Roland Sands 450 Super Single race-bike available now
Click above for more shots of the Roland Sands 450 Super Single
Amateur motorcycle racers are about to get a low-cost and highly competitive new class to consider using race-spec motorcycles built from 450cc motocross bikes. In past years, the 250cc 2-stroke was the most desirable and fastest off-road bike to have, but recently the class has been overtaken by 450cc 4-stroke machines, which are reliable, lightweight and extremely fast. It turns out that they also make an excellent foundation for a road-racer, and Roland Sands, past AMA 250GP champion himself, is ready to begin selling 450 Super Single bikes to kick-off the new racing class specifically designed for these $15,000 bikes. Sands' bike is based on Yamaha's WR450F, but kits are expected to be available for the Honda CRF450X and Kawasaki KX450F. What's more, manufacturers such as KTM, Suzuki, Husqvarna, Husaberg and even ATK also offer similar machines that could likely also be used for this racing class. This is truly exciting, and if the racing class proves successful, a slew of street-legal bikes could be introduced using the same set of components. Win on Sunday, ride to work on Monday... has a nice ring to it, wouldn't you say?
Gallery: RSD Super Single bikes
[Source: Roland Sands Design]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Peter 5:54PM (2/29/2008)
It'd be nice to see smaller displacement road bikes on the market again. Hope things work in that direction.
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speedball3 6:17PM (2/29/2008)
Sounds pretty cool. So let me get this straight...you buy an off-road 450cc bike and then buy the kit to convert it into a road bike? Awesome!
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rmz290 6:21PM (2/29/2008)
You'll never be able to ride a mx single cylinder four stroke to work, they are so highly tuned most have a hard time breaking 40 hours before grenading, even with oil changes every four hours and a constant eye on valve tolerances.
I would much rather see a return to street legal two strokes, the direct injection technology is already there in snowmobiles, just needs to be adopted by street machines.
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Jeremy Korzeniewski 6:40PM (2/29/2008)
rmz290 - not entirely true. Some of these four-stroke machines do just fine when they are kept in tip-top shape. Agreed, though, when tuned to make maximum power, any of these bikes would require much more maintenance than your typical street bike. That said, I know of people who commute to work everyday on high strung and high maintenance supermoto machines which they also race on the weekends. Maybe not your cup 'o' tea, but there are crazies out there who do it.
I agree with you totally when it comes to the two-strokes, though. Just so long as they meet emissions requirements, I'd love to see them return to the marketplace. Orbital has technology which would allow it, but at what cost? Would you pay more for a clean 2-stroke than you would for a normal 4-stroke?
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rmz290 10:07PM (2/29/2008)
I've got a supermoto right now, I chose a xr650r as my base as I can't afford to fix a blown up 250f or 450. I spent a season racing a 250f and then quickly went back to a two smoke. The bike was fast as hell, but I was spending far more time keeping it in tip top shape than riding.
The clean two stroke technology is already pretty cheap, look at all the ski-doo sleds. I doubt it would cost any more than a four stroke at first and in the long run be much cheaper and reliable. No matter how good you take care of stuff a single cylinder engine spinning to 14000 rpm is not going to last.
I would love to see a modern RZ350, I think yamaha could make one and sell it for $7000 off the floor and make a lot of money.
MikeInNC 9:22AM (3/01/2008)
I've been looking to buy a smaller displacement bike but it seems there is a gap in the displacement available. There isn't much available that slots between a ninja 250R and a 600. I'd love to have a 2 stroke 350 (remember the Yamaha 305 engine!) or even a 4 stroke 400 or so in a nice sport bike frame with modern styling (in the US).
It's probably b/c they weren't selling that well but I can't imagine someone couldn't make money being the only player in the market niche. Man, if I could just get a bike like the mid 90's Ducati SS CR 750 in a smaller displacement I'd be on it like stink. Nothing wrong with the 750 but I know myself too well. Give me 750cc's and I'll use them plus, I want the bike as light as possible but still ridable on the interstate for short stints up to 30 miles. C'mon...sombody help us out!
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NeverEnoughGTR! 4:35PM (3/01/2008)
Mike, you ever take a look at the SV650S? That sounds like it it might be something in your wheelhouse.
NeverEnoughGTR! 3:58PM (3/01/2008)
I agree, this would really make a fabulous road bike!
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chrisdavis 11:05AM (3/03/2008)
You've could consider the SV650S, the Ninja 650, or the Buell Blast which, while quirky, seems right up your alley.
bharat bhushan sahoo 10:09AM (3/16/2008)
please tell me the structure stability,materials used,price quotations i mean approx price
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