Roland Sands Design Dakar Build and Racing Collection

Who doesn’t love a classic racing livery? From Gulf’s blue and orange to John Player Special’s black and gold, these designs harken back to the glory days of racing. For us, the red and white “cowboy killer” colorway is right among the most iconic, bringing back memories of Formula 1 and classic desert racing—specifically ’80s Dakar. Celebrating this classic race heritage are both RSD’s recent BMW R1200GS Dakar-themed build, and the matching limited-edition apparel collection from RSD.

The bike was unveiled back at one of the only moto shows we were able to attend this year, the One Show in Portland, Oregon. It perfectly blends the classic aesthetics of the famous 1980s BMW Dakar racing R80 G/S, with the performance of a 2008 R1200GS. Starting with the 2008 base, the entire front end of the bike was swapped out for that of a BMW R nineT to help accommodate the new Africa Twin forks, updated with Öhlins cartridges. The gas tank comes from a 1986 BMW GS, modified to fit modern EFI components. The subframe just had some minor work done with a seat custom made by Saddlemen, 1986-era fenders, and “survival” Pelican box on the back.

A hand-formed rally housing holds the Baja Designs LED headlights and hand-fabricated steel frame to the front fairing, behind which sits a new GPS, steering damper, and ProTaper bars. The final geometry is incredibly similar to a BMW HP2—a bike proven in the Baja 500. Oversize hubs hold the 18-inch rear and 21-inch front wheels. Custom paint from Airtrix wraps it all up and adds that essential final design element.

Although the bike may be the real adrenaline-inducing part of this equation, it’s not the part that you can bring home with you. Limited to 150 total sold, these pieces are only available in a kit and will not be sold individually. For $160, this includes a T-shirt, waterproof windbreaker jacket, a snapback hat, a metal rolling tray and BIC lighter, authenticity card signed by the man himself, and a cotton tote to hold it all together. Each component is the same high quality we’re used to seeing from RSD, but will only be offered in this one-time collection.

Head over to rolandsandsdesign.com to check out this small run while it’s still available.