As some of the most beautifully-designed stock motorcycles in existence, it’s not often that modern MV Agusta motorcycles are put up on the bench for customization. Though with an ever-growing number of extremely elite donor-based customs under his belt, if anyone is suited to the task of improving on the world-class designs of the Varese marque, it’s Southern California custom moto icon, Roland Sands and the rest of the RSD team.
Taking inspiration of Grand Prix race bikes from MV’s golden era of competition — which included a record 17 consecutive 500cc world championship titles — this high-end custom began life as a late-model Dragster 800, before being stripped down to a rolling chassis. The Italian triple now sports a custom flat-top, knee-dented tank with an endurance-style dual-cap setup, a custom cafe tail and subframe, and a one-off headlight shroud. Other details include CNC-racing rear-sets, Rizoma engine covers, clip-ons, rebuilt suspension, Brembo nickel GP racing calipers paired with RSD radial masters and petal rotors, custom wheels machined specially for the project, and an entirely bespoke full-titanium Zard exhaust with burnt headers and a honeycomb-meshed muffler. There’s also custom carbon fiber radiator covers, fenders, heel guards, and chain and swing-arm cover.
