The Naked And Crazy RSD Ultra-Superleggera Custom Ducati

[Hugh Janus]

Normally we’d say it’s a shame to remove carbon fiber bodywork from a Ducati Superleggera, but not in this case. (Jeff Allen /)

Roland Sands just wants to have a good time. And not in the selfishly hedonistic way where he’s just trying to entertain himself. Well, actually maybe that is true… But Sands’ pursuit of a good time has always resulted in the rest of us having fun along with him. From watching him win an AMA 250cc Grand Prix national championship in the 1990s to blowing up the billet-barge jukebox custom scene in the 2000s to bringing flat track to a whole new generation with the SuperHooligan series, his entertainment has been ours.

The bare-knuckled brawler Roland Sands wants to see on American racetracks in national competition, recalling naked-superbike glory days. ( Jeff Allen /)

Let this custom Ducati Superleggera streetfighter stand as the most recent example. It’s not just a trick custom, but a template for future good times. So, yes, the factory magnesium frame and Superquadro V-twin of this 2014 machine is a trick place to start when the goal is the artful removal of fine parts deemed unnecessary for the goal of being the trickest streetfighter in the land. But all Sands wants to know is can we help him get MotoAmerica to lay out a racing class where stripped-down superbikes with no fairings would be legal? “No rules, basically,” Sands said. “How badass would that be?”

Finest number plate in the land? Aluminum was fabricated and fitted, then used as a mold for the carbon fiber piece here. Screen allows airflow to ram intake. (Jeff Allen /)

He recalls the circa-1980 days of Wayne Rainey and Eddie Lawson on unfaired 1,000cc superbikes and wants to recapture that brutal purity. We’d watch that. We might even build a bike for it. And if MotoAmerica is willing to race baggers at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, all we can say is what is it waiting for?!

This V-twin Superleggra is a naturally great place to start for a naked-superbike racer, if somewhat expensive and hard to come by. Can’t deny its trickness though.

And while on the one hand you could say starting with a motorcycle whose foundation is a magnesium frame and single-sided swingarm makes a trick naked custom build “easy,” you’d be wrong.

Not much to change internally with the 1,198cc V-twin with its titanium valves and two-ring pistons. (Jeff Allen /)

Modern wiring harnesses and electronics make almost any new custom build a challenge when your goal is to artfully project industrial beauty and cleanliness. Miles of wires, bags of sensors, and the fanciness that is the Superleggera means the rider-aid brain with IMU/GPS should be located as close to the stock location as possible, which is hard when you’re throwing away a lot of “stock,” especially the fairing and brackets. Where to put all these wires and boxes?

“It’s like stuffing 15 pounds of s—t in a 5-pound bag,” Sands said.

RSD lead fabricator Aaron Boss made all the new bodywork with a retro vibe. (Jeff Allen /)

The IMU was modeled in place with a custom fixture and they tested the bike by moving it around and found it could be tucked in tighter at the front of the bike than standard. The ECU, meanwhile, normally just sits there under a fairing panel but it needed a new solution for hiding, so they stuck it under the tank in a cassette-like way; you push it in and it pops out of its mount. Tidy and clever. The bellypan finishes the bike’s under-engine look and also houses more electrical business.

With stock Brembo calipers so beautiful, light, and high performance, they were left standard. Carbon fiber scoops aid cooling. (Jeff Allen /)

A motorcycle made of exotic materials demands more of the same. So while RSD fabrication chief Aaron Boss made aluminum panels, covers, and the front number plate, these were just used as molds for the carbon fiber pieces you see now. The factory subframe is carbon fiber and weighs…1 pound, Sands said, and was the inspiration for the other c-f pieces.

Febur superbike radiators fit the naked-superbike vibe. (Jeff Allen /)

Custom triple clamps and high, carbon fiber handlebar take this exotic to the street and, in a nod to hooliganism, ABS has been removed. The carbon fiber factory kickstand remains, as do the magnesium wheels and titanium hardware all over the bike. And would you change MotoGP-derived nickel-plated Brembo front brake calipers or the most beautiful factory foot controls and pegs? No.

Removing most of the fairing panels made electrical system packaging a challenge. A new bellypan houses battery, voltage regulator/rectifier, and other components. (Jeff Allen /)

The 1,198cc engine’s claimed 200 hp asked only for a modified titanium exhaust by Akrapovič, a system that looks like an exotic fat metal python about to strangle the engine, except its function is the opposite of “strangle.” Febur superbike radiators are burly and bare up front, allowing the front cylinder to poke through as Ducati engineering strived for best weight distribution.

The finished bike, variously called KH9 in honor of the wealthy client it was built for, the UltraSuperleggera, or the Super Duper Leggera, weighs just 339 pounds. Not bad versus the 366-pound no fuel claimed weight of the stocker. RSD finally settled on The Super’, and made limited-edition T-shirts and a video.

Jake Zemke, manager and rider coach for MotoAmerica superbike racer Cameron Beaubier, rides the RSD Superleggera Streetfighter at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. (Jeff Allen /)

It looks great in photos, and even better in person. Retired AMA superbike racer Jake Zemke, who also is a rider coach through Zemke Riding Development, modeled the bike at one of his Southern California trackdays, proving its worth as a road-course-ready streetfighter.

Zemke takes flight on this 339-pound Ducati custom. (Jeff Allen /)

Sands remains fired up about “hooligan” superbike. “It worked for trackers, right?!” he said, reminding us of his SuperHooligan national “heavy bike racing” flat-track series. Sands is not wrong. “Uncover the bike!” he continues. “It’s a retro aesthetic with high tech.”

Not every bike gets its own T-shirt. (Roland Sands Design/)

See, Sands just wants some fun and I think we’d all be entertained by it.

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