Roland Sands KTM 690 Tracker

Roland Sands has done it again. The brilliant LA motorcycle custom designer has been hard at work the last year.

BMW last year chose Roland Sands designs to dig it out of a hole when their designers ran out of inspiration for their 90th anniversary bike based on the 40-year-old R 90 S. The result was the beautiful Concept 90 which BMW modified into the R nineT.

At the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, RSD unveiled his beautifully minimalist Board Tracker for Indian Motorcycles. With its thumping 111 Thunderstroke engine bulging from its tiny frame, it looked plain awesome. However, it’s doubtful Indian will go down this route, especially since they have now released the 1133cc Scout.

But RSD has also produced another beautiful product, the 690 Flat Tracker from a KTM 690 SMC. Again, it’s minimalist, but it’s also not a great stretch for KTM to go from the SMC R to this. They’ve even retained KTM’s trademark orange.

KTM enlists the Austrian design studios, Kiska, to design their bikes and they have done a wonderful job. The new breed of KTMs are simply gorgeous.

But maybe it’s time to extend their design program beyond their country’s boundaries. They could do much worse than watch the expert craftsmanship and ideas of RSD.

Meanwhile, you could race out and buy a 690 SMC R, strip it down and get some mail-order RSD parts to do the job yourself. Then find a nice canyon pass or flat track to let loose and have some fun.