International Dealer News IDN 137 June/July 2017 | Page 11

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BMW and RSD in
‘Machined’ line
R nineT accessory
collaboration
BMW has collaborated with
Californian customiser Roland Sands
Design (RSD) to turn what was initially
conceived as a series of one-off parts
for a custom project bike into a range
of custom accessories for their R nineT.
In 2013, RSD partnered with BMW on
a design exercise that resulted in the
creation of the Concept 90 - a
revolutionary machine built in true
collaboration between both brands.
The Concept 90 ignited a shift in the
perception of BMW motorcycles from
fully functional to also fully
customisable.
Having gone through a rigorous
design and development programme,
the key components from that
collaboration are now available
through BMW Motorrad as the
“Machined” line of billet accessories
for the BMW R nineT.
BMW say that they are machined to
the strictest of standards and mark not
only the first collaborative components
of their type available for the Boxer
motor, but they are the realisation of
direct communication and
development between Roland Sands
and Ola Stengard, Chief of Design at
BMW Motorrad.
“Ola and I had been grinding on this
idea for quite a long time, and I penned
the final designs while staying at a
Salzburg hotel in Austria”, Roland
Sands says. “Ola signed them off a day
later in Munich. Countless e-mails
back and forth between the two of us
shaped the designs into what you see
today. It was a huge accomplishment
for the RSD team to produce American
products that stood up to BMW’s
quality standards”.
The initial product line includes covers
for the cylinder heads, belt, headlight,
handlebar end, rear axle, bevel gear
bearing, swingarm pivot mount and an
oil filler neck lid. Expect to see more
designs added if the initial offer proves
a success with BMW and Sands
exploiting the different styling
opportunities offered by the R nineT
variants.
www.rolandsands.com
www.bmw-motorrad.com
INTERNATIONAL DEALER NEWS - JUNE/JULY 2017
11