Anyone who has ever tinkered with or fettled a motorcycle, or even had the intention to do so, will probably know who Roland Sands is. He builds very special custom motorcycles, then fabricates the parts used and sells them as aftermarket components to backyard tuners.
While the Roland Sands Design (RSD) business is going swimmingly, the well-known motorcycle tuner is currently turning his hand to a special side project called Mission 200, the objective of which is to create 200mph (322km/) capable motorcycle and possibly even break the Modified Partial Streamlining (MPS) record in the process.
Normally the task of reaching more than 320km/h would be relatively straightforward - just bolt a turbo onto a Suzuki Hayabusa or Kawasaki ZX-14R, but Sands has opted for a 2011 Victory Hammer.
The Harley-Davidson rival is powered by a 1700cc V-twin, and the cruiser pumps out a modest 100hp straight out of the factory (and is not normally associated with triple century speeds) but the challenge has been set.
Ex-AMA 250GP racer Roland Sands came up with the design, which sees the Victory Hammer lowered and lightened, with plenty of new body work to improve aerodynamics. This includes a one-off front fairing, and several ergonomic tweaks to ensure the rider is seated in an appropriate position.
The engine was fettled was Lloydz Motor Workz, and the company managed to squeeze an insane 214hp (157kW) and 338Nm of torque out of the 106 cubic inch Victory engine. Engine augmentations ended with an intercooled Garrett turbocharger and included things like balanced and blueprinted pistons, rods, and crankshaft along the way. Ported and polished heads, a big bore kit, larger valves, and a beefed up oil cooling system also helped the engine reach its massive 328Nm of twist without catastrophically malfunctioning every second run.
It took Lloydz around 320 hours to create the engine and the belt drive has also been ditched for a more robust chain drive setup.
The project was started in July 2010 and, at the time of writing, the last update on the official Mission 200 blog was in November. We're guessing they took a break over Christmas and the New Year, but watch this space because the sleek Victory streamliner could be breaking records soon...
Read the latest Bikesales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at the Bikesales Network's mobile site. Or download the all-new App.