sands' Cafe Tracker: 'Watch your a** with no front brake'

US custom bike guru Roland Sands is back at it again with this board tracker BMW R nineT Cafe Tracker.

No stranger to the custom scene, Sands lifted the cover off his latest creation at the Handbuilt Show in Texas last month.

A machine crossed between a board tracker and cafe racer, one of the bike’s significant features is the aggresive look achieved with a frame raked and cut to accommodate the 21 inch Morris wheels.

Discussing this fresh take on an R nineT, Sands says, “It fuses cultures, eras and performance into a very simplified derailment from what’s been done to the 9T to date.” 

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Sticking to the tracker theme meant that Sands decided to ditch the front brake, sidestand and lights.

Perhaps not a bike for everyday use, the 42-year-old added, “This bike is a concept build for us and may only see the streets on a few illegal trial runs, but it will be built to ride hard.”

The bike is dressed in a plethora of RSD parts and also features a host of new parts that will star in the “Machined Line” products, due for sale from BMW dealerships nationwide.

A post shared by Roland Sands (@rolandsands) on Apr 20, 2017 at 10:26am PDT

“It’s a blast. It’s quick and steers well,” adds Roland. “You just have to watch your ass with no front brake… and with that I’ve opened myself up for some solid stage dive commentary!” (Referring to his incident at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota last year).

Performance has been helped by installing a Rapid Bike Race module which improves the ignition map of the motor, while also allowing programmable settings to help get the best from the bike.

Hidden behind the number board is also a CXRacing oil cooler that keeps the bike uncluttered.

The airbox has been replaced with RSD velocity stacks and a box hidden behind the sidepanels which holds the electronic components. 

The suspension has been upgraded to make the bike handle better and comes loaded with an Öhlins TTX rear shock. With the front forks getting upgraded with a GP Suspension cartridge kit.

The aluminium bodywork was fabricated by Aaron Boss, who made the tank, tail unit, side panels and front number board. 

If you fancy building your own, you can check out the parts from the new range that were used on the bike on the Roland Sands Design website.

Looking for the perfect two-wheeled companion? Visit MCN Bikes For Sale website or use MCN’s Bikes For Sale App.