n just a very short time Roland Sands has made quite a name for himself, and the RSD brand. An AMA 250GP Road Racing Champion-turned-designer, with the support of Performance Machine (the family business) in August 2006 he successfully launched Roland Sands Design through both Drag Specialties and Parts Unlimited. Two wheel designs started the sportbike and metric product line: the Domino and Judge, both offered in the RSD exclusive Contrast Cut™ finish. These wheels won rave reviews not only in design but also in quality.      Manufactured by Performance Machine, they not only look cool, they’re built to function when ridden hard on the track, street or canyon roads. Roland Sands’ racing pedigree has taught him what works and what doesn’t and as the head designer for Performance Machine he knows what looks good and what doesn’t. And now, an expanded lineup of bolt-on accessories and a new wheel design have RSD accelerating into the sportbike and metric marketplace.
     One new wheel design has made its way into the Parts Unlimited catalog, joining the current RSD lineup: the Diesel in Contrast Cut™ and a brilliant chrome finish. The current designs, the Domino Contrast Cut™ and Judge Contrast Cut™ are already winners. The Domino was awarded the V-Twin 2007 “Wheel Design of the Year” and the Judge was RSD’s top seller in 2007. All of the RSD wheels, including the new Diesel, are now available in sizes and fitments for the popular Hondas, the CBR900, CBR929, CBR954 and the 1000. Kawasaki’s ZX10, 12 and 14 are covered, too, as is the whole Suzuki GSX-R lineup and the Hayabusa. The Yamaha R1s and Road Stars can have these good-looking, track tested RSD wheels, as well, and on all of these bikes the wheels add a style and level of lightweight function available nowhere else. They’ll turn a stock bike, a custom or a track racer into a stylized machine that moves.
     Roland’s road racing pedigree and the quality standards of Performance Machine are cut into each RSD wheel. These aerospace quality aluminum forged wheels perform as good as they look. Take that Contrast Cut™ finish. It’s exclusive to RSD and Performance Machine. Unlike copies to come later, Contrast Cut™ wheels use black anodizing to achieve the look instead of applying black powder coating that adds weight, is prone to flaking and doesn’t give an accurate surface finish. Black Anodize, on the other hand, isn’t a “coating.” It’s a surface treatment that actually dyes the aluminum. It will never flake, adds no weight and what you get is exactly what you see, a strong, lightweight wheel that holds its beauty. Each RSD wheel is treated with a UV-resistant coating to keep that finish rich and vibrant for years to come. It all begins with a forged aluminum wheel that’s completely black anodized before going through the Performance Machine shop where CNC machines cut the unique RSD designs into it. The machines are programmed to leave a pattern that’s both clean and faceted, a brilliant looking pattern of machine marks that’s completely unique to RSD.
     This already exciting RSD product line is expanding, too. A full selection of bolt-on accessories for the metrics and sportbikes will make its way to the Parts Unlimited catalog in 2008. The soon-to-come RSD “Combat” and “Assault” lines of bolt-on accessories will add style and design elements to the metrics with all the function and technical know-how you’d expect from RSD. Look for it soon. Right now, though, check out the Diesel, Domino and Judge wheels. They’re here, in-stock now at Parts Unlimited.